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OASIS, WAMY and Children’s Council Form Family Resource Center

Story by Anna Oakes

This week and next week, three local nonprofit organizations are moving into the same building to form the new Family Resource Center. OASIS, WAMY Community Action and The Children’s Council are moving to 225 Birch Street—the former home of Blue Ridge Pediatrics on the opposite side of Boone Drug at Deerfield.

OASIS is a nonprofit serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault with a shelter, case management services, referrals and advocacy. WAMY Community Action is a private nonprofit agency with a mission “to promote individual and family self-sufficiency in order to alleviate poverty at the root level and to enhance the quality of life of the residents of Watauga, Avery, Mitchell and Yancey Counties.” And The Children’s Council is the Watauga County administrator of state Smart Start-funded services for the childcare, health and family support of children ages infant to 5.

Movers are busy this week transporting furniture and supplies from the former offices of OASIS and The Children’s Council to their new offices at the Family Resource Center. WAMY will move in next week. The 9,200 square foot building will increase the office space of each individual agency as well as provide an upstairs conference room, multipurpose room and kitchen that all three agencies will share. In addition, the space puts together three agencies that often share clients, making referrals more convenient to both the agencies and those they serve.

“Our clients can access multiple services under one roof,” said Jennifer Herman, executive director of OASIS. “It’s a situation where everybody wins.”

OASIS will move its office to Birch Street from its former location on Meadowbrook Drive. WAMY is moving from Southgate Drive near Wal-Mart, and The Children’s Council is leaving its location on Queen Street. The consolidation will save clients valuable time and transportation costs.

The shared conference room space upstairs will serve several needs for all three agencies. There, the nonprofits can hold board meetings, volunteer training, computer classes, ESL classes, support group meetings, money management classes, GED classes and more. Before, these organizations had to meet in churches or other locations for these activities.

“We’ve never had a space where we could have a board meeting in the same building,” said Jennifer Wilson-Kearse, executive director of The Children’s Council.

The Family Resource Center also has its own parking lot—another major need, Wilson-Kearse said.

“Now we have a full parking lot,” she said. “That’s probably the thing I’m most excited about.”

While clients will certainly benefit from the convenience of three nonprofits in the same building, the agencies’ staffs will benefit, too. These organizations already collaborate on referrals, grant writing and other projects. Now they can work together more closely, support each other and save on overhead costs—freeing up more funds for their services.

“The thinktank from this collaboration is going to be wonderful for the community and the residents we serve here in Watauga and surrounding counties,” said Angie Miller, executive director of WAMY.

The move also puts OASIS right across the street from the hospital, where “we’re meeting clients in the emergency room on a weekly basis,” Herman said.

The Family Resource Center has been in the making for several years. Together, the three agencies have sought an ideal location and funding for the project from various sources. Last year, Blue Ridge Pediatrics sold the building to the agencies and leased the space from them until it moved to a new location earlier this year. “We really appreciate them partnering with us,” Herman said.

In April, the agencies began $160,000 in renovations to the building, including making it ADA accessible. Several businesses and foundations contributed funding to the project, and the agencies plan to have the debt paid off in 10 to 15 years, Herman said.

OASIS and The Children’s Council have already started moving in, and WAMY will begin moving in next week. During the transition, all three organizations will continue to take phone calls and provide core services. All contact information, excluding the new physical address, will remain the same for all three agencies.
For general info about OASIS, call 828-264-1532. If you are in crisis, call 828-262-5035 or 800-268-1488.

For info about WAMY, call 828-264-2421. For The Children’s Council, call 828-262-5424.

Family Resource Center Grand Opening August 20

On Wednesday, August 20, the Family Resource Center will hold a grand opening and open house from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The three agencies now housed at the center—OASIS, WAMY Community Action and The Children’s Council—invite the public to view the new center and learn about the services each agency offers.

The High Country Women’s Fund will host the grand opening and provide refreshments.

On Saturday, August 16, WAMY will hold a pig-pickin’ and telethon. For more info, call WAMY at 828-264-2421.

The Family Resource Center is located at 225 Birch Street in Boone, attached to the opposite side of Boone Drug at Deerfield. For more info, call OASIS at 828-264-1532, WAMY at 828-264-2421 or The Children’s Council at 828-262-5424.

Want To Go?
Date: Wednesday, August 20
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Family Resource Center, 225 Birch Street, Boone
Cost: Free