When Dick Brugger helped establish a fledgling youth and family service agency 35 years ago, little did he know it would become a longtime community player.
“At first it was survival,” said Brugger, the influential founder and driving force behind Auburn Youth Resources.
From humble beginnings, AYR has grown into one of South King County’s most successful youth and family service agencies. Brugger was its backbone, implementing many of its core programs before funding and additional resources fortified its existence.
Brugger, 81 and retired, will return as a special guest Friday morning to give the invocation for the 20th annual AYR and Enumclaw Youth & Family Services Valentine Breakfast, a major fundraiser for the community-based nonprofit agency. The benefit will begin at 7 a.m. at Grace Community Church, 1320 Auburn Way S.
The program will include an agency report, two client speakers and performances from the Enumclaw High School choir.
AYR, funded by United Way and King County, specializes in family counseling and emergency housing. It is the lead agency in a South King County teen pregnancy program, and is a strong part of a network of youth service bureaus helping youth and their families in the area.
Brugger, the AYR’s executive director from 1976-1997, was honored for his work at the breakfast two years ago.
City officials proclaimed Feb. 13, 2009 “Dick Brugger Day.”
“Dick has done so much for so many people,” said Mayor Pete Lewis, who bestowed the honor on the former Catholic priest. “He has touched so many lives. You will always be the poet of Auburn.”
AYR began in 1976 with four employees and a $35,000 budget. Today, it employs a staff of 90 and operates under an annual budget of more than $4 million.
In addition, the building at 816 F Street that serves as AYR’s mental health counseling center was named after Brugger.
“Dick has such a close affiliation with AYR … not many agencies around have that close tie with its founder,” said Jim Blanchard, the agency’s executive director. “He’s a treasure we still have.
“The man is AYR. He has done so much for this community,” Blanchard added. “Many of the programs he established back then are what we use today.”
Added Brugger: “I was the foundation … but the agency grew and went beyond me.
“I set the stage for a lot of it,” he added. “When we started out, we were a kids program, but I realized that … kids were not the (exclusive) issue, the whole family had to be involved in therapy to make it work.”
In retirement, Brugger continues to work as an accomplished poet and volunteers on the board at Green River Community College. He also is writing his memoirs which, he admits with a grin, “probably will never get done.”
It was Brugger’s insight into the community that helped AYR become a proactive agency, responsive to the needs of families and youth in crisis.
The outreach efforts soon spread. An agency now operates in Enumclaw.
To learn more or to contribute to the cause, visit www.ayr4kids.org.
