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Rainier Beach Community Empowerment Coalition 

Description

Rainier Beach Community Empowerment Coalition (RBCEC) builds neighborhood capacity by supporting and/or bringing resources along side resident/citizen lead neighborhood efforts and by promoting/facilitating alliance building and collaboration among programs, organizations, churches, businesses, etc that service Rainier Beach residents. This allows the leveraging of existing neighborhood assets to occur as well as the acquisition of needed resources in support of resident/citizen efforts. Areas of action are economic development, the environment, transportation, public safety, education and family life.

Mission Statement

Rainier Beach Community Empowerment Coalition's (RBCEC) mission is to build neighborhood capacity to enhance quality of life in Rainier Beach as well as to address critical issues threatening the welfare of Rainier Beach residents

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Rainier Beach Community Empowerment Coalition
3703 S Edmunds St Ste 19 
Seattle 
WA
98118-1728 
(206) 914-1762 

Gregory Davis 
President 

Programs

Rainier Beach Community Empowerment Coalition Programs

Annual Signature Event

  • Rainier Beach Town Hall Meeting, the fourth Thursday each January, brings together 100+ residents, organizations and businesses to create priorities for the neighborhood in the coming year.
  • Rainier Beach Back2School Bash, the fourth Saturday each August engages 700+ families, gives away 600+ backpacks and brings together 43+ organizations.
  • Rainier Beach Action Team Meetings, the third Thursday of each month, brings 30+ people together around the topics of transportation, economic development, public safety, education, environment and family life.

Strategic advocacy for the interests of the neighborhood which includes strategic presence at key meetings e.g., Southeast District Council, City and King County Council meetings and hearings, and other neighborhood based gatherings. We strive to get the right people on the "bus" (names, goodwill) to serve on action teams, board of directors and be eyes/ears for neighborhood

Leadership sustainability that strategically engages youth/young adults with employment opportunities where they shadow action area stewards, do event planning and implementation.

Recent Successes and Current Challenges

Securing resources to launch a "strategic communications initiative". This initiative serves a information "getter outer" to neighborhood residents and stakeholders. We seek to have all activity concerning economic development, education, transportation, environment, public safety and family life occurring in Rainier Beach communicated through email, social networks (Twitter, Face book), electronic/coffee house newsletters, gatherings, one on one meetings and signature events. Thus far the number of month to month contacts through these means surpass 600/month.

We seek to form a pool of "trusted advocates." These individuals will out to organizations that serve the cultural ethnic groups as well as individuals. These groups in turn be asked to become members of RBCEC, to join us in the organization of our signature events, and be included in the development of other neighborhood improvement projects. Communities targeted will include but not be limited to Vietnamese, Somalia, Ethiopian, Latino etc.

Evaluation

As an accessible, objective convener of diverse community stakeholders and interests, the Coalition has the potential to reach and empower parts of the Rainier Beach community that typically don't participate in civic life.

Use of Best Practices
The Coalition’s advocacy efforts on behalf of Rainier Beach neighborhood are solutions-oriented rather than driven by a deficiency mindset. RBCEC strives to help area residents “own” and be good stewards of the investments that have been made in the neighborhood.

Collaboration
RBCEC prioritizes the involvement of large and small businesses in Rainier Valley, not just as event sponsors, but as employers, providers of goods and services to area residents, and consultants on workforce education and training issues.

Sustainability
RBCEC initiatives are fueled by a volunteer executive director, a small board, and the work of independent contractors supported by grant funding. The Coalition is focused on building capacity through recruitment of a larger, more active board and development of a more comprehensive communications strategy.

Grant History with The Seattle Foundation:

Grants Awarded through The Seattle Foundation Grantmaking Program:

DateAmountPurpose
3/10/2012 $2,500.00support their young adult outreach effort sin support of the UWKC/TSF convening on young adults.
6/10/2009 $10,000.00support general operating expenses.

Financials

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