
Jan: Vanessa Kay Behan dies of child abuse related injuries at just two years old. Oct: In response to Vanessa Behan’s death, Bill Bialkowsky brings together local businesspeople to address in a gap in the Spokane community: a place that provides relief for children at risk of abuse and neglect and provides support for their families.He forms Vanessa Behan’s Founding Board to create a Crisis Nursery in Spokane.

Jan: We purchase a home in the Perry District and establish our first location, the Goebel House. Need alerts are put out into the Spokane community, and the community steps up to support Vanessa Behan. Some of the first items Bill and his Board needed were for the renovation of our new home: storm windows and doors, paint, a sprinkler system, air conditioners, and a heating system.Mar: The Vanessa Behan Auxiliary is established to raise funds for the soon-to-open crisis nursery.

Jun: Marianne Jolley is hired as Vanessa Behan’s first Executive Director by the 1986 Board of Trustees.

Jan: On the 5 – year anniversary of Vanessa’s death, Marianne Jolley opens the shelter, located at the Goebel House to the public for the first time. Jul: Golfers tee up at the first-ever Rosauers Open Invitational. The annual event benefits Vanessa Behan.Dec: In our first year of operation, we cared for 427 children in the Spokane Community. In the following years, that number grows; we cared for 646 children in 1988, 885 children in 1989 and 1,159 children in 1990.
May: Carolyn Morrison takes Tessa Rothrock’s place as Executive Director, becoming Vanessa Behan’s 3rd Director.

Dec: Vanessa Behan Auxiliary hosts the first-ever Santa Express, where children shop for holiday gifts for their loved ones. The proceeds benefit Vanessa Behan and continues to be a holiday tradition for our community.July: Volunteers abound! More than 2,200 hours were spent at Vanessa Behan in 1991- and that’s before August!


Seven years after opening its doors, Vanessa Behan pays off the Goebel House and begins looking at expansion to meet the growing demand for its services.
As the demand for our services increased, organization leaders begin expanding services to include parenting classes, diaper and formula distribution, and crisis counseling – all programs designed to lessen the burden on families.

For the first time, we are forced to turn away more children and families than taken in – just because of a lack of space.
Under the leadership of Executive Director Sue Manfred, adjacent property was purchased to begin construction on Manfred House.


Our 2000 Board of Trustees opens the doors to the newly completed facility

Oct: The first-ever Pumpkin Ball is a huge success! The black-tie gala was created to raise funds for Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital and Vanessa Behan.

Vanessa Behan rebrands to the handprint logo.
Nov: Amy Knapton Vega becomes Vanessa Behan’s 6th Executive Director after serving as Program Director for nearly 10 years.

We reach a major milestone: 50,000 lives have been impacted by our services!Bloomsday supports Vanessa Behan as their 2007 non-profit beneficiary for registration donations. In addition, Bloomsday commissions local artist Blow Torch Annie to create seven statues that served as mile markers along the race route in honor of their 30th Anniversary. Several of these statues are featured on the outside perimeter of our building.
As demand continues to rise and 1 in 3 children are turned away for lack of space, leadership begin looking for a location to build a new, bigger facility
Leadership finds and secures a location the meets all our needs: accessibility and visibility. Design begins on a facility that triples our capacity, creates space for new programs, and allows room for future expansion.Beatriz & Edmund O. Schweitzer, III provide early leadership & investment to ensure our vision of helping more kids becomes a reality.
Construction begins on our current facility located on East Sprague Avenue.We reach a major milestone: 100,000 lives have been impacted by our services!




We drop the “crisis nursery” title and debut a new logo to match – because Vanessa Behan is more than a nursery.Dec: Our new facility, dedicated “Schweitzer House”, opens to the public. Here, we have the space to care for 60 children at a time. We also have room for additions in the coming years, so we can continue to impact the lives of every family who needs our services.
Mar: In response to statewide school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Vanessa Behan expands the age ranges of children we can care for from birth-6 years to birth to 12 years of age.Vanessa Behan establishes partnerships with other local agencies so they can use our community rooms on certain days of the week. This allows easier access for our families to utilize other community resources that can help them thrive. Some of the agencies we have hosted in our building include Spokane Fatherhood Initiative, Life Services, Lutheran Community Services, Spokane Regional Health District, Refugee and Immigrant Connections, and AKIN

Jul: The Board of Trustees agree to purchase the lot directly east of our facility. This ensures that any growth or expansion in the future will be less costly and more beneficial to our children, families, staff, and volunteers.Nov: We open our Stay, Play & Learn play space offering a safe place for parents to engage with their child and other families. Families also enjoy activities and support from experienced staff.

Jan: Vanessa Behan takes over operations of Children’s Waiting Room at the Spokane County Courthouse Campus offering free childcare to families who need to conduct business at the courthouse. Oct: We become the sole beneficiary for Pumpkin Ball.