Benefits feature four speakers each, video --BUT you watch video +
The Fig Tree celebrates its 36th year of publishing at its 2020 Benefit Lunch on Friday, March 6, and Benefit Breakfast on Monday, March 9, in Cataldo Hall at Gonzaga University.
Addressing the theme, "Connects People, Inspires Action," speakers will relate how The Fig Tree monthly newspaper shares news of people who are making a difference because of their faith and values, and how the annual Resource Directory connects people in the caring community and is used by people in need to improve their lives. (2020 Benefit Video link)
Lunch speakers are Margo Hill, Eastern Washington University associate professor; Mark Finney of World Relief; Linda Hunt of the Krista Foundation, and Jeanette Laster of the Human Rights Education Institute in Coeur d'Alene.
Breakfast speakers are Joe Ader of Family Promise; David Milliken of the Hutton Settlement; Dainen Pentaof the Center for Justice, and Suzi Hokonson, social justice advocate.
Guests, who attend for no charge, are invited to donate to support The Fig Tree.
Nathan Slabaugh Media is preparing a video, featuring Roberta Wilburn of Whitworth; Mike Petersen of The Lands Council; the Very Rev. Heather Van Deventer, of the Cathedral of St. John; Deb Abrahamson of the SHAWL Society; Austin Zimmerman of Ganesh Himal Trading and Darrel Lundby, Branching Out organizer.
For information, call 535-1813.
View the Benefit Slideshow here.
Program delivers meals, opens Silver Café
Each day, Greater Spokane County Meals on Wheels (GSC-MOW) makes 1,200 meals in its kitchen for home-bound seniors and Silver Café participants.
While drivers deliver meals on 44 routes over 1,800 square miles of Spokane County, some mobile seniors go out to socialize and eat a hot, nutritious meal at a Silver Café, one of the 12 congregate sites GSC-MOW operates Monday through Friday.
On Jan. 31, GSC-MOW opened a new Silver Café at St. Mary of the Presentation, 602 E. 6th St. in Deer Park. Previously Deer Park's Silver Café was in the lower level of City Hall, but stairs made it difficult for many people to come, said Janet Dixon, director of development and communication. The new location is accessible for wheel chairs and walkers.
For 40 years, GSC Meals on Wheels has fought senior hunger and isolation with its programs.
"Those threats jeopardize the health and well-being of older adults, especially those with limited means," said Janet. "Social interaction is vital for keeping seniors active, healthy and connected to their community. Silver Cafés include speakers, games and education."
For information, call 924-6976 or email info@gscmealsonwheels.org.
Habitat-Spokane will restore 'zombie' houses
In 2020, Habitat for Humanity-Spokane is acquiring blighted, abandoned homes—known as zombie houses—for rehabilitation, said executive director Michelle Girardot.
Funded in part by City of Spokane Community Development Block Grants, the Derelict Housing Acquisition and Homeownership Program purchases such homes, partnering with low-to-moderate income homebuyers, who earn 25 to 80 percent of the area median income.
Applicants, who complete its requirements of "sweat equity," homebuyer education and saving for closing costs, pay a mortgage at 30 percent of their income.
This program will help the community by transforming neglected, unsafe, unhealthy houses into safe, affordable homes and by providing more affordable housing for tax-paying homeowners.
"We are in a housing crisis with demand for affordable housing greater than the supply," she said.
The program relies on skilled and volunteer labor, in-kind donations and cash donations.
Several rehab projects are underway in the West Central neighborhood, where some houses were magnets for criminal activity.
"Homes are sold at fair market value," Michelle said. "Our challenge is to find empty units that won't price out a family. Today even homes needing attention sell for over the appraised value and then sit empty for months or years.
"Affordable homeownership helps families achieve the stability and self-reliance they need to build a better life. It also stabilizes neighborhoods," she said.
For information, call 534-2552 or visit habitat-spokane.org.
Habitat's Women Build is March 4 to 7
Habitat for Humanity-Spokane's annual Women Build event, "Building Strong Women and Strong Communities," from March 4 to 7, encourages women to help build houses in West Central Spokane. Participants who also donate receive swag with Habitat logos.
Women Build brings communities together to address Spokane's housing crisis. It empowers women as they help other women find strength, stability and self-reliance through home ownership, said Michelle Girardot, executive director.
While women and men build decent, affordable homes with low-income, hardworking families, they challenge stereotypes, learn home-building skills and have fun making a difference.
For information, call 534-2552 or visit habitat-spokane.org/wb2020.
PJALS features Zach Norris as conference keynote
Zach Norris, executive director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and co-founder of Restore Oakland, will speak at the Peace and Justice Action Conference Saturday, March 21, and at a Friday evening event, both at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane, 4340 W. Fort Wright Dr.
The theme for the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane (PJALS) event and spring benefit is "Believing in the Yet to Be."
Zach brings a restorative and racial justice lens to criminal justice issues and reform. A Harvard graduate and New York University-educated attorney, Zach is author of We Keep Us Safe, Building Secure, Just and Inclusive Communities. He is a co-founder of Justice for Families, which works to reduce youth incarceration.
For information, call 838-7870 or visit pjals.org.
Whitworth hosts a 19th Amendment Centennial Celebration
Whitworth University Communication Studies Department is hosting a 19th Amendment Centennial Celebration from 4 to 6 p.m., Wednesday, March 18, at the HUB Multipurpose Room.
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1920 stating that the right of U.S. citizens to vote "shall not be denied or abridged by the U.S. or any state on account of sex." Representations of Women in Popular Culture with Communication Studies, Women's and Gender Studies and the College of Arts and Sciences will focus on communication techniques used by suffragettes. There will be performances, sign making, displays and a parade, said Nichole Bogarosh of Communication Studies.
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For information, email nbogarosh@whitworth.edu.
LCSNW seeks more foster families for children
To meet the growing needs, Lutheran Community Services Northwest in Spokane seeks foster parents for children from birth to 17.
In 2019, it received 111 referrals from Washington's Department of Children, Youth and Families to place children, but lacked homes to place any. LCS had an average of eight referrals a week for unaccompanied refugee minors, but placed only eight youth in the year.
In December 2019, LCSNW had 31 youth in care. For information, call 747-8224.
Gonzaga is one of 50 sites for Holocaust exhibit
Gonzaga University is one of 50 sites for an exhibit of the American Holocaust Museum and the American Library Association, "Americans and the Holocaust," from March 16 to April 27 in its Foley Library Rare Books Room. Gonzaga's Institute for Hate Studies, its Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and the Spokane County Human Rights Task Force are planning three public events.
• An opening reception and panel on "Hate Reflections and Action" is at 7 p.m., Sunday, March 17, in Hemmingson Auditorium.
• Holocaust survivors Cora der Koorkanian and Carla Peperzak will share their insights in a "story court" at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 31, in Hemmingson Ballroom.
• A panel from the consortium academic centers for the study of hate will discuss "Hate: Documenting It, Understanding It and Countering It" from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Monday, April 22, in Cataldo Hall.
For information, visit www.gonzaga.edu/holocaustexhibit.
Whitworth offers several March lectures
• For Whitworth's fourth Bioethics Symposium, Tripp Parker, a machine learning leader at Amazon and founding member of AI and Faith, will speak on "Artificial Intelligence: Hope for the Future or Ethical Nightmare?" at 7 p.m., Thursday, March 12, at Weyerhaeuser Hall.
• Jemar Tisby, president of The Witness, a Black Christian Collective, will discuss "What Is the Color of Compromise: The Role of Race in the Church Today" at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 17, in Weyerhaeuser Hall.
• Eric Metaxas, bestselling author of If You Can Keep It, will speak at 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 18, at Cowles Auditorium.
For information, call 777-1000 or visit whitworth.edu/calendar.
Gonzaga involves campus in Northeast Spokane
Gonzaga University is launching Opportunity Northeast to improve lives of individuals, youth and families in Northeast Spokane and offer transformative learning opportunities for GU students, faculty and staff.
GU President Thayne McCulloh said it represents Gonzaga's mission to work with partners and neighborhoods to address their priorities, especially in education and health care.
Molly Ayers, director of GU's Center for Community Engagement, said many students thrive in hands-on learning that can have lasting impact in a specific place, aligning with partners, focusing on priority needs and working for outcomes neighbors seek.
Northeast Spokane faces economic, educational and health challenges. Data gathered in 2017 found a median household income of $33,171, 39 percent of children living at or below the poverty line, 77 to 94 percent of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, and lower life expectancy rates.
For information, visit www.gonzaga.edu/ONE.
XO Conference is March 20-21
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Spokane is hosting a two-day XO Marriage Conference, "Blissful or Mess: God's Heart Is for Marriage." It will be a two-day video experience with marriage advice and practical teachings to help couples navigate their marriage. Sessions are from 7 to 9 p.m., Friday, March 20, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, March 21, at Bethel, 645 S. Richard Allen Ct.
For information, call 981-8400 or email ejmitchell729@gmail.com.
International Women's Day Celebration is March 8
Pastor Marie Mwange will speak for an International Women's Day Celebration at 5 p.m., Sunday, March 8, at Fowler United Methodist Church, 3928 N. Howard St.
"An Equal World Is an Enabled World" is the theme for this global day of celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, while marking a call to action for accelerating gender equality.
For information, call 325-3242 or email fowlerumc@yahoo.com.
Presentation event regarding Israel Palestine issues offered by Spokane DSA
The Spokane DSA Jewish Solidarity Caucus hosts an informational event to reduce stigma around Palestinian non-violent resistance to the Israeli occupation. A screening with discussion of an interview by Liberal Zionist Peter Beinart, with Co-Founder of the Boycott Divestment Sanctions Movement, Omar Barghouti. The conversation covers topics such as national and indigenous identity in Israel/Palestine, the goals of the BDS Movement, and what it means to be an apartheid state. This event is not just for BDS supporters, but for those curious and open to hear a perspective rarely heard in our country.
Hillyard Library, 4005 N Cook St, March 24th, 5:45 – 7:45 pm.
