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Two-year-old Charlotte Koon and her dad Charles take some crayons and coloring books for a test drive in one of the rooms at RoseMary's Place. Former Booker Rest Home rooms were opened to create expanded space for activities, all enhanced by plenty of natural light through broad windows.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony officially opening RoseMary's Place was attended by dignitaries, hospital officials and YWCA representatives at the facility's open house Saturday, March 16. Helping inaugurate the child care center were, from left, Rep. Joe Schmick (R-9-Colfax), Becky Kettner (President of the YWCA Board of Directors), CCHS CEO Shane McGuire, YWCA Executive Director Anne-Marie Schwerin, YWCA Director of Childcare Tabitha Haney, Richard Evans (representing Sen. Maria Cantwell), and Sen. Perry Dozier (R-16-Waitsburg).
DAYTON–Dozens of local residents turned out to tour the recently completed RoseMary's Place, the child-care facility situated at Dayton General Hospital in a former wing of the Booker Rest Home.
A formal ribbon-cutting ceremony inaugurated the new facility, attended by YWCA Executive Director Anne-Marie Schwerin, YWCA Director of Childcare Tabitha Haney, Richard Evans from Senator Maria Cantwell's office, Becky Kettner, president of the YWCA's Board of Directors, Columbia County Health System CEO Shane McGuire, Senator Perry Dozier (R-16-Waitsburg) and Rep. Joe Schmick (R-9-Colfax).
The center is currently seeking licensing for 40 children and has a waiting list over 70, Schwerin said. Some on the waiting list have not yet been born.
Along the former Booker wing, several pairs of former nursing-home rooms were expanded into a single larger, airy space, many lined with play centers, toys, tables and chairs, and other child-center items and materials. The outdoor area is securely fenced for the children's safety.
The center is the result of a collaborative effort between CCHS and YWCA with financial support of YWCA community partners including the Sherwood Trust, Wildhorse Foundation, Columbia REA, the Blue Mountain Community Foundation's Warren Community Action Fund, Innovia Foundation and the Columbia County Children's Fund, and BMCF's Dayton/Columbia County Washington Fund.
The hospital district oversaw the conversion of the former rest home and leases the facility to the YWCA which has been working to equip, furnish, and staff the center to provide a nurturing environment for children to learn and grow.
About a dozen paid staff will oversee operations.
-Loyal Baker
