BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Officials with Whatcom Educational Credit Union (WECU) announced they will be providing a building for Bellingham Public Schools’ Community Transitions (CT) program beginning with the 2022-2023 school year.
The building, located at 1600 Birchwood Avenue, currently houses the WECU Birchwood Branch.
The CT Program serves students who receive special education services in the Bellingham School District through the age of 21. The program seeks to successfully transition students to more independent living, employment and/or post-secondary training. Currently, the CT Program is housed at Bellingham High School, though participants frequently shuffle between multiple sites for various services.
The new location is near public transportation and equipped with adequate space for the needs of the program. Bellingham School District anticipates having CT start the 2022-23 school year in its current location at BHS, then move into the new space after renovations are complete. While this partnership solves immediate needs for the program, plans are in the works to purchase land and build a permanent site for the CT Program in the future.Whatcom Educational Credit Union press release (June 22, 2022)
WECU Spokesperson Keith Mader told Whatcom News that the building will be renovated this summer to be reopened as a community resource center.
Mader said branch services at that location would no longer be provided after July 18th and renovations were expected to begin shortly after. Credit union members will continue to have access to a full-service deposit-taking ATM there.
It’s been apparent WECU wanted to abandon this part of town for years. The maintenance on the building was never to the same standard as the other locations. I guess they finally found good enough cover to justify the closing
This is a tremendous gift on the part of WECU to help special needs children in our community prepare for their future. Kudos to WECU for stepping up, seeing a need and helping our community and its children.