YMCA of Snohomish County Hosts Free Camp Casey Community Kickoff in Coupeville

Neighbors, families and local leaders gathered at YMCA Camp Casey in Coupeville, the YMCA of Snohomish County reported, and the organization is inviting the public to a free Community Open House on Saturday, May 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Y described Camp Casey as having "nearly 70 years" of history and framed the site as a continuing place for education, recreation and personal growth on Central Whidbey.

Dates for the Community Kickoff differ across public materials. An advance notice listed a scheduled kickoff on Feb. 24 from 5–6:30 p.m. in Central Whidbey. YMCA of Snohomish County press material datelined Coupeville, WA, Feb. 11, 2025 and a document header of Feb. 12, 2025 say "neighbors, families, and local leaders gathered for the first-ever YMCA Camp Casey Community Kick‑Off." An Instagram post that includes a photo dated April 18, 2025 also reads, "We gathered for the first-ever YMCA Camp Casey Community Kick‑Off." None of the items in the materials supply a single definitive event date or explain the differences.

The YMCA has described the kickoff purpose in direct terms: "The kickoff will outline the camp’s history, current programs and future plans, and solicit community feedback, volunteers and participation in upcoming" activities, the advance text says. YMCA of Snohomish County materials spell out a program plan that places Overnight Camp as a permanent home at Camp Casey and lists conferences and retreats, youth day camps, swim lessons, youth sports and open gym as offerings the Y is preparing to make available to the Whidbey Island community.

The organization paired program plans with mission language. The release included the Y's stated mission, "To inspire, nurture, and strengthen culturally vibrant communities through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility," and quoted Carlson, surname only in the material: "We aim to be the premier camp destination on the West Coast," Carlson continued. "At the same time, we are also going to be a place where local Whidbey Island kids find belonging, families connect in the great outdoors, and our distinctive blend of natural beauty and historical significance inspires generations of changemakers." The YMCA also told the community to "stay tuned for more updates as the Y continues its journey toward launching programming in 2025."

Materials from the Y and the organization's social accounts describe the events as free and open to the community and explicitly invite volunteers and feedback. The YMCA identified itself as the steward launching programming at Camp Casey; the public pieces include a pointer to learn more on the Y's Camp Casey web presence and a general "get involved" call, though no street address or specific volunteer sign‑up contact appeared in the supplied texts.

A separate item on the same Whidbey News‑Times page included program text about skits honoring civil rights figures and quotes from a speaker identified only as Dean, who said, "I think once we keep pressing towards love, that’s what’s gonna heal a lot of hearts," and "Living up the name of Jesus." That item names Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks as subjects of the skits and notes that Jesse Jackson, who "passed away on Feb. 17," would be recognized during the celebration; the News‑Times excerpt does not explicitly link Dean's program to Camp Casey's kickoff.

The clearest next public step the YMCA provided is the May 3 Community Open House at Camp Casey from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the organization has said it intends to launch programming in 2025 including overnight camp, conferences and retreats, youth day camps, swim lessons, youth sports and open gym.