Elected officials from Spokane and around the state joined together earlier today to break ground on the new location for the Peaceful Valley Community Center.
The Youth Program at Peaceful Valley Community Center, which has served Spokane’s low and middle income youth in Spokane for decades, moved to the All Saints Lutheran Church in the Browne’s Addition Neighborhood. From this new location, the longtime community presence will be able to help serve an even greater number of children in need.
“80 percent of kids served by the Peaceful Valley Community Center Youth Programs are low or middle income,” noted Representative Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane). “This new location will more than double the amount of slots for children in this neighborhood for after school and summer programs.”
The move was made possible by a $230,000 proviso from the State’s Capital Budget. The Peaceful Valley Community Center’s youth and families programming expansion was selected as part of the Strengthen Youth and Families Section. In addition to the move, the funds will also make important improvements to the building, such as bringing the building up to fire code, which will allow the church to house the youth program.
“I applaud the work of our Legislators, the Council members, the neighborhood and the broader community who helped to make this happen,” said Riccelli, who sits on the Capital Budget Committee. “The Center will now be able to serve additional people and neighborhoods with more diverse programming to engage youth at a time when too many young people are falling through the cracks.”
Elected officials in attendance were Riccelli, House Speaker Frank Chopp (D-Seattle), Senator Andy Billig (D-Spokane), Representative Timm Ormsby (D-Spokane), and Spokane City Councilmembers Jon Snyder and Mike Allen.