The Village on Casino Road: A Place to Aspire

All images courtesy of the Village on Casino Road.

Some goodness happened during the quiet of the pandemic. The Village on Casino Road opened after three years of dreaming, planning and seeking funding.

Aspire

to direct one's hopes or ambitions towards achieving something.
to have a great ambition or ultimate goal; desire strongly.
rise high.

The space at 14 E. Casino Road has always been a special place for the culturally diverse, high-poverty community on Casino Road. In 1998 ChildStrive (then known as Little Red School House) purchased the location and hosted community-based organizations focused on serving families and young children. For the development of the Village, they graciously relocated their business offices in 2019 to allow space for the community to aspire.

And aspire they have. In 2018 I was fortunate to bear witness to the process facilitated by Pomegranate Center to plan the Village, a process that should be the gold standard for collaboration and community engagement. Much training and planning culminated in a community meeting where every person in the room was given an opportunity to share their vision for the Village. The information was processed and then a plan was presented to the community. And then everyone in the room again had an opportunity to provide feedback.

You should know that over 150 people attended the meeting, and in my 5 years of community engagement, I've never seen anything close to this level of participation. A key factor was providing dinner and childcare, two major obstacles preventing families from participating civically. I hope to see more of this type of engagement in the future.

The big ideas the community dreamed of included a hub for empowerment that would include education, training and capacity building. A social connection hub to hang out, drink coffee and socialize. A resource hub with community navigators, computer lab and housing support as well as a cultural hub for dance, art, music and celebrations.

And then everything was quiet for a long time but behind the scenes there was designing, contracting and permitting happening and funding was secured. Construction started in August 2019 and was completed in March 2020. And then the pandemic hit and the Village found its first purpose as Volunteers of America opened the Casino Road Food Pantry. Residents on Casino Road were hard hit by the pandemic with many working in construction and service industries that shut down.

Village Director Sara Boyle explains “the Village is exactly what it sounds like, a collection of neighbors and organizations coming together to serve our community. Nearly a dozen community organizations collaborate to bring on-site services and resources to the Village.”

As things have gradually reopened since the beginning of the pandemic the Village has served the community in countless ways. Madres de Casino Road has supported families with additional food bank resources and Latino Youth Kitchen served almost 2000 warm meals.

A Covid-19 vaccine clinic was held for community members and ChildStrive provided over 20,000 warm meals. Financial literacy and English second language classes were held and technology support was provided for families navigating remote learning for school. Consultation and financial assistance were provided by The DACA Coalition.

Because of the pandemic they haven’t been able to hold a grand opening event at the Village, but the community gathered outdoors the last week of August. Food was provided by Madres de Casino Road Youth Kitchen and there were activities for kids, a raffle and music.

When asked what’s next, Village Coordinator Jessica Figueroa stated that “on September 20th we will open the doors after 18 months of being placed on pause. Programming will return onsite to 75% capacity. It is the first step to reunification, community and collaboration. We can’t wait to watch this place blossom into the mission that the community has envisioned.”

If you are moved to help out there are many ways including volunteering, donating to village partners and sharing this story. Volunteers of America is always accepting donations and you can designate your gift to go directly to the Casino Road Food Pantry.

Village on Casino Road
14 E. Casino Road
Everett, WA 98204
(425) 610-3856

Linda War Bonnet represents south Everett on the Live in Everett Team. When she isn’t working, she is running the Westmont-Holly Neighborhood Association. You might spot her walking her dog in the Holly neighborhood.