Much like it would again in another 100 years, Seattle is experiencing massive growth. The city’s population has grown almost 800 times in thirty years, and demand for services has increased with it. Two young Deaconesses of the United Methodist Church, nurse Jesse Gasser and teacher Mary Jane Hepburn, found the Deaconess Settlement in response to the needs of the burgeoning Italian immigrant population in Rainier Valley. They offer medical, educational, spiritual and social aid to local families.