Redmond Business   March 2006

Your average Eastsider is not so easy to peg
By Pam Mauk, Executive Director
Family Resource Center

Those of us living anywhere east of Lake Washington have had to tell our Seattle friends for the last couple decades: No, we are not all Microsoft retirees of Northern European extraction nor are we ladies of leisure who lunch.

For many, this incessant Seattle view is mildly annoying. For those of us working in human services, we see this tar baby of a concept as not only tiresome, but downright dangerous to our community's health. Even more daunting, it's a view shared by a great many who live here.

Poverty is little apparent as we drive around. Yet, over 40,000 Eastside families had to rely on food banks at some point in a recent year. 14% of children qualify for free or reduced price lunches in the Lake Washington School District on average, while in some of our schools, the percentage is as high as 40 to 57% qualifying.

Similarly, the size of our immigrant and refugee population is little known, despite the fact that the number of foreign-born Redmond residents grew by 21% between 1990 and 2000. More than 22% of Bellevue School District students speak a language other than English at home, and that's true of over half of those visiting the medical clinic on the Family Resource Center campus.

Who is your Redmond customer?  Who is your Eastside neighbor? She may speak Russian or Spanish or one of fifty-three other languages. He may live in poverty. She may be homeless.

When we talk about Redmond, the Eastside and our plans for the future, let's keep in mind all of those, seen or unseen, who make up our community.

For referral to community services, call the community information line at 206-461-3200. For more information about Family Resource Center, call 869-6699.

Return to Press Room
 

Send This Page
To A Friend

[Home] [Overview] [Our Campaign] [Agencies] [FRC Association] [Maps & Directions] [News in brief]

[Volunteer Fair] [First Ten Years] [Press Room] [FAQs] [Volunteer] [Board of Directors] [Links] [Donate on-line]