Kinston Promise Neighborhood, Inc., has scheduled the next East Kinston Community meeting for Thursday, May 9, 2013 from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at the Neuse Regional Library located at 510 North Queen Street in downtown Kinston.

Our program will allow local youth service providers to share information about their programs for youth in our community. The meeting will provide parents, youth and community allies with information on how to support the children in Kinston Promise Neighborhood.

Confirmed participants include Young Women of Promise; The GATE of Lenoir County; Salvation Army; Young Women's Outreach Center; Lenoir County Public Schools GEAR UP program and the Kinston Public Library.

The keynote speaker will be Kinston native, Lin Dawson who is the CEO and Founder of the JH Sampson School Community Development Corporation.  Mr. Dawson recently purchased the JH Sampson School and has plans for a variety of exciting programs that will benefit East Kinston residents.

We have been inspired by the level of participation in our East Kinston community meetings.  The first meeting on March 14 brought together a diverse group of community residents including elected officials, city officials; nonprofit and faith-based organizations.

The April 11 meeting allowed us to begin the dialogue with some of our faith-based community development corporations including Compassion Outreach CDC and St. Mark Ministry Hand on Humanity. 

We also received housing development information from Ashley Pierce, Manager at Self-Help Credit Union.  Shawn Wilson, Interim Manager at the Greater Kinston Credit Union provided an overview of their lending programs.

Volunteers urged to participate


 When volunteers complete their work April 27, 2013, Downtown Kinston and East Kinston neighborhoods will be a lot cleaner as the community gets ready for the annual Festival on the Neuse (May 1-4).

The Pride of Kinston, Kinston City Councilman Sammy Aiken and Theresa Williams Bethea of Kinston Promise Neighborhood, have merged efforts to remove trash and debris in east Kinston and in downtown’s Municipal Service District. Kinston ’s Appearance Commission is also a sponsor.

The event is also being held on Global Youth Service Day as part of the Kinston Promise Neighborhood's efforts to encourage youth involvement in our community.

All sponsoring organizations are urging volunteers to show up for the expanded effort.

The joint move was unveiled at an East Kinston Community Meeting April 11 when Mr. Aiken, Ms. Bethea and Pride director Adrian King told area residents of the larger project. Pride’s 2009 Clean Up Day was expanded to include the Martin Luther King corridor.

Noting that the Festival on the Neuse draws thousands to Kinston , “We taste first with our eyes,” Mr. King noted. “A clean and attractive community is not only good for our aesthetics, but also good for tourism and economic development.”

The main point of the effort is to make a statement, to call attention to the importance of clean, neat and a litter-free community while removing debris along streets and sidewalks, commented Sarah Weeks , chair of Pride’s Design Committee. The committee first launched the project in April 2006.

• The Clean Up Day schedule begins at 9:00 am in Pearson Park with registration,  a briefing and area assignments. Morning refreshments will be available.
• At 12:30 pm, a complimentary lunch will be offered to volunteers who helped with the clean up project.
• Approximately 1:30 pm a tree will be planted in the park in observance of Arbor Day. The tree, as in the past, is being donated by the Charles Hughes Construction Company.

 
Volunteers are being urged to contact Kinston Promise Neighborhood at 252-522-8019 or kinstonpromise@yahoo.com; Pride of Kinston at 252-525-6144 or aking.director@suddenlinkmail.com; or Sammy Aiken at 252-624-4361 or sammycphotos@embarqmail.com .

Kinston Promise Neighborhood has scheduled the second in a series of East Kinston Community Meetings for Thursday, April 11, 2013 from 6-8 p.m. at St. Peter Church of Christ (DOC) located at 602 JP Harrison Blvd. in Kinston.

The meeting will include a summary presentation of the key issues and concerns that residents and community leaders identified at the first East Kinston meeting held on March 14. 

The discussions will also focus on community development and ways to improve and increase safe and affordable housing opportunities in East Kinston communities.

Ashley Pierce, Manager of Self-Help Credit Union will provide an overview of their housing development model.  Additionally representatives from several of Kinston's Community Development Corporations including Compassion Outreach Community Development Corporation; St. Mark Church Ministries Hands for Humanity CDC; and the Fuller Center have been invited to make presentations about their community development projects.

According to Theresa Williams, Kinston Promise Neighborhood coordinator, “The purpose of the meetings is to work together as a community to establish a vision and action plan for improving the quality of life for residents in our East Kinston communities.”

Kinston Promise Neighborhood is a collaborative and comprehensive approach to educating children and strengthening families in Kinston. The Kinston Promise Neighborhood model is based on the highly successful Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ), developed by Geoffrey Canada in the early 1990's. 

Kinston Promise Neighborhood, Inc., works through existing community-based organizations and programs to create a continuum of "cradle-through-college" solutions to improve the academic and developmental outcomes for children at all stages of growth: early learning, elementary school, middle school, high school, and college.  Promise Neighborhoods partners also provide support for family, social service and health programs as well as community building programs.

Please call 252/522-8019 or visit www.kinstonpromise.org or send e-mail to kinstonpromise@yahoo.com if you have any questions or need additional information.

Over 50 community leaders and residents attended the first East Kinston Community meeting held on March 14 at Emmanuel Hill Baptist Church. 

Kinston native Lin Dawson (standing above)  shared plans for the Lin Dawson Youth Leadership Academy as well as plans for the proposed Sampson School Community Life Center.

Chief Bill Johnson, Kinston Department of Public Safety provided an overview of programs provided by the KDPS including Project Safe Neighborhood; Crossing Boundaries; the GATE; and the Boys and Girls Club.  Their youth programs are designed to reduce teen pregnancy and increase graduation rates.
Other City of Kinston representatives attending the March 14 meeting included City Manager Tony Sears; and Kinston City Council members Joseph Tyson (Mayor Pro Tem); Sammy Aiken; Robbie Swinson IV and Bobby Merritt; and Roland Davis and Clinton Glover.

NC District 12 Representative George Graham, Jr.  provided a brief overview of activities taking  place in the General Assembly. Representative Graham also distributes a weekly newsletter from his Raleigh office. 

Marcia Perritt provided an overview of the numerous projects that the UNC Community Campus Partnership has provided to Lenoir County including business and strategic planning support; studies along the Martin Luther King Corridor; community assessments and grant writing and support.

Others attending the meeting included faith-based leaders: Allen Bingham (Queen Street United Methodist Church); Deborah Moore-Marshall (Emmanuel Hill Memorial FWB Church); Teddra Hussey (the Episcopal Church); Ernest Fisher (Integrity Ministry); Dr. Malcolm Beech (Eagle News and Cultural Heritage Museum); Ashley Pierce (Self-Help Credit Union); Shawn Wilson (Greater Kinston Credit Union); Maxine Cooper (Greene Lamp Board of Directors); Reesie Williams and Bishop Eartha Mumford (Lincoln City Reunion); Adrian King (Pride of Kinston); Barbara Williams (Lenoir County Department of Social Services); Clarissa Olivia Gooding and Michaela Penix (East Carolina University Graduate Students); and a number of concerned citizens including Audrey Suggs-Chamblee; Claman Chatman; Brenda Stewart; Abdur-Rahim Saleem; Marquetta Brown;  Blain Hargett; Charles W. Cobb, Jr.,  and Kinston Promise volunteers Wakili Moye; Kristal Suggs; Christopher Suggs and Theresa Williams.

The March 14 Meeting was covered by Jonathan Rodriguez for WNCT Channel 9.  Please click on the link below for the story.

The School of Government and the Kenan Institute at the University of North Carolina collaborated recently to create a strategic business plan for Kinston Promise Neighborhood, Inc., a nonprofit community collaborative organization modeled after the highly successful Harlem Children’s Zone in New York.  Kinston Promise Neighborhood, Inc. is focused on serving children and families in an 80-block area in East Kinston, NC and an additional 18-block area in a neighborhood called Mitchelltown.  The organization works through existing community-based programs to create a continuum of “cradle-through-college” solutions to improve the academic and developmental outcomes for children at all stages of growth: early learning, elementary school, middle school, high school, and college.

Kinston Promise Neighborhood partners have been operating since April 2010 with a dedicated leader and a small group of community volunteers.  Through the business planning process, we were able to articulate the vision and structure of the organization in a single document.  We also outlined a 5-year implementation plan to formalize and grow the organization; however, the bulk of the work will take place in Year 1.  In fact, one of the first key steps for implementation will kick off later this month.  Kinston Promise Neighborhood, Inc. will soon begin work with a group of researchers from Tufts University to conduct a comprehensive youth needs assessment in the target area.  This needs assessment is sponsored by the America’s Promise GradNation Communities program.

Other key implementation steps for Year 1 will include hiring staff, recruiting a strong Board of Directors, and, of course, raising funds.  The business plan outlines key staff positions, including job responsibilities, as well as recommendations for Board composition and governance.  The business plan also outlines projected financials for Years 1-5 of operations and provides a clear competitive analysis and risk analysis that can be reviewed by potential Board members or funders.  The strategic business plan provides an important road map for Kinston Promise Neighborhood, Inc. to move forward boldly and intentionally.  With a strategic business plan in hand, the organization can really begin to expand their work, formalize operations, and increase their impact on children and families in East Kinston.

For more information on Kinston Promise Neighborhood, Inc. visit www.kinstonpromise.org.

Betsy Robeson holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC.

Here is a wonderful article that Betsy Robeson, a CED intern and MBA graduate  from UNC Chapel Hill.
Betsy has been working with us to develop a business plan for the Kinston Promise Neighborhood.  
It is our hope that the Business Plan will help us to take our work to the next level.

                                                                             *********

Kinston Promise is a comprehensive approach to educating children and strengthening families in the town of Kinston, a mid-size community in eastern North Carolina. An organization, Kinston Promise Neighborhood, Inc.,  works through existing community-based programs to create a continuum of “cradle-through-college” solutions to improve the academic and developmental outcomes for children at all stages of growth: early learning, elementary school, middle school, high school, and college.

Once a vibrant community, the East Kinston neighborhood was devastated by inland flooding from Hurricane Floyd in 1999.  Many residents in the area were displaced when their homes were destroyed and the county was forced to purchase a large amount of condemned property.  East Kinston today has become known for high crime rates, public housing, food deserts, and low-performing schools.  

The city of Kinston has invested significant time and resources in improving the Martin Luther King, Jr. corridor which passes through the East Kinston community; however, city initiatives have focused primarily on attracting new development and private investment in the area.  The vision of Kinston Promise Neighborhood, Inc. is to provide a comprehensive network of resources so that all children growing up in the East Kinston Promise Neighborhood will have access to effective schools and strong systems of family and community support that will prepare them to attain an excellent education and successfully transition to college and career.       

The Kinston Promise Neighborhood model is based on the highly successful Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ), developed by Geoffrey Canada in the early 1990’s.  The figure below illustrates the HCZ and Kinston Promise Neighborhood service model.

In his first term, President Barack Obama highlighted the successful work of Geoffrey Canada and the Harlem Children’s Zone by developing a Promise Neighborhood Initiative, under the Department of Education, which would provide communities across the nation the resources to replicate the HCZ model.

As outlined by the Department of Education, a Promise Neighborhood organization should break down agency “silos,” which means ensuring that multiple public agencies at all levels work together to share information, plan jointly, focus on improving outcomes, and ensure that outcomes are shared, communicated, and analyzed on an on-going basis.  To that end, Kinston Promise Neighborhood, Inc. will monitor existing programs and ensure continuity from grade to grade.  The organization will review current program offerings and ensure adequate programming exists across five core areas (academics, mentoring, health, safety, and service) at each of the major developmental stages.  Finally, Kinston Promise Neighborhood, Inc. will manage data collection and facilitate data sharing across all Promise Neighborhood community partners to ensure that no child or family falls through the cracks.

The Promise Neighborhood grant process has been highly competitive.  Despite tireless work by Executive Director Theresa Williams-Bethea and a collection of community partners, Kinston Promise Neighborhood, Inc. has not yet been able to secure funding from the Department of Education; however, Ms. Williams-Bethea and a team of community organizers are committed to strengthening and growing a Promise Neighborhood in the East Kinston community in line with the goals of the Department of Education’s Promise Neighborhood Initiative.

With support from the Community-Campus Partnership, I will be working with Kinston Promise Neighborhood, Inc. to create a business plan and a strategic roadmap to help launch the initiative into its next phase of work.  Witha business plan and strategic roadmap in hand, Kinston Promise Neighborhood will be better equipped to pursue private funding, begin Board development, and strengthen community engagement.

Betsy Robeson holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC.

  http://ced.sog.unc.edu/