A Slice of Connection

Pizza Wednesday Club brings kids of all ages together

Story and photos by Rick Stedman

Since May 2022, Eatonville has been home to Pizza Wednesday Club, a monthly informal gathering of school kids and other community members. The brainchild of local real estate agent Emmy Lay, the club’s goal is to emphasize community and inclusion of all. The group meets monthly at Myles Pizza in Eatonville and invites any kids wanting to join.             

“My original idea was to try to create a fun activity for kids to do after school; one that would give them a chance for face-to-face interaction among youth and adults in our community,” Emmy says.

Once the program started growing, she quickly saw which kids were sitting alone and who seemed to have a harder time making friends.

“I could also see who the outgoing, confident kids were,” Emmy says. “I made sure to pair the shy kids up with other more outgoing kids to help them realize they all shared a similar love of pizza. Whenever I could, I’d emphasize that Pizza Wednesday Club is for everyone.”

As the monthly event grew in popularity, Emmy knew it needed to include more opportunities for kids to interact with adults—public officials, business owners, teachers and community members.

Police chief, school superintendent participate

Eatonville School District Superintendent Jay Brower has been a regular at the PWC
festivities.

“I think that the Pizza Wednesday Club lets kids know that our Eatonville
community is here to support them, to serve them and to show how much adults care about them,” he says. “It is also a great social time that encourages connections between kids from different areas of our greater community. Finally, it gives kids a
chance to see Eatonville Police Chief Jason LaLiberte and me in a different light. I really enjoyed greeting and serving some 300-plus kids at the November event.”

Jason sees value in being a regular at the monthly PWC luncheons.

“This event strengthens the bond between the community, the students and EPD,” he says. “I normally assist with serving slices, and my officers will mingle with the students. I really enjoy interacting with the students with their multitude of personalities and demeanors.”

Jason says that at first the kids were nervous about interacting with a uniformed police officer. Over time, they warmed up.

“I often have sore palms and knuckles after 300 or so high fives and fist bumps, he says. “In between the high fives, I often get the typical questions about policing that mainly only children unapologetically ask. Questions like, ‘Have you ever shot anyone?’ or, ‘When is the last time you chased a bad guy?’ I think it is positive for the kids to see me in a different setting other than witnessing me conduct police work.”

Local residents Leah and Levi Miller have sponsored several PWC events. For the November event, they not only paid the cost of the pizzas but offered $5 for every kid who attended the event. At the end of the day, the couple sent a $2,000 check to the Eatonville Family Association.

The EFA has served the local community for more than 40 years, providing individuals and families in need through a variety of services and programs. Both Emmy and Leah serve on the EFA board of directors. The idea to include EFA as a subsequent charity of the PWC event was Levi’s idea.

“Levi suggested that we try to give back for the holidays and hopefully instill in our youth a lifelong commitment of giving,” Emmy says. “All the kids had to do was show up, eat a slice of pizza and, in turn, raise money for the EFA. We are thinking of making this an annual event.”

What the kids say about PWC

• Second grader Gen Williams: “It’s free, it’s delicious and it’s nice of the community to do this for the kids. I’m glad there’s a smile on the staff when they serve it.”

• Fifth grader Kodee Schneider: “I like Pizza Wednesday Club because I get to see friends, and I love the pizza stickers. I also like visiting with the police!”

• High school senior Taylor Stann, a PWC volunteer: “Pizza Wednesday Club has shown me what a great community we have here in Eatonville and how the community cares about our youth. I love hearing all the laughs and excitement from these kids. It’s such a positive experience, and I look forward to going to more in the future.”

Expanding the program’s reach

The Pizza Wednesday Club has been taken on the road to Columbia Crest A-STEM Academy in Ashford.

“Principal Allison Burslem was so excited to help coordinate this event for their sixth, seventh and eighth graders,” Emmy says.

Since Columbia Crest is quite a drive from downtown Eatonville, many of their students rarely attend the official Pizza Wednesday Club. With the help of sponsors, the PWC provided pizza, drinks and a few toys to be raffled off for the Columbia Crest party.

“The PWC is an opportunity for everyone to experience a sense of belonging,” Emmy says. “It’s a chance to recognize all of our similarities instead of our differences, and it is also a way to build a sense of community over a simple slice of pizza.”

To find out when the next Pizza
Wednesday Club gathering
is, call Myles Pizza at
360-832-4469.