‘This is a model of a fulfilled life of purpose.’

Danyl Klump works to restrain his emotion when he talks about John Bangsund’s impact on his life.

“He was bigger than life,” Dan finally managed to say.

John was Dan’s football coach when Dan made the high school team, and Dan credits football with helping prepare him for adult life.

“John took me under his wing as I was going into high school. It was an awesome connection we had. I learned life lessons through football. The lessons of the game of football you transfer to your family, career, and college.”

Through Dan’s relationship with John, Dan gave his life to Christ on the football field.

Dan left for college, then worked in Aberdeen. He moved back to Leavenworth with his family in 2009, and reconnected with John.

When John asked him to consider joining The Dwelling Place’s board of directors, Dan was honored.  

“It is awesome to be a part of this, to serve the Lord and serve these men who serve the community,” he said. “It’s not like you’re giving your money to a cause and you just hope it’s going to do good. You know it does good here.”

While many people in town invest in The Dwelling Place because of their close relationships with The Amigos, many, like Dan, also do so in gratitude for what John and Kathy Bangsund have given to them personally, as well as what they have given to Leavenworth. John served in dual roles as founding principal and teacher of Upper Valley Christian School, and football coach of the Cascade Kodiak team. John also served in several public service roles, such as city council person and commissioner for the Chelan County Fire District No. 3. Kathy was a teacher, and both were long-time leaders in the Leavenworth Church of the Nazarene. Since the Bangsunds moved to town in 1978, they have been examples of those rare, but outsized, pillars upon which some communities securely rest.

It’s impossible for long-time residents like Dan to imagine a Leavenworth without the Bangsunds, and now, without The Dwelling Place.

“When you look at things in our society that make a community whole or more vibrant or more fulfilling…. you look at The Dwelling Place. It is bringing the community together. It’s one of those things that makes you feel good, but it’s also spreading that connection with others.”

After all that the Bangsunds, The Dwelling Place, and the Amigos have given to Leavenworth, Dan says they now need the community’s support in return.

Forty percent of operating funds need to come from charitable contributions in order to sustain The Dwelling Place. The Amigos’ home has managed to stay in the black all these years through charitable gifts from family members and friends, Kathy’s superior bargain shopping, John’s handyman skills in maintaining and expanding the home, and through volunteers who faithfully showed up when extra hands were needed. But it’s always a stretch.

Since John passed away in 2018 after a long battle with cancer, Kathy is carrying a triple load as administrative director, maintenance person, and caregiver. The board would like to see Kathy relieved of directorship and maintenance, so she can focus on being “Matt’s Mom,” as well as expand her role as a resource to others in the special needs community.

“To have the amazing staff that we have here, it takes money. It also takes support and love and even sacrifice,” Dan said. “You give a dollar to The Dwelling Place, nobody is taking 20 percent off the top. This is an investment in God’s house.”

And while there are always needs in the present, like the other board members Dan is concerned about The Amigos’ future.

“For the longest time in our society, if there was somebody with a disability, they’d put them in a room and forget about them. I think it does still go on in certain parts of the world and in our own country,” Dan said. “This is a model of a fulfilled life of purpose. They get to be part of the community and work, and the community loves them.

“But now we’re in uncharted territory. They are at an age that there’s no precedent. They’re older than the average person with developmental disabilities. They’re all pioneers. They’re all brothers. If one passes away, it’s not like, ‘Oh, we have a spot open. It doesn’t work that way. What does that mean to us? That does change things financially and in staffing. What does the transition look like if some of them are passing away?”

As a pioneer, faith-based organization carving a new path for people who experience developmental disabilities, The Dwelling Place has something to offer others who are following in their footsteps.

“The calling I feel personally is, look at what has been created here and what it has given back to the community,” Dan said. “We want to continue on with it as our calling so that we continue to give back to the community.”