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three projects | one community capital campaign brings together 20 committed nonprofit partner organizations with a common goal: to help low-income families address emergency needs, achieve stability and find their unique voice. Together, we will improve the lives of 25,000 people each year.
The West Seattle Food Bank was established in 1981 to distribute surplus federal food to low-income residents in West Seattle. Its mission is to eliminate hunger in our area by securing and distributing quality, nutritious food, educating clients about healthy eating, increasing public awareness of hunger in our community, and coordinating community services for clients. The Food Bank will own and operate the new Community Resources Center. 
Historic Cooper Cultural Arts CenterThe Nature Consortium is a grassroots, community-based organization whose mission is to teach environmental lessons through the creative arts and hands-on conservation projects. Activities include a Youth Art Program which serves more than 500 children in public housing sites throughout the region, and an Urban Forest Restoration program. The Nature Consortium will have its offices at Cooper, offer programs for the first time in West Seattle, and host its annual Art-in-Nature Festival at the building. Arts Corps is a non-profit arts education program in Seattle and King County that recruits and places experienced Teaching Artists in a variety of after-school programs for young people in grades K-12. In 2003, the organization served more than 1,350 youth at 23 sites. Arts Corps will have both administrative offices and program space at Cooper, offering free music, dance, drama and visual arts classes. The Southwest Interagency Academy is an alternative school program of the Seattle Public Schools serving middle and high school students who have been expelled or suspended, as well as non-attenders, special education students at levels 1 & 2, and students recently released from detention. The school's philosophy is that all students can learn and be successful, and its curriculum is relevant and purposeful. The Academy will double its student body with additional space at Cooper and be enhanced by its proximity to other organizations using the arts as a learning tool. Theatre Puget Sound is a trade and service organization founded in 1997 to promote the spiritual and economic necessity of theater to the public, and to unify and strengthen the theater community through programs, resources and services. Its membership of nearly 100 small theater companies, for whom affordable performance space is in short supply, will be able to book the Cooper theater when it is not being used by tenant organizations. Twelfth Night Productions and the Pandemonium Players strive to provide a process-based performing arts experience to performers, students, and community members. This collaborative effort brings together professional educators and artists to celebrate the power of the arts to help sustain a community. Now entering its 10th year in West Seattle, the company will reach new and larger audiences in its new home at Historic Cooper Cultural Arts Center. Pacific Northwest Ballet's Discover Dance is a dynamic outreach program sharing the art of ballet with a diverse cross-section of the community. At Cooper, youth will work with professional instructors to choreograph and perform dance productions, and have access to PNB dress rehearsals and performances. Jack Straw Productions is a non-profit, multidisciplinary arts organization dedicated to the creation, production and presentation of all forms of audio art. Through radio drama, music and creative audio production programs, students of all ages work with professional artists to learn about the arts and to develop ways to express themselves creatively. Seattle Symphony's ACCESS Project evolved as an initiative of Seattle Symphony's Community Engagement Council, consisting of Symphony Board members and prominent members of the Asian, Latino, and African American communities in the Puget Sound Region. Through the ACCESS Project, the Symphony strives to build and sustain community partnerships; create interdisciplinary pathways to the arts; increase understanding and appreciation of the relationships between jazz, folk, world, and symphonic music traditions; and provide opportunities for diverse audiences to deepen relationships with music and people who make music. The Power of Hope unleashes the positive potential of youth through arts-centered intergenerational and multicultural learning programs that value self-awareness, leadership, community and social change. The Power of Hope programs are for youth and young adults who want to take an active role in creating a positive future, develop their leadership skills, build stronger communities and have a great time in the process! Power of Hope offers summer and school year programs for youth and professional development programs for adult who work with youth in Washington and British Columbia. West Seattle Food Bank & Community Resource CenterThe West Seattle Helpline offers emergency financial aid and referral advice that can rescue residents from homelessness, hopelessness and hunger. Long-term solutions are the goal, and by using a vast directory of referrals and information, Helpline volunteers provide people the assistance they need to move toward self-sufficiency. Office and counseling space in the Community Resource Center will increase the number of families receiving face-to-face (rather than telephone) interviews, especially beneficial for those with limited English skills. Women's Freedom Center is a grassroots organization committed to promoting the basic human right of women and girls to live free of abuse. Through advocacy, organizing, and education, WFC works with our communities to prevent abuseÊand respond to the needs of women who have experienced intimate partner abuse. Women's Freedom Center will have an office in the new Community Resource Center and expand its services to include drop-in support, safety planning and advocacy for both English and Spanish speaking women. Consejo is a private, not-for-profit organization, founded in 1978 to provide culturally competent mental health and family support services in Western Washington. Services focus on, but are not limited to, the Hispanic/Latino community. At the Community Resource Center, Consejo will offer counseling for children and families, adult mental health services, domestic violence counseling and referral, and the Familias Unidas Parenting Program. Fremont Public Association Food Resources Program coordinates programs that support Seattle area food banks and individuals in need of food-related services. At the Community Resource Center, agency staff will offer long-term solutions to clients' food needs, through both the Food Stamp Education and Lettuce Link programs. Neighborhood House, which assists people with limited resources attain their goals for self-sufficiency, financial independence and community building, will bring its comprehensive Employment Program to the Community Resource Center. On a monthly basis, multi-lingual staff will provide outreach, information and referral, and skill building workshops tailored to the needs of job seekers in West Seattle. Puget Sound Neighborhood Health Centers offer quality medical and dental services for people in Seattle and King County, with clinics located in the neighborhoods that have the poorest health status, highest rates of uninsured families, and the greatest ethnic diversity. Staff from the nearby High Point Medical and Dental Clinic will come to the Community Resource Center one or two times per month to provide health screening, education, and referral services to food bank clients. King County Bar Foundation/Association Community Legal Service Program provides volunteer-based, client-focused legal services to primarily low-income residents of King County who would not otherwise receive legal assistance. Public education programs and free legal clinics will be provided at the Community Resource Center on a quarterly or more frequent basis, during food-bank distribution hours. Seattle Fire Department Fire Prevention Divisionprovides fire and injury prevention education to targeted high-risk populations throughout the city. Occasional educational workshops and safety services will be offered throughout the year for West Seattle Food Bank and Community Resource Center clients. Providence Mount St. Vincent Retirement Center is a vibrant and innovative living carecommunity for older adults, owned and operated by Providence Health System. As West Seattle's largest employer, the Mount will offer recruitment and training opportunities for food bank clients interested in entry-level positions. Staff will also provide outreach to seniors who might be in need of assisted living or benefit from the Mount's ancillary services (dining room, beauty salon, acupuncture, etc.). Croft Place TownhomesSouthwest Youth & Family Services provides comprehensive, culturally relevant services in the West Seattle area, including skilled counseling, education and family support that help people use personal strengths to chart the course of their lives. Staff will use the Croft Place community building to provide on-site services to residents in need. Family Services builds emotionally healthy, self-sufficient families and a non-violent community in which they can thrive. Since 1892, Family Services has played a vital role in the Seattle community by helping people achieve independence. Today as a leading direct service provider in King County, Family Services offers comprehensive mental health counseling, violence prevention programs, and family stabilization services. SEHS will provide case management to the families at Croft Place who are moving out of homelessness. |
