ReVillage Community Co-op Childcare dedicates its flagship site this Wednesday, October 30, from 4:30-6pm, with a Halloween-themed party for the community at its new center at Grace First Lutheran Church, 2265 NW Shevlin Park Road. Join us for a joyful opening celebration, trick-or-treating, games, and snacks, supported by partners ReVillage, Rotary Club of Greater Bend, and Grace First Lutheran Church.
“This partnership represents the sort of collaboration which makes our Central Oregon community special- shared resources in support of children and families. ReVillage believes there is no such thing as ‘other people’s’ children. We exist because of broad community support: parents, educators, faith communities, nonprofits, and local government, working together to lift up working families,” shared ReVillage co-founder and board co-chair Erika Spaet.
Open since 2021, ReVillage has been operating at two sites in Bend serving 30 children ages two to five. This grand opening honors the childcare nonprofit’s newest location on Shevlin Park Road, which will grow to provide up to 60 new spots of high-quality, affordable childcare for families with low and middle-median incomes. Notably, this new site, and the nonprofit’s Bond Street location, will soon provide care for infants, a particularly important need in our community.
“Grace First Lutheran Church is so pleased to share our building with ReVillage to offer safe, respectful, nurturing childcare in our community. We are excited to partner with ReVillage in the work of growing thriving children and families in Bend, which is, for our congregation, an extension of our work towards justice and peace,” shared Jessica Petkun, director of Community Connections at Grace First.
Deschutes County is considered a childcare desert by many, with regulated childcare spots available for only 10-20 percent of infants, toddlers, and preschool children. Earlier this summer, Rotary Club of Greater Bend (RCGB) announced a gift of $100,000 to ReVillage Childcare Center, for a Signature Project to address fundamental challenges faced by children and their families in our community. “Our collaboration with ReVillage directly addresses Bend’s urgent need for quality childcare in our community’s childcare desert,” shared Gail Klein, the Chair of the Rotary Club of Greater Bend’s Signature Project Committee. “Furthermore, this project advances our vision of Bend as a community where every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential. By supporting ReVillage’s play-based approach to learning, we are helping to foster the development of confident, capable young people who are likely to embrace Rotary’s core value of ‘Service Above Self.’ This partnership is a long-term investment in Bend’s future, laying the groundwork for a thriving community for years to come.”
ReVillage was founded to build affordable, accessible, equitable childcare cooperatives. Their programs use community spaces, train parents as part-time assistants, and partner with Baby Promise, Preschool Promise and Neighbor Impact to provide needed resources and subsidies for families otherwise stretched to pay the rising cost of childcare. With funds from the Rotary Club Signature Grant, ReVillage has purchased needed supplies, kid-sized furniture, play-based learning tools, and made other critical investments to support children in this new site.
About ReVillage:
ReVillage works to ensure that all Central Oregon families — across income, race, language, orientation and identity, and background — have the care and opportunity they need to thrive in work and in play by cultivating affordable, accessible, equitable childcare cooperatives; empowering parents; cultivating community; and advocating for system-wide, family-friendly practices and policies. ReVillage is a childcare nonprofit pleased to utilize available community spaces, and not aligned with (or requiring) any belief, faith tradition, or faith community.
About Grace First Lutheran Church:
As one of Bend’s oldest congregations, Grace First Lutheran Church has grown with the community over a century of change. Grace First is proud to seek, celebrate, and share in a sense of mission, faith and justice, and to reach beyond congregational walls in meaningful partnerships supporting our community.
About Rotary Club of Greater Bend:
Rotary Club of Greater Bend (RCGB) is a local service organization affiliated with Rotary International and has been serving the Bend community since 1976. With more than 100 active members, RCGB Rotarians regularly participate in hands-on service projects throughout Central Oregon. Rotary members are people of action dedicated to our community, who proudly live by Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self.”
revillagebend.com • gracefirstlutheran.org • greaterbendrotary.org
