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Based on an interview with Phinney Neighborhood Association's Executive Director, Ed Medeiros, Education Director, Emily Heindsmann and Well Home Program Director, Michael Broili.

North of downtown Seattle, high on Phinney Ridge, an s-curve is landscaped with flowers and benches, reclaiming the intersection as a gathering place. An old schoolhouse stands nearby, landmark of community-building success story, the Phinney Neighborhood Association (PNA) at 206-783-2244 or www.phinneycenter.org. This non-profit association originated in 1980, funded by a City of Seattle community-development block grant and organized in a series of neighborhood meetings. In its 24 years, the organization has continued to keep in step with the needs and desires of the community.

I'd been listening to stories about the PNA since I moved to Seattle. When conversation turned to community, their name always popped up. It didn't matter if the speaker lived nearby or not; one of our friends was a member though she lived miles away. Some were local members, others took classes without joining. The need for community had been on my mind a lot of late; I was curious to find out why this association thrived when others have not survived.

"Grassroots, bottom-up response to the neighborhood," replies Ed Medeiros, Executive Director since the association's inception. Over the years, PNA has become a model for neighborhood associations and Ed regularly receives calls from people asking advice about community-building. Having a central facility is one of the main factors that Ed attributes to their success. Most groups try to build programs first, operating from members' homes, but have difficulty in creating a cohesive membership. "When we first brainstormed why we needed a community center, the concept of ‘being connected to something greater than myself' came up over and over again," Ed remembers. Older cultures had their plaza, a central place to gather and connect with one another.

Some of the PNA's programs have grown and branched off into independent businesses, like Seattle Personal Transit, a senior transportation program. Others have continued and become backbones of the PNA, drawing new members who then become interested in other programs and classes. Ed describes their preschool co-op program as one of their most successful. During summer, co-op members stay connected through playgroups and meetings, "providing support for each other and developing personal friendships that last forever," he says. The Well Home program is another common entry point, with its unique home-repair-tool lending library, classes and contractor's referral service. The current mix of programs also includes before- and after-school childcare, an arts program, a technology center and an education program with over 80 regularly scheduled classes a month.

Ed says that he has yet to find another organization like the PNA anywhere in the city. While other neighborhood programs are primarily focused on social services that are subsidized through federal, county or city monies, only the three percent of the PNA's million-dollar budget that funds their soup kitchen comes from the city. They generate the bulk of their revenue through classroom rentals, services, events and fundraising.

As I listen, another key to their success becomes obvious: leadership. For Ed, leadership means empowerment. He encourages his staff to get involved in the ideas that they feel passionate about and helps them channel that energy into programs that fit with the mission of the PNA. Once the direction is set, Ed gives them plenty of free rein. Add the ability to set their own hours and work permanently part-time, and you create a staff that stays long enough to make a real difference.

Beyond leadership, creating community means helping members to build their own sustaining relationships. PNA members mostly join to take advantage of a particular program, and then they receive the newsletter and become interested in classes or events. This process creates "ripples of connections," says Ed. "There's a sense of belonging and connectedness that comes with working together." Strangers get to know one another; if they enjoy the time together, relationships develop. Empowerment deepens the experience. Ed notices that "when you empower people, they know that they can make a difference. It's fun and exciting to use your creative energy in a positive way."

"It's one thing to build community; the other part is to support that community," says Michael Broili. Ed agrees that a large part of the PNA's role in the community is that of a facilitator, allowing grass roots groups to initiate and complete neighborhood projects — like nearby Linden Orchard's pea patch, park space and small cob house for a green building demonstration. In the process, they create their own community from within. The PNA operates as fiscal agent and support structure, having expertise in how to apply for grants, access the money and manage the projects. They also collaborate with groups that are just starting out, or that represent a concept the PNA would like to support, by offering them meeting space at the center or by overseeing their group and providing operational guidance.

From a simple beginning of neighbors meeting to improve their community, the PNA has evolved into an association that has come to define the Phinney area itself. In a time when many people live far from family and feel isolated in their lives, the PNA provides a model of ongoing community-building. Finding community begins one gathering at a time...