When Judith Neary’s son ended his life last fall, she vowed she would make a difference for Vashon’s young people. Now, less than three months later, results are beginning to show themselves in offerings for islanders in their teens and early adulthood and in initial efforts to achieve Neary’s goal: creating a community center.

In the months following Rj’s Ontiveros’ death, Neary and her husband Ramon Ontiveros developed a nonprofit called Rj’s Kids and hosted three community meetings that focused on what young people would like to see on Vashon. Those meetings, held in November and December, drew 40 to 50 people each, Neary said, with nearly everyone contributing.

“What was most interesting was that across the board and across the generations, there was talk, engagement and ideas,” she said. “I found that very inspiring in and of itself.”

For now, the main focus of Rj’s Kids is to nurture the main ideas that came from those meetings and offer classes, activities and programs to help support Vashon’s Millenials. Partially because of those meetings, islanders of a variety of ages and backgrounds have begun to take action.

Beginning this week, Alex Echevarria is offering Kenpo karate classes at Ober Park for all ages. Rj’s Kids is sponsoring the classes and, with FamilyLink, will offer scholarships to those who need them.

Echevarria, a former high school teacher who previously offered karate classes at the Open Space for Arts & Community, said he is pleased to offer them now through Rj’s Kids. He added that martial arts teach focus, discipline and a connection to the mind, body and spirit, and benefit people of all ages.

In addition to learning martial arts, which was a popular request at the meetings, many people said they would like more musical opportunities. To that end, islander Brian Hildebrand, 32, has stepped up, and this month organized two weekend events at Skunk Works. The events went well, he said, drawing 20 to 30 or more to the small venue, giving a stage to what he called a “good group of performers” and raising more than $500 for Rj’s Kids.

Hildebrand, who grew up on the island, came of age when the Vashon Youth Council was strong and many young people spent time at The Crux, which offered opportunities for teens, including open mic nights. He would like to replicate its offerings to some extent, he said, and provide a way for young people to perform and hone their craft, while giving others another option for entertainment.

“We need our own scene to a certain degree,” he said. “They’ll be for people who feel they need a little something more, a little different.”

He added that the shows will not include alcohol.

“Being a sober show is good,” he said. “There are  enough shows a the bars.”

He knew Rj well and is pleased Neary and Ontiveros are making this effort.

“I felt a need for something like this to happen for quite a while,” he said.

At the brainstorming meeting, there was also considerable interest in cross-generational activities, and island senior Jane Berg said that a potluck and game night is planned for next month at the senior center, with the hope that connections will form.

While classes and programs are valuable, work is essential for young people and can be difficult to come by on Vashon. To that end, Diane Kjellberg, who works with Seeds 4 Success, which helps provide employment opportunities for those who are disabled, said she hopes to work with young people regarding internships, mentorships and employment opportunities on the island. She noted the common struggle of people entering the job market: that they cannot get a job without experience, and without experience, they cannot get a job. She added she sees youth taking a big part of the lead in any future endeavors, but that they will need assistance.

“We need to do something to help this group of people,” she said.

When Neary and her husband first created Rj’s Kids, her long-term vision was a community center. Now, just a few months later, she said she understands that is a wish that belongs to countless islanders, many of whom have been involved in some way in trying to create one over the years.

“What I have found most eye-opening in this is how many efforts individually and collectively there have been to try to make something happen,” she said. “I don’t why it has not happened when you look at how much the community wants it to happen.”

Just last week she took a potential step in that direction, when she, Ontiveros and high school parent Marianne Metz Lipe met with Greg Martin, the president of Sunrise Ridge, to discuss that vision. Now that Granny’s is moving and the board of Sunrise Ridge is looking for other ways for it to serve the community, Neary believes it may hold possibility as the long-sought center. An interior designer by trade, she is undeterred by the old military buildings and their condition.

“I see it as a gem in the rough,” she said.

For his part, Martin said he has invited her to create a solid proposal and meet with him and the treasurer of the board. If that goes well, he said, he would invite her to speak to the whole board in February.

While Neary has been overwhelmed at the community response she and her husband have received, she is clear more work will be needed, and momentum will need to be maintained over the long haul. Still, she marvels at what has transpired in such a short amount of time and says it speaks to Rj and his connections.

“Not to diminish any other loss, but Rj was loved by many,” she said. “It’s not me. It’s not my husband. It is the community need and a love for Rj that is moving this forward. I am thankful to be able to help that go forward. Both my husband and I are.”