Family center gives students, local families a helping hand

BY KELSEE DODSON-CARTER | Staff Reporter

The Family Resource Center (FRC), located in a small, quiet, but inviting office in Michaelson Hall, is a place with a story and a difference to make.

Family is a big part of student’s daily lives and comes in all different shapes, sizes and circumstances. There are many different kinds of families in the Ellensburg community. From single-parent students to students who are married or even students who are grandparents, the FRC is there to help any and every form of family.

“[The FRC is your] one stop shop for family resources on campus and throughout Kittitas County,” said Nan Doolittle, program coordinator.

The FRC is a source for single parents who need help finding childcare or students who need help finding housing. It provides and coordinates educational programming that benefits communities, families and individuals.

The FRC puts together customized trainings and workshops aimed at the community’s needs. Many of the topics discussed deal with family relationships, arts, environment and life skills. FRC coordinates events and programs that the campus and the community can share a common interest in.

The idea for the FRC was originally conceived in 2002 by Dr. Libby Street, Central’s Chief Planning Officer, but wasn’t started until three years later.
It is “an organization that started out with hard work from people and not much else,” Doolittle said.

The center is funded by the $50,000 Spheres of Distinction Grant. The FRC first applied for this grant in 2005-06, but didn’t receive it. They applied again the next year and were approved. The center uses the budget they are given very sparingly.

“We operate on a shoestring budget,” Doolittle said.

One of FRC’s number one goals is to make the center more visible and accessible. Right now FRC’s offices are hidden away in Michaelson Hall. People have a very hard time finding the center, according to Doolittle. At this time, the centers primary concern is location.

“I would like this center to be like a living organism that supports the health and well-being of families, especially student families,” Doolittle said.

The FRC is mostly run by student volunteers and student interns. Freshmen Bo Milanovic, business and German language major, is the only student employee.

“I maintain the Web site and design posters and what not. I’m the computer guy,” Milanovic said.

The FRC has a variety of interns including Shanna Boyer, junior elementary and special education major, and Sydnee Matthews, senior family studies major.

Boyer helps out with the events the FRC hosts or co-sponsors. Her favorite event so far was the Family Literacy Night, where professors from the Education Department brought students from their teaching children’s literature class to tell stories with props and read to children. At the end of the event, each child received an age appropriate book.

I liked “interacting with the kids and families,” Boyer said. “You really get to know the kids when you interact with them rather than observe them.”

This is Boyer’s second quarter interning and she believes it has helped her in a variety of ways. Before interning, she was the shyest person you would have ever met, Boyer said.

“This program has helped me become more outgoing,” Boyer said.

Sydnee Matthews said that the FRC has made her more aware of families on campus.

Right now, she is working on finding information for a program that deals with the impact that a prisoner returning to the home has on the family.

The FRC is required to plan ten events a year. Some of the events include “Protecting Our Children,” “Got Stress?,” “Family Finances” and “Couples Fireside Chat.”

“Protecting Our Children” helps parents understand why children can’t protect themselves from sexual abuse. “In Got Stress?”, attendees learn about what causes stress and how to deal with it by managing their time and yoga. For “Family Finances”, panelists speak about what is going on with families in the community and on campus during these tough economic times. “Couples Fireside Chat” is an informal chat with Dr. Duane Dowd and Dr. Amber Paulk from the family studies department.

The FRC has also created the Kittitas County Family Resource Manual, a book full of resources, contacts and businesses that may be useful to anyone seeking family services. Anything from housing opportunities to counseling services can easily be found in the manual. This year will be its second year being published. According to Doolittle, they are currently trying to get the manual printed in Spanish but the center is short on funding.

The FRC is constantly looking for new ideas centered around students needs. They may be small and unnoticed in some people’s eyes, but it is a center with big dreams, goals and aspirations for itself.

“What I see for this place is hopefully the center will be on the edge of campus where students can drop by with questions, concerns or ideas,” Doolittle said.