| Name | Adrian |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Edwards |
| Home Address | 2438 Meade Circle Chattanooga, TENNESSEE 37406 United States |
| Organization Name | Mary Walker Historical and Educational Foundation |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | Chairman of the board |
| Organization Address | 611 E Martin Luther King Blvd. Chattanooga, TENNESSEE 37403 United States |
| Website | https://marywalkerfoundation.org/ |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | (423)320-7769 |
| Alternate Phone Number | (423)314-3861 |
| Email Address | joelinchatt10@gmail.com |
| Alternate Email Address | luronejennings@gmail.com |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | The Mary Walker Historical and Educational Foundation (hereafter known as the MWF) in South Chattanooga already exists to alleviate poverty through education. Its’ legacy is firmly rooted in positive values, and widely respected by all. When Mary Walker learned to read at the age of one-hundred and sixteen, the world cheered! Today, with the increasing loss of hope in parts of our city, the MWF stands as a beacon to redeem and renew those who are falling further behind. The MWF can become the change agent it was always intended to be. So, in partnership with the Chattanooga News Chronicle and Chronicle Media Group (CNC – a reputable weekly paper with a circulation of over 5,000 to our target population and whose mission is “to provide a media platform that inspires hope, motivates action, and educates the mind,”) we first intend to augment the work of The Mary Walker Foundation and increase the publication of inspiring media, using it as a central platform to energize literacy, promote new writers and readers, to educate and to ultimately catalyze our collective voices on matters of social and economic justice, all from a hopeful and balanced perspective! Staying faithful to a literacy theme, we will first seek to identify, develop, and deploy the talents of high school and college leaders. Together, we will utilize the CNC and various other platforms for sharing helpful principles for healing our divides and injustices through the concepts of servant leadership. We envision empowering young, talented changemakers, having the technology, literary technique and mentorship to influence their peers first in our target areas, then throughout Chattanooga, and then beyond. Mary Walker Foundation Expansion Project Four Part Plan: Central and foundational to our project will be the development of “Mary Walker Fellows.” These young interns will be selected based on their demonstrated sincere desire to be future community and nonprofit leaders. Early in our process, two fellows will be selected from Howard School, two from Brainerd High School and two will be chosen from local college(s). The fellows will undergo extensive mentorship with Lurone “Coach” Jennings, Sr. and the CNC staff. They will hone their communication skills, learn life skills and get hands-on real world experience doing nonprofit work in our community. They will also work as peer mentors at their schools and in afterschool, weekend and summer programming. Through the empowerment of these “Fellows”, along with chosen academic coaches and CNC journalists, we will then tackle four primary areas of focus over the next three years: 1. Reading & Writing 2. Historical Displays and Public Speaking 3. Broadcasting/Media 4. Summer Reading & Writing Camp 1. Reading & Writing: We believe that publishing articles from wide perspectives and unheard voices helps improve our civic dialogues and we will utilize articles/stories from students and seniors in the CNC to bring unheard voices to the forefront of important conversations about life in our city and region. We will obtain these writings in two main ways: A. Hosting writing contests: Our annual writing contest will yield four winning literary pieces for publication, one piece from the seniors at Mary Walker Towers and first, second and third place student pieces. Readers will vote on their favorite student-written article and the winner will receive a cash prize as well as a Vision Trip. Additionally, with the guidance of Fellows and academic coaches, five students per school will each develop newsworthy content related to their school or community for one publishable article per semester, producing a total of thirty articles during the school year. These student works will be produced by the activities of item B… B. Publishing Work of Students: We will lead Howard School and Brainerd High School students in a total of 30 literary workshops, 15 on each campus. Mary Walker Fellows, Academic coaches, and CNC journalists will help students identified for their interest in reading and writing coupled with desire to be community leaders, grow their techniques for writing in mass publications and make them aware of multiple literary career options. Our Fellows and coaches will work with the senior citizens at Mary Walker Towers on literacy skills and developing news content. The time at Mary Walker Towers will be an opportunity for reading together, discussing news cycles and working on refinement of writing skills. The development of community-minded local writers is the long term goal of this program, bringing positive values and local news to readers across multimedia platforms. 2. Historical Displays and Public Speaking: During Black History Month and as requested throughout the year, mobile, historical exhibits will tour schools and churches sharing key educational information about a variety of subjects. A. Historical Exhibit and Use: As part of their mentorship and training, the Mary Walker Fellows will work with staff at the foundation to design and build high quality, attractive exhibits that celebrate multiple innovations in health, science, education, business, religion, and government showcasing the achievements of black people. It is hard to predict how many people will experience these exhibits; our conservative estimate is that 300 people in Chattanooga will tour through these exhibits as they move through their communities, reaching people where they are. We anticipate that 80-100% experiencing our mobile museum will walk away with new hope and knowledge about the accomplishments and positive contributions of blacks in society. The knowledge gained will be evaluated by surveys viewers take part in during their experiences with the exhibits. B. Public Speaking: Further, we will encourage Mary Walker Fellows to entertain speaking engagements at churches, civic clubs and other public forums where the MWF story can be told for the motivation of educational advancement in our most disadvantaged communities. Using the exhibits as a backdrop and conversation starter, speaking points will be well-rehearsed and clearly delivered to create a seamless and unified story of hope, service and community improvement. 3. Broadcasting/Media: The Chattanooga News Chronicle is providing a strong voice with uncompromising healthy and positive values to Chattanooga and regional readers, continuing to be a light within the black community for 30 years now! 2022 is our biggest year yet, as we continue to transition services from solely print publication to a wider variety of media, reaching previously untapped groups of consumers and content providers. A. Multimedia: Our new Chronicle Media Group podcasts, entertainment, and literacy campaigns intensify the work we are doing to unite and empower the Chattanooga community for economic and social advancement. Mass media is an incredibly powerful tool for shaping minds and hearts and we believe that more positive educational media is critical in the war to win hearts for the Lord. B. Website: CNC will update it’s website to tell this same story in concise ways with drop-downs for each of our four initiatives, and information for participation in writing, speaking or giving towards our cause. You can find our our CNC website here: https://chattnewschronicle.com/ 4. Summer Reading & Writing Camp: The last of our primary focuses is summer literacy and leadership training camps where young people have the opportunity to improve their reading and writing while engaging in productive sharing of opinions and refining their presentation styles and content delivery. A. Summer Camps: Students will have one or several camp opportunities per summer to participate in spelling practice, comprehension exercises and writing contests to utilize their newly refined skills and compete for publication. B. Vision Tours: Our vision tours are opportunities for young people to gain exposure to life changing experiences through college tours, cultural experiences and educational trips. Vision tours are not just excursions, the presence of MW Fellows and other mentors provides youth with opportunities for developing meaningful connections, communications strategies, learning valuable lessons and building resilience as they are becoming future leaders. |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | Over the course of three years (2022-2024), writings in the CNC will address all the requirements for the American Rescue Plan, including: Sharing important information related to community public health issues in a timely manner Negative economic impacts of public health emergencies: Our entire reason for existing as a foundation is to help bring social and economic justice for all Chattanooga citizens through literacy. We envision poverty relief, social and economic justice for workers, households, small businesses, impacted industries, and others throughout the public sector. Community service health announcements and articles are a staple of our reporting and can be found in the tab entitled HEALTH on our website. https://chattnewschronicle.com/category/health/ As a local publication, we will also make citizens aware of opportunities to invest in local infrastructure, for improving access to clean drinking water and expanding access to broadband internet. The CNC is a wonderful place to share information for people who struggle accessing clean water and the internet. When solutions become available we continue to help Chattanoogans find the resources that they need. At the MWF, we believe that prevention and early education are powerful tools to deter violent crime and help young people move in positive directions that will help them become lifelong responsible, productive citizens who shun crime. By working with students in schools with low graduation rates, low literacy rates and many students from low socio-economic statuses we are providing exposure to options for meaningful employment. We know that having a productive means of supporting your family and providing valuable services to your community are brilliant ways to reduce crime. The Chattanooga News Chronicle has a longstanding record of reporting on trauma and mental health services, issues and resources. As our community and country traverse the struggles related to covid-19 we pledge to continue our coverage of these critical health issues and guidance for our readers. |
| Where would your project take place? | As a multimedia operation, this project will take place in 30 workshops at Howard and Brainerd High Schools; the CNC offices on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.; Mary Walker Towers; on Vision Tours to various local colleges and universities; in schools; churches; civic clubs; websites; podcasts; social media platforms and in the weekly printed edition of the CNC. |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 330498 |
| Do you have any matching funding sources from other local governments, private entities, non-profits, or philanthropic entities for your project? | Yes |
| Please describe the source and list amounts of any other funding. | Maclellan Foundation - $100,000 Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga - $500 Corporate donation Chattanooga News Chronicle- $2,000 We also have active individuals donors who gave in 2021 and anticipate they will fund MWF again in 2022- pending $10,000 The Executive Director's Salary is provided through in-kind donation at the value of $80,000 |
| What portion of the project are you asking the city to fund? | We are asking the City of Chattanooga to fund $125,000 this project. |
| If funded, when would your project start? | January 1, 2022 |
| How long would your project take to complete? | 12/31/2022 |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | In order to measure project progress, we will consistently monitor the outcomes below and adjust them as needed based on data related to our successes. Phase I Project Objectives Per Year and Potential Outcomes: Reading and Writing #1 Objective: Academic coaches and fellows will lead 15 reading workshops each at Howard & Brainerd High Schools, afterschool and weekend events as well as summer literacy programming. Outcome: 100- Students improve reading skills with weekly assistance of coaches Reading and Writing #2 Objective: Academic coaches will participate in 10 reading programs with the senior citizens at Mary Walker Towers. Outcome: 30- Seniors are actively involved in multi-generational reading and writing workshops with youth leaders. Publishing Unheard Voices Objective: Students will develop both reading and writing skills with the Chattanooga News Chronicle staff and academic coaches to assist 5 students per school to develop 1 article per semester in publishing newsworthy content related to their school or community. Outcome: 30- Articles, by previously unpublished high school and college authors, published in the Chattanooga News Chronicle online and/or print editions Annual Writing Contest Objective: Highlight the literary work of youth and seniors. Winning writing will be published in the Chattanooga News Chronicle. Readers can vote online for the number one student article. Winner will receive a cash prize and a Vision Trip. Outcome: 6- Winning articles/stories published Outcome: First, Second and Third place writing contest entries from each school will be published in the Chattanooga News Chronicle displaying unique & positive perspectives. Outcome: 1- Winning piece from elders at Mary Walker Towers will also be selected for publication. Mary Walker Fellows Objective: Youth fellows will work directly with the executive leadership at the foundation to develop skills required for successful leadership in community and nonprofit governance/leadership. Outcome: 2- fellows selected and trained from Howard High School Outcome: 2- fellows selected and trained from Brainerd High School Outcome: 2-fellows selected and trained from local colleges/universities Educational and Historical Exhibits Objective: Design and build mobile exhibits highlighting important subjects such as: Innovation; Invention; Science; Health; Education; Business; Religion; and Government to share with youth and senior community members where they live, work, shop, go to school and church. Outcome: 300 people in Chattanooga will experience the Mary Walker Foundation exhibits, 80% of community members who view displays will have improved knowledge of exhibit subject matter as evidenced by surveys. Broadcast Media Objective: During the first year we will establish baseline data about our readership and following to set measurable and achievable objectives. Once these numbers are determined we want to see them increase by 20% next year and an overall 25% in the following year. Extending our reach throughout Chattanooga in the first few years is critical to our mission. Outcome: 1st year--Establish baseline data on our readership and participating audience Outcome: 2nd year--Increase audience by 20% Outcome: 3rd year--Increase audience by 25% Summer Camps and Vision Trips Objective: MW Fellows, youth and coaches will improve reading and writing skills over the course of summer camps as evidenced by pre and post testing. We will utilize the CNC to publish 3 articles per week written by young writers during summer camps. Summer camps students will be exposed to one Vision Tours per week. During and after tours, students will journal on what they learned or discovered. These journal entries will be edited by students, coaches, Fellows and CNC staff for consideration as articles to be published for that week. Outcome: Students and Fellows will display measurable improvement in their literacy skills as evidenced by pre and post testing. Outcome: 18- Youth articles published by CNC during the annual summer camp. Outcome: Students will be exposed to a minimum of 6- Vision Tours during the summer months. |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | The MWF has an active board of Directors who oversee the Executive Director. The Executive Director works closely with the Chronicle Media Group staff. Both Executive Director of the Mary Walker Foundation and the Executive Editor of the Chattanooga New Chronicle report to the board and answer questions at every board meeting to ensure communication between all foundation leaders. The outcomes listed above will also keep us on track to ensure we move forward with this project. Finally, our funders require reports on our established outcomes and offer support in helping achieve our goals. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | This project will increase news readership among members of important and sometimes hard to reach populations within Chattanooga, including the Black community and young readers. The CNC is a worthwhile free resource for those who seek out quality reporting on very local issues, especially people who do not have televisions and cannot afford a daily newspaper subscription. The free CNC newspaper reaches people of all socioeconomic status and now has an attractive, user-friendly online edition without a paywall to keep them from accessing critical health and economic information. The MWF is also an educational resource for all Chattanoogans who are interested in improving their reading, writing and research skills. The seniors at Mary Walker Towers will be engaged in hopeful exercises to collect their wisdom and gain connections with young people. We believe that these relationships will not only benefit the students and elders, but as a result our community will benefit from reading their articles generated from their cross-sector collaborations. Success in this project means that important information about mental and physical health, safety, and access to critical infrastructure will be freely available to a vast array of Chattanooga citizens at no cost to those in need of the information. Success looks like a more active community participating in our civil society aided with current informational and historical education to improve the economic advancement of our city. |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | We will reach out to the community through the print Chattanooga News Chronicle; the CNC website; the MWF website; school programs; retirement communities; visiting churches and other places where people frequently attend with educational displays; and offering workshops to interested students. Being in the community and meeting with people of all ages by providing them with needed services for free is a wonderful way to build buy-in and be an active part of our community. We will lead by example and model healthy citizenship. The CNC’s record of being a paper for the people for the last 30 years generates immediate recognition and the community trust needed for a successful project. |
| Name | The Howard School |
| Contact Information | Yolanda Putman - yoputman@gmail.com |
| Name | Brainerd High School |
| Contact Information | Luronda Jennings - lurondatjennings@gmail.com |
| Name | Mary Walker Towers |
| Contact Information | Jeffrey Mcclendon - (423)394-1801 |
| Name | Bethlehem Wiley Church |
| Contact Information | Willie D. Kitchens, Jr., williekitchens@bellsouth.net |
| Name | Hope City Church |
| Contact Information | Ciby Thomas - cthomas@myhcchurch.org |
| Name | Lurone “Coach” Jennings, Sr. |
| Contact Information | luronejennings@gmail.com |
| Name | Nea Logan |
| Contact Information | contact@nealogan.com |
| Name | John Edwards, III |
| Contact Information | john@chattnewschronicle.com |
| Name | Bruce Morgan |
| Contact Information | bruce.morgan@bryan.edu |
| Name | Regina Enochs |
| Contact Information | reginajenochs@gmail.com |
| Name | Kemberly Edwards Williams |
| Contact Information | 1kemberlyedwards@gmail.com |
| Name | Carmelia Ashford |
| Contact Information | carmashford@aol.com |
| Name | Elizabeth Tallman |
| Contact Information | elizabethtallman1@gmail.com |
| Name | Faith Edwards |
| Contact Information | faith@chattnewschronicle.com |
| Name | Tennie Lindsey |
| Contact Information | 1986dst19@gmail.com |
| Name | Nancy Cogar |
| Contact Information | ncogar@sampleslaw.com |
| Name | Faye Stoudemire |
| Contact Information | glenda@chattnewschronicle.com |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? | We are asking for your support in Phase I for building the entrepreneurial creativity and capacity in Howard School, Brainerd High and in selected local college students. Through development, education and inspiration we will empower them to improve their reading and writing so they can report community news and develop media content with integrity. Their journalism will have multi-generational appeal, utilizing our uncompromising values of inclusion, equity and economic growth. Now, as we are navigating the harrowing waters of a global pandemic we need to ensure all citizens of Chattanooga have access to information that can help them to be healthy and economically sound members of our community. |