2020 The Year So Far! A Word from the CEO
16 Jun 20 |
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As I sit at my desk typing this, I know this message can go in so many different directions… Political, Personal, Emotional and definitely a rant! Instead I am going to just let the spirit literally guide me through this process and let’s see where I will end up.
I am writing now because this is far too overdue. I feel like I have been, more or less, on the sidelines in community action, only coming into the game for special appearances. To say that I have been busy is an understatement though I have also been constantly learning, observing, volunteering and supporting. I have also created a new passion, which is the personification of Black Santa as Dreezy Claus as an additional way to provide a positive impact on the community. I have also made new connections with new agents of change and organizations. I have also a chance to renew my passion for what I love to do so much which is serve the community. And when you think about serving, what exactly does that all entail? For starters, there are many levels to service, but at the core I feel you must be of selfless service and stay in your lane as much as possible!
In this work, burnout is real! In my case the burnout came in being caught in the grasp of a new, and honestly more fulfilling, job in education administration. I took my talents in a new direction and became a Behavior Interventionist in the charter school system and I have to admit that this was the best leap of faith for me, second only to starting the Smith Center. This new experience has been beneficial holistically and professionally; as I embark on to another school year I am coming in with renewed passion to fight the good fight and support the school and those scholars fully. Which brings me into what am I going to do with the Smith Center.
At the core, the Smith Center for Community Advancement was started to provide an opportunity for others to step up and be a part of the fight and the progress of the community. We believe in building community involvement as well as strengthening family connections. During this year, with a pandemic of epic proportions that slowed down daily life to almost a crawl that many people are still struggling to recover from. A centuries old cultural crisis that has devastated communities and has hopefully sparked a wave of change and reform. I have seen significant advances on these very important factors. The scary onset of COVID-19 and then almost immediately bare witness to the Racial Unrest that was sparked by one of too many murders of a Black person by a part of society that is supposed to “serve and protect”. I am glad to say that in response to these ordeals, I have seen individuals step up and become activists, volunteers and sounding boards for a change in the status quo. I have also seen new organizations appear that mirror many of my own personal goals for the Smith Center. Seeing all of this made me think about the direction of the Smith Center and the need to do more with our mission.
Currently our mission and vision are as follows:
Mission
- The Smith Center for Community Advancement (SCCA) is a nonprofit organization that serves the South Side of Chicago. We believe strong families are the cornerstones of strong and thriving communities. We seek to elevate family stability, improve academic success, counteract adverse behaviors, and strengthen community pride and involvement.
Vision
- Our vision is to see that families become accountable and successfully establish a more socially active community environment.
So, in order to enact these goals in the mission and vision, the Smith Center has focused on sharing resources, supporting others, and creating various events and opportunities for community growth and positive examples of pride and involvement. In doing that we have been fairly consistent. But it’s time to step up and do more! By more, I am specifically talking about using our platforms through the website, social media, and various projects and open it up to those who truly want to fight the good fight! This is just not MY organization! The Smith Center for Community Advancement is for the COMMUNITY!
We will provide a list of ACTIVE and POSITIVE organizations! To keep track of these organizations provides more opportunities for involvement and activism.
We will continue to sponsor those that are reaching out to the community in order to facilitate change! Through this philanthropy we will encourage others to provide resources for funding and support.
We will provide an outlet for those that want to share their voices to motivate and inspire! Through our website and social media we will reach out to others to lend their voice and talents to our mission and vision of involvement and advancement.
We will always promote positive and productive events and resource opportunities! The best way to care is to share and increase our network.
We will always continue putting words into action! It is our passion and purpose!
The doors are open! Please reach out via email (infosmithcenter@gmail.com) or through Facebook for opportunities to support.