Gov. Gregoire celebrates opening of renovated Filipino community center

For Immediate Release: May 31, 2008

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today celebrated the opening of the renovated Seattle Filipino Community Center in south Seattle, a project funded partly by state facilities dollars to rejuvenate a longtime gathering place for community members.

�This center�and others like it�are at the heart of our ethnic communities,� Gregoire said. �They provide a physical, social, and cultural venue for learning, recreation, networking and social change.�

Located between Beacon Hill and Rainier Valley, the renovated Seattle Filipino Community Center includes more space for tutoring programs for Filipino-American students, and additional meeting space for military veteran groups, elder programs and other local ethnic communities. The center will host the National Federation of Filipino-American Associations meeting in September.

According to the Washington State Department of Community, Trade & Economic Development, $546,000 in state capitol funding was dedicated to the renovation, including funding from the state Youth Recreational Facilities and Community Services Facilities programs.

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