Operation Solution & Response
Rev. Frank Paul Jones
The National Community Network, INC
Formally: the National Community Network and Coalition of Highlands, INC
923 South A Avenue
Avon Park, FL 33825
Office: (863) 657-2407
Website: TheNationalCommunityNetwork.org
E-Mail: Info@TheNationalCommunityNetwork.org
A Project of the National Community Network, INC.
The Agenda: November 1st – Fiscal Year 2014-15
A $1,337,154.20Operation Solution and Response next year’s budget is a challenge we can answer , but only if we work together: Requires $623,116.28per year in In-kind Contributions of volunteerism or 29,336.24 man hours which is equal to 14 fulltime jobs over a one year period. Our hope is to recruit at least 50 volunteers and our key staff will be dedicated to our mission, as well a community service volunteers and people in the community that might consider trying some of our ideas.
We are apply for grants now, so our blogs are limited, but this is something you should learn not by just reading, but putting some of the ideas in to action. We are trying to fund both the Thanksgiving Weekend Events and Operation Solution and Response. This comes to $1,337,154.20 + $50,000 = $1,87,154.20 or $1.9M.
Today we solicited $10,000 for Winn Dixie, yesterday $2,500 from Wal-Mart, today $250,000 from the USDA and tomorrow $10,00 from Publix. I have the ability to manage 10 key members with corporate e-mail, thereby crating a coordinate management in a cloud system of administration.
A: With a 15 Security Force Detail consisting with armed security, which will be coordinated and assigned by us. We will use them at all our events and fund raisers to include nightclub sponsored events Also remembering security is the key to being able to attract winners into our circles of sponsors.
B: with 4 dedicated key members who will live this program daily.
C: We will seek after at least 2 or 3 long term community service personnel. This would be in line with what we are all about, helping reduce crime and prevent recidivism. The system offers them worker compensation, if they get injured on the job, which is good to know.,
D: 10 people engaged in our recording studio project “Social Impact.”
D: Our on call list of volunteers, who will assist only during event, unless they decide to get more involve. This list should exceed 20 people, who are real and committed. As you can see this is really doable and by doing this successfully, we will be able to get even more money into our community and start to create paid positions.
Our Services Addresses these community related problems:
1: Preventing Criminal Recidivism
2: Education and Illiteracy
3: Hunger
4: Community Activities
5: Poor Community Economy
6: Disproportionately High Community Unemployment Rates
7: Homelessness and Housing Issues
8: AIDS/HIV
9: Human Rights
Introduction and Overview:
The National Community Network, INC, was founded on October 20th, 2009, as the National Community Network and Coalition of Highlands, INC., in the State of Florida, in the City of Avon Park, located in Highlands County. We were founded by siblings of the Jones Family, with a mission of “building a better community,” and an oath to “give back to the community.” This promise I made to Worshipful Master Eston E. L. Roberts, with an understanding we will be traveling in another direction, so to speak, “for those who have ears.” The Co-founders were Rev. Frank Paul Jones, Rev. Egeria F. Jordan, Lujuana M. Flood and Rev. Ella E. Williams. Egeria F. Jordan is deceased since July 13th, 2012, may she RIP, established our organization on 20 October 2009.
We owned our two story headquarters is located at 923 South A Avenue, Avon Park, FL. 33825, we refer to our headquarters location as the Blue Building, because of its Freemasonic history, this institution was once the home of Prince Hall Freemasons. The building is now in good condition, however we have some needed some capital
investments. We need a 3 ton condenser unit for our downstairs central AC unit, two 12,000 BTU window units upstairs, a parking lot to expand our educational services and fence placed around our perimeter.
Our purposes, mission and vision was designed intentionally to act as the framework for different types of comprehensive plans to redevelop poor communities that have falling behind economically across our nation, but this specific operation was designed for Avon Park, FL.
The National Community Network, INC. is designed to face the challenges of economically deprived neighborhoods and has built in mechanisms to support Community Redevelopment Agencies “CRA” nationwide and not just in Avon Park, Fl where our headquarters is located. Though we are operating as a local charity, with a current local agenda, in time we plan to branch out. And hopefully as a result of our progress in Avon Park, FL., this program may be duplicated in another community in the State of Florida or even in States in America, such as New York City.
The function of the NCN is to act as an agent, to assistant and also to take on the leadership role in solving community problems with our main focus on economics and social issues. Our complete program design is meant to be duplicated with modifications to create community solutions wherever needed where there are programs designed with the intentions of “building a better community” in mind.
The National Community Network, INC., admits to our humble beginnings, but what we are introducing is a potential nation builder. The reason for our limited community work so far was the lack of funds, because we didn’t have our 501 c 3 statuses, but now this has changed and hopefully we will be able to find Funders to support our programs designed for building a better community in the Southside Redevelopment Area and a build a better Avon Park.
1: The National Community Network , took ownership of the Business Area of the Southside Redevelopment Area around South Delaney Avenue, by maintaining the area daily by keeping it clear of garbage and debris. We did this for over 3 years and will continue to do this. Before the upcoming South Delaney Community Development Block Grant was even considered we were there on the frontline maintaining South Delaney Avenue, in hopes that someday would be today and today has seemed have found its way. The CDBG Grant is overdue!
2: We advocated for our community. We plan to expand these services by creating a new Facebook page, WordPress.com blog, Website and Newsletter, to support these initiatives.
3: We took what once had life and became a skeleton after being closed down for over 5 years, with a seriously leaking roof and transformed it with a new tin roof, also fixing the water damages inside and we did a lot of other maintenance work and repairs, all out of pocket. Now we are well on our way of converting this once empty shell into a structure for a program of comprehensive community services, which will bring forth more unity among us. Now as a post 501 c 3 commitment we will finish this job and transform our headquarters into respectful and accommodating place of community services, open for business. We want our property to be pleasing to the eyes of the community given the SRA new hope through the initiation of services through “Operation Solution & Response.”
Supporting the Local Businesses:
When Americain general faces a recession the people in poor communities across America already are experiencing a depression. Hard economic times is nothing new to poor America. And the Southside Redevelopment Area is now in a state of depression. Many of our businesses are failing or struggling because of the lack investment capital. Causing less money to circulate within our community, which is an already over unemployed population and under invested. These are some of the after effects of long term poor economic conditions.
While the Avon Park CRA announced that South District’s South Delaney Avenuewill receive a much needed overhaul of the streets and roads through a federally funded CDBG Grant, the plans within local government to redevelop the businesses in this area do not go far enough. While the CRA already condemned at least two major properties in this area in our recent history, we at the National Community Network is concerned with the remaining properties being determined as plight, as of the results of these improved streets and roads. If the businesses are not improved the properties on the Delaney Avenue Strip may then appear to be plight as a result of progress community progress. And that would a be a sad time in the history of all of Avon Park, Fl.
The Avon Park
“new historic facade grant,” is a step in the right direction, but is hardly enough.
First of all, for many of the businesses that could use these grants, they are struggling, or cannot reopen due lack of investment capital and/or is behind on property taxes. So to offer them a dollar for dollar grant to improve the external areas, with 100% upfront cash required, is really a slap in the face.
What is actually being said is if you can put up $10,000 to fix your property, we will give you a refund of $5,000 at a later date.
Here is the middle ground and what we think should be done. The properties that qualify for the new historic facade grant, be given the grant by creating an escrow account. This way properties that need these grants most, can apply for them and when they come up with the matching funds, they will be able too use the money set aside for their property renovations. This could be the beginning of a comprehensive program whereby government and citizens can work together, to accomplish the redevelopment of the Southside Redevelopment Area’s Southside District.
One must attempt to understand the reality and state of South Delaney Avenue. It is a slum area. And then one must take into consideration the proud history of S. Delaney Ave. With this understanding, we will be able to see the logic of trying to restore these business properties to their current owners. By doing this, we will be able to start a transformation within community to become a safer, cleaner and more independent, by reducing crime based on property ownership incentives to care take their restored properties. Either this or the CDBG Grant will be meaningless to our current property owners, which means we are all be subject to a hostile takeover in the future, due to the increased value of the real estate. It happened in New York City’s Harlem Communities and it can happen here. We all know Avon Park, FL., is prime real estate just waiting for major investors to come to a compromise with these local agriculture tycoons.
Now what I will propose may have sounded far-reaching just a year ago, but today it is a rational thought process and its foundation is principle based. We believe the solution to the redevelopment of the Southside Redevelopment Area, is the new taxes on the sales of medical marijuana in State of Florida and City of Avon Park. Whereby as of its inception into law, the City of Avon Park, FL., sell a 10 year – $150,000 municipal bond, splitting the $150,000 equally among Avon Park CRA Districts and continue to give at least 50% of these taxes towards CRA designated areas in Avon Park for the history of this law or until it is determined to no loner be needed.
The $50,000 for the Southside Redevelopment Area, should be used to start the redevelopment process of our businesses. It should be a comprehensive plan that requires active participation by the grantees and or management of these businesses. Because fixing a building and putting equipment inside it, without the assurance of proper management is a cocktail for failure. We believe that a major part of our problem is the lack of knowledge concerning business practices. Many of these properties were within families for more than one generation and while beneficiaries may have inherited the family properties, they did not necessarily inherit the family business or know how.
Helping our Disadvantage Young Adults:
We think the main problem in the United States today is the jobless rate that is causing us to create a generation of hopelessness among our youth and this is amplified in black communities nationwide and is now a serious issue in Avon Park’s Southside Redevelopment Area of Avon Park, Fl and this is what we will address.
While our youth, sees Hollywood and Multimedia as outlets as a means to creates dreams about success and a way out of their state of oppression, what Hollywood depicts is often just an illusion that is often not obtainable by many of them due to the lack of education and connections and this degrades their moral fiber. Because they grew to want something that they cannot have. Too often due to joblessness, they stay home all day and play violent video games, listen to rap music often filled with filthy and degrading language and watch fantasy television shows, only to end up turning to the streets with nothing to do (“an idle mind is the workshop of Satan”). And too often this ends in violence, the loss of young lives which isn’t new to the Southside District and the incarceration of too many of our young adults. And we want to curb this! We want to curb crime and recidivism. And because many of us within the National Community Network to include myself have been there and done that, by operating on the other side of the law, who better qualifies to reach out to our disadvantaged young adults, than one with a common past life of crime and/or just being on the streets.
They need to see a way out, today many of them would not and could accept an invitation to a better way of life, because it requires education and skills, something many of our disadvantaged young adults fear to take on the endeavor or simply do not understand the incentive in a tangible way. Many of these young adults are even afraid to take on the simple task of obtaining a GED, to many of them this is not simple at all, but is a very complex measure. Many of them are simply afraid to fail! Yet many of them will need higher education beyond a GED in order to survive in the future Highlands County, which is headed for major development. We have a problem called hopelessness in the Southside Redevelopment Area and among the poor in Avon Parktoday.
We believe that the fastest way to create noticeable change in “building a better community,” is to put a major focus on the redevelopment of our young adults between the ages of 18-35 and older, because often it is at this age group when most of our young adults engage in self-destructive and/or unproductive behavior that could be modified if they were given other options with meaningful incentives. Because these are truly the children who will be our leaders of tomorrow.
Helping our Young Children:
Before we created the disadvantaged young adult, we were handed an innocent child through the grace of God. They did not ask to come on this earth because none of us did, but they were born and came to us as babies unable to support or even take care of themselves. They therefore had to go through a molding process in order to function as upright American citizens, with the responsibility of someday being caretakers of Americathemselves.
Highlands County has some of the worst performing high schools in the state of Florida. Only six Floridadistricts had lower graduation rates than Highlands Countyin 2011-12. While the graduation rate was about 74% in the state of Florida, it was only 61% in Highlands County in 2012. And AvonPark is the worst performing high school within Highlands County. And the residents of the Southside Redevelopment Area and poor communities like the public housing complexes in Avon Park, are on the forefront of academic failure, which transcends and becomes a community filled with street crimes, violence, and intellectual vegetation. This is an after effect of long term poor economic conditions.
Meanwhile our young children see our young adults on the streets 24/7 being unproductive or trying to survive. They live in a community whereby illegal drugs is the number one commodity. They see a community of victims being slaves to poverty and eventually see themselves as forever victims also, without any real option to gaining a part of the American dream, but often end up within a life of crimes, jails, institutions, long term addictions and death. Our children need to feel safe, loved and protected and believe it or not and this is very important, they need to feel needed, because the reality is one day will depend on them or self-destruct.
We believe as a community we must be the caretakers of our younger children, who are under 18 years old and are not emancipated. If we as a community do not raise our children properly, we as a community has failed tomorrow already. Part of the cause of our current social and economic problems and conditions are our past failures in the molding processes of our children. It is due to our past failures as a community in education, crime prevention and community economics that this program we are presenting now has become a program of community need and not community convenience. Operation Solution and Response is a SRA community need.
We want to insure that every child in our community has a fair chance in life and will be able to grow and enjoy the Declaration of Independence in Americaas adults. Something too often taking away from our youth due to their responses to the conditions of poverty.
Serving our Senior Citizens:
The senior citizen is the backbone of our community and it is from them that we gain our strength in character as a union throughout the world. We will find within this group of people, a lot of knowledge, wisdom understanding through experience and education. It is a fact that through the process of life and aging, most people grow to care more about humanity as a whole and find a God of their understanding that they serve. Like a child should be born innocent and it is the journey of humankind, to once again try to become righteous and be in service to the God of their understanding. And often this is done through one’s community work.
But the reality is that many of our senior citizens are barley surviving in the Southside Redevelopment Area. Most are living on a fixed incomes or food stamps that barely allows them to make all their bills and eat properly. Many of senior citizens find themselves in really lonely situations, without anyone to socialize with. Many of our senior citizens are without structure and only want to do some meaningful volunteerism. Many of our senior citizens are huge resources of information waiting to be tapped for knowledge. And some are just doing fine in retirement and just want to give back to our community. Whatever it is, if it is good, our senior citizens deserve it and more. So we set aside Sunday as “Weekly 50+ Senior Citizen Recreational Spot,” whereby we are open all day to address senior citizen issues, offer recreational activities, food and other services.
Serving our Underserved:
With the mentality that “nobody will be left behind,” we try to help anyone experiencing misfortunes, with a focus on economic and social issues.
Serving People with AIDS/HIV:
We believe that the virus that causes AIDS, was developed in a laboratory in Germanyduring the winter of 1976-77. I was designed as a biological weapon to kill off people. The target was the Gay community, drug addicts and people of color. And it had early successes but resulted in a lot of unintended damages. We believe the orders to create this deadly virus originated at the CIA. And in 1980 it was released upon mankind.
We believe that in 1989 the cure to AIDS was developed, but never release, because the pharmaceutical industry is profiting from the many very expensive treatments being made available. Therefore position isn’t to fight for a cure, but to fight for the release of the cure to AIDS.
Therefore our approach to dealing with the AIDS pandemic, is to inform the people as to what is really going on to create a movement of AIDS awareness that is based on the idea that this disease was not by chance, but was in fact develop in a laboratory and was government sanctioned.
Through AIDS awareness programs and advocacy, we believe we will the forefront and leaders of change in policy that will bring about the end of AIDS.
Helping Enforce the Human Rights of all people:
We realize that their a many important social issues that deserve and need to be resolved but are being denied of. We believe the most relevant social issues of the day are Gay and Lesbian Rights, the marijuana dilemma concerning it legalization & uses and the AIDS pandemic. And always we must keep close to us the ongoing fight of the African American, which is for the true emancipation of the African America Slaves in America, because we know that the 14 Amendment did not free black slaves, but was only a measure to reunite the Confederation back into the Union. No more and no less!
For this reason we will attempt to be at the forefront of information sharing and advocacy, through continuing campaigns designed to inform, lead, support and assemble people together. Though we are different we have a common enemy and through unity the war against humanity can be won. We see us as a coalition of the diverse underserved and as a community against unjust laws and rules, whom will get a fair shot of true inclusion within American society as equal partners in the Union, unless we fight for our right.
Operation Solution & Response
The National Community Network has solutions that will help the Southside Redevelopment process and our future community economic growth as well as prepare the people in our community to be able to survive, excel and grow in the future Highlands County by becoming better prepared and therefore “building a community” and it is “Operation Solution and Response.”
What it is?
Operation Solution and Response is a long term initiative designed
to perform services for
people in determined CRA eligible areas, Residents of Public Housing Complexes and other subsidized housing and communities determined poor in need of assistance by some government standards. We will assist in and
initiate and facilitate the renewal of physical, economic, and social conditions through the redevelopment and/or development of community structures but most importantly the people.
The OSR is designed to assist the people within these communities as well and not just fix the structural problems.
Because when communities become, blight, plight and slum areas, you can believe the mindset of the community also suffered drastically.
What is required?
Operation Solution and Response is a community response initiative. Therefore in order for this project to have any real successes, it will require a lot of community participation and dedicated volunteers. Therefore we call on other non profits, the churches, the local businesses and most importantly the people, to take an interest in this program and to do so is to take an interest in yourselves, by helping us build a better community. Because we are in this together and together is the only solution.
How It Works:
By using a 7 tiers approach we address what we think are major problems associated with these type community problems, whereby the businesses are going out of business and or struggling, the residents also suffer due economic problems, crime and illiteracy and or in some cases just being down in the dumps emotionally as well from the stresses of constant poverty. Because poverty we understand, we drafted our response.
We have a 7 tier approach:
(1) Unemployment (2) Education and Illiteracy (3) Hunger (4) Criminal Recidivism
(5) Poor Performing Economy. (6) Community Activities (7) Homelessness and Housing Issues
What are we designed to do?
The Operation Solution and Response is designed to reduce blight thru renovations as an alternative to demolition in designated CRA areas, develop community resources, stimulate government and private sector investment in the communities and cities we serve, give communities comprehensive support, organize and develop community leadership and create the leaders of tomorrow and create a network to collectively collaborate and address the social and economic problems in our communities and to solve them through a team effort using centralized and interactive communications, as the foundation for organized movements for economic and social development and redevelopment.
The Program Basic Figures:
Hours of Availability Operations Maximum: 112 hour per week or 16 hours per day.
Availability will be 7 days Sunday through Saturday we will be available if necessary from 8:00 am to 12:00 am
Sunday: 9.00 am to 11 pm – Weekly 50+ Senior Citizen Recreational Spot: Giving us one hour to open and one hour to shutdown.
Total Costs Itemization = :
1) Total hrs. Blue BuildingAvailable: 112 hrs per week or 16 hours per day max @ 20 per hour costs = @ $2,240 overhead budget per week for outside presenters = 50% of operation costs or $58,240annually or $1,120
2) Total hrs. Blue Buildingused: Minimum 108 hrs per week or 2,239.92
3) Total hrs. of support projected labor minimum: 174 hrs. weekly or $3,695.76
4) Administrative Man hours needed: 200 man-hrs wkly min. 5 full time or at least 10 part time jobs. Value of labor = $4,248 0r $200,896
5) Security: 16 hours times 2 = $679.68 weekly x 5 x 52 = $179,716.80 per year.
6) Value of labor per week @ $21.24 per hour @ Florida Volunteer labor valuation – $11,983.39 weekly or $623,116.28 total In-Kind Contributions annually to run the essentials of Operation Solution and Response.
7) Value of labor per week does not include the costs of the actual services being rendered by outside entities performing the seminars in our building, this is only the costs required by us to facilitate these services and events and the needed supporting personnel. We can expect at least another 112/2 weekly being hours used times 2 visitors per presentation on average = $2,378.88 or $123,701.75 per year.
8) Total Minimum In-Kind Contributions: $623,116.28 per year.
9) Overhead: At 16 hour per day availability if deem necessary the cost of operation is $20 about per hour, because we own our headquarters location which is two stories tall with about, which makes this a donation of space that could be rented. We will apply 75% of the cost or $15 x $10 x 52 = $7,800 for overhead that is subject to adjustments to meet our current demands.
10) Stationary: $100 per week or $5,200 per year.
11) Miscellaneous supplies: $50 per week or $2,600 per year.
12) Events: $150,000annually.
13) Initial investment: $20,049.33 to $23,168.91
14) Fence: $13,628.91
Total Essentials for Solution and Response Fiscal year 1 Nov. 2014 to 31 October 2015= $1,337,154.20 annual budget.
Itemized Capital Investments and Costs to Setup Operation:
A) 3 Ton Condenser and installation; $2,000 at most
B) Two Window units for upstairs 12,000 BTU = $599 each at most or $1,200
C) 5-8 folding tables = $300 at most or less
D) 24 Folding Chairs = $30 each = $720
E) 4 Computer Stations refurbished computers with desk for each computer. We will get software from Techsoup.org. 1 Wireless printer, 4 WIFI dongles and assistance moving excess property to storage and storage costs.
4 Computers and Monitors = $2,000 at most
4 Desks = $400 at most
Miscellaneous Furniture: $400 Filing and storage and so forth
WIFI Dongles = $30 each = $120
Printers = $400
Software: We will set aside $2,000 for the purchase of software.
Fence: 249 feet @ $4,542.97 per 80 feet times 3 or 240 feet = $13,628.91 max or 249 feet @ $3,503.11 per 80 feet times 3 or 240 feet = $10,509.33
Sub-total Fence max: $23,168.91
Sub- total Fence Min: $20,049.33
Total: $1,337,154.20
Utilities:
Comcast (phone, internet and basic cable TV) = $115 + Downstairs a television connection = $50 = $165 per month
Gas: projected costs about $125 if we cook often.
Water: $80 – $100 per month
Electricity: $80-$600 per month
Outside Location Storage will be about $60 per month or $720 annually.
Estimated Operational Overhead Costs: $152,000:
We need an investment of about $10,000 to become fully operational.
Annual Operations Costs = $12,600 + Insurance
Minimum Value of labor per year excluded costs for guest = $130,000 per year
Cost of Guest Speakers cannot not be giving but we predict it will at least double the cost of setup and breakdown personnel. But we are looking at about $200,000 to $300,000 annually.
Total Projected Costs:
Annual Total Max: $123,701.75
Annual Total Min: $623,116.28
Rational Estimation: $93,0065.515
Its is our goal to expand our operations into other outside facilities, due to the limited space in our two story headquarters location. It is our hopes that eventually our headquarters location will be used exclusively as the administrative and intelligence center of our operations to accommodate our organization’s staff, while we perform our services at other locations by allocating the needed personnel to serve in areas within AvonPark and Highlands County.
1: Unemployment Services:
A: Requires 16 man hours weekly
B: Requires 8 hrs of building occupancy
Demographic Changes and the lack of skills needed in today’s industry is the cause of a disproportionate rate of unemployment within the poor communities nationwide. Many of the citizens of the poor communities are falling behind or have fell behind and cannot seem to catch up. Job creation is a necessity, however many of our citizens are not skilled and are not even registered in our Highlands County Workforce System, for correctable reasons such as the lack of transportation or lack of incentives, being they feel they do not qualify for anything anyway.
In Highlands County we must be pro job development and creation and job growth. The key is to create new jobs and train our citizens to fill in these positions. We advocate inviting light industry into AvonPark and Highlands County, to manufacture products by which we will be able to develop a workforce to produce these products, through training programs that matches our populations current qualifications and abilities to learn within certain timeframes. The great advantage of Highlands County as far as attracting light industry is that the real estate market is very under priced and is actually going down and the economy is weak, making it a good investment as far as the required labor costs. The living wage here is in Avon Park is much lower than in New York City or most major urban areas, due to the cost of living. We need to compliment and develop our current workforce abilities for the long term but first we need to address short term doable goals.
Our part of the solution:
1) Set aside at least 5 hrs. per week for seminars relevant to addressing unemployment
5) Offer Volunteer Positions
6) Workshops = 4 hrs week
7) Referrals to training programs
8) Making four computers available for business use – Lab hours will be adjusted accordingly.
Personnel required: Maintenance team to setup and breakdown seating arrangements and clean up first floor common area before and after seminars. And person to make all arrangements with outside contacts. This will come from the upstairs.
4 hrs of operations x 2 maintenance personnel = 8 man hours per week.
8 hrs for 1 on call personnel in charge of building and establishment. = 8 man hours per week.
2: Education and Illiteracy Services:
A) Requires 11 man hours weekly
B) Requires approx 10 hrs of building occupancy: These 10 hrs of scheduling is contingent to us getting a parking lot which is capital investment needed on our properties.
Many of our citizens in the Southside Redevelopment Area are still without a GED. Often the challenge of adult education is that adults have responsibilities and have to provide food for themselves to eat as well as feed others and unless there are economic incentives for the adult to spend time studying & going to school during their spare time, it is going to be hard to recruit adults in poor communities like ours into the adult education system at numbers that will create real differences to our economy. There has to be economic support and structure and we must allow people who are grown to be able to spend time studying and going to school and not have to worry about how every bill will be paid in the process.
Illiteracy among our children is also often overlooked. Yet many of our youth’s in poor communities are performing below grade level and therefore are traveling in the direction of academic failure. Yes, a lot of our youth who are in school today are illiterate to the degree that they are poorly performing in school and are not receiving any type of early intervention assistance and as a result they will become illiterate as adults. It is our
position that the best way to curb illiteracy is to nip it at the bud, with early intervention programs for our youth. We must beat illiteracy before it stops us.
We do not just focus on the academically challenged, though we are attempting to fix the problem of illiteracy, we also realize many of our children who are making it in school are sometimes barely making it or still needs encouragement. And some are often without any sense of responsibility to family, neighborhood or country and do not understand we are depending on them for our future survival and children they will not be forever. They must grow up to be responsible adults. It is our job to direct them to the right path. And develop an interdependent relationship.
Many of our youth today who are making it in school still needs to know they are appreciated. Life is merely a gift bestowed to us all. It is our duty to harvest the gift of life, given to us by God. So we have to assist the challenged children but also must also recognize and reward the one’s who are being productive as well. And our ultimate goal and success will be if we create relationships among our children that they hold to the cliché “Nobody Gets Left Behind.” Our community must develop an all for one mentality if we are to grow into the 21st Century as a community united to travel the direction of economic and social growth.
Our part of the solution:
Once we acquire the parking lot on 952 South Delaney Avenue with handicap parking and another wheelchair ramp place at the front of our building to serve people coming from the parking lot; we will be able to have instructional programs like computer workshops, job training programs and other educational programs. We will start out as a referral agency and middle-person for school supply services, but will expand into becoming an instructional institution in the future.
We cannot serve children below the ages of 18 years of age at our educational institutions, because our headquarters is too close to two nightclubs located on South Delaney Avenue. But we can attract and serve adults and provide adult educational services focusing on business development for example. And therefore our goal of producing entrepreneurs in our community and supporting their work is in line with our purposes, mission and vision.
1: Issue School and Office Supplies – One time event in August
2: Act as a referral agency for people looking for a GED, Job Training and/or Higher Education – by appointments
3: The Entrepreneurs Business Plan Course: – 3 hrs per week once we get parking lot.
We want to sponsor programs that could be ran out of our building on the 1st floor. The objective of this program is to make student entrepreneurs aware of and teach them how to use and apply the tools necessary and available to them such as the internet, office paid and open source software, computers, cell phones, tablets and so forth and to assist them in planning their future business and the writing of a business plan. Then we will act as an incubator if possible or help them find an incubator to help them get started, which is listed under our solution to unemployment. The goal is to move this program to another facility in the future.
4: DAW – Digital Audio Workstation Instructions – 3 hours per week: We moved the studio back to my house and will run it between 12 am and 5 am with pre-approved scheduling, to carryout our recording studio project, which will fall under events. Once we complete the project we will look into expanding the project to its original intent.
We will have to attract, engineers, producers, and artists, who use DAW technology in their own studios and projects to give our clients pep talks and seminars and to help us teach those who have an interest in these technologies. We need people who know computer hardware and software such as computer technicians and IT personnel to assist us with DAW instruction, by teaching our clients about basic and advanced computer operations and preventative maintenance skills and we need personnel to maintain and upkeep our equipment for program use. We will need books and other forms of tutorials such as audio and video tutorials, so that our clients can be instructed, as well as use them as self help tools and materials, for them to learn how to operate the DAW software program we can make available to them at the “Blue Building.” Our goal is to teach DAW technology, so that our student can transform their home computer into a recording studio.
5: Other Study Groups, Assistance and computer lab – 4 hrs per week
1) 2 maintenance personnel for about 5 days or 5 events = 5 x 2 personnel = 10 man – hrs per wk.
2) School Supplies Distribution Day should be an event that several members in our organization participates in and be available to the community. This would an annual event for about 4 hours x 8 or more personnel = 16 man hours year = 4 man hours quarter, therefore we will just make it 1 man hour week for our weekly calculations.
3: Hunger:
A) Requires 25 man hours weekly
B) Require approx 7 hrs of building occupancy:
Many families and individuals are still struggle even with food stamps to eat everyday here in AvonPark and Highlands Countyand throughout our nation. Often hungry effects children and their performance in school and slows up their general and even brain development; causing them to fall behind academically and therefore as an adult economically. Hunger even effects the biological growth of our children and good nutrition is essential for the proper development of our children. But not only children are effected but adults alike and especially our senior citizens.
For some senior citizens, the delivery of a hot meal is their only daily human contact. We must be the caretakers of our children and elderly and no American should be left alone and no American should to go hungry.
Our part of the solution:
1: A Local Food Kitchen: To be at another location.
2: Holiday & Eating Events at the Blue Building – rare and special scheduling = 3 hrs weekly
3: BBQ & Events – may be at other locations
4: Food Gift Cards from Local Supermarkets – rare and by appointments = 1 man hour hr weekly
5: Pantries – 3 hrs per week
16 events = 1 1/3 per month
Eating Events = 2 cooks 2 servers x 4 events x 8 hours = 128 man hours = 4 events = 42 hours monthly or 10 man hours weekly
BBQ = 2 cooks and 2 servers x 4 events x 8 hours =
Gift Card = 2 Personnel for about 4 times per year x 2 hours =
Panties calls for a full time of 8 x 8 hours x 4 per year = 21 1/3 man hours per month or 5 man hours per week.
4: Criminal Recidivism:
A) Requires 35 man hours weekly
B) Require approx 12 hrs of building occupancy:
The lack of economic opportunities, mental illness, bad moral fiber, greed, the lack of education drastically reducing options to succeed or participate in society, institutionalization due to incarceration, prejudices often sanctioned by the government due to criminal convictions, often closing doors normally open to most people in America, lack of direction from being forced into the criminal system at a young age, often many of our youth got into the criminal system and have never devised a plan for themselves to address their life’s situation and future that is realistic and obtainable, based on determination, skills and their willingness to learn new things after losing time.
Our part of the solution:
1: Group and Individual Counseling – 4 hrs per week
2: Topic & Group Discussions – 3 hrs per week
3: Benefits Assistance – Helping people find help for other resources – by appointments
4: Priority in getting into the Entrepreneurs Business Plan Course –
5: Priority in getting into the Entrepreneurs Business Incubator
6: Volunteerism to bring forth community engagement
7: Twelve Step Fellowships – 3 hrs per week
8: Referrals to other agencies – by appointments
We will need about 2 maintenance personnel for about 6 events weekly or 2 x 3 hrs x 6 events = 36 man hours weekly.
5: Our Poor Performing Economy:
A) Requires 5 man hours weekly
B) Require approx 7 hrs of building occupancy:
When the rest of the country is in a state of a recession the black communities across our nation often are in a state of local economic depression. Here in the Southside Redevelopment Area of Avon Park for example, black owned businesses are struggling, they are being condemned one after another and/or closed down for long periods of time until they are eventually condemned and they are often located on historical properties, that should qualify them for grants to be renovated for the good of our community.
The Southside Redevelopment Area of Avon Park and neighborhoods like this one across our nation often experience redlining practices and therefore cannot attract financial support from private industry, while government grants come with conditions they cannot afford and therefore cannot participate in these grant programs. Many businesses here in the Southside District are behind on their taxes and are in serious need for building repairs.
Meanwhile here on South Delaney Avenue, we anticipate gaining a CDBG grant for over $700,000, to rebuild the streets, roads and sewage, but doing very little if anything for the local businesses. I fear with our current CRA legislation, the businesses that are now on South Delaney Avenue needing help with renovations, will become an even worst eye saw to the city and be put in more immanent danger of being condemned, due an improvement and this would be bad for community.
And with the Highlands County Industrial Development Authority Economic Development Commission or IDA-EDC in the process of bringing economic growth into Highlands County, it is imperative that the people in our community register with The Highlands County Workforce or forever remain on the sidelines of life and progression. Many will need GED training programs and higher education programs and they will need to be steered in the right direction with some form of real-time support and be in a hands on relationship with someone to help them get on track and stay on track.
Our part of the solution:
1: Find funding to support the redevelopment of the SRA – done in upstairs office
2: Assist in the development of business plans for all existing businesses in the Southside Redevelopment Agency. – done in upstairs office
3: Design a general business model for the whole SRA and a 5-10 year projection on developments in this area. A business district has to be defined and its services should be complementary if possible. – done in upstairs office
4: Advertise and promote the SRA – done in upstairs office
5: Entrepreneurs Business Plan Course – 4 hrs per week
6: Entrepreneurs Business Incubator – 8 hrs per week – We would like to expand this program in another location, to add more hours of operation and more computer workstations to accommodate these entrepreneurs. And therefore expand the course at the Blue Building.
Maintenance on this is a straight 5 hours per week for one maintenance personnel = 1 x 5 = 5 man hours
6: Community Activities:
A) Requires 42 man hours
B) Require approx 14 hrs of building occupancy:
At the National Community Network, INC. we realize all work and no play is a cocktail for disaster. Even poor people deserve some recreational activities that are safe and community and/or family oriented. We will not only sponsor community activities, but will attempt to make our fund raising events as fun and as exciting as possible.
Our part of the solution:
1: Fund raising events. – planned upstairs and carried out at other places and at HQ
a) Year end fund raising events – S/A
b) Special and specific need events – S/A
c) Emergency fund raising events – S/A
2: The Weekly 50+ Senior Citizen Recreational Spot: Food, Cable Television and DVD, Games, Prizes, Discussions, Computers, all to entertain our community’s senior citizens at least once per week to bring them together for a social interactions.
3: Organized Youth Sport events – These events would be co-sponsored by both government for their venues and Sponsorship and Grants would be needed to carryout these functions.
3 tournaments per year lasting about 8 weeks each: = 2 personnel 2 hrs per week in preparation. = 4 man hours
a) Basketball
b) Baseball
4: Concerts & Stage Show Events Sponsored by the government, South Florida State College, Foundation Grants and Private Philanthropist, for the presentation of events to a general public audience. S/A
Plan one major show or presentation per year, around the holiday season. = 2 personnel 2 hrs per week in preparation of event and promotions = 4 man hours per week
4: Well organized sports tournaments for the youth, co-sponsored by, the City of Avon Park, Big Corporations, Local Businesses and other non profits. S/A.
5: Parties, dances and/or get together meetings for our youth and for people of all ages, to bring our community together and in unity in preparation to succeed at what is ahead of us. S/A
2 parties per year = 2 personnel 2 hrs per week in preparation = 4 man hours weekly.
7: Homelessness and Housing Issues:
A) Requires 40 man hours
B) Require approx 40 hrs of building occupancy:
8: Key Administration Members and other Supportive Staff:
5 full timer or 10 part time Key Personnel – 8 hours per day times 5 days = 200
Total Value of In-Kind Labor for basic daily operations: = $7,094.16 per week x 52 weeks = 368,896.32
Our part of the solution:
We realize that where there is a need to designate a community as slum or plight, to assign tax revenues to this area to attack these problems, there is going to be an effect that will be obvious to recognize and not totally solved by government on the people in the community at hand. People will fall short on their utilities, rent payments and other upkeep expenses and will need a quick and decisive response from the charitable community. And help should be within the center of our community, which is where we are located.
a) Help pay bills & Issue out household Supplies – 4 hrs per day or less
b) Refer people to other services to include Avon Park Housing Authority – by appointment
c) Assist in housing searches or make a computer and other communications accessible to our clients. – by appointment
d) Help people find grants to repair their homes and help them apply for these grants. – by appointment
e) Other services if deemed to have a good chance for success at being helpful.
3 maintenance personnel can do all services for 3 hours per day 2 times per week = 3x3x2= 18 man hours.
The Program Design:
The National Community Network, INC.
Operation Solution and Response is a long term initiative whose main focus will be on designated areas in Avon Park, FL, primarily on the Southside Redevelopment Area.
The Eagle Fellowship, is not a separate entity from the NCN, but is a board assigned by the Board of Directors of the NCN, to address these community issues. The NCN will facilitate their meetings at the Blue Building.
The Oversight Committee, is not a separate entity from the NCN, but is a board assigned by the Board of Directors of the NCN, to address these community issues. The NCN will facilitate their meetings at the Blue Building.
The Board of Local Clergy, is not a separate entity from the NCN, but is a board assigned by the Board of Directors of the NCN, to address these community issues. The NCN will facilitate their meetings at the Blue Building.
The PTS Movement “Prison to the Streets
Who is Prison to the Streets Movement?
The PTS Movement meaning “prison to the streets movement,” is a movement of men and women who were once a part of the prison system as inmates, who are committed to doing what is right for self and community. Using our artistic skills as writers, producers, performers, actors and the many arts, we channel these energies towards our youth and young adults in an attempt to teach them not to do wrong based on our past experiences. We do this through music and films and other means multimedia. We believe that “a wise man will learn from the mistakes of others.” We feel through our past misfortunes which sent us to prison and present agenda of “building a better community,” we can be a springboard for positive change in our communities nationwide. Because who better than us to reach out to them?
The PTS Movement: The purpose of the PTS Movement is to organize the people we serve and to create a united voice through our guidance and to create a network that collectively and cooperatively works together on social and economic issues, to find solutions and carry them out thereby fulfilling the mission of the NCN “building a better community.” And to build better character from among and within our fellowship, because we realize we are stronger when united and together our body is the temple of God. We are a spiritual body but not a religious order. Though we are directed by God, we are not guided by any specific religious doctrine and therefore is bound by the purposes, mission and vision of the NCN during our fellowship meetings, addressing community issues.
The PTS Movement, who are committed to building a better community. What goes on in those meetings is closed to the public and stays within this group, thereby creating an environment of trust and integrity. Also note that many of the members of the PTS Movement hold religious titles such as Minister, Reverend, Rabbi and Apostle allowing us to congregate with other felons in doing what we understand is the work of God. And many members of the PTS Movement are the creators of our music library, developed through donations by artist and writers. We hope through proper exploitation we will be able to raise substantial funding thru records sales, copyrights and royalties income, from these donated artistic works.
The Oversight Committee:
The oversight committee can consist of 4 to 12 board members which will include the chairman of the board. They will meet twice per month or more if special meetings are scheduled.
1) The purpose of this committee is to act as a watchdog over government spending that effects local community.
2) To advocate for more spending in communities it serves and design, advocate and implement plans to redevelop these communities.
3) Attracting philanthropists to support “Operation Solution & Response.” Organize the community to address the agenda for the redevelopment and economic growth of their community. And other duties as determined necessary.
The Board of Local Clergy:
The board of local clergy is a religious group who addresses and focuses on economic and social issues and solutions. As we put God first in our decision making processes, we are all bound to leave our religious doctrine out of the process, making the fellowship spiritual and not religious, therefore making it a coalition of religious persons for improving social and economic issues in poor communities.
The BOC will meet on the first floor of our headquarters once per month or more often if a special meeting is scheduled. Our decisions and ideas are often exploited by the National Community Network, INC. The idea is to create a coalition of religious persons, who purpose of congregation is to deal with the community situations needing to be addressed. We believe in most matters of legitimate concerns, we can find the funding to carryout corrective actions, if we get our local clergy to join in a cooperative effort.
If the BOC endorses a program, activity or event, we believe our 501 3 c will be to of great advance for all parties involved. Thereby creating revenue circulation, jobs and social benefit to our community. The Board of Clergy is a key component to our recruitment of people who just want to give back to the community. We need as many tore givers as possible. We think it is imperative that we reach out and offer inclusion to the religious community, though we are not a religious organization.
The HIV/AIDS & Human Rights Consortium:
Because this section of our organization is mainly about communicating information to people for the purpose of social change and accountability, this will always be of a nationwide scope. Currently we are focusing on the East Coast and West Coast, mainly California, New York City , Florida and North Carolina, we plan to expand our services to other areas as well.
It is our goal to inform to develop leaders via multimedia who will recruit people and form active blocks that will understand the concept of unity based on needs. Thereby bringing together people who are different but for common causes. It doesn’t matter if you are black or white, straight or gay, educated or uneducated, rich or poor, clean or dirty, drug free or active, God fearing or agnostic, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that until their is equal justice for all, there will never be peace of earth. And we are peace makers!
The Volunteer Redevelopment Workforce:
This is a group of volunteers at different capacities, from assistance in advocating pro community issues, by just being in attendance to support us at places we speak, when we want to voice our position concerning community issues, to actual hands on volunteerism and labor in doing community work and service.
The Food Kitchen and Food Services:
We will serve meals out of our headquarters location, hold BBQ’s and other eating events in the Southside Redevelopment Area, give out food pantries for special events and certain holidays and give out gift cards for food during special events and holidays. We will attempt to open a full time food kitchen to expand our services elsewhere in the future. Update, I spoke to a restaurant owner, whose restaurant on Main Street in Avon Park. In fact he has two vacant properties that seem to never keep their renters. He wants $850 per month for the restaurant and it has parking
The Network Newsletter:
The purpose of our newsletter is to promote our community, attract investment into our community, inform the community about relevant and contemporary issues, inform the community about what is going on in Highlands Countyand Avon Park and how it effects the communities within their boundaries. We will try to be informative and try not to be biased, however, we will not hide our positions and will sometimes be opinionated. As for the other property, I think it would make a find Newspaper/store w/internet order customers.
The National Community Network Website:
We will maintain our corporate website and will keep it up to date. One form of technology that we will implement that is different from many websites, is that we will on occasion have our documents posted as mp-3 files, so that people can listen to us instead of reading what we have to say. We think this will attract some of the people we are trying to reach out to, by making it easier for people who do not like to read and in some cases cannot read well due to a disability and/or illiteracy which in our opinion is one form of a disability that has crippled our community for generations and some people simply cannot see and are blind and should be included in our forum and be informed as well about the community.
The National Community Network Computer Workstation Center:
Four Computers connected to one wireless printer and receive WiFi signals from our router upstairs. The computers are available to clients, however due to tight scheduling unless it is program associated there is limit availability because staff also relies on these computers to assist in the performance of project oriented tasks.
General Needs and Capital Improvements:
We need a one time grant for: a) one air conditioning 3 ton condenser for our central AC unit already installed downstairs and b) two12,000 BTU window unit upstairs, a one time grant to put c) a fence around our property to reduce loitering and prevent crime on our property a safety issue and d) a one time grant to paint our building blue and e) funding to carryout our operations to include utilities and salaries where necessary though we heavily depend on volunteers. Though we operate with a team of volunteers, we realize we need to find funding to pay them in the future if we are to grow as well.
Public Benefit from this Project:
Operation Solution and Response is designed to serve the entire population of our community, through structural, economic and social redevelopment, however our targeted audiences are the disadvantaged young adults between the ages of 18 to 35+, our younger children, our senior citizens and the underserved population or in other words people simply needing help.
When we say disadvantaged young adults, we are describing the young adult population who are often chronically unemployed often due to several factors such as the lack of education and job skills, criminal records, the lack of networks and connections, their residing in redlining districts, lack of direction, hopelessness as well as other personal issues, to include their psyche (mindset) in some cases as the result of being in a slum area too long, economic related stress and trauma. Because many poor people experience traumas too, but simply have no medical coverage, especially in places like Florida, whereby so many lack health coverage.
We believe that the young disadvantage adults are the centerpieces of the redevelopment of any poor community and its future growth. And they are the centerpiece to the redevelopment of the Southside Redevelopment Area of Avon Park, FL. If we do not address their problems and their issues, how can we help those we call our children who are strongly influenced by them, if not under the care and supervision of our young adults? Because in reality our children we are talking about our their children, who are often disadvantaged young adults.
The disadvantage young adults are often the parents of today’s troubled children and is next in line to lead our community. We are hopeless without them because we cannot help our children without the support of the children’s parents unless we resort to mass institutionalizing, which we do when they grow up anyway, when we send them to prison, because we failed them as children.
And we feel many of the answers we are searching for are within the senior citizens in our community. Only good things can happen by giving them a day which we call at the Blue Buildingevery Sunday the “Weekly 50+ Senior Citizen Recreational Spot.” Whereby we pay close attention to our senior citizens, give them some recreational activities, services, food, other activities and simply ask them for their advice.
What Operation Solution and Response offers to the community is hope through networking. OSR offers the community a constant flow of information, social services support when in need, community unity thru community activities and community leadership by getting involved and by molding our leaders of tomorrow. The idea behind Operation Solution & Response is that with the understanding that most poor communities in Americaare assigned to some sort of assistance from the government, such as CRA designated areas and housing complexes, but the problem is that poverty seems to be generational. People who are born into poverty have a much better chance of living most of their lives in poverty and also dying poor on top of that. And places like public housing and CRA designated areas tend to become permanent dwellings for many of us. We want to end this viscous cycle or change the dimensions of our community altogether, by making it a nicer place to live and therefore bring back community pride, through community ownership.
It is our goal to make disadvantaged young adults who we feel are a misunderstood population, understood and accepted by those whose doors are shut or closed to them. We want to be a pathway and a conduit to close the chasms that prevents these disadvantage young adults from gaining opportunities in furthering their education, employment and even intercommunity social engagements with the rest of the AvonPark, the State of Florida, America and world, which is realistic with today’s cyber technology for even the poor in America. We want to help them become a part of mainstream Americaand put an end to the repressive behaviorisms that does not allow them to move beyond these neighborhood invisible gates. We believe a lot of the problems they face are self induced and a lot of the problems they face are due to not knowing any other way, but also a lot of their problems they face is also due to discrimination be it racial, cultural and otherwise and is often due to a misunderstanding of some type in many cases.
We believe our program can reduce crime and prevent recidivism, because we plan to attract the leaders of tomorrow into our movement for social and economic redevelopment. We understand the posse (gang) mentality of our youth today. We know that there a very few leaders and a host of followers. And one of the main problems in poor communities like ours in Avon Parkand in Highlands County, is where you find a high rate of disenfranchised individuals who are young, is that often the hand full of leaders that attract posses (gangs) do not know any other way, but to join into a life of crime to survive. Operation Solution and Response we bill as a program to show them another way that is better, by creating a mentality of building up instead of destroying our community.
Once Operation Solution and Response is fully functional, we will act as a center of resources and information within the Southside Redevelopment Area . By focusing on our young disadvantage adults, while serving our children as their caretakers, senior citizens and the underserved in our community, we will offer a comprehensive program that can truly make a difference.
And the goal is for these plans to develop into autonomous operations that will continue to operate until they are no longer needed. We must design a platform to create achievers in our community. Because achievements are so important in building up someone’s self esteem, which will allow personal growth, which will transcend into community improvements. And self worth is the beginning of self sustaining independence. We want to restore hope in our community, which is something many of our potential clients never knew, many never knew hope in these tough economic times.
The closing:
In closing, we want to so our gratitude, by describing the backbone of our operation. Our workforce of volunteers:
The Volunteer Workforce Strategy:
It is our goal to operate at 100% volunteer capacity for the first year, after which we will readdress our economic position. It is our goal to operate at no more than 50% volunteer capacity in the future and for most paid positions to be part time positions, until we can afford full time personnel.
The strength of the National Community Network, INC., is our volunteers. The spirit of our network is in the heart of mankind. We are able to carryout our services, because of professionals whose services fall under our purposes and the caring individual volunteers.
Our strategy to convert some of these voluntary positions into paying positions is to tabulate all the hours worked by each volunteer weekly at a pay rate of about an average of about $15 per hour. This is probably more than we will actually be able to pay our volunteers next year who become paid employees. However our goal is to create living wage position for our employees.
By doing this it increases our revenue for the fiscal year. By increasing our revenue, when we go after larger grants that might help us create salary positions and therefore be able to get more money by having a larger budget the previous year. Because many Foundation Grants give you a grant based on a percentage of your previous budget. So in reality our employees will create their own jobs, by demonstrating a demand for their labor. Our job is simply to manage and manipulate their activities in a way as to create productivity. Productivity is the key to economic growth, which merely organized movements producing a positive outcome.
Short Term Success:
1: The setup of our system of communications to include our website, email newsletter, blogs and so forth.
2: Finding and recruiting the needed personnel to carryout “Operation Solution and Response.”
3: Setting up the program design which consist of a) The role of the National Community Network, The Board of Clergy, The Eagle Fellowship, the Volunteer Redevelopment Workforce, do some Food Services – free meals and so forth, setup the newsletter, website, setup computer stations and get the needed capital investment necessary to make our headquarters fully functional.
4: By fiscal year 2016-17 have about 50% paid employee capacity, by creating a demand for their labor as a result of their volunteerism.
Long Term Success:
Once we succeeded in our short term goals, our long term goal will be create an autonomous system of operations, thereby creating a community that will no longer require these services. The long term goal is to eliminate, blight and slum communities and thereby removing the effects of poverty which is a plight community.
Success Monitored by:
1: We will keep a record of all donations from outside sources, to include grants and cash gifts. And we will keep a record of all charitable services we render to the community and our clients. This is not a direct measure of our successes, but a measure of our community activities, which so far has been limited. Records of revenue verse expenses and the size of our budget is sign of our activity levels.
2: Secondly, we will measure how much is cost us out of pocket, to continue to keep our door open and run our programs. A sign of success will be our ability to operate without the need of key staff member contributions. I think it is enough that we are an all volunteer organization at this time and should not have to fund all our work.
3: Early on, we will measure our successes by the amount of people we serve and the size of our budget in combination. Because we believe m any of our potential clients, are being underserved by local charities, due to the lack of knowledge as to what is available to them. So getting services to underserved populations is a measure of success.
4: As time passes however, we will start to measure our successes based on the property value of our communities of services, the crime rates, the illiteracy rates, the average income and rate of unemployment. Basally we will measure our successes based on local statistics on economics and social development in the areas we operate within.
Examples of Success:
1: A disadvantage young adult at age 31 years old, with 2 children ages 13 and 11, finds herself short on money to meet her bills. The 2 children are performing poorly in school and the home seems to be dysfunctional. The father’s of these children are both convicted felons, without any marketable skills and therefore often miss payments of child support and do not take part in these children lives. They all reside in the Southside Redevelopment Area of Avon Park, FL., which has been determined blight, plight and slum.
A: As a result of Operation Solution and Response, immediately she is assisted with money to make her bills.
B: Her children receive assistance with books and supplies and even clothing for school.
C: They all receive access to information relevant to building better live for themselves and therefore building a better community.
The Key: When a person is hungry and not acting properly, first you must feed their hunger, so that they can pay attention to you. The key is what do you tell them once you gain their attention. The bottom line is most poor people simply want a better life and often do not know how to go about crating the environment to produce the fruits they want to harvest.
2: A business is behind on their taxes, struggling to make end meets, let alone making profits: The business needs renovations, because it is beginning to look blight. The business needs investment capital to expand it business as well.
A: Though advocacy and simply making things going on become knowledge that can be used the local businesses. We will make funding both government and private made know to our local businesses.
B: Though our program, we will promote that our local Avon Park Community Redevelopment Agency fulfill their obligation to expand business in the Southside Redevelopment Area and help our business owners with funding to create business plans for each business and a business model for the future development of the Southside Redevelopment Area of Avon Park, FL.
C: We plan to sponsor a petition to request that the Avon Park CRA and City Council agree to sell a municipal bond for the amount of $150,000 over 10 years, to use the money to renovate as opposed to demolish properties needing renovations. This will be use to match the current historical facade grant now available. The bond will be based on the legalization of medical marijuana in the State of Florida and its sales in the City of Avon Park.
D: The business receives renovations through government and private grants, making it property more valuable and able to function at a higher profit margin. Even as we are in a redlining district, investment capital is found at competitive interest rates. The business turns a profit for several years, paying all its back taxes, further renovates its property, creates living wages for its workers and owners and crime is reduced in the area due to land owner contributions to community, because they cause to protect their investment worth protecting.
Thank you for you time:
By: Rev. Frank Paul Jones – President and CEO – Chairman
The National Community Network, INC.
Potential Funders:
Local and Community Funders in Highlands County:
Highlands County built up State Highway 27 with lots of retail establishments. The key to philanthropic giving by businesses is that they usually support the communities they do business in. Often they give out grants for things like feeding the hungry, community programs, educational programs and so forth, which is consistent with our purposes and they give much more to comprehensive plans and proposals.
The first year due our previous lack of revenue, we will go after as many local charities as possible thru the retail establishment located on State Highway 27 and then venture out to bigger charities and foundation grants, once we establish a fiscal year with substantial revenue through the services of our volunteer redevelopment workforce.
How cars are donated to charities. We wouldn’t benefit from this specific program, but this is an incentive to do a search on car donations.
Community Improvement Projects
Home Improvements
Food and School Supplies for children and Families in need
Building communities and disaster relief
Education
Youth, homelessness and hunger
Hunger Relief
Education and community initiatives
Local Charities
Youth Charities , Healthcare and Hunger Relief
Financial support for Charities
Youth, Education and Technology
Education, environment and energy and community development
Health and Welfare, Education, Arts and Culture
16:
The Avon Park CRA:
The CRA is supposed to be committed to the redevelopment of the Southside Redevelopment Area of Avon Park. The program we want to assist in is the Business Expansion program. Read the Avon Park Redevelopment Plan for further information
We have until June 30th 2014 to apply for a foundation Grant. We must apply 6 months in advance for major sponsorships and can ask for Grassroots Gift Card Donations at anytime.
Sponsorships – Plan 6 months in advance
Foundation Grant – Deadline June 30th 2014
Grassroots Gift Card Donations – Directed at Store Director
Hunger Relief & Healthy Eating: We will give away Free Meals thru donations from Wal-Mart. We will select a predetermined amount of food events for the year and use Wal-Mart to stock the food. We can go after local grants which are $250 to $2,500 and we should go after the high end of $2,500, thinking in terms of each event costing an average of $500 or about a total of about 5 eating events per calendar year sponsored by Wal-Mart. Other Wal-Mart initiatives are below.
The Community Services Block Grant Program (
CSBG) provides federal funds to designated local governments and non-profit agencies called Community Action Agencies to assist eligible low-income households in attaining the skills, knowledge and motivation necessary to achieve self sufficiency. The agencies may provide a variety of antipoverty services such as emergency health, food, housing, day care, transportation assistance; housing counseling; financial management assistance; nutrition programs including federal surplus food distribution, community gardening projects, food banks, job counseling, placement and training services, and homeless prevention programs.
Ninety percent of the Community Services Block Grant program funds are allocated to the state’s existing network of Community Action Agencies. This is a formula based grant and is not competitive.
1:
Omidyar Network:When we come up with big ideas I think we should write them a proposal. They fund major projects all over the world.
They are a philanthropic investment firm. The Omidyar Network has 5 initiatives, which are hyperlinked below to check for further information. I think we want to do business with the Omidyar Network and they have no entrepreneurship programs in the United States. If we deal with them we have to think big.
They capital intermediaries and technology companies that provide entrepreneurs with Financial Services, Business Development Assistance and Technical Support. I think this is our fit in with them, if can provide services for entrepreneurs with a program to, if our program creates opportunities for people to improve their lives and make powerful lasting contributions to our community.
The Gates Foundation might support our AIDS anthem idea, as a means of AIDS prevention and awareness. Maybe we will have to come up with politically correct lyrics. Like the Magic Johnson Foundation the Gates Foundation serves where his factories or stores are at. The AIDS program is a global initiative.
The potential Funders list and Operation Solution and Response will continually be updated to address our needs and the needs of the community as they present themselves.
DBAJesusChrist.org 