Each year in recent history, our Club focuses on a Major Project – a singular project, usually in conjunction with another non-profit or community group that is a capital improvement. It is safe to say that our community would not have the assets it has today without the Rotary Club of Bellingham. Here are just a few of our Major Projects:
2022-2023: Whatcom Center for Early Learning
The Whatcom Center for Early Learning partners with families to provide high-quality, equitable and comprehensive support services to children from birth to age three experiencing developmental delays and disabilities.
WCEL’s grant proposal identified capital improvements needed at their Big Blue House location on H Street – making the building more accessible for those using strollers or wheelchairs by building a ramp, reimagining the playground and making it more inclusive with a special focus on what children with disabilities need. The WCEL is also working on a sensory path to provide opportunities for sensory engagement. These upgrades will ensure their facility is more accessible in order to better fulfill their mission and meet growing community needs.
The goals of this major project are to enhance and expand accessibility to the building and playground area for all, with a special focus on those with disabilities. The Rotary Club of Bellingham raised $85,000 in cash contributions and donations of value.
2021-2022: Community Boating Center
Our major project funds went to the Community Boating Center in 2021-2022 for the construction of a new building on the CBC campus. The new building will be named the Rotary Wheelhouse in recognition of our support of this project. The building will include a classroom, deck overlooking the bay, storage, showers and handicapped-accessible bathroom.
While the building itself is a worthy project, what makes this something RCOB can enthusiastically support is the CBC’s impact on our community. The Boating Center amenities are available to anyone without any membership fee. It has programs for children as young as 5 to learn about marine life and water safety, they have a middle school sailing team, and there are a number of programs for people of a variety of ages and abilities. They make it a point to reach out to communities that might rarely or never have the experience of being on the water, such as participants at the Max Higbee Center (the recipient of our Major Project award in 2020-2021).
Many people and organizations have enthusiastically supporting this project. The Port has altered CBC’s lot line to make room for the building, they are also installing a new small watercraft dock, the sewer line is being extended at a greatly-reduced cost, and this is a fantastic opportunity for our Club to reinforce connections with community stakeholders. The addition of this new building is so vital to the CBC's growth…and vital to the importance of water recreation in our community. A project like this harkens back to why we took up a project like Boulevard Park many years ago – access to waterfront and the water is good for the soul of this community.
You can read more about the project by downloading this document.
Our final contribution to this project was over $76,000.
2020-2021: Max Higbee Center
The Max Higbee Center construction had reached its final stages at their new facility at 1400 N. State Street. They were in the process of moving its recreational center for teens and adults with developmental disabilities in order to expand its program capacity to meet an urgent community need. Construction began in February 2020 with renovations including ADA bathrooms, a kitchen for cooking classes and meals, a quiet activity room for members with noise sensitivities, and a grand room in which members can participate in daily recreation and fitness programs. The new facility was being built with the goal of allowing the Center to improve and increase programming to create more recreation and social opportunities throughout Whatcom County for people with developmental disabilities.
Max Higbee Center had secured the majority of funding for the project from City of Bellingham, Whatcom County, First Federal Community Foundation, Chuckanut Health Foundation and individual and corporate contributions. Early in 2020, the project faced a budget shortfall that Rotary Club of Bellingham has filled with major grant funding as part of our annual community capital investment.
In the end, we raised over $107,000 for this very worthwhile cause!
2019-2020: Opportunity Council and Recovery House
The Opportunity Council was in the process of rehabilitating two facilities in Bellingham to provide specialized housing to support committed participants in the Whatcom County Therapeutic Courts (such as Drug Court and Mental Health Court).
The Recovery House on Girard Street was designed to provide a six-month program of care and treatment with social, vocational, recreational activities and medication-assisted treatment to prevent relapses, provide recovery skills and accountability, and aid in job training and employment for up to 16 individuals at one time. This program supports community goals of preventing incarceration, reducing homelessness, and to help individuals struggling with addiction.
The Rotary Club of Bellingham provided $100,000 to the Opportunity Council to assist with this project.
2018-2019: Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition
Until 2022, a drive up Samish Way would be pretty busy around Galbraith Mountain thanks to the popularity of the mountain bike trail network up at Galbraith. Recreators, thwarted by a small parking lot, parked along Samish Way and would have to dodge traffic while removing their bikes from their vehicles.
Then the Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition went to work, envisioning a new parking lot to improve safety for the mountain bikers of Galbraith. The new lot, completed in 2022, provided a whopping 184 parking spots, gravel parking area for horse trailers, porta-potties, a map kiosk and trail access into Lake Padden Park. The Bellingham Parks and Recreation Department also installed signage, maps, kiosks, and concrete picnic benches. The city also plans to continue to improve trail access to the nearby trails for multi-use recreational purposes.
Our Major Project History -click an icon to see more.