An intergenerational team of Vancouver power brokers on Friday lent their stature to the final drive to finish and pay off Share’s future headquarters in central Vancouver.
Mayor Tim Leavitt, former Mayor Royce Pollard and Riverview Community Bank executive Kim Capeloto received a $50,000 check from the McClaskey Foundation, represented by Lyn Angelo, the daughter-in-law of late Mayor Al Angelo. Along with Lyn Angelo were a bevy of other Angelos, including her grandson Luke and her nephew Al Angelo III. A tour of the building was led by Share executive director Diane McWithey.
There were no speeches at the low-key event, but Capeloto said he works with a number of local nonprofits and believes Share “can stretch a dollar farther than just about any organization in town.”
In addition to operating three homeless shelters and hot meal programs, McWithey said Share supports 125 families in their own units through transitional housing subsidies, sends 1,515 backpacks of food home with local schoolchildren every weekend, and overall serves as many as 10,000 needy people per year.
The $50,000 from the McClaskey Foundation will put a big dent in what remains to transform the former Timber Lanes bowling alley at 2306 N.E. Andresen Road into offices, meeting rooms and classrooms, volunteer workstations, a play area and warehouse space. Moving offices and workspace to the former bowling alley also will free up shelter space at Share House on West 13th Street. Share House now has 30 shelter beds as well as a cafeteria where daily hot meals are served. There won’t be any shelter beds or meal service at the new facility.
Now there’s less than $200,000 to go on the approximately $5.5 million remodel job. The third phase of construction started this fall and should be finished next spring. Share officials are hoping the public will get them there this holiday season by buying inscribed bricks via its “One Brick at a Time” campaign.
The inscribed bricks start at $200 for the smallest size; larger bricks are $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000. If you’re interested, contact Share administrative assistant Erin Bricker at adminassistant@sharevancouver.org, or 360-695-7658 ext. 3301, or visit http://www.sharevancouver.org.
The Share Fromhold Service Center is named for the late Bill Fromhold, a Democratic state legislator from Clark County who championed Share, and who died of leukemia in 2010.
The Tod and Maxine McClaskey Family Foundation was created to honor the memory of the late Tod McClaskey, the business partner of the late Ed Pietz. In 1959 the two men opened their first Thunderbird Inn in Portland, and from there developed a hotel empire, which they sold in 1984.
