Addressing Generational Poverty in North Central Washington

The Community Foundation of NCW and the United Way of Chelan-Douglas Counties have awarded three additional “Be the Change” grants to Service Clubs who are developing programs to break the cycle of generational poverty.

In January, seven clubs were each awarded $20,000 to create programs that could help change the lives of those living in poverty in their communities. With funding to support ten grants, the final three Service Clubs have been awarded.

• Wenatchee North Rotary will partner with the United Way of Chelan and Douglas Counties to develop an Early Learning Initiative to improve kindergarten readiness. The Rotary will connect with families, schools, businesses, social services, government, and faith groups to develop a community-wide approach to increase the number of children ready for kindergarten.
• Wenatchee Rotary is partnering with nonprofit organizations that offer parenting education using research based curriculum with focus on academic, health, and general parenting strategies that support functional family structure and youth development.
• Wenatchee Central Lions will partner with Community Choice Health & Education Institute to build on the reach of the Lions’ Health Screening Van to: reach a greater number of low income children with vision and hearing screenings; engage families with health literacy opportunities and help them navigate health services; provide life coaching support; and connecting service providers to people in need.

The foundation’s “Be the Change” grant program was inspired by the work Dr. Donna Beegle who presented in Wenatchee last summer on the challenges and barriers of generational poverty. Several Service Club members attended the event, where they received a better understanding of the culture of poverty and successful models used to help break the cycle.

The funding for ‘Be the Change’ came from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to strengthen communities by addressing generational poverty.