'Reality House' Hits Home In Enumclaw, Buckley This Month

ENUMCLAW, WA - After facing relentless bullying online, a teen girl tries to kill herself. Across town, a group of teen boys who've been driving around while abusing alcohol and drugs hits and kills a little kid on a bicycle. And at a house around the corner, a teen party gets out of control with drinking, leading to an attempted rape. These are nightmare scenarios for any parent; but for teens, it's just another day.

To help drive home the real-life dangers and challenges faced by today's youth, the Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation (RFWF) — with help from a plethora of community partners — will put on its annual "Reality House" event in Enumclaw and Buckley on April 11 and 18, respectively.

At Reality House, volunteer actors, police officers, firefighters, and counseling professionals will stage three hyper-realistic scenes involving young people in dangerous and perhaps frightening situations. The event is meant to be an educational tool not just for kids, but also for parents who might not know how best to broach the often uncomfortable conversation about real life.

"Parents need to educate themselves," said Amy Trachte, the RFWF's mental health community coordinator. "These are uncomfortable situations and uncomfortable conversations; but they're necessary. And we hope this helps spark that family talk."

Held at fire stations in Enumclaw and Buckley, the events invite visitors to take a walk through three staged scenes depicting a suicide, a DUI-related fatal car crash, and an out-of-control high school party.

Visitors will get to watch the scenes unfold in real-time, with youth actors portraying suspects and victims while actual firefighters and law enforcement personnel conduct themselves as they would in a real situation.

After each 20-minute group walk-through, RFWF officials will guide interested families to Enumclaw High School's resource officer, a chaplain, and/or Nexus family counselors for in-depth conversations about what they witnessed and how they might respond if they ever caught themselves facing something similar, or even identical.

For the past five years, RFWF coordinators have hosted the Drug-Free Communities grant-funded event in Enumclaw alone. This year, funded solely by the foundation itself, the event will also reach Buckley families.

Expanding the event into nearby Buckley wouldn't have been possible without the help of local fire, police, and school support, Trachte said. And holding the events at all wouldn't have been possible without the help of volunteer actors and actresses from Enumclaw's nonprofit Imagination Theatre.

"This community comes together when you need it," Trachte said. "The partnerships are pretty special."

The April 11 event will be held between 5 and 8 p.m. at Enumclaw Fire Station 41, 1330 Wells St.

The April 18 event, also set between 5 and 8 p.m., will be held at Buckley City Fire Department, 611 Division St.

To register for your 20-minute walk-through, or for more information on the Reality House events, visit rfwellnessfoundation.org.

(Sign up for our free daily newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Enumclaw Patch)