Spokane Guilds' School Plans $18M Expansion, Name Change
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
(As reported by KHQ6)
The Spokane Guilds' School and Neuromuscular Center is undergoing a massive $18 million dollar expansion that includes moving locations and a name change.
The Guilds' School has served thousands of families for nearly 60 years in the Spokane community, providing several different types of therapies for children, ages newborn to three years old. Therapies include physical, speech and occupational therapies, as well as access to social workers and nurses.
As a part of the upgrade, the school will soon be known as "Joya Child and Family Development." It will move from its location in the Garland District to a larger building in the University District in Downtown Spokane. The new space will serve around 600 children, double the number of families that currently receive treatment through the Guilds' School.
For parents caring for children who were born with different disabilities, the Guilds' School has helped them face challenges they never thought they could. Hagen Burzic's daughter, Harper, was born with a chromosome deficiency. Burzic said the Guilds' School provided much-needed support, and that she's excited for the expansion.
"I think it's amazing, the support that we've received is unimaginable. When Harper was first born, I couldn't imagine all the things that she could do. And now she's perfect, she's doing everything we need her to do, and everything we want her to do," Burzic said.
According to staff at the Spokane Guilds' School, the new name, "Joya," means treasure. They say it sums up what every child they help is to them.
The new Guilds' School Space is scheduled to open in September 2021.
