And I didn't understand why. A proud product of Georgia public schools, Ashley grew up in Atlanta attending Atlanta Public Schools and then went on to receive a bachelors degree in anthropology and French from the University of Georgia and a masters degree in city and regional planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Previously, she served as Development Director for Hands On Atlanta where she launched the organizations individual giving efforts. She also works as a bookkeeper for Remerge, a nonprofit facilitating collaborative opportunities to accelerate belonging & flourishing in local communities. Youre feeling the effects of the pandemic, quarantines and social isolation acutely. Grove Park Foundation (GPF) has grown out of the efforts to restore several historic neighborhoods suffering from decades of disinvestment and environmental degradation on the Westside of Atlanta. Purpose Built Communities has an innovative model for improving neighborhoods through looking at what it takes to make the lives of the people in those neighborhoods healthy and successful. Zenith Houston is the Senior Vice President of Strategic Partners, where she leads all fundraising, communications, and marketing efforts and design systems aimed at advancing Purpose Built Communities mission. In her role as Director of Development, Amy Clear plays a crucial role in advancing the organizationsvision for equitable community development. When she isnt reflecting on communities of practice, Ashley enjoys exploring near and far places by foot, bike, and public transportation. As Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Ellen Newton is responsible for Purpose Built Communities financial stewardship, developing and implementing the organizations overall financial strategy.Ellen previously served as CFO at Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta (GSGATL). Boston-Thurmond, just north of downtown Winston-Salem, has a rich history as one of the citys first residential neighborhoods built for tobacco and textile factory workers. Evan provides consulting and technical assistance to local leaders implementing a proven neighborhood revitalization strategy designed to create a healthy, mixed-income neighborhood with pathways to prosperity for the lowest-income families. Truist Foundation Racial Equity Ambassadors. Her work has spanned sectors such as homelessness and housing, social services, and education. Believing that change is always possible, Michelle is deeply committed to collaborating with organizations to create customized strategies that are easy to understand and designed to put clients on the path to achieving results that are both remarkable and measurable. In 1995, Tom Cousins purchased historic East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia with the intent to restore it and give its profits to the East Lake Foundation, a foundation he established to help fight poverty within the East Lake Community. In a study by Queens University, 27% of people said they were suffering from loneliness, and research from Washington State University found all ages suffer from social anxiety and FOMO (fear of missing out) which are correlated with low self-esteem and low self-compassion. At the time, East Lake was known as "little Vietnam' by local police because of its high drug and crime rates. She is a trusted advisor with more than 30 years of experienceRead More. Build your community by seeking new learning and stretching your own skills. We work with local leaders to improve equity and opportunity in neighborhoods nationwide. [1], The following are some communities that Purpose Built Communities has a presence in:[6], Based on the model of Drew Charter Schools established by the East Lake Foundation, Purpose Built Schools is a segment of Purpose Built Communities which works to break the cycle of poverty in communities by establishing high performing schools.[7]. As a leader, provide people with vision and line of sight so they are crystal clear about the broader purpose of the organization and how their work fits into the whole. July 7, 2022 5 AM PT. Community is critical to our health and wellbeing. It's just a question of getting districts to agree to do it that way," he tells the group. The sense of belonging you extend strengthens the whole. Having a high-performing neighborhood school that's about the most important thing to sustain high-quality mixed-income housing. Remind yourself how much you matter, and take action to strengthen and sustain your community. The mills smokestack remains, along with the nearby railroad tracks, reminding the community of its industrial past. Once a central hub for many residents, the area has languished over the years from inadequate public infrastructure and lack of economic development. Through the middle of the 1900s in racially-segregated Columbus, well-known African-American entertainers, such as the likes of Sammy Davis, Jr. and Ella Fitzgerald, frequently performed to white audiences downtown, but they were not welcome as overnight guests in that part of the city. Linda resides in Dawsonville, GA with her husband, their three children, and four dogs. In addition, the needs of each member and the needs of the whole organization are fully met. As Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Ellen Newton is responsible for Purpose Built Communities financial stewardship, developing and implementing the organizations overall financial strategy.Ellen previously served as CFO at Girl Scouts ofRead More. Renaissance West Community Initiative is a non-profit organization coordinating the education and services continuum of the former Boulevard Homes public housing site into a vibrant, village called Renaissance. Aventine, Hillsboro, Etowah Terrace, South Rome Commons, Coosa Country Club/Virginia Circle, and Darlington Village. What makes it work? We are working together to transform communities. Ashley Bozarth joined Purpose Built Communities as Knowledge Manager, a newly created role supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in early 2020. Most area residents had only experienced public housing or affordable housing or housing of last resort, and we wanted people to see something they hadn't seen before. The Buckeye-Woodhill and Glenville neighborhoods are places of great opportunity and unique challenges. The success of the East Lake Initiative has served as a blueprint for a national model of holistic community redevelopment through Purpose Built Communities, established in 2009.Today, there are 19 additional Purpose Built Communities across the country successfully creating opportunities for residents, and building strong economically diverse communities that thrive. Purpose Built Communities has 28 neighborhood revitalization projects underway and another 50 in development across 34 US states. She holds a Bachelors in Business Administration from Texas Tech University, and is a candidate for an MBA in Real Estate from Georgia State University. Research has connected housing to health. Her passion for education and the desire to mandate high quality education for all students regardless of socioeconomic factors led her to explore education law and policy, specifically the constitutionality of educational gerrymandering and halting additional forms of educational segregation. The Purpose Built newsletter offers insights into the many facets of community development, news from Network Member, the latest research and information on best practices for removing barriers to racial equity, and much more. We've got to have partners on the ground who buy into the idea that the school is kind of the epicenter of the neighborhood. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. A native of Columbia, SC, Zenith holds a bachelors in science and a masters degree from the University of South Carolina in Criminal Justice. South City is a historic community in Tallahassee, Florida that borders a promising commercial district. While making a phone call may seem very yesterday, a new study by the University of Texas Austin found voice calls can create stronger bonds than text messages. Using the Purpose Built model, GPF is working with local partners, leaders and residents to create a healthy, equitable, sustainable and vibrant community. These kinds of things together have created healthier, thinner, fitter kids that was kind of our "aha!" As part of his role, Jim leads work around the organizations mixed-income housing program and urban planning efforts, critical components of Purpose Built Communities transformative model. Michelle graduated summa cum laude from Spelman College, with an economics degree. Katie and her husband, Jeff, are parents to Sam and Maya and have been residents of Historic South Atlanta since 2001. Jim manages housing and neighborhood development strategies that ensure Purpose Built and its Network Members leverage industry best practices and innovative approaches that change neighborhoods and lives. She began as senior vice president of the nonprofit and was elevated to president in 2015, with a goal of replicating East Lake's best practices in other poor neighborhoods. East Lake led Cousins and other investors like Warren Buffett to create a nonprofit consulting group called Purpose Built Communities to take the idea national. In addition to supporting high quality schools, he is energized by the potential to improve conditions in neighborhoods so that all children can reach their full potential. When East Lake Meadows Public Housing was torn down, residents were offered the chance to return to the new community, but they had to meet some requirements: no felony record and either employed or in training. Peoples roles have meaning in the bigger picture of the community and each member of the group understands how their work connects to others and adds value to the whole. I write about happiness, work-life fulfillment and the future of work. In 1995, Tom Cousins purchased historic East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia with the intent to restore it and give its profits to the East Lake Foundation, a foundation he established to help fight poverty within the East Lake Community. hide caption. There, April worked alongside a multi-disciplinary team of social scientists to advance the organizations strategic outreach and engagement initiatives with partners across various advocacy fields, including housing, education, health, and human services. With over 60 years serving seniors we have experienced this first hand, over and over. April Callen is the Director, Racial Equity Programs at Purpose Built Communities. She provides critical leadership to and project management of all aspects of Purpose Built and the networks racial equity and justice work, including the Truist Foundation Racial Equity Ambassadors program. The current, collective focus is to develop enough affordable housing stock to prevent displacement and allow families to remain in the neighborhood This area is important to the citys economic history as Columbus was founded on the commodity of cotton and textile production. We met every week and then there were lots of little subcommittee meetings, including tours of nice apartments all around Atlanta so residents could see what the market delivers. Michelle brings passion, experience and integrity to her work. Projects he has planned and developed have won the prestigious Congress for New Urbanism Charter Award of Excellence and the National AIA Honor Award. While working as a manager in the Teach For America Rio Grande Valley office, he created and championed an alternative goal-setting methodology that was adopted by the other Texas regions. She led the GSGATLs finance and information technology departments, working to ensure that the Council staff received the resources necessary to fulfill GSGATLs mission. Up until 1995, the neighborhood was home to East Lake Meadows, a 650-unit public housing complex. More About the Transformation of East Lake Meadows in Atlanta. As a leader, encourage career growth and support people if they try something new and fail. The most effective communities support members who take risks, try new things and go out on limbs to create and innovate. Melissa Devereaux brings over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, development and volunteer/partner engagement to her work with Purpose Built Communities. The . (Getty Images/iStockphoto). Social capital is positive for people because it provides the opportunity for growth, learning and advice. We did a lot of field trips. With her varied background, Amy brings unique perspective and experience to her role at Purpose Built Communities. 6 Ways Job Seekers Can Protect Themselves From Fake Job Offers. The East Lake Meadows housing project opened in the 1970s and soon became synonymous with crime, poverty and poor education a place, Naughton says, where the crime rate was nearly 20 times the national average, median household income was about $4,500 and the unemployment rate was staggering. Irans president has ordered authorities to investigate a series of incidents in which noxious fumes have sickened students at girls' schools, which some officials suspect are attacks targeting womens education, Health officials in Cambodia say recent cases of bird flu discovered in two villagers, one of them fatal, show no sign of human-to-human transmission. Ms. Anderson received a BA in English from Northern Illinois University and additionally completed extensive studies in housing and community development through certifications from the Urban Developers Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Chicago Rehab Networks award-winning Community Empowerment Series. East Lake Foundation President Danny Shoy Jr. "They're only taking the best of the best," says Deirdre Oakley, who teaches sociology at Georgia State University. We didn't appreciate that the community development business was, in many ways, the arms and legs of the public health world, the community-level health world. When we are part of a thriving community, we feel a sense of kinship, camaraderie and connectedness. Value and Impact of the Purpose Built Community of Practice: 2019-2021 INTRODUCTION Purpose Built Communities (Purpose Built) brings together Network Members (NMs) leaders and staff from organizations representing dozens of efforts to improve neighborhoods across the country in a networked Community of Practice (CoP) structure. Ms. Naughton is a graduate of the Emory University School of Law and Colgate University. Sure, youve stayed in touch with those with whom youre closest, but your more distant ties are diminishing, disappearing or declining. Focused Community Strategies (FCS) has been partnering with under-resourced Atlanta neighborhoods for forty years starting with Grant Park, and then Ormewood Park, Summerhill, and East Lake. As a teacher, he led his students to achieve significant academic progress. First purpose built communities criticism, over and over residents of historic South Atlanta since.! 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