Who We Are
The Story
Global Neighborhood was founded in 2008 to provide long-term support to the roughly 500 refugees per year resettling in Spokane. In 2011, we opened Global Neighborhood Thrift, a thrift store using a social enterprise business model to provide services to refugees, including employment, employment training, access to education, and other support. Our retail storefront and Job Readiness Program began as training for just two refugees and have since expanded into a thriving community organization that has paid out over $1.3 million in wages to former refugees and provided job training to more than 170 people to date. Global Neighborhood provides a safe and welcoming space for refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants to learn how to navigate life in their new home.
Our Mission
Global Neighborhood offers pathways to employment for our neighbors who have come to Spokane as refugees, providing work through our sustainable, accessible thrift and vintage store.
Our Values
Our Employees
We exist for our employees. We aim to create a safe, inclusive, stable, and supportive work environment that eliminates barriers to employment and helps people advance.
Our Community
We are interconnected with those around us, and we cannot thrive unless our community does. We work for equality and justice for all members of our community.
Our Planet
We acknowledge that global climate change and refugee flight go hand in hand and cannot separate our employees' well-being from our planet's health. Therefore, we're working to lessen environmental harm and promote sustainability.
Our Team
Meet our team! And learn about their hometown and when they moved to Spokane.
STAFF
MANAGEMENT
Out of respect for our employees and program participants' privacy and their personal stories, we rarely share details of people's lives. If you see someone's story shared on our website or any communication, the person has explicitly stated they wanted to share. Thank you for respecting our shared humanity by not asking for more details.
BOARD
Betty Gilchrist | Board Chair | Audiologist, Providence
Iveth Canalades Kuhn | Treasurer | Business Analyst, Avista
Brent Hendricks | Executive Director | Global Neighborhood
Andrey Muzychenko | Program Officer | Inatai Foundation
Derrick Oliver | HR Specialist | STCU
Traci Bemis | Realtor | Traci Bemis Realty
Anni Glogovac | Legal Counsel | Avista
Oscar Costero | Latin America Movement Communications Facilitator | Wikimedia Foundation