SPOKANE, Wash. — From the start of the year through the end of October, Vanessa Behan provided childcare to 5,793 children. They are on pace to serve more kids and families than ever before. Unfortunately, donations for 2023 are down. They need the community now more than ever to help them continue their good work.
“We’re privately funded,” said Vanessa Behan Executive Director Amy Vega. “What we do is truly because this community wraps their arms around us and says this is our children, our community’s children.”
Vanessa Behan provides 24/7 childcare for babies up to age seven, and on a case-by-case basis, even up to age 12. They also have parent education, crisis counseling for parents, and referrals to local agencies to accommodate specific needs.
Some of the most common reasons families turn to Vanessa Behan are homelessness, domestic violence, struggles with addiction, medical appointments, or even employment interviews or shifts. They also provide families in need with diapers, clothing, food, and books. Every child they care for gets multiple meals, a warm bed, and clean clothes.
Vanessa Behan staff are proud of how many children they have helped so far this year, but it is heartbreaking to know they have to turn away families. Year to date, that number is just over 4,000. Vega says it’s a devastating reality.
“We have served more kids than ever before, but we’re also turning away more children,” Vega said. “The really hard part about that is we have the space for them…it’s no longer, we don’t have room. It’s we don’t have the finances to pay the staff to hire enough people to care for the children.”
Vanessa Behan was established approximately 37 years ago, named after a child abuse murder victim, Vanessa Behan. The toddler was killed in Spokane after she was the victim of repeated harm.
Vega has been with the nonprofit for more than 17 years. She says she’s continually impressed by how much supporters rally around them during difficult times.
“Children are at the center of what we do, then the families, then it’s the community,” she said. “It takes all three of those to really be Vanessa Behan. The impact and difference we can make for children has grown so much and that truly is a testament to our community.”
She says any donation from five dollars to five thousand will go right back into Spokane’s kids.
“I think people understand how important it is to invest in the life of a child very early, and not just the child, but really you have to support the entire family,” she said.
Our annual telethon benefiting Vanessa Behan is set for Giving Tuesday, November 28. But you don’t have to wait for phone lines to be open to give. You can donate here.
