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Little Things Mean A Lot!
| Name | Barbara A. Brown | | Situation | The Sumter Citizens Coalition was formed from the 150 youth and adults that attended Visioning meetings, the 450 attending the Visioning press conference, and the over 200 that receive monthly meeting announcements, as a result of the Children, Youth and Families At Risk (CYFAR) grant funded project. The Sumter citizens’ group often state that they do not desire any special treatment, but they do want equal treatment for their community. They pointed this out at a 2002 Mayor’s Town Meeting. One active Coalition member said they wanted vacant lots cleaned-up, abandoned buildings raised, streets paved, pot holes repaired, and for the City to consider their neighborhood – just over the railroad tracks and over the bridge – as part of the downtown revitalization effort. One lady even stated that she would like to see Christmas lights extended down Manning Avenue into South Sumter – over the bridge. The Sumter citizen’s Coalition vision is: “The South Sumter community is empowered to reach higher heights. Working together we have a safe, educated, beautiful, unified, productive community to raise productive families.”
| | Response | Once the South Sumter Citizen’s Coalition developed their Vision and Community Plan, the County agent helped coalition members receive leadership development training, non-profit board and other ongoing training (working with the media, organizing community events, determining program best practices) in order to enhance their skills to achieve their stated goals. One of the areas that the CYFAR project is supposed to focus on is public policy development as it affects the well-being of children, youth and families – including communicating with elected and appointed officials. | | Impact | The Sumter Citizens Coalition dropped the South from in front of their name, saying the things they are aiming for are really for everyone. When they held the Grand Opening of their new office in the Bracie Plaza, ten separate community partners pledged their support to the Sumter Citizen’s effort – some offering valuable in-kind services. The Sumter Citizens’ Coalition signage is located directly under the Bracie Plaza sign, helping direct everyone to the office – donated space by the Santee Lynches Community Development Corporation. The local newspaper coverage of the Sumter Citizens Coalition Office Grand Opening ran a headline stating “Sumter Citizens Coalition –A Force to be Reckoned With.” Residents are seeing the results of their community involvement. This December, Christmas lights shown brightly from Main Street down the entire length of Manning Avenue – even over the bridge. Community leaders have gained more confidence in their leadership abilities and are more unified toward
achieving their goals.
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Last update10/5/2007
This website is maintained by Tiffany Rodgers.
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