In 1981, Seattle pediatrician Bob Deisher founded a nonprofit on the philosophy that the lives of LGBTQ+ youth could be greatly improved through peer connection and support. Today, his mission is carried on throughout the region, including in downtown North Bend.

Deisher’s Capitol Hill-based organization, now called Lambert House, hosts satellite youth groups at King County libraries in Kenmore, Covington, Auburn, Federal Way and North Bend. In 2019, Lambert House received a $375,000 grant from King County’s Best Starts for Kids initiative to start the program and hired Laurie Colacurcio as director. The three-year grant has been renewed once, and next year Lambert House will apply for it again.

The programs were moved online during the pandemic, but are now popping back up in person. On the fourth Wednesday of each month, three trained volunteer facilitators run a youth group at the North Bend Library. Groups are free to attend for youth ages 13-22, and ages 10-12 with parent or guardian permission.

The meetings have no specific agenda and include a variety of activities, but they are always youth-driven. Members can be a part of the youth planning committee, which chooses activities and topics for the meetings. When incoming members register at lamberthouse.org, they are also asked to list their goals for participation, Colacurcio said, and “95% say to make friends, to get friends, to find friends.”

“It’s not designed to be a therapeutic support group. It’s really social support, so any activity that fosters friendship is what we’re going for,” she said.

As Colacurcio grows the program, her focus is on underserved communities such as rural areas. Sara Croft, whose 13-year-old, Sam, attends the North Bend meetings, said it was the only non-school LGBTQ+ youth programming she could find in town. Sam has had negative experiences with classmates, neighbors and people in public, she said. It’s important to her that Sam has a community to relate to.

“In this area, it’s kind of hit or miss if people are going to be supportive of a queer kid,” she said.

Many LGBTQ+ youth have faced hardship, Colacurcio said, and facilitators are intensively trained. New volunteers have two days of training with Lambert House directors, plus online homework. They learn from experts about topics such as adolescent development, gender identity, substance use, suicide prevention and homelessness.

“We want to make sure they feel as prepared as possible to handle any of the issues that may come up,” she said. “They feel like they’re in a place to either handle it themselves or know who to contact to handle that.”

Additionally, new volunteers are subject to a criminal background check, interviews with the board and reference checks.

“We want to make sure that we’ve fully vetted any adults before we give them access to very vulnerable teens and children,” Colacurcio said. “It gives us a lot of time to really get to know people and make sure we feel fully comfortable putting them in that role.”

The process has deterred some people, but Colacurcio said Lambert House still has more than 100 active volunteers ranging from ages 24-80. Volunteers are diverse, she said, spanning several careers, ethnic backgrounds, religious affiliations and economic standings.

“Not only do we have a wider reach than we could possibly afford to if we had to pay adult staff, but we have adult role models in every walk of life you could imagine,” she said. “It gives youth a way to see themselves in the future.”

One of the North Bend facilitators is A.J. Robles, a former Lambert House youth who grew up in North Bend. The Lambert House youth group is something that’s been missing from the Snoqualmie Valley, Robles said.

“It’s been something that I’ve been really happy to be involved with,” Robles said. “It’s been really helpful for some youth and also really personally fulfilling.”

As a kid, Robles said, it was frustrating to know there were LGBTQ+ resources in Seattle and not be able to access them.

“There are fewer services available outside of Seattle, and making those more accessible makes a world of difference to younger youth or youth who don’t have access to the same kind of resources or the same kind of family environment,” Robles said.

The other North Bend facilitators are local elementary school teacher Todd Bohannon and librarian Lindsay Ellsworth. Ellsworth has been with the group since it moved to North Bend last year and with the library since 2020. She said she strives to make the library an inclusive place where everyone can find information and come to their own conclusions.

“With so much division, to find neutral places … that has become so important,” she said. “What the library is to me is that place of exploration and freedom to be who you are within your community.”

Croft said having Ellsworth as a facilitator has made a big impact on her and Sam’s experience in the community.

“We can always go to the library and feel like we’re included and safe and welcome. That’s transferred to other programs at the library, too,” she said. “Maybe that wasn’t the intent at the start, they just needed a place to meet, but because of Lindsay, it’s really grown and feels more community-oriented.”

The Lambert House group has been significant for Sam, Croft said, providing good friends, adult role models and a stronger sense of self.

“They feel really secure in being who they are out in public,” she said. “They have more confidence and a feeling of safety in the community from knowing there’s other kids out there and there’s a safe place they can meet.”

North Bend librarian Lindsay Ellsworth stands for a photo in the room where the Lambert House youth group meets monthly. Ellsworth has been a facilitator of the group since its beginning. Photo by Grace Gorenflo/Valley Record