OPERATION SOLUTION AND RESPONSE 2014 - REQUIRE UPDATES
JESUS CHRIST, INC. THE PROCLAMATION CORPORATION
OPERATION
SOLUTION AND RESPONSE 2014
THIS WAS A PLAN I PUT
TOGETHER IN 2014 AND I JUST COULD NOT DO ANYTHING HERE AND THIS IS MY THIRD TRY
THE IDEA IS TO UPDATE
AND REDEFINE THE PATH TO OUR OBJECVTIVE
Operation Solution & Response
Name and Contact Information of Organization:
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
Cell: (863) 458-0396
E-Mail: NCNCHINC@comcast.net – Will be updated due to
entity name change:
New Website: Under Construction
A Project of the National Community Network, INC.
The Agenda: May 20th – Fiscal Year 2014-15
Our Services Addresses these community related problems:
1: 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
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 Masons. 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 America in 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 Avenue will 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 Park today.
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 America themselves.
Highlands County has some of the worst performing high schools
in the state of Florida. Only six Florida districts had lower graduation
rates than Highlands County in 2011-12. While the graduation rate was
about 74% in the state of Florida, it was only 61% in Highlands County in
2012. And Avon Park 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 America as 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.
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 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. 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 Operations Maximum:
Monday thru Thursday 9:00 am to 9:00 pm
Friday: 9:00 am to 11:00 pm
Saturdays: 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Sunday: 9.00 am to 11 pm – Weekly 50+ Senior Citizen
Recreational Spot:
1) Total hrs. Blue Building Available: 84 hrs per week
2) Total hrs. Blue Building used: Minimum 64 hrs per week
3) Total hrs. of projected labor minimum: 152 hrs. weekly
4) Man-hrs. needed: 200 man-hrs wkly min. 5 full time or at
least 10 part time jobs.
5) Value of labor per week @ $10 to $15 per hour or @$12.50
average – 200 man-hrs. x $12.50 = $2,500 per week.
Value of labor per year = $130,000 per year. This does not
include the costs of the actual services being rendered, this is only the costs
required by us to facilitate these services and events with the needed
supporting personnel.
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 Avon Park 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 Avon Park 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 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 Avon Park and Highlands County and 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 18 man hours
B) Require approx 6 hrs of building occupancy:
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 – 6 hours
per week 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 NCN Eagle Fellowship:
Who is the Eagle Fellowship:
The Eagle Fellowship: The purpose of the Eagle Fellowship
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 Fellowship is men and woman, who are committed to building a
better community. What goes on in those meetings is closed to the public
and stays within the Fellowship, thereby creating an environment of trust and
integrity.
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 and economic and social issues. As they put God first in their
decision making processes, they are all bound to leave their 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.
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.
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
County and 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.
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 genrations 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 Building every 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 America
are 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 Avon Park, 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 America and 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 Park and 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.
Investments and Costs to Run 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
Printer = $200
Software: We will set aside $1,000 for the purchase of software.
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
Value of labor per year = $130,000 per year
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.
Thank you for you time;
_________________________________________
Signed By: Rev. Frank Paul Jones – President and CEO – Chairman
The National Community Network, INC.
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.
1: America’s Car Donation Center
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.
2: The Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation
Community Improvement Projects
Home Improvements
4: Office Depot Feed the Children
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
12: Chrysler LLC Community Support
Financial support for Charities
13: Honda Donations
Youth, Education and Technology
14: GM Foundation
Education, environment and energy and community development
15: JC Penny
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.
Women’s Economic Empowerment and
19: Community Service Block Grant Program:
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.
Omidyar Network is an investment
firm established in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre
Omidyar and his wife Pam. To date, Omidyar Network has
committed more than $290 million to for-profit
companies and nonprofit organizations that foster
economic advancement and encourage individual participation across multiple
investment areas, including microfinance, property
rights, government transparency and social
media.
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.
(a) Consumer Internet and Mobile:
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.
(e) Property Rights:
2: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
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.
OSR Table of Contents
Our Services – pg 1
Introduction and overview: pg 1-2
The problems and who we serve:
Supporting the local businesses: 3-4
Helping disadvantaged young adults: 4- 5
Helping our children: 5-6
Serving our senior citizens: 6
Serving the underserved: 6
Operation Solution and Response:
What it is? 7
What is required? 7
How it works? 7
The 7 tier approach: 7
What we are designed to do? 8
Basic Program figures: 8
Our Part of the Solution:
1: Unemployment: 8-9
2: Education and illiteracy Services: 9-12
3: Hunger: 12
4: Criminal Recidivism: 12-13
5: Poor Performing Economy: 13-14
6: Community Activities: 14-15
7: Homelessness and housing issues: 15-16
The Program Design:
1: National Community Network, INC.: 16
2: The NCN Eagle Fellowship: 16
3: The Oversight Committee: 17
4: The Board of Clergy: 17
5: The Volunteer Redevelopment Workforce: 17
6: The Food Kitchen and Food Services: 17
7: The Network Newsletter: 17-18
8: The National Community Network Website: 18
9: The National Community Network computer Workstation Center:
18
Other important topics:
1: General needs and Capital Investments: 18
2: Public Benefit from Project: 18-20
3: Investment and Cost of Operations: 20-21
4: Closing and the volunteer workforce strategy: 21- 22
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Posted in The National Comminty Network on April 19, 2014. 1 Comment
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