A Steady Voice

By: Adam Gangelhoff

Expansion
February Edition 1, Issue 5

Jim Ingebritsen, NECCA Board Member.

For over 18 years, Jim Ingebritsen
has been a steady voice on the
board of directors at the North-
east Community Center. The board
president in 1994 and current board
treasurer has seen the center grow
and change, but one thing remain
the same; the positive impact the
Northeast Community Center has on
the community.
Jim joined the board in 1991, when
asked by then president Craig Soeh-
ren and former executive director Bill
Dillon. At the time, Jim was manager
of the Hillyard Safeway, a position
he held for 27 years, at a company
he worked for 38 years. Although
he is now retired from Safeway and
no longer lives in the NECCA service
area, he still has fond memories of
his time in Hillyard.
“My impression of the Hillyard peo-
ple has always been great. They are
working class people and I’ve always
enjoyed visiting with them,” Jim, who
has five children, ten grandkids and
a great-grandson, explained recently.
Jean Farmer recalls Jim as creat-
ing such a welcoming culture in his
store, many of the workers remem-
bered the names of the customers,
something that has continued after
his retirement.
Jim, an avid golfer, isn’t one to sit
idle. The University of Idaho graduate
has always been involved in the com-
munity. He has served on the board
at his church, for SYSA, SCORE, was
president of Greater Spokane Track
Club, and has been chairman of the
Safeway Credit Union since 1987.
Con’t on back.
The youth space will have an outdoor patio for kids to socialize. Progress is being made on the construction
of the patio, left. Artist drawing on the right shows the finished patio.
Expansion to Enhance Area’s Youth Programming
By: Adam Gangelhoff
It has been two months since ground was broken on the new expansion and thanks to the
mild weather this winter, great progress has been made. The new sewer and water lines have
been laid in the ground and about 8,000 cubic feet of dirt have been removed. The walls are
starting to go up around the lower level and the foundation for the building is starting to take
shape.
It is in that lower level where we plan to offer youth development programming. Of the 9,000
school-age children in our neighborhoods, only 12% have access to youth programs. Although
there are several good organizations in the Northeast Community Center service area, they
only have so much space available. It is our vision to provide another alternative for our area
youth, especially middle-school age children.
There are a variety of issues our neighborhood youth face that make the need for program-
ming even greater. One out of every three Spokane high school students drop out of school.
The two middle schools in our service area rank highest in the city for substance abuse
and the prevalence of obesity for 12-14 year olds is more than 1.5 times that of the rest of
Spokane. In the zip code surrounding our facility, 63 per 1,000 children are referred to Child
Protective Services compared to 37 per 1,000 county wide.
According to Northeast Community Center Board Member and Spokane teacher Joe Ormsby,
there is no single solution to these problems, but support for these students is paramount.
“We are all feeling the crunch of the country’s current economic situation. That pinch is felt
most by the young of our society,” Ormsby explained. “As cuts are needed to balance the
budget, school extra-curricular programs are often the first on the chopping block.”
Ormsby pointed out that the hours most teens get into trouble are between 3:00 and 5:00
p.m. “It is important for young people to gather and socialize in a safe and Con’t on back.
 Association
4001 N. Cook St.
Spokane, WA 99207
When Jim first joined the board at
the Northeast Community Center,
another expansion was about
to begin, the addition of 5,000
square feet on the Northwest side
of the building and the construc-
tion of the Hillyard Library. Just
like that expansion made room for
the addition of new services, our
latest expansion will do the same.
Although Jim is the second longest
tenured board member, he isn’t
ready to step down just yet.
“The thing I’ve stayed around for is ogy to their children,” Ormsby said. “By providing access to computers, the Northeast Commu-
getting this new project completed. nity Center is helping to fill that gap.”
I’d like to see it through to the
end.”
Continue Supporting ers and fathers who don’t know where to go to get help. He said often times older siblings are
the Northeast
Community Center
Expansion!
Invest online at:
necca.myspokane.net
or by mail at:
4001 N. Cook St.
Spokane, WA 99207
or by designating your
United Way contribution.
Thank You for
Investing in the Future
of Families!
appropriate environment. We at the Community Center find ourselves in a very unique position
of providing a safe space with supervision for the youth of our community.”
The details of what will fill the space in the expansion are still in the early planning stages, but
one thing is for sure, there will be a computer lab with at least 10 brand new computers. The
computers will be paid for by two federal grants totaling $2.2 million, with the Spokane city
libraries and other community centers also receiving funding to upgrade their technology and
broadband connections. The grants are part of federal stimulus funds set aside to bring high-
speed internet access to more people.
The computer lab will give students the opportunity to look for jobs, work on homework or even
explore career opportunities, like video game development. With society becoming more tech-
nologically based, it is important that our youth have experience working with computers.
“Many of the families in our neighborhoods lack the means to provide the necessary technol-
Most importantly, the community center has an opportunity to provide a safe environment with
positive role models for kids. With the economy deteriorating, families are struggling to make
ends meet and to raise their children. Ormsby said as a teacher, he has talked to many moth-
required to watch younger siblings as daycare is not
financially possible.
“These children are not allowed the opportunity to be a
child because they have taken on these adult roles out
of necessity. Consequently, they are making decisions
they lack the sophistication to make,” Ormsby ex-
plained. “Perhaps the most difficult problem is convinc-
ing these children that they are not relegated to their
parents’ fate. They can change their stars and it is up
to all of us to help.”
Through partnerships with many of the area middle
and high schools, the Northeast Community Center
has been able to stay current on the issues that young
people face in their daily lives. It is our goal to provide
a venue where the voices of the young can be heard.
“Community helping community is at the very fiber of
the Northeast Community Center. By providing for the
youth of our community we are providing for the com- Joe Ormsby, NECCA Board Member
munity’s future,” Ormsby concluded.