Congratulations, St. James Family Center

Next Wednesday, St. James Family Center will celebrate its 25th anniversary, and we join those who salute the center and its programs.

The center fulfills a valuable role in our community. It started as a preschool education program. It expanded to offer a place to provide child care for working families.. It tied into networks that provide a variety of social programs and services--youth activities, family support and education, family entertainment opportunities and so on. The center became the local agency operating a domestic violence program, called the Charlotte House, named after Charlotte Birnie, the wife of the first white settler in the Cathlamet community, James Birnie.

Over the years, the programs have benefitted both youth and adults. Children have benefitted from social and educational opportunities. Adults have benefitted from having a place for safe and reliable childcare, educational programs for children, and programs and on the job training for themselves to learn how to manage their families and have and hold a job.

Perhaps most amazing is the fact that the center came out of the vision of members of a very small congregation, St. James Episcopal Church. Twenty-five years ago, they saw the need for high quality child care and opened the doors of their small building to that program. First they expanded the building. Then they added a modular building. They replaced that with the family center we see today. At one point, they provided programs at Johnson Park in Rosburg, thereby serving both ends of Wahkiakum County. Through it all, they received financial support from the Episcopal Diocese of Western Washington, United Way of Cowlitz County, and, while it was able, Wahkiakum County.

It is such a giant vision. It is such a benefit to our community.