Newsletter Archive

Newsletter January 2007

From the Executive Director

Tincan is starting the new year with some new programs and projects. A look at our home page – www.tincan.org - shows a fresh look, and a new link. The Public Computer Access Sites maps public access computer labs in the Spokane area. Click on a map pin, and it gives you information about the location. If you know any site with public access computers that we missed, let us know and we’ll add them. The map was created by Jeffrey Burkert as an Eagle Scout project.

Tincan will start a new project this month that links teen girls with women business owners. The girls, who will primarily come from low-income neighborhoods, will learn to start a business and put it online through Tincan’s e-commerce workshops. Each teen will be mentored in business development by a woman business owner. In turn, the teens will help their mentor’s business with their web presence. Teens interested in the program, or women business owners who are interested in participating should contact Tincan at 744-0972 or tincaninfo@tincan.org. This new project is funded by a grant from the Inland Northwest Community Foundation.

Another change for the new year is our new coordinator for the Inland Northwest Memories project, Tincan’s online archive of local and regional history. Elisha Durrant will join the project as an AmeriCorp VISTA member at the end of January. Nora Lollar, the prior coordinator, completed her two- year VISTA term, and after successfully building the Memories site, has returned to school to get her Masters degree.

Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.

Karen L. Michaelson, Ph.D.

eMerge News keeps on rolling cameras
by Hannah Whitmore

eMerge News, Tincan's high school TV journalism program in partnership with KXLY, is continuing workshops at Rogers High School, Crosswalk, and Tincan's offices downtown this semester. In November and December students in the program learned basic news gathering skills and video production. We watched local newscasts, toured the KXLY station, read local papers and discussed local issues. Then, using their new skills, they produced a variety of news packages. You can watch their news online at http://www.myspace.com/emergenews, and look for them in the future on KXLY. To see pictures and recent news from all our teen programs be sure to visit our blog at http://vtcnews.blogspot.com/.

VTC Website

Teacher Science and Technology Workshops Recruiting for Summer 2007
by Fred Joslin

TINCAN is inviting teachers to participate in next summer's science and technology workshops. This year, Tincan is adding a game development workshop, and will again offer GIS and modeling and simulation workshops. Funded by the National Science Foundation, each workshop focuses on using these technologies effectively in the secondary school science classroom. A new addition to the program will be one week student science camps in Spokane for each technology, so that teachers unable to hold camps at their own schools will be able to practice their new skills over the summer.

The program also includes short workshops throughout the school year to provide support to teachers implementing the technologiues in their school.

RSSIT

INWBC Update
by Kyla Boucher

INWBC 2006 RECAP
Happy New Year! Exciting things are happening at INWBC. In 2006, over 250 clients were counseled in business planning, start-up, marketing and other business topics by counselors at INWBC. In addition to this number, another 300 current and potential business owners were trained through workshops and seminars here at the center.

Since our opening in October of 2004, INWBC has helped to launch 11 businesses and created over 28 jobs based on client survey reports. We have seen an additional client business open since January 1st!

2006 also brought some new staff, and the initiation of some new programs including the Women in Business workshop series for training classes, the Women in Art Series and First Friday Networking night and more. Please visit our website for new content, testamonials and information on how you can support INWBC and its efforts to assist women owned business to Create * Evolve * Succeed in 2007!

Another INWBC Client Opens Doors!
Local entrepreneur Lee Smith and her daughter Leigha Wavra have partnered to open AlphaDogs, LLC; a new play-center (daycare) for dogs. AlphaDogs is located conveniently close to downtown Spokane at 130 S. Sherman Street.

Smith came to INWBC for start-up and business planning assistance. She says, "When I looked up the Inland Northwest Women's Business Center, I found a wonderful group of people with, it seems, unlimited time and patience to help me. I can trust the sound and expert guidance I am receiving. I don't know where else I would have gotten this wonderful support."

AlphaDogs opened its doors on January 2nd, 2007 and provides a quality environment for dogs to exercise and socialize in over 5000 square feet of indoor and outdoor play areas. Please join us and attend their grand opening on Friday, January 26th, 2007 from 7 - 8:30 p.m. and support this new, local, woman-owned business! Congratulations Lee & Leigha!

Click here to visit the INWBC Website