Every Wednesday, Alfrida wins. So does everyone around her

During Super Bowl week, Alfrida and Connie had a moment worth remembering. Alfrida completed a goalpost bingo pattern and the celebration that followed was exactly what you'd hope for.

It started with a bingo card.

Every Wednesday at Parks Tacoma’s Eastside Community Center, numbers get called, bingo cards fill up, and somewhere in the room, Alfrida Burke is leaning forward in her chair — focused, ready, and hoping this is the one.

And Connie is right there beside her.

Finding the right place

Alfrida has been a Centerforce community inclusion client for more than five years. Her Centerforce specialist Manuel discovered the bingo games at the center and had a feeling it would be a good fit. 

Wednesday bingo became a fixture in Alfrida's week: a consistent, joyful routine that gave her something to look forward to and a community to belong to. Manuel would help her with her bingo numbers when needed, making sure Alfrida could participate fully and enjoy every game.

Then Alfrida met Connie.

A friendship that grew naturally

Connie is not a Centerforce employee, a volunteer or a caregiver. She is a community member who comes to the center on Wednesdays because she loves bingo — and because, somewhere along the way, she and Alfrida became friends.

Connie started helping Alfrida mark off her numbers during the games. It was a small gesture that quietly paired them together. Now it is just what they do, every Wednesday, without thinking twice about it.

Connie says she loves every minute of it. The reason is simple: the look on Alfrida's face when she wins.

It is a joy that’s contagious and one not created by any program or service plan. It just happens when two people find each other in the right place at the right time.

What community inclusion is really about

Centerforce provides more than 14,000 hours of community inclusion services each year across south King, Pierce, and Thurston counties. Our goal is to help adults with disabilities build real relationships and routines in their communities. 

Alfrida's story is an example of what that looks like in practice. Her community inclusion specialist Manuel did the work of finding the right environment and providing the right support. And then, gradually, the community took over. Connie stepped in not because she was asked to, but because that is what happens when inclusion is working the way it should.

Alfrida recently transitioned to a new Centerforce inclusion specialist, and her routine remains as steady as ever. The role of a job coach or community specialist is, in many ways, to make themselves less necessary over time. With Connie now by her side every Wednesday, Alfrida has exactly that: a support that belongs entirely to her, built inside her own community.

Centerforce has provided employment and community inclusion services to adults with developmental disabilities for more than 55 years. To learn more about our inclusion services or to refer a client, contact us at info@centerforce.net.