Capital Campaign

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN - FACILITY EXPANSION

Years of planning and fundraising allowed First Step to welcome the public to the grand ribbon cutting of our new two-story, 4,174 square-foot community service facility in rural Port Angeles, Washington on April 2, 1010. The building, the Dorothy Duncan Learning Center, was named in memory of a community member with a longstanding commitment to the healthy development of children and families.

Dorothy Duncan, who died Dec. 1, 2008, is remembered as a dedicated First Step board member and longtime champion for children. "She cared about her family and she cared about the community a great deal," says her husband, Dennis Duncan. Dorothy was a board member for First Step for over 15 years. Before that, she was Port Angeles' first woman mayor, a Clallam County commissioner, and a founding member of the Port Angeles Children's Theatre. She was also a Port Angeles School Board member.

First Step has been at the forefront in meeting the emerging needs of today’s low-income families in Clallam County. In 2006, the agency began a capital campaign to build a much-needed expanded facility. First Step’s building expansion will provide a safe and supportive venue where families can thrive. The Three Bears Educare Center will enrich children’s growing minds and bodies while providing a safe care setting allowing parents to focus on effective parenting, employment skill-building, job placement, and self-sufficiency. First Step’s new facility will help families improve their lives and the lives of their children. First Step’s eye towards the future has created a community asset which will benefit Clallam County for years to come.

Participants in the Ribbon Cutting and Dedication Ceremony included Congressman Norm Dicks who said, “We all understand the importance of stable families in the lives of children and it is a privilege to support First Step in its work.” Other ribbon cutting participants included representatives from USDA-Rural Development, the Whatton Family Fund, and others.

Funders for the project include the First Step Board of Directors, the Washington State Department of Commerce, the Medina Foundation, the Norcliffe Foundation, the D.V. and Ida J. McEachern Charitable Trust, the Seattle Foundation-Benjamin Phillips Memorial Fund, the USDA Rural Development Childcare Program, First Federal, the Whatton Family Fund, the Norman Archibald Charitable Foundation, the Albert Haller Foundation, the Crow Foundation, Safeco Insurance, Peninsula Children’s Clinic, the Law Firm of Platt Irwin, Nippon Paper Industries-USA Co. Ltd, the North Peninsula Building Association, and other local businesses. The project is also supported by contributions from countless individuals, churches, and local service clubs.

The project’s architect was Lindberg & Smith Architects (Port Angeles) and the general contractor was Hoch Construction, Inc. (Port Angeles). Landscaping was completed with the significant contributions and support of Rotary Club of Port Angeles.

The agency engaged in a formal strategic planning process and fundraising capability study in 2006 to assess the readiness of the agency to implement the building expansion. The retirement of a loan on the current facility (325 E 6^th St, Port Angeles) and the subsequent purchase of the adjacent lot (323 E 6^th St) presented a tremendous opportunity to expand our capabilities to meet our mission to provide for the healthy development of families and children in the community. The expansion features the Three Bears Educare Center, parent meeting and training rooms, a family literacy/reading center, a kitchen, and confidential counseling offices. Such development will increase the number of families that receive First Step services, increase the agency’s capacity to meet the growing needs of today’s rural low-income families, increase access to community resources, and will ultimately provide services that build parent’s and children’s storehouses of tools to build successful lives.

First Step Family Support Center

2006-2009 Capital Campaign

Facility Expansion Supporters-Leadership Giving

Cornerstone Club: $100,000 and Above

Washington State Department of Commerce

Pillars: $50,000-$99,999

Anonymous Donor

Gateway Club: $25,000 to $49,999

The Medina Foundation

The Norcliffe Foundation

D.V. and Ida J. McEachern Charitable Trust

Groundbreakers: $10,000-$24,999