WWU Trumpets MI Family's $1M Donation for Soccer Stadium

It's probably fair to say Western Washington University's has a few friends in the Harrington home on Mercer Island.

On Tuesday, WWU announced it had received a $1 million donation from the Harrington family, which will be dedicated to the school's efforts to build the school's first all-weather soccer stadium suitable for NCAA play.

A former Western Washington soccer star (graduating in 1998) Mercer Island native Scott Harrington spoke on behalf of the family about the donation.

“Western has played a significant role in my family’s lives over the years,” said Harrington, who graduated in 1998 from Western’s accounting program and played on the men’s NCAA Division II soccer team. “I’m thrilled that we are helping Western build a great new home for its soccer teams. Giving back in this way is truly an honor.”

The fields south of campus will be graded to one level, large, dividable turf field. The project will include a scoreboard, team benches and scorer’s tables, storage, spectator seating, restrooms and team facilities/locker rooms. In addition, the field will include an extension to enable concurrent and multi-recreational uses such as lacrosse and rugby. The extent of the seating and team facilities will depend on cost estimates as the design process proceeds, as well as the success of additional fundraising efforts.

According to KOMO News, the project's estimated cost is $4.6 million.

In addition to Scott, the Harrington family consists of Scott’s brother Mark and their mother Dolores. The family gives through its family foundation, established by Scott and Mark’s father Robert, in honor of his parents Mark and Blanche Harrington. The scope of their philanthropy is much broader than their generous gifts to Western. A few examples include:

• The Harrington Family endowment at Seattle Children’s Hospital, which funds craniofacial surgeries for children,
• Harrington House in Bellevue, a transitional housing facility for pregnant and parenting women (operated by Catholic Community Services),
• The Robert and Dolores Harrington Endowed Chair at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which funds cardiology research, and
• The Harrington Endowment at University of Pennsylvania, which funds cancer research.

More information about the donation and the project can be found at WWU's website.