Our story
The vision
Rally Club Seattle began in 2022 in response to not only a lack of programming specifically for middle schoolers, but also a need for connection and community post-pandemic.
Unique, inclusive communities
Rally Club Seattle creates safe, welcoming spaces for young people. Places full of caring volunteer mentors that listen, encourage, and take interest in their lives. Where there are engaging activities to do that they have agency in choosing. A space where young people that need it most can build confidence, develop critical life skills, and foster meaningful connections with positive role models and their peers.​
Connection Matters
​Increasing connectedness associates with improvements in academics, school attendance, mental health, confidence, and can also have a buffering effect for stress and trauma.
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Having more caring people in your life is empowering!​​
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Our Leadership Team:
Amy Quilter, Founder, President
Amy's career began as a pharmacist in Upstate New York. After a move overseas, another move back to the states to Athens, GA, and another to Seattle in 2016, she stopped practicing and spent most of her time taking care of her three busy boys, making friends and creating a home in new places. In 2019, with her boys more independent she began working with local nonprofit that gave free tennis lessons, a sport she was very passionate about. When the pandemic hit soon after, she poured herself into that small program, which like many programs shifted into offering all kinds of support over that time. She realized that the mentorship was what she enjoyed most about coaching.
That experience and enthusiasm, her insights as a parent and from relocating, her willingness to learn, along with help she received from professionals in fields like philanthropy, coaching, education, and business gave her the tools that she needed to start Rally Club Seattle!
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Amy is thrilled to be working with others as passionate as she is! Team Rally Club Seattle is always thinking of ways to improve upon the model and Amy would love to hear from you!
Conny Flores, Program Coordinator
Originally from San Francisco, I moved to Seattle for work in 2017 and later returned to school for a Bachelors Degree in Industrial Design which also allowed me to start my own business as a personal chef.
I’m passionate about sourdough, community building, designing outdoor gear, backpacking, foraging and sewing. I love building community and sharing food, stories, and creative tools.
Rally Club calls to me due to my first hand experience with mentorship. In middle school I attended a KIPP charter school which deepened my understanding of the lasting impact that mentorship and community engagement can have on young people. Some of my most treasured memories from the after school program there are from volunteer-led programs, like a hip-hop history class, lacrosse coaching, and pottery sessions. That experience shaped my interests and inspired me to help create an environment for youth to flourish. I am so excited to be a part of Rally Club!
Andrea Duys, Co-Founder
Andrea moved to Seattle from New Hampshire in 2013 to conduct psychology research at University of Washington. Her area of focus was how stress impacts the development of youth between ages 8-18. Through her work, she spent significant time supporting the youth and families she worked with, evolving into a mentorship role. She loved getting to know people from all kinds of backgrounds and walks of life. Currently she works at Amazon as a Program Manager in recruiting and career development.
When Andrea heard the idea for Rally Club she was immediately inspired. She is passionate about how mentorship improves outcomes for at-risk youth, as well as how rich of an experience it can be for a mentor. As a co-founder she has used her research experience to shape and improve programming and her human resources experience to recruit, train, and retain the best volunteers, the key to a quality mentorship program!
Andrea volunteers weekly as a mentor and enjoys helping the kids achieve their academic goals as well as navigate the social-emotional challenges of middle school life. She is very popular with the kids, known for getting the best snacks and her skills at listening and validating!
