Mayor Lisa Brown revives city’s annual recognition of volunteers

April 10, 2026 Updated Fri., April 10, 2026 at 10:28 p.m.

Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown, right, talks with J.J. Jones, left, a construction supervisor for Habitat for Humanity at a home in East Spokane where she appeared to mark the Mayor's Day of Recognition for National Service Friday, April 10, 2026. Public service is celebrated for the entire month of April across the country and the city lends their employees for volunteer projects throughout the city this month. (Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)

By Emry Dinman emryd@spokesman.com (509) 459-5472

Donning a pink hardhat, Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown on Friday celebrated the work of volunteers at a Cleveland Avenue home being built by Habitat for Humanity.

In partnership with AmeriCorps and the Northeast Washington Education Service District, Brown commemorated the construction – paid for in part by the city’s “Heart fund” for affordable housing – during the Mayor’s Day of Recognition for National Service. Brown revived that day of recognition, which had been an annual tradition but appeared to have stopped at least six years ago.

“It felt fun to have the day, and also we could then focus city engagement around it,” Brown said in a brief interview. “Habitat is an organization I’ve been a part of; my sister leads international delegations, my siblings have been engaged with it. Unlike politics, where things are never over, these houses get finished and a family moves in, and there’s something very satisfying about it.”

Michelle Girardot, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Spokane, highlighted the importance of volunteers for organizations like hers.

“Volunteers are our engine,” she said. “We can’t do any of this without volunteers. Today is to be a recognition of service, but also an invitation, through Spokane Gives, the National Volunteer Month and through opportunities like this one, for more people to step forward, get involved and find their own place to serve.”

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