Happy Anniversary to Children’s Village

What started as a community vision 20 years ago has become a vital part of the community today. Yakima's Children's Village is celebrating its 20th year in the community in 2017.

Erin Black is the CEO of the Memorial Foundation, which helped make the village a reality. "It's a amazing to see eyes light up and say 'Wow, what an amazing resource for our community that keeps people here without having to travel over the passes in the winter which can be quite difficult,'" Black says.
That, she adds, was one of the main reasons the village was built.
Since it opened in October of 1997, Children's Village has served thousands of kids with special health care needs. About 5,000 every year.
In 2008 a new-capital campaign was started to fund an $8 million expansion project because of increasing needs in the community. Construction on the building was finished in 2011 and today the village serves as a model for other communities around the country who are looking at similar projects.