Afew years ago, Renton’s Cascade and Benson Hill neighborhoods drew a couple unlikely individuals for lunch on a regular basis. While eating teriyaki and talking how to get to the next Superbowl, Doug Baldwin and Richard Sherman frequented the area before and after practice at the nearby Seahawks training facility. Baldwin noticed how there seemed to be a number of community folks, including kids, present in and outside of Mama’s Teriyaki whenever he and Richard ate a meal there. Mama allowed the kids to come in and do their homework. There were also lots of people from the neighborhood who clearly just didn’t have much to do so they socialized in the area where there had been a large shopping center which closed a few years earlier.
Baldwin later discovered that the area had recently been annexed by the city of Renton and, prior to that, investment had been minimal. Recalling his own history of spending much of his youth from age 6 to 16 at the Pensacola Salvation Army facility where his mother worked, Doug began envisioning how he could be a catalyst giving the Cascade and Benson Hill neighborhoods a place like the one where he spent much of his youth. “The Salvation Army center was important in my life, and I wanted to create something like it for families in the Cascade and Benson Hill neighborhoods,” Baldwin said. “That Salvation Army Center was the place where I met my first mentor, worked with my first tutor, and interacted with positive male role models just about every day. I learned to play basketball there and it was on the Salvation Army field that I first started playing football. As an adult, I realized just how much that place influenced me, a young Black man.”
Baldwin eventually spoke with the Mayor of Renton about the neighborhood and the abandoned shopping center and was told that the city had done an assessment showing that a place for families and kids was the biggest need in the area. No more encouragement was needed for Baldwin who immediately put into place a plan to create a Community Center where the old shopping center was located. He partnered with the city, the Renton School District, and others to raise funds and put his vision of a community center with a health clinic and many other services for families. On June 16, Baldwin’s vision will become reality, and the Family First Center will have its Grand Opening ceremony and open its doors to the community on June 26th.
The need for the center is significant. It is located adjacent to Cascade Elementary School where 58% of the students are eligible for free or reduced lunch. The Cascade and Benson Hill neighborhoods have nearly a quarter of Renton’s population with 12% below the poverty line and 20% of the population is 14 years or younger. The community is very diverse and has been historically underserved with glaring needs for youth and family recreation services. To address the unmet need, the Family First Community Center will deliver services and programs focused on recreation, education, health, and wellness.
Baldwin wants Tabor 100 vendors to provide their services to the center, but also to the center’s partners – Health Point, the City of Renton, Renton School district and others. “We very much want to be connected to Tabor 100 and look forward to building a strong partnership where our two organizations can benefit one another.”
The Family First Center is the first of its kind in the state and possibly in the nation, combining recreation, health, and wellness (Health Point Community Health Clinic with medical, dental, and behavioral health services), education, arts and technology in one facility. “
Baldwin beams with pride as he watches the final touches being put on the 21,000 square foot building. “I look at this place and it gives me so much hope for the future. I see it as a place like that Salvation Army Center which actually made me who and what I am today. This center will help shape a positive future for families in this community. I am happy to be a part of it.”
