There’s been a lot of bad press lately regarding scandal in Spokane and sometimes this can sour people’s perceptions of the city. But anyone living here knows that there are many good people, doing good work in Spokane.
One of those projects is headed up by Michael Brown and his team of supporters and volunteers who are renovating a defunct local restaurant in East Central Spokane. The old ‘Flippers’ building on East 5th Avenue is the building that is currently being resurrected into a new restaurant with a vision to train and employ youth of the neighborhood and provide Spokane and the East Central neighborhood residents with a gathering place for good soul food.
Michael Brown explains the vision behind the new restaurant:
“Our concept is to empower our youth with the necessary skills to challenge their perceptions and attitudes toward career and educational opportunities by providing mentoring/tutoring that will focus on improving grades to the level required for college,vocational and technical school admissions. To develop and enhance work ethics. But more importantly to create a physical presence in the neighborhood that will set new standards allowing for future community development. Bottom line to give our youth hope so they can be productive in a positive way. We know that with God all things are possible (Matt.19:26).
Brown has been working hard to build partnerships with community services, churches, business and other community development projects to strengthen the integrated nature of the restaurant to the local community and success of the endeavor. One angle of this project involves partnering with the neighborhood community gardens where they can grow food from the neighborhood and serve it here as well. This is another opportunity to integrate education and job skills development into the restaurants vision.
As a resident of the residential part of the neighborhood and business partner on the same block, we are excited to see misused, unused and neglected neighborhood buildings revived for the actual neighborhood community’s needs, development and betterment. I am also excited to see entertainment and local food establishments that are within walking distance to many residents who are disabled, elderly or young, since the majority of such establishments are realistically out of reach of those dependent on public transportation in East Central Spokane. The projected opening of the restaurant is this summer and the walk up ice cream window will be a wonderful experience during our many scorching hot summer days!
I am Frederick Christian Blauer IV, but I go by Eric, it sounds less like a megalomaniac but still hints at my Scandinavian destiny of coastal conquest and ultimate rule. I have accumulated a fair number of titles: son, brother, husband, father, pastor, writer, artist and a few other more colorful titles by my fanged fans. I am a lover of story be it heard, read or watched in all beauty, gory or glory. I write and speak as an exorcist or poltergeist, splashing holy water, spilling wine and breaking bread between the apocalypse and a sleeping baby. I am possessed by too many words and they get driven out like wild pigs and into the waters of my blog at www.fcb4.tumblr.com. I work as a pastor at Jacob’s Well Church (www.jacobswellspokane.com) across the tracks on ‘that’ side of town. I follow Christ in East Central Spokane among saints, sinners, angels, demons, crime, condoms, chaos, beauty, goodness and powerful weakness. I have more questions than answers, grey hairs than brown, fat than muscle, fire than fireplace and experience more love from my wife, family and friends than a man should be blessed with in one lifetime.
Memorial Day was first established after the Civil War to honor those Americans killed in service to their country. Since the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, about 7,000 American service members have been added to the rolls of dead. As I watched families laying flowers on graves, it occurred to me that every American family in some way has been touched by war.
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Thank you! So exciting and inspiring…
Thank you Eric for more information about this very needed development. More jobs for our youth providing good products.