East Central celebrates award

The East Central neighborhood recently threw a party to celebrate an award from Neighborhoods USA.

The neighborhood, in conjunction with Spokane Falls Community College and Eastern Washington University, was given the Neighborhood Best Practice Business Award for its work on the East Central Community Outreach Partnership Center. The program focuses on work force development, job creation and business retention through business development and neighborhood planning.

Through the program, the workplace skills of 300 residents in the East Central neighborhood have been assessed, 31 jobs have been created and the average wage of residents has risen by 7 percent, to name just a few of the successes.

The program was funded through a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Outreach Partnership Center grant.

Thanks to the program, the economic impact has been $9 million.

The award was presented to former East Central neighborhood chairman Jerry Numbers and Rhosetta Rhodes, director of continuing education, service learning and community engagement at Spokane Falls Community College, at the annual Neighborhoods USA national convention in Baton Rouge, La., last month.

Neighborhoods USA gave the two only one plaque for SFCC, so Rhodes had similar plaques made to be placed at EWU and at the East Central Community Center.

Neighborhoods USA helps foster and build neighborhood groups throughout the country. The organization’s convention will take place in Spokane in May 2009.

Spokane City Council members Mary Verner, Bob Apple, Brad Stark, Al French and Joe Shogan, as well as Mayor Dennis Hession, attended the East Central party.

“There are incredible things going on in the East Central neighborhood,” the mayor said. He also told the crowd that Jeff Perry, Spokane city arborist, will plant a tree at the community center this fall to commemorate the award.

“I grew up in Spokane, and to look around and see all the development here with the East Central Community Center is really amazing to see,” said Shogan.

Verner read a congratulatory letter from county Commissioner Mark Richard and expressed her pride in the community.

Representatives from other neighborhood councils also were on hand to celebrate their East Central counterparts.

While local dignitaries were speaking, neighborhood residents ate hot dogs, potato salad, chips and soda donated mostly by businesses in the East Central neighborhood, such as Sonnenberg’s Market & Deli and the Soda Factory.

They also had cake with the message, “Congratulations, East Central.”

The city’s Office of Neighborhood Services organized the event.