Submitted by Jesse Black. [Reposted from the Suburban Times]

The Tillicum Woodbrook Community Center (formerly Tillicum American Lake Gardens Community Center) has been a part of the Lakewood community for over 50 years. The center provides crucial services including food bank, clothing bank, a SeaMar clinic, and the Tillicum branch of the Pierce County Library. In the past, we have been a warming and cooling site during extreme weather, host to AA meetings, senior meal programs, a Girl Scout troop, and provide programing and events for the community at large. We also have a community garden proudly serving our local families with grazing beds for those passing by. We provide these services and more to a community that is frequently overlooked.

In the past few years, the center has experienced a lot of change that has reduced the amount of funding we have been receiving. The shutdown during COVID also reduced the amount of programs that boosted our center such as our annual community market bazaar. Because of this, the center finds itself in a bind.

The HVAC system on the building needs significant work, possibly replaced fully. With summer temperatures coming in, the staff in the Seamar clinic and library are not able to properly function. A few staff had to go home due to recent temperatures affecting their health. At this time, the center is in urgent need of emergency funds to complete this work. We are asking our community and surrounding areas to help us keep our doors open by providing assistance to make the necessary repairs. Any size contribution is greatly appreciated. https://gofund.me/7cbf0e1c

[Editor note: I suggested in comments to this article that they try doing the restaurant takeovers that Parkland is doing. Although they do not raise a lot of money, they have been great opportunities to gather, freely converse, and get to know places of business in the community. They also help people find other places with great food they may not have tried on their own.]