I recently had the pleasure of listening to an update on the Parkland Community Center by the Parkland Community Assn’s own Treasurer: Melody Stepp. She was kind enough to share her update with me so I could share it with you!
“Welcome everyone.
I’m Melody Stepp, Co-Treasurer of the Parkland Community Assn., and member of our Parkland Spanaway Kiwanis Club.
This area, supports about 40,000 people, and they have a rich variety of cultures, ages, and stories. But to truly thrive, a diverse population needs more than just a place to live – it needs a place to gather. That is exactly why a dedicated community center is so important. Our vision is a community center that serves as a vital anchor for our community.
Without a central hub, it is incredibly easy for groups to isolate themselves and for our youth or seniors to feel forgotten. A community center prevents that isolation. It gives our children a safe place to learn after school, offers seniors a place to socialize, and provides families with affordable recreation and wellness opportunities. It is the equalizer and the gathering place for all abilities and incomes. Again, this is our vision.
Look around at this beautiful gym with its maple floor, which is currently under the protective mats (which were very generously donated by a local family), and at the full stage where the Tacoma Pierce County Jazz Band calls home. Check out the office spaces and conference rooms on the ground level that now look like the vision we had for them-despite how awful they were originally. The kitchen is getting a facelift too, and our dining room has already been used for meetings, baby showers, Safe Streets after school gatherings, a memorial service, painting classes and many other activities.
However, if it were not for the intersession of our local Kiwanis Club of Parkland Spanaway, we may not have been able to continue. They took on the Parkland Community Center as a Special Project and have stepped up many times along the way; you can be very proud of them.
So where are we as far as its current status, the Parkland Community Assn. is applying for a loan with Sound Credit Union. We have the money from the state to make our final payment, but we need to bridge that with the payments that we have already made in order to qualify for those state funds. We also have funds available to fix the roof, but again there are some steps we need to take before they become available. The third floor needs work, but what a wonderful place it will be for classes, and for organizations to use. In the meantime, to pay the bills we have some wonderful tenants, Family Promise is across the hallway, and Tahoma Northwest downstairs. We also have Jump Into Music, coming this fall, they teach music to kids on a sliding scale. We also hold fundraising events, like the rummage sales, and the super fun Haunted Market in October.
Not so much a fundraiser as a service to our community, November brings our Winter Giving event, where families can come in and listen to our wonderful band, play games, get their pictures taken with Santa, and we will have clothes and books to give away.
Ultimately, a community center isn’t just a building made of brick and mortar; it is a promise we make to one another. It is the physical hub that helps organizations like Kiwanis to do what they do best: serve the children. But that hub requires champions. I urge you today—join Kiwanis, and volunteer at the Parkland Community Center, and let’s build a brighter future for our kids and their families.
Thank you.
Note: For an information flyer about the Parkland Community Assn., and the Parkland Community Center, just send an email to JulieCollison@comcast.net. It contains a little history and also some contact information.
