On the course for a cause

DAYTON - When it comes to enjoying his work, Dain Henderson knows what he's doing.

The 18-year-old Waitsburg resident who will be attending Dayton High School as a senior this fall knew he had his senior project coming

up. So he put his mind to planning and found a way to combine his favorite pastime with his project - helping organize the annual Young Life golf tournament at the Touchet Valley Golf Course, in Dayton.

Henderson, who has been golfing with the high school team since his freshman year, has gone to state three times with his moves on the course. And he's participated with the Dayton Young Life program, a nondenominational, international Christian outreach group, since he was in 8th grade. "When it came time to get together a senior project, I decided to give back to Young Life," he said. "It worked out really good."

Young Life has organized a golf tournament for the last seven years in order to raise money for the kids' camps and other activities, but this year Henderson joined Dayton

First Methodist Church pastor Bill Peck and Ted Patterson in planning the event. Henderson's job was to seek out sponsors among local business owners, collecting gas cards, gift certificatesand sponsors.

More than seven teams signed up to play during the tournament, which took place Friday, and Henderson helped raise over $1,000 for Young Life. In addition, each team and nearly every hole on the course was sponsored by a local business. "It was really good to see such support from the community," he said. Henderson's mother, Marne Henderson, is a head leader with the Dayton Young Life program and encouraged her son's work on the tournament.

"Dain worked really hard on the project with Bill and Ted," she said. "And that's what the ministry is really about - leaders being with kids, spending time with kids, getting to know kids and building relationships with them."

Dayton's Young Life program was started 11 years ago for high school kids. Two years ago Dayton also began a program for junior high kids called Dayton Wyldlife, Marne Henderson said. Kids in both programs go to camp, meet regularly with leaders, have a good time and share the word of God, she said. "I've just been amazed with the kids who've been involved, the leaders who have been involved and the community support," said Jan Nealey, the Dayton resident who started the local Young Life program with her husband, Terry, 11 years ago. "We really didn't have any expectations," she said. "I just knew that I was called to do this, and that's what we've done - opened up our house to kids, loved the kids, and it's been a true blessing," she said.

Money raised at the annual golf tournament goes into the program's general fund for future activities and to help leaders in their quest to build relationships with local kids. "Like if I want to take a kid out for a soda pop, I can use this money to do that," Marne Henderson said. She said the program has probably worked with close to 60 Dayton kids each year, through club meetings or various events.

And this year the program will begin paying its area director, a position that has always been volunteer in the past. Dayton resident Diana Frame will take Nealey's place as director as Nealey steps down to allow "new blood" into the program, Marne Henderson said.

"It's really exciting because it means we're growing," she said.

For more informationabout Dayton's Young Life and Wyldlifeprograms, call (509) 386-2365.