Phinney Neighborhood Association Programs
Children's Programs
With four preschools - including a Spanish immersion co-op - and before and after school enrichment programming, youth development is a major priority for the PNA. Combined, our children's programs serve more than 500 families each year. These programs are child-oriented and dedicated to nurturing the social, emotional and educational growth and development of each child as well as provide a resource and nucleus of support for families. We also offer rental space to two independent childcare programs
Senior Programs
The Greenwood Senior Center (GSC) has been serving Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood since 1974 but became a PNA program in 2006. The GSC mission is to provide programs and services which offer seniors the opportunity to enhance their physical fitness, mental stimulation and emotional well-being and to support seniors in their efforts to preserve traditions, embrace change and maintain independence. GSC provides more than 85 social, educational, recreational and health-related activities. In 2012 we launched a new program, the PNA Village, to help our neighborhood's seniors remain in their homes as they age.
Arts and Education
The wide variety of classes available at the Phinney Center - in subjects that range from dog obedience to yoga to belly dancing to home repair - are the PNA's best known programs. We offer or provide space for over 80 regularly scheduled classes each month. In addition, with an art gallery that changes shows monthly, weekly folk concerts and contra dances and a monthly children's entertainment series, we provide broad access to a variety of arts and culture.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
In November 2012, thanks to a successful Capital Campaign, we completed construction of an elevator and a new entryway, making our main building accessible to all members of our community. The project had been a dream of the organization for many years. The Capital Campaign launched in late 2007 and faced severe challenges because of the economy but by 2009 we had raised enough to purchase the buildings, which we had leased from the school district for 29 years. Persistence and the support of our community allowed us to complete this construction phase.
Our most critical need is support for our senior programs. The PNA’s Greenwood Senior Center (GSC) is dedicated to improving the quality of life of our seniors and has taken a proactive role in empowering older adults to allow them to remain independent. Participants are largely female and live alone. While GSC serves people of all incomes, 62% are very low to moderate income. Most services offered are free or minimal cost, including daily lunches, social work counseling, support groups and social activities. In January 2012, we launched the PNA Village, a new aging-in-place program that provides support to our neighborhood's seniors to allow them to remain in their homes as they grow older. The program offers a network of volunteer helpers, information and referrals to vetted businesses and community activities designed to build and maintain social connections. The Village anticipates that it will become self-sustaining but is currently still in the building phase.