Baker Boyer introduces an addition to their community gifting program and strengthens its mission to help build local legacies by announcing the Legacy Giving program’s first recipient. Baker Boyer held a special event on Friday, November 4th, in their Walla Walla Main Office lobby to present Blue Mountain Action Council with a $20,000 contribution toward the Walla Walla Teen Center project.

Baker Boyer’s new program, Legacy Giving, is designed to help alleviate some of the costs of building a non-profit organization’s legacy. Legacy Giving is for large-scale projects that positively impact the community Baker Boyer serves and will last five years or longer. This program was created as an opportunity for larger legacies to be built in the communities Baker Boyer serves (Walla Walla Valley, Milton-Freewater, Tri-Cities, and Yakima) by providing financial support to help kick-start major community projects.

Blue Mountain Action Council has joined with community agencies to form a Youth Alliance to address recreational, social service, and health service needs of low income and at-risk youth. The Youth Alliance recognized the unmet needs of adolescents, specifically the need for a multi-purpose, multi-partner facility. This facility, the Walla Walla Teen Center, will be open to all youth in need, regardless of current or former address or school district. It will include an Early Head Start Program operated by Children’s Home Society, a medical clinic for youth operated by The Health Center, and a youth shelter with flexible program space, operated by Catholic Charities. Blue Mountain Action Council will have a youth employment specialist onsite and Trilogy Recovery Services will offer individual and group substance abuse services. Blue Mountain Action Council will own the facility and provide property management services.

“Construction of the Walla Walla Teen Center is underway! Thanks to the recent legacy gift from Baker Boyer Bank, Blue Mountain Action Council has now raised just over $2.1M, which now leaves just approximately $56,000 to raise. The general contractor has been chosen – Booth and Sons out of Tri-Cities and the ground has been officially broken!” announced Kathy Covey, CEO of Blue Mountain Action Council.

“Every legacy has to start somewhere and that often comes with initial large financial needs. Our legacy gifting program was created to empower the people and organizations in the community; to help them make a change for a stronger community. We’re excited about the Walla Walla Teen Center project and are excited to help the Walla Walla Teen Center create their legacy,” said Mark Kajita, President and CEO of Baker Boyer.

The Lincoln Health Center has been temporarily located in a property adjacent to the new site for the Teen Center and programming plans for Children’s Home Society of Washington and Catholic Charities have entered a new phase. Children’s Home Society will open an additional Early Head Start program and Catholic Charities will bring homeless outreach and night shelter to the facility.

Fundraising efforts will continue as additional financial contributions are needed for final construction dollars as well as the furnishings and other final finishes. A grand opening for the Walla Walla Teen Center is planned for late May 2017.