Max Higbee Center
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Local non-profit providing recreational services to teens and adults with developmental disabilities
Our Mission:
We provide community-based recreation programs for youth and adults (14 and older) with developmental disabilities with three broad aims:
1) To provide opportunities for personal enjoyment and enrichment through a diverse range of leisure activities.
2) To promote the social, physical, emotional, and cognitive growth and development of participants.
3) To assist participants to achieve greater independence in their lives and increase involvement in the community. Our Values:
The Max Higbee Center values a fun, safe, welcoming, and people-first community dedicated to creating friendships and offering opportunities for all members to reach their greatest potential. Our Vision:
The Max Higbee Center envisions a caring, inclusive, respectful, and thriving community where people are empowered to grow, develop, and enrich their lives through recreation activities and the relationships they create. A Brief History:
Max Higbee Center is a grassroots organization founded by educators and families of people with developmental disabilities who wanted quality recreation opportunities in Whatcom County. Max Higbee, a professor at Western Washington University, spearheaded this movement. The Drop-In Center gained status as a non-profit organization in 1984 and was then renamed in honor of its founder.
Healthy Relationships Course participants talking through different types of relationships during last Monday's session. Thank you Laurel and Allison from Cascade Connections for the great info and discussion as we explore topics like consent, personal boundaries, touch, public/private spaces and more to come!
08/28/2026
Thank you volunteers Jake and Colleen for yesterday's Bouquet Class! GORGEOUS blooms for our BEAUTIFUL members -- we appreciate you so!
08/28/2026
Trained relationship and sexuality educators from Cascade Connections will be offering this 4-session course to current MHC members at no cost this fall!
🔷Register here: https://tinyurl.com/4ujmmee9
08/28/2026
Max Higbee Center will be closed Monday, August 31st through Tuesday, September 8th for our summer end break and staff training. You may leave a message at our front desk at 360-746-7181 or for our Program Managers at 360-333-4285. And we will respond as soon as possible upon our return. Peace!
08/17/2026
When you have control of the radio at VITAL Bellingham and get to climb to your favorite tunes 🧗♂️ 🎶🤘
Crushing the Pedaling for Parkinson's class at the Y— our Community Engagement service helps you get out, get active, and get connected. 🚴♀️
08/10/2026
The first ever Inclusion Festival was an absolute hoot -- we offered silent disco and face painting! Save the date for next year: JULY 24, 2027!
What an incredible day!
The very first Max'd Out BBQ Competition exceeded all expectations—and thanks to this amazing community, we sold out of BBQ!
To everyone who came out to sample some incredible food, cheer on the competitors, bid in the silent auction, brave the dunk tank, and support the Max Higbee Center... thank you. Your enthusiasm made this event something truly special.
We're also incredibly grateful to our competitors, sponsors, volunteers, judges, and everyone who helped make the day possible.
This event was about more than great BBQ—it was about coming together to support recreation, employment, and community opportunities for teens and adults with developmental disabilities in Whatcom County.
Thank you for making the first Max'd Out BBQ Competition such a huge success. We'll see you next year!
08/10/2026
$26,805.40 raised... and it's all thanks to YOU!
We are beyond grateful to everyone who helped make the inaugural Max'd Out BBQ Competition such an incredible success.
Because of our amazing competitors, generous sponsors, dedicated volunteers, hardworking judges, and every single person who came out to enjoy some incredible BBQ, we raised $26,805.40 for the !
08/10/2026
Happy to highlight this new partnership with the Geographic Information Science (GIS) students at Western Washington University!
They made us this awesome accessibility map indicating custom landmarks, curb cut crosswalks, as well as the slope and roughness of sidewalks in central downtown Bellingham. With multiple group outings and countless one-on-one excursions every day, we're excited to explore all the ways we can use it!
We'll collect feedback/input from members and staff on this tool as we plan outings, choose safer/smoother pathways for our groups and give members even greater opportunity to engage and take the lead on where we go, what we do and how we get there.
And then we'll share our experience and our ideas on how this map project can be expanded/improved/reimagined with the next WWU GIS cohort here at MHC.
Thank you to this wonderful group of students for their curiosity, openness, enthusiasm, attention to detail, communication and care throughout this collaboration!
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Address
1400 N State Street Suite 101
Bellingham, WA
98225
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