Center of activity
Spokane-area Girl Scouts are reaching out in a big way – enough to fill 21,800 square feet of a former printing plant. Within two years, the Girl Scouts Inland Empire Council plans to transform the old Maple Street Press and Nickel Nik buildings into a hub of activity for West Central neighborhood girls, Spokane-area members and troops from its 21-county region.
A climbing wall, computer lab, arts and crafts room, fitness center, gymnasium, kitchen and a hostel for 50 guests are planned for the new Girl Scout Program Center, 1404 N. Ash St.
“Girl Scouts is a very contemporary organization,” said Lindy Cater, GSIEC executive director. “We’re trying to stay current in the needs and desires of today’s girls. … Whatever girls are interested in today, we need to offer to them.”
That includes computers to do homework, practice skills or learn Web-page design.
A donation of 25 computers recently came from TransCanada, formerly Gas Transmission NW, which operates the largest North American natural gas transmission system. The equipment will help stock the center’s computer lab.
Other attractions will be the climbing wall and fitness equipment, visiting artists, and volleyball and basketball matches. The gym will have bleachers and a portable stage for award ceremonies and annual meetings.
The kitchen can be used for events but also to teach girls about cooking, Cater said.
“We’re in a low-income area,” Cater said.
“A lot of girls need to learn how to cook low-cost, nutritious meals. A lot of them are cooking for themselves or siblings.”
Overall, the center will provide troop meeting space, a myriad of activities giving busy volunteer leaders more options. and an outreach to girls who otherwise might shy away from Girl Scouts, Cater added.
“We’ve taken a hard look at what barriers might exist,” she said, referring to the needs of low-income families that often have a single parent working long hours.
“Having a program center, we’re hoping, will make it easier to be a volunteer.
“They don’t have to come up with all the physical resources. They don’t have to find a volleyball court or a fitness center or a kitchen.”
The cost to join the Girl Scouts and transportation are two other potential barriers to potential members, said Cater, adding that GSIEC raised funds to cover fees for 700 participants this year and $40,000 a year in scholarships. The organization partners with schools, the West Central Community Center, the Martin Luther King Center, YWCA and tribe locations.
“Demographic trends are forcing us to look at the way we do things,” Cater said. “Does it always have to be in a home, at a stay-at-home mom’s house every week? Are there other ways to participate?”
The youth hostel planned within a 3,500-square-foot brick building is one key component, Cater said. GSIEC’s former site included a house used for stays in Spokane by troops from outlying areas.
“For outlying towns, it’s a big deal to come into Spokane. When we had a house before, they came up for Bloomsday or another activity.”
“They can stay (for) programs or go out and do community service.”
The new GSIEC site dominates a square block between Maple and Ash – all but a corner 7-Eleven store. The council has settled into part of the property with newly renovated staff offices and a conference room.
GSIEC bought the property in April 2004. Leaders have a two-phase fund-raising campaign for a total $3.1 million program center budget.
The first phase is complete – buying the property and renovating office and meeting space totaling 4,800 square feet. To raise money, GSIEC has sold its former building, received a $250,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, $300,000 from the state Legislature, and donations from individuals, corporations and foundations.
After raising a remaining $1.2 million, GSIEC plans to transform a 9,000-square-foot, high-ceiling warehouse into the center’s gym/multipurpose room and renovate other spaces for the kitchen, art and computer areas, resource areas and the hostel. Other rooms would include one for older girls to use for planning activities and another for volunteer resources.
The total space yet to be renovated includes about 17,000 square feet. GSIEC hopes to raise the rest of the money in about a year, Cater said.
In the center’s new conference room, a white board reads: “We want every girl to have a safe place to grow up with caring adult mentors.”
“When we think about why this campaign is important, that’s it in a nutshell,” Cater said.