Concern Clergy for Spiritual Renewal Presents:
Northeast Oklahoma City: One Year Later
June 12th at Fairview Baptist Church
Honoring a commitment to the community, the Concern Clergy for Spiritual Renewal is hosting this Community Forum to report what has happed in the 12 months since the original community forum was held on June 8, 2007.
“We made a commitment to the community that we would come back and report what we have been able to accomplish and decide where we go next. We knew when we began this journey it was a beginning and not an ending. Now we must decide if we are still on the right path.” stated Concern Clergy for Spiritual Renewal President Rev. J. A. Reed.
Background
At the June 8th Community Forum there was a consistent theme that we must work together. Hearing the message, the Clergy for Spiritual Renewal created the We Are Better Together Coalition. This coalition of ministers, community leaders and interested citizens formed the foundation of what many hope will be a coming together of the Northeast Community.
Spearheaded by the Concerned Clergy and with the support of the Capitol Chamber of Commerce and Effective Transitions Inc. (ETI) a coordinating committee chaired by Rev. Teron Gaddis of Greater Bethel Baptist Church was formed to organize the We Are Better Together Coalition.
The coalition divided the work into five work teams that were tasked with developing short and long term strategies to respond to problems impacting the community. Work team members came from the list of individuals who signed up at the June 8th forum and any interested individuals wanting to be involved. Each work team had co-chairs, a spiritual leader and a resource leader(s). This approach brought together the faith based community and individuals who are experts in these areas.
Work teams were broken up as follows:
- Family Focus Work Team – identify issues that negatively impact families in the community and develop solutions that will attempt to address them
- Gangs, Crime and Drugs Work Team – identify the causes of violent gangs, crime and drug trafficking and develop solutions that will attempt to address them
- Educations and Youth Activities Work Team– identify the problems of low performing schools and the availability and access to activities for children and youth that give them a chance to be happy and successful.
- Economic Development and Job Opportunity Work Team – identify the barriers to increasing economic development and lowering the high unemployment rate in our community
- Health Work Team – identify ways to educate and change the culture that causes African Americans to be the unhealthiest people in America
The Report
The work teams met at least once a month and utilized the comments from the June 8th Forum to discuss and select the problems that would be the focus of their efforts for the next 12 months. They worked presented a first draft of their proposed strategies at a meeting in November at Northeast Church of Christ giving the community an opportunity to provide input. This set the stage for the following efforts:
Work Team Reports:
Health
Chairs: Rev. Kenneth Sherrill & Teresa Hunter
- Is finalizing a community wide faith based health education program that would start in September. Targeted toward the African American community, the program is based on the American Diabetes Program called Project Power. .
- The creation of the Northeast Oklahoma City Health Providers Network that would meet monthly to discuss and strategize ways to improve the quality of health in our community.
- Completing a resource listing of health care providers and services to help families access care in Northeast Oklahoma City.
- A Healthy Living Calendar that will promote a monthly health initiative.
- Continued efforts to create a free clinic in Northeast Oklahoma City
- Partnering with the Dept of Health to lower the high infant mortality rate in our community
Education and Student Activities Work Team
Chairs: The Rev. Craig Finley & Sharita Ramsey
- A student recognition program was started this January called, “The Opio Toure Rising Stars” Award. The program recognized students in the Star Spencer and Douglas High School Learning Communities that have shown improvement. The program will be expanded in the Fall of 2008 to the Centennial High School Learning Community.
- Community in School initiative – joined as a partner with Metro Tech and Oklahoma City Public School to provide mentoring and support to students and their family who are at risk of failing or dropping out of school.
- Will kick off this fall the Northeast Oklahoma City Non-Athletic Emphasis Program that will promote the participation of students in Academic Competitions, Speech and Debate Tournaments, Science Fair and Spelling bees.
- The team is also working to develop the Your Family is My Family Mentoring Program.
Family Focus
Chairs: Rev. Harvey Wallace & Rev. James Dorn
- Held the first northeast Oklahoma City Family Fair at Metro Tech. Over 200 individuals and their families attended the program that gave families the opportunity to find resources, services, programs that will help make their families stronger. Plans to make this an annual event that will be bigger and better in 2009.
- Developed a mentoring program in conjunction with the Family Focus and Gang Work team called, “Your Family Is My Family.” The mentoring program will provide mentors that have been recruited through the churches to work with students and their families who are struggling in school or have behavior problems that have caused them to be suspended or involved with the law.
- Developing a program that would coordinate and promote back to school programs that are currently being held in the community by different organizations.
- Finalizing plans to hold neighborhood block parties in targeted areas to promote community pride and support.
Economic Development and Job Opportunity
Chairs: Minister Arnelious Crenshaw, John Hasley & Bob Simmons
- Develop mission statement as basis for long term plans, “To Serve as a “clearinghouse” for business entities and assist in coordinating the development of an Economic Development Plan within the Northeast OKC Red Zone. To educate community and interested stake holders so that citizens can make informed decisions which facilitate healthy community development. To guide the development and implementation of a comprehensive and coherent economic development plan that best serves the needs of the residents of the OKC northeast community.
- Currently working on developing a plan to serve as the foundation for an initiative to create an urban market place that is being called the Red Zone of Northeast Oklahoma City. The plan will develop strategies and approaches the community will need to take to make Northeast Oklahoma City economically viable and successful.
- Held a summit of northeast Businesses and Property Owners to discuss current city plans and future economic development activities for Northeast Oklahoma City. This will become a quarterly event.
- Working on strategies to create a consortium of churches to leverage their financial clout to influence economic development in the community.
Gangs, Crime & Drugs
Chairs: Rev. A. R. Crawford, Myron Mayberry, & Wayland Cubit
- Submitted and received funding for a grant through OJJDP Title V for a gang prevention and intervention program. Currently working to finalize program.
- Has held and partnered on several events that will continue in next 12 months
- Youth Speak out
- Training sessions for parents interested in knowing more about gangs
- Silence the Violence Gang Summit
- Partnering with the Safe Neighborhood Coalition efforts to fight crime and gang violence in Northeast Oklahoma City.
If you are interested in being a part of the We Are Better Together Coalition, we encourage you to join one of the work team. For more information call the Capitol Chamber at 427-4444 or email Gary Jones at garyj123@cox.net. You can keep updated on the coalition by going to www.capitolchamber.org.
Conclusion
Everyone is excited and hopeful that a coalition of churches and concerned individuals will lead to a community united in its efforts to make a difference in the lives of our children, families and community. This is the beginning of an important journey that we are taking on faith that will make Northeast Oklahoma City a better place to live, work and workshop.
Work Team reports:
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