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BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
YAKIMA, WASHINGTON
AGENDA STATEM ENT
Item No.A.i.
For Meeting of:August 20, 2019
ITEM TITLE: Henry Beauchamp Community Center history
SUBMITTED BY: Sara Watkins, Senior Assistant City Attorney
SUMMARY EXPLANATION:
I ntern Karla Villanueva researched the history of the Henry Beauchamp Community Center and met
with individuals familiar with the building and its history and will provide an overview of her report.
ITEM BUDGETED:
STRATEGIC PRIORITY:
APPROVED FOR '
SUBMITTAL: If
City Manager
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
BOARD/COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION:
Distributed at t e.
Meeting (4)0i 1'/ YA
A Historical Report on the Henry Beauchamp Community Center
The Henry Beauchamp Community Center (HBCC or Center), formerly the Southeast
Yakima Community Center (SECC), is a multi-service community center located in Southeast
Yakima with a long and powerful history of service. Its mission is to provide a variety of services
aimed at fostering self-sufficiency and dignity for children, youth and families; and, affirming
diversity in culture and way of life for residents in Southeast Yakima. This report offers a history
of the Center and its current operations, but is by no means a full account of the immeasurable
passion, dedication, and service that has allowed this Center to both survive and thrive over its
50+year history; nor its impact on the thousands of individuals and youth it has served.
HISTORY
Establishing the Center
The Center began as a dream in 1966 "when a group of community organizers in
Southeast Yakima completed a survey of area problems and needs" and envisioned a
neighborhood center. They initially envisioned a small structure provided through funding
raised only in Southeast Yakima. "These same people helped to organize a neighborhood
committee to begin working to solve the economic, educational and social problems of the
area. The group was later formalized into the nonprofit self-help corporation, Southeast Yakima
Community Center at Work, Inc. (SEYCAW)."1
In the summer of 1966, the Board of SEYCAW decided to proceed with their plans to
develop a neighborhood center. These original board members were: Rev.John Adams, Mr.
Herbert Carlson, Mrs. Lillie Chappell, Rev. Paul Harris, Mrs. Howard Holt, Mr. Adam Moore, Mrs.
Magnolia Rentz, Mrs. Eldora Rogers, Mrs. Christine Chandler, Mr. Cleveland Midkiff, Rev. A.
Bibles, Rev. D. Griggs, Mr. Gary Hale, Reverend John Bess Jr., and Mr. Charles Lee. Reverend
Adams, the then-pastor of Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church across the street from today's Center,
made available the basement of his church to a group of VISTA volunteers (including George
Finch and Michael E. Schwab); these VISTA volunteers wrote the bylaws, articles of
incorporation, and nonprofit status paperwork for the envisioned center.
Having a minimum budget to work with, SEYCAW operated out of a house on Pacific
Avenue donated by Delores Goodman, but that was quickly outgrown.' In the spring of 1967,
SEYCAW purchased the first property for the proposed neighborhood center site, on South 7th
Street between E. Washington Street (now E. Arlington St.) and Central Avenue. (This became
the site of today's Center.) That summer, preliminary site preparation work began. Throughout
the early stages of development, Mrs. Ruby Buller served in the role of director of the center.
Buller, a woman of great compassion for others and a trusted and respected individual in the SE
Yakima community, was a driving, supportive force in the foundation of the envisioned center.
That November of 1967, SEYCAW contacted the Seattle Area Office of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD) to inquire about the Federal Neighborhood Facilities (NF) Grant
12
From the HBCC 50`h Anniversary Celebration Pamphlet
Program. This program, born from its War on Poverty era, authorized grants from the federal
government to local public bodies (such as the City of Yakima) or agencies (such as SEYCAW) to
assist in financing projects for neighborhood facilities. Those projects had to provide a
neighborhood facility that was necessary for carrying out a program of health, recreation, social
or similar community services and activities needed in the neighborhood. This program aligned
with SEYCAW's dreams for a neighborhood center. After meeting with HUD officials and
representatives of the City of Yakima to discuss the NF Program, SEYCAW decided to apply for
the grant.
Throughout 1968, SEYCAW worked on the NF grant application, with assistance and
guidance from HUD, and planned for the construction of a larger, neighborhood service
facility/center. By this time, Mr. Henry Beauchamp had become the center's second Executive
Director, after Buller moved from Yakima. Buller had had a special relationship with
Beauchamp; she was a facilitator who put him in touch with others who could donate finances,
goods and services that would help make the dream of the center come true. These types of
networks were essential for the construction of the Center, particularly as SEYCAW set out to
locally raise 25% of the total project costs, as required by HUD; 75% of the total project cost
would be financed by the Federal Government. That fall of 1968, SEYCAW organized Operation
Coalition to seek community-wide support for a new Center.
As Operation Coalition was underway, SEYCAW was also working the City of Yakima for
a new Center. In the spring of 1969, the Yakima City Council agreed to participate in obtaining
an NF Grant and constructing a new Center. According to the proposed agreement, the City of
Yakima would be the applicant for the grant and owner of the completed neighborhood
facility/center, while SEYCAW would operate the Center for an initial long-term, no-cost lease
period of 20 years-- a lease which would begin once the construction of the Center was
completed. On August 25, 1969, Part I of the NF Grant application was completed and
submitted to HUD by SEYCAW and the City of Yakima; this part of the application was approved
by HUD on December 4, 1969.
That December, Operation Coalition reached its goal of$160,000 toward the local share
of total project cost: $40,000 from the city (cash, and non-cash contributed services), and
$120,000 from "pledges and contributions from individuals, service clubs, churches and other
groups throughout Yakima." SEYCAW and the wider SE Yakima community had led multiple
fundraising efforts, including spaghetti dinners, bake sales, and, in particular, the 'dollar a block'
effort. This was the purchasing of singular, cement blocks to pay for and construct the new
Center-- blocks which are still today part of the Center's walls and foundation. Overall, the
"city-wide fundraising effort was made up of low-income people, local businesses, private
citizens and city government."3
On April 3, 1970, Part II of the application was completed and submitted to HUD, who
then approved the entirety of the project in August 1970. Plans for constructing the Center
then began in earnest. As the City of Yakima would be the owner of the Center and its property,
SEYCAW sold their property on South 7=h Street between E. Washington Street (now E. Arlington
3 From the HBCC 50th Anniversary Celebration Pamphlet
St.) and Central Avenue to the City. Then, in early 1971, City of Yakima bought the two
properties that are today the Center's parking lots, one of which was bought from Alex and
Lorine Carter. These properties were ultimately paid for by the Federal Government through
the NF Grant. Additionally, the City bought the parcels of land that are today the Center's park,
which were bought from Elnora Fox, and Johnnie and Mamie Lee Adams. These parcels were
partially paid with a grant from the Housing and Home Finance Agency. (Both funding sources
included coverage for the relocation of the families who sold their properties and would be
displaced by the construction.)
Mrs. Wilma Beauchamp, wife of Henry Beauchamp, remembers when the houses of
those families were torn down and the construction began for the new Center. According to
her, there was a time when the neighborhood children would play on the dirt hills around the
holes dug for the Center and push dirt back down. To try to stop them from playing there, Mr.
Beauchamp would tell the children about the center that was being built. He spoke to them
about the nice place that they and their community would have. The children, who were very
excited about their community center, listened to Mr. Beauchamp and no longer played on the
center's construction.
Once construction was complete, the new $663,000+ Southeast Yakima Community
Center opened on May 8, 1972.
The Center's Initial Period
When the new Southeast Community Center opened its doors in May 1972, it marked
both the completion and the commencement of a dream that had begun years prior. The
construction was now complete, and the Center could now begin to serve the Southeast Yakima
community. At the time, Southeast Yakima was both a multiethnic community and the heart of
Yakima's Black community. This community, who worked hard to support center, as evidenced
by Operation Coalition, was then (and still is) extremely proud of the Community Center they
had collectively brought to fruition. Additionally, the Center's opening began the initial 20-year
tenancy period of SEYCAW operating the Center per their agreement with HUD and the City of
Yakima.
"It was quickly apparent that having multiple agencies under one roof better assisted
and encouraged a closer working relationship between agencies and clients and provided an
atmosphere of friendliness and cooperation to anyone receiving services. This was the
beginning of the Center fostering community involvement and building relationships with local
civic groups." 4 Through these relationships, the Initial offerings at the Center "included job
placement, legal aid, public assistance services, VISTA, vocational rehab, volunteer services,
summer nutrition, youth services, and more,"5 all readily available to the community. The
Center also operated a small cafe, which became a meeting place for the community to come
together and socialize.
4 From the HBCC 50th Anniversary Celebration Pamphlet
5 From the HBCC"Our History"Wall
Through its initial period, the Center served its community well, and became the origin
point of multiple organizations and changes in both Yakima and Washington, including a
legislation change at the state level, the today-Rotary Food Bank, OIC of WA, and Yakima
Neighborhood Health Services.
Food Bank
In 1972, three African American women saw the need to establish a food bank on the
Southeast Community Center's Campus. These women, Mrs. Frances Arnold, Mrs. Alice
Robinson and Mrs. Mary Hershey, went to Henry Beauchamp, then-Executive Director of the
SECC, and requested his assistance in establishing a Food Bank in the vacant house that sat on
the property. The effort resulted in a food bank within walking distance of the people in the
Southeast Community, one which has continued over the years utilizing committed community
volunteers to keep it running.
Welfare & Women's Rights
The Center's public assistance services were led by Rachel Corbin and Idean McBain,
who began a Welfare Rights organization at the site. These women, who were committed to
helping their community, enacted change that grew to affect not only Yakima, but Washington
State as a whole. During the Center's initial period, while it was still run by Henry Beauchamp,
Corbin and McBain discovered that women who were on welfare and who then received
financial aid at Yakima Valley College were being penalized by the state; as the women had to
list their financial aid as income, they became ineligible for Welfare grants. Corbin and McBain
then went and fought for those women at the capital and successfully got the legislation
changed so that women could retain their needed welfare grants and pursue their education.
This was a major accomplishment for Washington State, one that originated from the tireless
work of Rachel Corbin and (dean McBain of Southeast Yakima.
OIC of WA
Prior to the new Center's completion, Henry Beauchamp, then-Director of the SECC, led
the efforts to establish an Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) in Yakima. As Director of
the Center, Beauchamp was invited to attend a 1971 National Convention of OIC of America in
Seattle. There, Beauchamp and Eddie Hill met Dr. Leon Sullivan, Dr. Maurice Dawkins and other
founding members of the national OIC family, and learned about OIC's philosophy and
approach to training. This approach "was aimed at empowerment of the disadvantaged
through the tools of self-awareness and esteem building education and training." After the
convention, Beauchamp and Hill "began the process of organizing an OIC for the Yakima
Valley." The OIC of WA, formerly the Yakima Valley Opportunities Industrialization Center, was
then officially formed and incorporated on Sep 1, 1971.6 Beauchamp became the first Executive
Director of this OIC while continuing to fulfill his duties as Director of the SECC for almost three
years before the SEYCAW Board asked him to make a choice between the two in 1974. While
6 From the HBCC 50th Anniversary Celebration Pamphlet
Beauchamp chose to go to OIC, he never deserted the Center or its community; Beauchamp
remained a constant and instrumental supporter of the Center in the years to come.
Yakima Neighborhood Health Services
One of SEYCAW's initial goals was for the Center to offer a free health clinic. While the
Center had the space for a small clinic, the Southeast Clinic that began in 1975 under Dr.
Marjorie Wilson was short lived. During that era, the Medical Association feared socialized
medicine and looked down upon providing free health care, making it very difficult for the
center's clinic to exist. Additionally, the health care that was offered by the clinic was
preventative health care, not primary care. At the time, preventative health care was relatively
unknown; the community had expected primary care. Due to these complications, the Center's
clinic was closed within a year. However, many of the individuals involved with the SECC clinic,
particularly Dr. Marjorie Wilson, then became the driving forces behind Yakima Neighborhood
Health Services (YNHS). While YNHS still faced many obstacles in its fight for affordable health
care during this era, it has since become a powerful and widely impactful healthcare
organization. The concept for YNHS originated at the Center.
SEYCAW & the Yakima County Substance Abuse Coalition
When Reverend John Everhart went to visit Rodney Bryant in the late 80s the Center
was facing serious financial and mismanagement issues, and was on the brink of closing its
doors. Rev. Everhart asked Bryant, who was then-Principal of Adams Elementary and ran one of
the largest elementary schools at the time, for his help with the Center. Bryant agreed to help
and, for about the next 10 years, he would work tirelessly to pull the Center out of bankruptcy
and keep its doors open.
By that time, much of the SEYCAW board had disbanded; Bryant recruited community
members to join the Center board and explained the financial issues. Then, Bryant and Everhart
contacted an attorney from Velikanje Moore & Shore; the attorney, who was a friend of theirs,
helped SEYCAW file for chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1988. From there, the primary focus of the
board was the keep the Center open for the youth and the community. They then worked to
bring in tenants and partnerships to the Center generate revenue. One of the main sources of
revenue became the renting of the gym for receptions, celebrations, and quinceaneras. Board
members had scoped out the cost of other vendors' rental spaces and charged half the price.
This greatly helped with the Center's revenue, all of which went to the facility as there were no
paid positions at the Center. Bryant, who served in the role of Director of the Center, the Board,
and all of the community members who supported the Center provided services on a volunteer
basis.
For the first five years of Bryant's work at the Center, the situation remained fairly
turbulent. However, there were many great people in the Southeast Community who
supported the Center and helped to keep it open for the community. One of the primary
persons and organizations that helped to serve the Center and the community at this time was
Ester Huey and the Yakima County Substance Abuse Coalition (YCSAC).
The Yakima County Substance Abuse Coalition (YCSAC) had been a tenant of the Center
since 1988, and was one of the sole remaining tenants when the Center officially entered
bankruptcy. YCSAC, however, was experiencing failing management. In 1990, Ester Huey was
asked by Richard Zais, then-City manager, to run the coalition as Executive Director. Huey, who
had been working at OIC under Director Henry Beauchamp, agreed to do so and began to bring
in many programs to the Center. One such program was the first Annual Community Holiday
Activity in 1990, which served a holiday dinner to over 300 family members and provided a gift
and family picture with Santa for every child present-- an event which continues to this day.
Additionally, in April of 1992, the Southeast Community Library opened at the Southeast
Community Center as a Gates computer lab, a magnet for area residents of all ages. It was
housed in one of the offices inside the Center and grew very quickly.
Around the time period when the Center's financial situation began to improve,
SEYCAW's initial 20-year lease expired. The City of Yakima entered a new operating agreement
with SEYCAW to operate the Center on November 11, 1992. This new agreement was set to
terminate on June 14, 1997, with an option for SEYCAW to extend the agreement for two
additional 5-year periods. This was positive reinforcement that the Center was no longer on the
verge of closing.
As Bryant and SEYCAW continued to work toward pulling the Center out of bankruptcy,
Huey and YCSAC were introducing programming at both the Center and the wider Yakima
Valley, and working toward their primary mission: To promote a drug free environment in
Yakima County by confronting substance abuse and violence problems through the support of
prevention, treatment, education and enforcement efforts. YCSAC and Southeast community
volunteers continued to put on the Annual Community Holiday Activity, which grew over the
years with the assistance of many volunteers, including city officials, private businesses,
nonprofits and individuals. In 1993, YCSAC and Southeast community volunteers organized the
first National Night Out Activities with eight cities and towns up and down the Yakima Valley;
on the first Tuesday of August of that year, huge night-out celebrations took place throughout
the county and 36 individual Block parties were organized in the city of Yakima alone. Then, in
1994, the Yakima Gang Prevention and Intervention Coalition was organized.
Then-Yakima Mayor Pat Berndt called a meeting of the Yakima School District, the
Yakima County Commissioners, OIC of Washington, and Parks and Recreation, as well as Ester
Huey and City officials. The four primary entities had each received a $24,000 grant for gang
prevention, and Mayor Berndt believed that everyone should come together. They decided to
pool their grants together to create the Gang Prevention Coalition, which was then housed and
led by Huey and the Yakima County Substance Abuse Coalition. It was then that YCSAC began to
really develop after school programs in Southeast Yakima with the aid of 14 AmeriCorps
members.
Prior to developing programs, however, Huey met with the leaders of the opposing
gangs in Southeast Yakima. Huey, who had worked with many of them since they were children,
requested that they consider marking the Center as neutral territory. At the time, crime and
delinquency in the area was very high. However, they agreed to make the Center and a 6-block
radius around it neutral territory, which remains true to this day. This was crucial to ensuring
safety for the programs and their participants.
YCSAC then went to the school district and asked them to allow for 4 of their schools to
become mini community centers after school. Along with the SECC, Garfield Elementary,
Washington Middle School, Hoover Elementary, and Adams Elementary, all of which were in
areas considered to be high in juvenile crime and gang activity, then became the 5 sites for the
YCSAC and the Gang Prevention Intervention Coalition's After School Programs in Northeast
and Southeast Yakima. These programs consisted of Kids' Place, which was for children ages 5-
12 and ran from 3:30pm to 8:30pm, and Night Action, which was children ages 13-18 and ran
from 8:30pm until midnight.
Additionally, YCSAC developed the Eastside Sports Program at the SECC. This
program gave community children, who faced financial, transportation and other barriers to
participating in organized sports activities, access and the opportunity to experience them for
free in their own neighborhood. The program also brought the whole family together as it
taught both parents and kids to be coaches. Additionally, YCSAC brought in the National Guard
to be at the programs at night, while the police chief assigned an officer to each one of the 5
areas of the programs; those officers became really good friends with the children
participating.
The above programs successfully kept kids off the streets via protective factors. So much
so that, in the span of a year, YCSAC was able to reduce juvenile crime and gang activity in
Southeast and Northeast Yakima by 81%. The coalition received the Points of Light award for
their efforts, and then set a goal to organize their programs all over Yakima County. YCSAC was
also asked to help replicate their model across in 4 different cities in Washington.
Additionally, YCSAC later established the summer parks program. At the same sites
where YCSAC ran the after school programs (including the SECC), they used the play yard and
park to run the summer programs. They also worked with the state of Washington to get a
nutrition program, and were able to provide the children at the summer programs with
breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack. The summer parks program ensured that children
received meals, a safe place to go, and were protected from being on the streets during the
summer. When parents picked up their children, they could all then participate in the sports
activities. The whole model was very successful.
YCSAC was passionate about providing free services for kids, as well as programming
and events that could involve the entire family. The Make a Difference Banquet, established in
Yakima by YCSAC in late 1997 and housed by the SECC, supported that effort. Make a
Difference, a national campaign sponsored by USA Weekend and the Points of Light
Foundation, recognized the individuals who financially supported YCSAC to provide their
services. All of the proceeds from the fundraiser also supported youth services, which now
annually kept hundreds of kids off the street and involved in safe, protective, and engaging
programming.
By this point in 1997, after almost 10 years of diligent work and passionate volunteering,
Rodney Bryant and SEYCAW pulled the Center out of debt and bankruptcy. Today, Bryant
remembers the moment as one of his favorite memories regarding the Center. Had it not been
for Bryant's efforts during this period, the Center would likely not be operating today.
At the same time, in the midst of saving the Center and operating under the then-first 5-
year operating agreement, SEYCAW did not submit the documents necessary to renew their
agreement that summer, which would have extended their agreement for another 5 years. As a
result, the City of Yakima legally had to invite others to offer management proposals for the
Center through the Request for Proposals (RFP) process.
Both SEYCAW and YCSAC submitted proposals to manage the Center. A council
committee studied proposals from both agencies and ultimately awarded the contract to
YCSAC. While Bryant and others in Southeast Yakima felt that the City had used a technicality to
turn the Center over once SEYCAW had pulled it out of debt, Bryant was happy that Huey and
YCSAC had been awarded the contract. Bryant and Huey had worked side by side at the Center
since Huey became the director of YCSAC, and Bryant knew that she had great things planned
for the community.
YCSAC's Continued Efforts
YCSAC began to officially manage the Center on January 1, 1998, with Ester Huey in the
role of Director for both YCSAC and the SECC. YCSAC continued to run their After School,
Eastside Sports, and Summer Parks Programs at the Center, as well as their annual community
events of the Community Holiday Activity and the Make A Difference Banquet, and brought in
many partnerships and services to serve the community.
While the Center addressed the needs of many children from surrounding
neighborhoods, a goal of Huey's was to open the doors to seniors as well so that they could still
feel connected to, and a part of, the community. As part of these efforts, Huey brought in a
partnership with Providence Parish Nursing Outreach. This partnership lasted about 5 years;
Providence provided the Center a grant and staffing for senior foot care, as well as routine
preventative health care. While not a health clinic providing primary care, this partnership
provided essential care for the community. Additionally, Huey began a Senior Lunch Program at
the Center. At this time, Center staff and volunteers ran and managed the program, and cooked
all of the meals.
Another partnership that began in 1998 was with the University of Washington. They
rented space at the Center, working on a project that researched farmworker injuries. This
partnership lasted for about 6 years.
In 1999, the Southeast Community Library received a $25,000 grant from Bill Gates
Library Foundation to buy 11 new computers, software, and complete a larger library at the
Center. While the library had previously been housed in one of the Center's offices, it was now
located on the Center's northeast side. This was a major accomplishment of the Center,
particularly as many families did not have computer access at home. The library and the
computer lab were dedicated on July 3, 1999.
Later that year, YCSAC hosted the 3rd Annual Make a Difference Banquet at the SECC. At
this banquet, 35 Yakima Valley individuals were honored for making a difference in the
community. A mural in their honor was unveiled during the banquet and the Henry Beauchamp
Teen Center, previously housed in the SECC Annex, was dedicated. Below is the majority of the
October 3, 1999 Yakima Herald-Republic article, "Banquet to Honor Yakima Valley Residents,"
which describes why each individual was honored:
"'We wanted the mural to show diversity in the community, diversity of the Valley and show the
many ways people can make a difference,' said Ester Huey, [YCSAC and SECC Executive
Director]. 'I think we kind of captured that. Although some of the people are no longer living, we
wanted to recognize their contributions and tell young people their legacy can live on even after
they're gone."The mural was painted by Davis High School student J.R. Lee and art teacher Rex
DeLoney.
The Make A Difference honorees were chosen by 12 Substance Abuse Coalition staff members.
The focus was put on people who were instrumental with the community center, the Southeast
community and a few from the broader community.All were chosen for their 'consistency in
giving back to the community to make a difference.' Here is a list of recipients:
Henry Beauchamp will receive the 1999 Make A Difference Award for Outstanding
Contributions for his 35 years of service.The new teen center also will be named for him.The
executive director of the Yakima Valley Opportunities Industrialization Center, or OIC, helped to
establish the Yakima Gang Prevention Intervention Coalition. He also is a Yakima city councilman
and a former city mayor. Eldora Rogers relentlessly raised funds for the community center.
John Adams will be honored posthumously for supporting the first group of VISTA Volunteers
assigned to the community center. He provided work and meeting space for the group in the
basement of the church he founded in the early 1970s, Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church.
Michael Schwab, Yakima County Superior Court judge, did much of the needed legal work
involved in creating the nonprofit Southeast Community Center Organization.
Jack Larson was a former city mayor and a strong supporter who will be honored posthumously.
He also was in office when the economic development grant was written to the federal
government to build the community center.
Delores Goodman donated a house on Pacific Avenue to the community center office while the
center was under construction.
Eddie Hill was the first supervisor of the original VISTA volunteers in the 1980s. He now works
for OIC.
Rodney Bryant re-created the community center's financial structure from 1990-1998 after it
went bankrupt.The community center's debt was paid. He is the Adams Elementary School
principal.
Jaime Gonzales, Preston Brown and Jessie Rangel changed neighborhood attitudes toward
Yakima police officers through community involvement.
Joe T. Denman will be honored posthumously for embracing the nonviolent ideals of Martin
Luther King Jr. in his pulpit at Greater Faith Baptist Church, which he built. He also helped to
rename Washington Park in Southeast Yakima to Martin Luther King Jr. Park.
Ricardo Garcia brought the Hispanic Farmworker Equal Rights Movement to Yakima County. His
leadership also helped many young Hispanic people go on to higher education. He also is the
executive director of the Spanish/English Radio Cadena Public Broadcast Station in Granger.
Warren Dean Starr, former Yakima School District superintendent; Richard Zais,current city
manager; Graham Tollefson,former Yakima county commissioner; and Patricia Berndt, former
Yakima mayor pioneered the establishment of the Yakima County Substance Abuse Coalition 11
years ago. Starr and Tollefson will be honored posthumously.
Evelyn Pleasant and Phil Pleasant Jr., mother and son, are community activists who take strong
stands in the interest of equal access for Yakima's African American citizens.
Hazel Umtuch Olney and Lorintha Warwick, mother and daughter, have made tremendous
differences for Indian people living on Yakama tribal lands. Olney was a founder of the Tiinowit
International Powwow and served on the Yakama Tribal Council.As an appeals court justice in
the Yakama Nation Appellate Court and former Toppenish mayor,Warwick proved an Indian
woman can take a prominent place and make a difference in her own nation and community.
James Parks, facilities manager for the Southeast Yakima Community Center, spent countless
unpaid hours during the past two years to bring the Southeast Community Center to its current
place.
Don Blesio, Yakima police chief; Gene Rostvold, Yakima School District administrator; Denise
Nichols, current city director of Parks and Recreation; Ester Huey, Substance Abuse Coalition
Executive Director; Dave Flaherty, former city director of parks and recreation; and Patricia
Berndt established the Yakima Gang Prevention Coalition that took hundreds of kids off the
streets and provided a safe, productive environment for children and youth... Berndt was
named twice for her role in the gang prevention coalition and the substance abuse coalition.
Idean McBain and Rachel Corbin will be honored posthumously for the differences they made in
the lives of welfare recipients in Yakima and the state. Corbin founded the Yakima Welfare
Rights Organization. Corbin and McBain worked to ensure welfare recipients did not lose their
grants when they received financial assistance to attend college to better themselves and their
children.They called governors, senators, representatives and anyone else who attempted to
deprive women of their rights.Their work made a tremendous difference for many women in
the state.
Luz Bazan-Gutierrez championed economic development and self-sufficiency, especially in the
Hispanic community.As a result of her work through the Minority and Women Business
Entrepreneur Organization, many businesses have opened in Yakima County.
John Everhart is a Southeast minister who lends his talents and participation to the Southeast
Community from Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations to National Night Out Against Crime.
Tomas Villanueva is a tireless advocate for Hispanic Farmworkers. He devoted his life to
organizing coalitions of people to become advocates for themselves. He works for the
Department of Social and Health Services in Toppenish.
Steve Mitchell became a pioneer in providing alternative education to many of Yakima's
students who would not have completed high school without the alternative. He is a Yakima
School District associate superintendent.
Magnolia Rentz helped to raise the level of Yakima's OIC, which she chaired for 20 years before
her death. It became one of the largest and strongest in the nation that consistently
accomplishes its goal of moving disadvantaged people to lives of self-sufficiency.
Toni Gardner will be honored posthumously as a community organizer and activist who made a
great impact in the city. She began the National Night Out, the Black Women's Coalition,
Stewards and Ministers Community Basketball tournament and the annual Juneteenth
Celebration."
Since the article's publication, more of those individuals honored have passed. Their
contributions, however, have remained instrumental for both the Southeast and overall Yakima
community. The mural honoring these individuals can still be seen today on the sides of the
Teen Center.
Additionally, the then-new Teen Center became a site for the Night Action program at
the SECC. It had previously been an annex rented by the Yakima Alternative School, but was
turned into a teen center after the school closed. This Teen Center became a space for youth to
go for tutoring, games, dances, and to simply hang out off the streets as part of the Gang
Prevention and Intervention Coalition.
By the year 2000, the Eastside Sports Program had moved to the YMCA. That year,
Discovery YMCA received a Community Development Block Grant to expand its existing
programs, and provide financial assistance and transportation between the YMCA and the SECC
to individuals who were unable to access the YMCA programs due to those barriers. The YMCA
set up a part-time branch office at the Center and provided van shuttle service to and from the
YMCA and SECC throughout the day. This Eastside Sports Program was fairly different from the
program that YCSAC began at the Center.
By the time that Ester Huey retired from her position as the Executive Director of YCSAC
and the SECC, she had brought to fruition many programs and events that greatly benefitted
the Southeast Yakima community and the Yakima Valley as a whole.
City of Yakima Parks & Recreation Department Takes Over Due to Funding Issues
While the new Executive Director, Steve Magallan, did renew YCSAC's contract to
operate the Center in September 2002, allowing the Coalition to manage the Center for an
additional 5-year period, the Director did not renew a key grant: the AmeriCorps grant. This
grant and contract was crucial to all of YCSAC's programming and their largest piece of grant
money; without it and the AmeriCorps members, YCSAC's and the Center's youth programming
could not exist. As the grant would at the end of August of 2003, that summer the Director
notified the City of Yakima that YCSAC was terminating its operating agreement as it could no
longer financially operate the Center.
On August 31, 2003, the operating agreement with YCSAC was terminated. Program-
wise, the City planned to continue the Kid's Place and Night Action programs for the 2003/2004
school year with the City of Yakima Parks and Recreation department providing services
through an AmeriCorps grant that had been provided to the City.
At the time, it seemed that the SECC was once again on the brink of closing its doors.
Still, many of those from the City, Parks & Recreation, and Southeast Yakima community
worked passionately to keep the Center open. Mr. James Parks, who had volunteered at the
Center since 1989 and was employed by YCSAC since the early 90s for the After School
Programs, was hired by the City as the Facilities Manager for the Center and ran the few
remaining youth programs at the Center. Then-Parks & Recreation Manager Denise Nichols
immediately began a new Request for Proposal (RFP) process after YCSAC's agreement
termination; this included holding a series of 4 SECC Public Meetings in November, 2003 to
explain the management situation and hear from the community on the services that they
wanted from the Center. (At the time, the Food Bank wanted its operations to be considered
separate from the SECC.)
In January of 2004, the City of Yakima sent out an RFP, looking for proposals from
nonprofit agencies to run the center and provide the primary services the community asked for
in the November 2003 meetings: educational programs for youth,job-training and senior
services. Three organizations submitted proposals, and the contract was awarded to Henry
Beauchamp and Ester Huey in a last-minute proposal on behalf of OIC of WA.
By this time, Ester Huey had come out of retirement and was working once again for OIC
under Henry Beauchamp. In 2002, Beauchamp had persuaded Washington State to allow OIC to
take over the only African-American nursing home in the state, which was on the verge of
closing because of mismanagement. Together, Beauchamp and Huey developed a strategy to
save the nursing home (and they did after three years). Huey had by then developed the
reputation that, if something was going under, she could save it.
Huey and Beauchamp submitted a last-minute proposal to manage the Center, asking
for City funding of$50,000 to run the Center through the rest of 2004, and $75,000 to run the
Center for each consecutive year for up to three years, until they could find tenants to rent
space and grants to pay for programs. The City of Yakima awarded OIC of WA management of
the Center, with Huey serving as the SECC's Executive Director. The $50,000 was provided from
the Parks & Recreation Operating Fund, while $75,000 of operating money was provided
through Community Development Block Grant funding. The City also provided some funding for
the renovation of the SECC.
Rebuilding the SECC
OIC of WA began to officially manage and operate the SECC on September 1, 2004 The
original goals set forth by the City of Yakima and OIC were for the Center to provide programs
and services that centered on the community needs identified in the November 2003 meetings.
Per the operating agreement, this was to include a mentoring program for high-risk, middle
school youth, a program for young adults who faced barriers to employment, and a program
with services for senior citizens residing in Southeast Yakima. Like the previous agreements
with SEYCAW and YCSAC, this agreement would expire after 5-years, but could be extended for
two additional 5-year periods.
Ester Huey served in the role of Executive Director, but due to her commitments in
Seattle with the African American nursing home, she was only able to be at the Center part
time. Huey commuted back and forth between Seattle and Yakima, working to put the pieces
back together for the Center. It was exhausting work. Most of the tenants and programs had
disappeared by then, so Huey had to not only find funding and develop programs and
partnerships, but she had to rebuild the Center's reputation in the community. Still, Huey had
returned to the Center because she was passionate about the youth in the community, and that
they have equal opportunities. As an African American woman with a background of poverty,
she could see the disparities in access and established programs for the low-income, kids of
color in the Southeast Yakima Community, and was determined to support these youth and this
community.
In the first few months of the Center's return, Huey, James Parks (who had remained
working at the SECC as Facility Manager, but now under OIC), and Center Staff worked tirelessly
to put forth programs for the community. That December, the Center held the 15th Annual
Community Holiday Activity, serving over 1,000 dinners (the largest yet) with the help of 167
volunteers; a Holiday Week Children's Activity at the end of the month, with staffing provided
by Parks & Recreation and OIC of WA AmeriCorps Teams and volunteers to provide children a
drop-in type of activity full of art and gym activities for one week; and Senior Citizen daily drop-
in activities to enjoy games and socializing.
Over the next year, the Center staff worked to develop and re-establish many
community activities and events to demonstrate to the Southeast Yakima community that the
Center was indeed continuing to provide services, meeting many of their initial first-year goals.
From almost no programs and services at the end of 2004, Center staff created the following:
began a middle school mentoring program developed by the Parks and Recreation AmeriCorps
Team to provide tutoring and enrichment activities; began an after school Kids Place program
led on a volunteer basis by Mrs. Linda Marzette; "brought back" the Summer Parks Program at
the Center, which was run by Senior Grandparent Volunteers and OIC AmeriCorps Members
and provided lunches through a partnership with the Yakima School District; instituted Friday
Family nights providing drop-in activities, sports, and computer access; and re-established the
Senior Lunch Program through a renewed partnership with Yakima Food Services, who
provided three traditional meals per week while the Center staff prepared two ethnically-
oriented meals per week.
The Center also re-established the National Night Out Activities on August 2, 2005, with
over 200 guests, and continued the Make a Difference Banquet on October 14.The latter event in
particular publicly demonstrated that the Southeast Yakima Community Center and the Southeast
Community itself, was still a viable part of the larger Yakima Community. The event raised
approximately$7,000.00.Then, on December 6, 2005,the Center hosted the 17th Annual Community
Holiday Activity, with nearly 1200 guests attended the event, making it the largest in the 17-year history
of the activity.
By this time, the Center staff had also negotiated two, long-term tenant leases that
brought in over $1,000 in revenue monthly; one was a small hair braiding business, and the
other was the Saturday night use of the gym. The SECC also signed an agreement with Area
Aging Agency to provide monthly space for their training program, and began a community
partnership with the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS)to assist with outreach.
However, one long-term lease tenant, the University of Washington, terminated its lease at the
end of 2005 in order to house all of its programs together at the Yakima Valley College. Still,
SECC staff continued to work hard to bring in more tenants.
Additionally, the Center was successful in acquiring a grant to bring on a part-time, 4-
hour per day staff member to run some programming at the Center, including the Summer
Parks Program and the Senior Lunch Program. This staff member was Adrianne Garner, who is
today the Center's Executive Director. AmeriCorps also awarded a project to the Center
working on youth programs, which was scheduled to begin in August 2006.
In terms of renovations, by the end of 2005 the Office of Neighborhood Development
Services (ONDS) had worked closely with OIC and SECC staff to renovate the building so that it
could function properly and meet community needs. The accomplished renovations included:
two ADA-accessible bathrooms; replacement windows; new tables and chairs for banquet and
activity seating; remodeled outdated gym bathrooms and locker rooms; additional storage and
access for the newly purchased tables and chairs; a new commercial refrigerator and fryer for
the kitchen; and painted gym walls. The repairs, renovations, and cosmetic enhancements that
had taken place over the year were very visible at the SECC and greatly enhanced the ability to
rent space for one-time activities, which became a good complementary revenue source.
Throughout this initial rebuilding year, Huey still had her commitments in Seattle and
there remained the need for full-time SECC Director. The Center staff, a faithful base of
community volunteers, and the instrumental partnerships with entities such as Parks &
Recreation, had all allowed for the Center to pull ahead and begin to thrive again.
A "Rebuilt" Center and Ready by Five
By 2007, the SECC had pulled through its "rebuilding" period. From almost no services
offered in January 2005,the Center now offered a variety of community services and activities
that greatly impacted the Southeast Yakima community'.
The Senior Lunch Program continued to be a collaboration between SECC and Yakima
County Food Services. It allowed seniors to receive nutritious meals during the noon lunch hour
and the opportunity to enjoy social time with others.
Beginning in January 2006, SECC and AmeriCorps staff operated four afterschool and
late-night activity sites through partnerships with Parks & Recreation and the Yakima School
District. These programs were Reach for the Stars, for kinder through fifth grade youth, and The
F.R.E.S.H. SPOT (Feeling Results Elevating Student Hopes), for sixth through 12th grade youth.
The sites included Barge Lincoln Elementary School, Hoover Elementary School, Ridgeview
Elementary School and the SECC, with the Center being the only site that operated both
programs.
Additionally, during the summer, a team of 15 AmeriCorps volunteers supervised the
Summer Parks Programs, which were operated daily at Kiwanis Park, Milroy Park, and the SECC
The following program descriptions were partially adapted from the Southeast Yakima Community Center
brochure, c. 2009.
Park. These services included mentoring and social support services, tutoring and homework
assistance, and enrichment and recreational activities. Collectively, the programs helped to
combat juvenile crime, school dropout, gang activity, and drug related activities in Northeast
and Southeast Yakima and helped to make a difference in the lives of the community children.
During the school year, the SECC operated the Beyond Barriers Tutoring Center, which
provided one-on-one tutoring assistance to struggling students ages 5 to 17. A Certified Teacher
led the tutoring with community volunteers assisting. Beyond Barriers was supported by a grant
from the Yakima School District.
At the time, the Center operated the Children of Incarcerated Parents Mentoring
Program (COPES). The project was designed to provide a strong support base that would meet
the evolving challenges of children whose parent(s) were or had been incarcerated. Volunteer
Mentors were recruited from throughout Yakima and were required to pass a rigorous
background check before being approved as a mentor. Each child served in the project was
assigned their own one-on-one mentor and, through collaborative efforts, ancillary services
such as mental health counseling, school advocacy, and connecting with other services for the
good of the child. The COPES Program was partially funded by Casey Family Programs.
The Center also operated several services meant to support families. This included
Parent/Caregiver Meetings, the Powerful Families training program, and Family Night. Parent/
Caregiver Meetings were held monthly at the Center and were designed to support and nurture
parents and caregivers through difficult situations while raising children, including biological-,
foster-, and grand-children. Any topic of concern could be discussed, group problem solving
took place, and guest speakers spoke on effective parenting and support skills. The Powerful
Families Program provided a 9-week training program to support families in the areas of
advocacy, financial literacy, and leadership skills. The intent of the program was to empower
low-income families, and was a collaboration between DSHS (who provided funding), Casey
Family Programs (who provided curriculum), and the SECC (who conducted the training). The
quarterly Family Night events recognized parents/caregivers and children in all SECC activities.
Families came together to celebrate the accomplishments and milestones in their lives, and all
community members were invited to participate.
Additionally, the SECC ran the Family to Family Program in collaboration with DSHS. The
program was a foster home recruitment and retention program and a center of support for
caregivers in the Southeast and Northeast areas of Yakima. It sought to have homes ready in
the area for children in order to enable them to remain in the community where they were
connected. The program strove to keep sibling groups together or in close proximity, and
mentored new caregivers through the foster home licensing process. It also facilitated the
monthly Parent/ Caregiver Meetings to support and nurture parents/caregivers through
difficult situation while raising children.
While the SECC continued to offer the annual activities of National Night Out, the Make
a Difference Banquet, and the Annual Community Holiday Activity, by 2007 Center staff had
also begun two more annual community activities. These were the Annual Southeast
Community Fair and Bar-Be-Que, a fundraiser and bar-be-que cook off first held in July of 2006;
and the 100 Jobs 100 Kids Youth Career and Job Fair, first held in May 2007 with close to 200
youth participants.
Aside from the F.R.E.S.H. SPOT and Reach for the Stars after-school program, all of the
above services and activities continued into 2008 (due to decreased funding, the Center offered
only a Night Action after school program starting in late 2007). Additionally, an amendment to
the 2004 operating agreement was approved on February 2008, which allowed for OIC to
receive the $75,000 yearly operating fee for the final two years of their 5-year contract. All in
all, the Center was a stable resource in the Southeast Yakima community. During the months of
May through June 2008, however, the Center and Southeast Yakima community as a whole
experienced conflict due to the Ready by Five proposed project.
In May 2008, Bill Gates visited Yakima to announce an initial foundation grant of$5
million for an early childhood learning center and related programs-- Ready by Five. The
ambitious investment was projected to reach $30 million over a 10-year period. As part of the
Thrive by Five and Gates Foundation, the proposed Yakima Ready by Five program promised to
complement and make even better an improving school system. The Ready by Five project had
been in the works since summer 2006, when the Gates Foundation selected Yakima as one of
two state demonstration communities aiming to improve school readiness for children 5 and
younger.
The conflict with Ready by Five was in its proposed location: the Southeast Community
Center. The Ready by Five committee, working in conjunction with the Gates Foundation,
Thrive by Five, and the Department of Early Education, had been working with the City of
Yakima to locate public pieces of property that could be the site for the new Early Learning
Center Facility. The Southeast Community Center appeared to meet the needs best of the
facility and program, in great part due to the surrounding community and the children it would
serve. The proposed project included a remodel of the building; and while the Center's
programs would have been displaced during the construction of the new facility, SECC staff not
only already had plans ready to relocate said programs, but the overall project planned to
continue the SECC's services in the new center.
In order for Ready by Five to potentially remodel the SECC and house their "educare"
center there, the SECC and Community Park needed to be declared as surplus City-owned
property. As part of that process, the City of Yakima held a Public Hearing on June 3, 2008. At
this hearing, Rick Linneweh, the President of the voluntary Ready by Five board, explained the
project for the proposed Early Learning Center facility, emphasizing both how the entire
community would benefit from the project and that the board did not want the education
facility to be born in conflict; they wanted it to be wanted and accepted in the area moving
forward. The public comments that followed demonstrated that not everyone agreed.
At the public hearing, while many individuals supported the efforts of Ready by Five and
the idea of an educare center, the majority of individuals did not support the surplussing and
"tearing down" of the SECC. Multiple individuals spoke about the need to maintain and improve
the SECC, with many sharing their personal memories of the Center. A few also spoke on the
history of the SECC and impact on the community. Following the passionate public comments,
Linneweh asked the City of Yakima for the opportunity to look for other alternatives for the
Early Learning Center facility.
The Ready by Five project was ultimately taken on by Memorial Hospital. To many in the
Southeast Yakima community, the whole affair felt as if the SECC were being taken away from
them. It was a very upsetting situation, but one which ultimately demonstrated the claim,
pride, and care that the Southeast Yakima community feels for their Center.
The SECC Advisory Board
A by-product of the Ready by Five affair was that the absence of a SECC advisory board /
committee came to light. Although the SECC Advisory Board had been established by City
ordinance in 2004, the actual board was not formed at the time. Once then-Mayor David Edler
realized this, he issued a challenge to get the group organized in 2008.
The original SECC Advisory Board members were Vernita Adolf, Aaron Case, Jaimie
Covarrubias, Martha S. Gamboa, Johnnie B. Harvey, Gloria A. Hernandez, and Reverend Robert
L. Trimble. Their terms all officially began on November 18, 2008, but varied in duration from
1.5 to 4.5 years. Their first meeting occurred on February 10, 2009, with City and Center staff
also in attendance to describe the Advisory Board's roles and responsibilities, the agreement
and funding between the City of Yakima and the Center, and an overview of the Center.
As then-described, the four primary functions of the Advisory Board are:
• To make recommendations concerning the center's programs, services and activities
• To review and make recommendations regarding finance, budget planning and capital
improvements at the center.
• To conduct surveys, analysis, studies and reports regarding the center's services and
community needs
• To make recommendations about other relevant matters
While there are limits to the staff's ability to administer to the committee, staff can provide
some assistance, including legal and financial advice, and to facilitate communication between
the committee and the City Council. The original ordinance also called for the appointment of
officers and quarterly meetings.
Today, the mission of the advisory board is to advise the City Council and City staff
concerning the programs, services and capital improvements and to support the OIC/ HBCC
staff in completing the Center's mission of moving the residents of Southeast Yakima toward
self-sufficiency.
CONTEMPORARY EFFORTS
After Ester Huey once again retired from being the Center's Executive Director, she was
followed in quick succession by Jessie Garza, Jr. in 2010, then Raymond Navarro, Jr. in 2011, and
Adrianne Garner in 2012. Due to the quick turnaround in leadership, some community
members and supporters of the Center lost confidence in the operation, as there was fear that
the Center would come close to closing again. Garner, who has since remained the Executive
Director of the Center, had to work to rebuild the image of the Center and the trust of its
community. A difficult job, but her efforts have resulted in the powerful community support the
Center received today. Under the leadership of Adrianne Garner, the Center has continued to
both evolve and maintain much needed programs and services for the Southeast Yakima
community.
This section of the report includes major updates on the Center since Garner became
Director, as well as a listing of current programming, services, and partners.
Operating Agreement
In the summer of 2014, the City of Yakima extended their operating agreement with OIC
of WA for additional 5-year period, which was set to expire on September 1, 2019. Anticipating
this date and wanting to establish a new type of agreement, the City of Yakima and OIC of WA
then entered the Henry Beauchamp Community Center Operation and Maintenance
Agreement with OIC of WA on March 5, 2019. This new 5-year agreement can automatically be
renewed for two additional 5-year terms, budgets up to $30,000 for program services
and $40,000 for maintenance expenditures at the HBCC in 2019.
Major Renovations: Past & Planned
Projects Completed: 2012-2019 Projected Projects: 2020-2023
2012 2020
• Updated HVAC thermostats. • Roof repair.
• Mold found in 1,500 SF of crawl space demo and was replaced. • LED light updates.
• HVAC replacement.
2013 • BEST lock change out.
• Replaced two exterior restroom doors. 2021
2014 • ADA upgrades.
• Added mag lock to three exterior doors. • HVAC replacement.
2015 2022
• Replaced HVAC unit#7 lobby. • ADA upgrades.
• Replaced the main water pressure reducer valve. • HVAC replacement.
• New heater in North exterior restroom. 2023
2016 • ADA upgrades.
• Added outlets in kitchen for warming tables. • HVAC replacement.
• Added wall heater in Library entrance.
• ADA door closer work.
• Director's office remodel and removal of glass rolling wall.
• LED upgrade from T-12 fixtures in the front lobby and both north
south hallways up to gym.
• Replaced unit#1 gym area.
• New HBJCC signage on the North and South ends of the building.
2017
• Replaced HVAC unit#10 library.
2018
• Replaced HVAC unit#5.
• LED upgrades to the front part of the building including the halls,
MLK room, dining room and kitchen.
2019
• Replaced HVAC unit#4.
• Four LED retro fits on North and South side of building facing
parking lots.
• Added outlet and heat tape for roof drains.
• LED bulb and fixture replacement in parking lot and under
canopy.
Renaming the SECC to the Henry Beauchamp Community Center
In 2016, Ester Huey led the effort to rename the Center in honor of Henry Beauchamp,
who had passed away on April 25, 2013. Mr. Henry Beauchamp was the second Executive
Director of the Southeast Yakima Community Center, the founder and long-time Executive
Director of OIC of WA, one of the longest-serving members of the Yakima City Council, and
Yakima's first African-American Mayor. He had a vision for building a better community. Even
after leaving the Center to run OIC, Beauchamp remained instrumental to the Center and
passionate about the community's children. From advising center staff whenever grants were
available, to working with the center to establish programs with OIC, to utilizing his influence
on City Council to support both the Center and Southeast Yakima Community as a whole, and
to simply being a highly visible member of the community who often played basketball and
connected with the children at the Center-- Henry Beauchamp was a champion of the SECC and
Southeast Yakima Community.
At the August 2, 2016 Yakima City Council Business Meeting, Huey encouraged the
council to rename the SECC the "Henry Beauchamp Community Center" in honor and
recognition of Beauchamp's 45 years of selfless services and extraordinary civic and community
service to the residents of the City of Yakima. She further requested that a public
commemoration ceremony be held on Wednesday, November 9, 2016, which would have been
Beauchamp's 83rd birthdate, and to have the ceremony at the center to include the changing of
the signage to the new name. Huey, alongside Tyler Beauchamp (Henry Beauchamp's grandson)
and Ricardo Garcia, submitted the proposal to rename the Center to the Yakima City Council, a
proposal which included multiple letters and signatures of support.
In a unanimous vote, the council members moved to rename the SECC to the Henry
Beauchamp Community Center. Additionally, they unanimously approved $1,000 to be used
from City's budget for the dedication ceremony renaming the Center.
On November 9, 2016, the now-Henry Beauchamp Community Center held its
dedication ceremony.
50th Anniversary Celebration
On October 25, 2018, the HBCC held its 50th Anniversary Celebration. The event was a
huge success; the Center hosted close to 300 guests to celebrate its service to the community.
The event included a social hour with a silent action, followed by the dinner and program. At
the celebration, the Center honored Ms. Jonnie Harvey as its 20th Annual Make a Difference
recipient. She had served the center in many capacities, including as a donor, volunteer,
participant, and much more. For many children in the community, she served as the community
grandmother; for the center she served in the After-school Program, Senior Lunch Advisory
Board Member, HBCC Advisory and the Block Watch Captain.
Current Programs & Services: 2019
Courtesy of the 50th Anniversary Celebration pamphlet, which was prepared by Ester
Huey, this next section details the Center's current programs, services, activities, and partners.
Some of them have been previously discussed as they have been ongoing. Others are newer
programs to the Center.
Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration
Many community partners engage and participate in the planning of the annual Martin
Luther King Jr. Celebration, including OIC of Washington. Planning meetings take place at HBCC
or OIC starting in November of each year. During the celebration, HBCC hosts the Annual MLK
Jr. Soup Kitchen Monday through Friday. The Center has hosted the soup kitchen since 2005.
Cora's Food Pantry
The Food Pantry is open Mondays 12:30-1:30pm. The pantry started with the vision of a
Walmart staff member and longtime Center volunteer, Cora Flores. Her vision was to ensure
that children in the after-school programs received something to eat each day. While
volunteering, Cora recognized that many of the children's last meal was at the Center each day
and wanted to do something about it. She was able to garner the support of the Walmart
management team that the Center was a deserving organization. The donations however, were
more than they could utilize, and so they developed a Food Pantry. For over 10 years, the
Center has been the recipient of food from Walmart on Mondays when their Food Pantry
operates.
Senior Activities
The Center offers several recreational activities in which the older adults in the
community can engage. On Mondays they host a movie at 10am, where seniors enjoy a movie
of their choice and are provided coffee. Wednesdays they host Senior Bingo from 10:00-
11:00am, and the winners receive prizes. Fridays are Senior Social Hours from 10:00-11:00am,
an activity which gives seniors an opportunity to interact with other seniors. These programs
are not funded, however through donated items from partners, friends of the center, and staff,
the center has been able to maintain the program. The Senior Lunch program is provided
through People for People
Henry Beauchamp Community Center Computer Lab
The computer lab is open Monday-Friday 9:00am- 3:00pm to the public, and from 3:00pm —
6:00pm to After-School Program Youth. This is a much needed service to residents in Southeast
Yakima who do not have computer access to build skills, on-line continuing education courses,
apply for employment, or academic support.
Pre-GED Program
The PRE-GED program aims to increase academic success for children in impoverished City of
Yakima neighborhoods through increasing the educational skill level of their parents. Parents
with very low education levels sometimes lack the ability to help their children succeed in
school because their children quickly exceed their own education levels. This leads to
frustration from the parent and child, creating a difficult and foreboding school environment.
Helping parents grow in their educational abilities and levels enables them to help their
children with scholastic struggles. It also empowers parents with skills to improve their own
lives as well. This program is made available through funding from the Yakima Community
Foundation and is in its second year of operation (as of the date of this report).
Free Tax Aid Services
This service is provided by AARP Tax Aid Volunteers. This last season marked the ninth year
partnering with the Asset Building Coalition. The Center site is open Mondays, Tuesdays, and
Thursdays from 9:00am —2:00pm. This last tax season they served over 700 individuals.
Henry Beauchamp Community Center Family Night
This event is hosted quarterly by the HBCC. Mentors, volunteers and all program participants
and their families are invited to participate, along with friends of the center. During this time,
the Center staff recognize a child or volunteer for their accomplishments or maybe something
that has been done above and beyond. They also have dinner during the event, and ask families
to bring a potluck dish to share.
Spring Break Day Camp
Up to 100 children are invited to participate in the yearly Spring Break Day Camp. This
program is free and provides a range of activities to include Arts & Crafts, Literacy, Recreation
and field trips. The Center operates the program from 10:00am —4:00pm, and provides lunch
and a snack to participants.
Game on!
Game on is a program sponsored by the Real Madrid Foundation, Microsoft, and Central
Washington University. The program was piloted in the spring and summer of 2018, and
recently continued in the summer of 2019. Each youth participant learns computer coding,
works with robots, and increases their social skills through playing soccer. This is a S.T.E.M.
(Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) based program that runs for 8-weeks.
Strengthening Families
Strengthening Families is a 7-week parent training that provides parents with the tools
necessary to support and assist their families in areas that may be difficult. It is provided both in
English and Spanish as funding allows. Dinner and youth supervision are provided to
participants.
Annual Volunteer & Donor Luncheon
Each spring Center staff thank the community for their gifts of time, talents, and resources
which allows the Center to continue to move forward in their mission, and to help families
reach their greatest potential. For 50 years, HBCC has provided many different services. The
financial and in-kind support along with volunteer hours has allowed the Center to leverage
their other resources to sustain much needed programming. Many volunteers serve on Center
committees each year to assist in planning and organizing the larger activities, including 100
Jobs for 100 Kids, National Night Out, Make A Difference and the Annual Christmas Dinner. The
Center would not be able to host these activities for the community without the volunteers and
the agencies they represent. The volunteers are selfless, giving, and supportive in every way
possible. Each year Center staff look forward to coming together and strengthening the service
to the community and celebrating them at the annual luncheon.
100 Jobs 100 Kids Annual Youth Job & Career Fair
The Youth Job and Career Fair is an Annual event. The Center's collaborative partner is
Citizens For Safe Yakima. There are well over 20 community partners who assist in the planning
of the event and hiring high school youth during the summer. The center is responsible for the
use of space, staff time to coordinate pre-registrations and post event placements and
coordinating, compiling application packets, and compiling youth packets to go home. At the
event itself, youth have the opportunity to learn about interviewing and resumes, receive a
food handler's card, and apply for jobs.
The second part of the program is placing kids who attended the job fair into work
experience placements. The goal is to serve 100 youth each year, and the Center has exceeded
that goal the last 13 program years. Youth work 20 hours per week for 4 weeks. Employers are
charged with the task of mentoring high school youth on workplace etiquette, teaching new
skills, and coaching them for future opportunities.
Kindred Spirits
This collaboration was started over 10 years ago to strengthen Kinship Families and their
ability to care for their relatives who are in need of placement. The committee partners include:
HBCC, Casey Family Programs, Catholic Family & Child Service, Division of Children, Youth &
Family Services, and ALTC of Central Washington. The collaboration hosts various activities,
such as trainings that are relevant to the current needs of the caregiver. All trainings are
approved by the Division of Licensing Resource, and all participants receive training hours and
certificates. The activities hosted include the Back to School social event, where youth are able
to receive many of the needed school supplies which are grade appropriate; and the Caregiver
Appreciation activity, which recognizes and thanks each caregiver for their selfless service to
children.
Summer Youth Program
Starting in June of each year, the Center hosts a Summer Youth Program. The Center has
many partners who support this program with activities, supplies or volunteering. A few
examples include: the Yakima School District, which provides breakfast and lunch; First Fruits,
Walmart and parents which provide snacks; the City of Yakima, which provides swimming; the
First Tee, which provides a 10-week of golf program; and Yakima Four Square Church, which
provides a two-day Baseball Camp at Kiwanis Baseball Fields. The program serves
approximately 100-120 youth each summer ages 5-12. The program includes weekly field trips
throughout the City to provide enrichment opportunities such as literacy, math intervention,
and gardening. While the elementary students participate in the above noted areas, the middle
school students participate in activities such as financial literacy, healthy relationships,
substance prevention, and journalism programming. The middle school curriculum is provided
by community partners who specialize in these areas. Additionally, the Center hosts a Mid-
Summer Barbecue during this time as a family participation night.
National Night Out
HBCC National Night Out Against Crime is an annual event and opportunity to remind the
community that the Center will not support crime, drugs or violent activities in
the neighborhood. This event is made possible by community donors and volunteers. They
provide food, entertainment and children's activities during this event in the park, and the
Center invites all of its community partners to host a resource fair for the neighborhood
After School Program
During the school year, the Center provides an after school program Monday through
Thursday. The program includes tutoring, literacy, math intervention, technology, enrichment
and recreation. The program is also open during school closures to support the families it
serves. The Center receives snack items from Walmart and First Fruits, enabling the Center to
provide a daily snack for the program participants.
Make a Difference
This is the Annual Fundraiser where Center staff recognize an individual and two
agencies for their many contributions to the Yakima Valley. For more than 24 years, USA
WEEKEND Magazine and Points of Light have joined together to sponsor Make A Difference
Day, the largest national day of community service. Millions of volunteers around the world
unite in a common mission to improve the lives of others. Thousands of projects are planned
each year involving corporations, communities, nonprofit organizations, entire states and
individuals. Many of the 250 Hands On Network affiliates lead projects across the nation. In
2019, the Center will celebrate 20 years of celebrating those who share in the mission to serve
others.
Henry Beauchamp Community Center Annual Holiday Activity
Each year many community partners come together to organize this very large activity,
for low-income families in Yakima. This all started with a vision in 1990 from then-Executive
Director, Ester Huey, that every child deserved a holiday activity. This event includes a picture
with Santa, a gift for each child and a sit down holiday meal with all the trimmings and goody
bag for the family. It has grown from 200 to over 3,000 guests last year, with approximately
$150,000 worth of in-kind gifts, supplies and monetary donations; including over 500 volunteer
hours. With the support from community partners and friends of the center, staff have been
able to successfully maintain this program for 29 years.
Current Partners on the HBCC Campus: 2019
People for People
People For People Meals On Wheels program provides meals to individuals 60 and over.
The partnership began in 2011. HBCC has a congregate setting where seniors can socialize and
do other activities such work on puzzles, arts & crafts, etc. Lunch is served Monday through
Friday from 11am to 11:30am. People For People also delivers meals to those seniors that are
homebound, unable to cook for themselves and don't have anyone at home to cook for them.
They have six dining rooms, the Henry Beauchamp Community Center is a center where
approximately 200 meals are prepared daily.
Seniors also have the ability to take home an extra meal for dinner. There average 32
seniors that attend the HBCC dining room, and an average of 45 meals are served, which means
more than half of the seniors are taking advantage of the extra take home meals.
NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded in New
York in 1899 by a group of activists who believed that "the spirit of the abolitionist must be
revived." The vision of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to
insure a society in which all individuals have equal rights and there is no racial hatred or racial
discrimination. The local NAACP Branch has served Yakima County since 1944. The NAACP has
many committees serving the country along with a strong Youth Council which was formed in
1989. Each year, the Yakima NAACP hosts the Juneteenth Celebration, which is held at the
Southeast Community Park. The HBCC co-sponsors the event.
Yakima Inland Soccer League
Yakima Infantil Soccer League is a family ran youth league that first started in 2007, and
began with 12 teams with 100 kids playing in the league. The goal is to keep youth off of the
streets by keeping them engaged in soccer, and to help them grow and form qualities such as
discipline, character, and respect. The league's program operates year-round and has an indoor
and outdoor season as well as affordable tournaments for teams to participate in throughout
the year. As of 2018 there are 30 teams with over 400 kids participating with ages ranging from
4yrs— 15yrs.
Yakima Rotary Food Bank
The Yakima Rotary Food Bank has served Southeast Yakima for nearly 50 years. It started
with a vision from residents of the area to meet a basic need. Over the years the Food Bank has
endured many changes. In 2012 the Yakima Rotary Club provided the support necessary to
rebuild the structure from the ground up allowing it to be able to function at its full potential.
Recognizing the closure would create a hardship on the local residents, HBCC partnered with
the Food Bank and it moved into the center for 4'A months. Today, the Food Bank services
many families in Yakima through the dedicated services of volunteers. Funding is provided by
community fund-raising and donor contributions, along with state and federal government
grant programs.
Yakima Valley Regional Library
The Southeast Community Library is a gathering space with books, movies, music, and
computers for the public. During the summer children participate in the Summer Reading
Program and fun activities. The library has language learning tools, e-books, and databases to
help with homework. This little library has a lot to offer the community and has been in
operation at the center since 1992. The library's partnership with the community center has
increased the center's capacity and served over 100 parents with their on-line High School
Equivalency Program to assist them in the process in gaining necessary skills to obtain their
GED.
Yakima Neighborhood Health Services
Yakima Neighborhood Health Services has provided medical, behavioral health, and support
services at HBCC since December 2012. That year, in partnership with the center, YNHS
remodeled space at the HBCC in order to provide the Center's first primary health care clinic.
The clinic includes 4 exam rooms, a provider room, a medical assistance room, and a
laboratory. Considering that the concept for YNHS originated out of the Center back in the
1970s, this partnership has come full circle. YNHS providers have served thousands of
individuals at the center. Patients receive multiple services at HBCC, including primary medical
care, behavioral health services, help accessing health insurance, and visits for foot care. The
foot care clinics are supported by Southeast Aging and Long Term Care.
Virginia Mason Memorial
Virginia Mason Memorial Hospital's Community Health Department offers the "Kohl's
Healthy for Life" program, which provides community-based, drop-in fitness, exercise, and
cooking classes for adults and children at no cost to participants. Memorial is able to offer the
"Kohl's Healthy for Life" program through a grant from the Kohl's Cares Hospital Partnership.
Classes are offered in English and Spanish and take place at many different locations in the
community, including the Henry Beauchamp Community Center, two to three times each week.
Instructors lead exercise activates such as yoga, Zumba, fitness boot camps, and cooking
classes. This program provides opportunities to participate in healthy social networks that
encourage and support health promoting behaviors. Memorial's goal is to reduce obesity and
its associated health risks such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Memorial
has been a partner of the Henry Beauchamp Community Center by providing resources such as
these for adults and providing support for enrichment and special activities for youth
programming.
Community of Christ
(TLC) Teaching the Love of Christ is ministry of Community of Christ. Its mission is to
spread the love of Jesus to all people. They meet Wednesdays and often meet when there are
community projects and services everyone can get involved in. Their teaching component
involves: Parenting classes, teen life choices, and school dropout prevention.
CONCLUSION
This report is by no means a full history on the Henry Beauchamp Community Center.
This report was written within a 5-week period from materials available to the City of Yakima, a
handful of interviews conducted with Southeast Yakima community residents, and readily
available information from the Center itself. It is recommended that this report be reviewed
and updated periodically in order to reflect the continuous history and impact of the Center.
From the research and interviews conducted for this report, it is clear that the Center has had
an immeasurable impact on the Southeast Yakima community and the City of Yakima as whole.