When underprivileged children need help, their parents go to nonprofit organizations. But who do nonprofit organizations go to when they need help assisting children?
Answer: The Coalition.
That”s what Chris Gilmer, community liaison for the Roger Wicker Center for Creative Learning at Mississippi University for Women, is calling an assembly of nonprofit and education professionals united in an effort to help children.
The Community Coalition for Education, which is a working title, held its first meeting Tuesday at MUW. Twenty-seven nonprofit employees, administrators, teachers, faith leaders and business professionals from around the Golden Triangle answered Gilmer”s call to meet at the Roger Wicker Center for the first in a series of meetings aimed at fostering greater cooperation and effectiveness between schools and nonprofits.
“We”re hoping to bring together a diverse, multi-faceted group of people from the Golden Triangle, all of whom have one thing in common — a desire to help children,” said Gilmer. “We”ll be coming up with ways to strengthen community-based nonprofits, so they can be more useful to the schools.”
The people brought together at the Tuesday meeting were indeed diverse — from Starkville Superintendent of Education Judy Couey to area Boy Scouts leader Dan Wrather, Community Volunteer Center Director Meagan Coughlin and Columbus Air Force Base education liaison EJ Griffis. And each had common goals and varying concerns.
“There”s a lack of communication between our public officials and the community,” Buzzie Dorn, a local volunteer, cited as part of the problem plaguing nonprofits.
“Our young people face a lot of complexities right now,” said Vicki Kimbrell of Bethany Christian Services, a nonprofit adoption and family service agency in Columbus. “And one person can”t solve it.”
A coalition, she said, could help immensely.
Elizabeth Lott, advanced placement coordinator for West Lowndes Schools, pointed to the Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen program as one example as a successful community service in the Golden Triangle.
Twice a week, at the Salvation Army offices on Main Street, volunteers serve a hot meal to homeless and anyone else in need.
“I know it”s taken a lot of community effort to get them going,” Lott noted.
“Community service to me is hands on,” offered Kenneth McFarland, volunteer coordinator for Columbus Municipal School District. “It”s not about what you think. It”s about what you do.”
For several educators in the room, the challenge won”t be getting volunteers to help with projects; it will be getting children to dream and believe they can make those dreams happen.
Many times, local children tend to think they are “stuck,” instead of trying to develop or realize their potential,” said Megan Ruffin, advanced placement coordinator for New Hope schools. She hopes the coalition can help area children “reach their goals and be successful.”
“It”s hard to change a culture and a mindset, but as a community, we can do that,” added Gayle Fortenberry, the advanced placement coordinator at Columbus High School, agreeing with Ruffin.
Exactly what the coalition will do remains up in the air. With only a basic mission attached, Gilmer intentionally left the scope, ways, means, goals, objectives and the name of the organization open so the participants could make those decisions.
“Starting with needs assessment, we”ll begin to access what they think the coalition ought to be and what the needs of the community are.” he said. “We”ll put all that info together and put it back out there for them to review and comment on, then start acting on it.”
Possibilities brainstormed by participants Tuesday included a database of nonprofit groups, a central list of volunteers and tutors and better communication between nonprofits to eliminate duplicative services.
Gilmer plans to hold monthly meetings and quarterly training seminars to achieve the goals and facilitate the services set by the participants. The meetings and training will be financed by grant money sought by the Wicker Center at no cost to the Coalition”s members.
The focus on recruiting educators and nonprofits is a starting point to offer more opportunities for children, but Gilmer says the entire community must unite to face challenges to education.
“The resources for schools are strapped more than they have ever been. You”ve been reporting in the paper that teachers in Columbus might lose their jobs. That”s not unique to Columbus,” said Gilmer. “This is the time when the education community needs people, parents, volunteers, nonprofits and the faith community to rise up and help it like it has never helped before.”
“If we can come up with a solution that helps one child, I think we”ve made a big difference,” said Keith Gaskin of the Mississippi State University Foundation.
To garner community support, Gilmer and the coalition will develop a community engagement model which will provide a formal process through which volunteers come together in community service.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
