Dani Huggins joined our staff in August as the new Administrative & Grant Services Coordinator. She comes to us from Georgia where she worked as the Administrative Coordinator for World Outreach Ministries. If you have a question about a grant payment, invoice or board meeting materials, contact Dani Huggins. We are delighted to have her join our staff team.

As follow-up to our last communication posted in the July newsletter, Allegany Franciscan Ministries is happy to announce that we plan to launch ACH and begin processing payments electronically in early 2022 for all partners who have opted in or choose to opt in for that payment method. We are actively working to fully implement this process as an alternative to paper checks and appreciate your continued understanding and patience as we finish finalizing. Please be on the lookout for more updates regarding our ACH launch!

Common Good Fellowship alum, Tonya Burney has recently published a new journal titled, Mindset Moves Mountains. This journal is equipped to help migraine sufferers and overthinkers to detox their minds of anxiety, frustration, depression, and all the things that plague our minds and cause horrible migraine headaches and a lot of sleepless nights.

Tonya Burney was a part of the inaugural Fellowship class representing the Wimauma community. Tonya is a native of Wimauma and has a lot of family roots there. Wimauma is a changing agricultural community dating back to the late 1800’s when it started through the expansion of the railroad and logging industries. Although the population is substantially different today, many of the Anglo and African-American families still living in Wimauma trace their roots back to those early days.

Ms. Burney is a Certified Financial Educator and has a special passion for financially educating youth & young adults. She is planning to pursue her Master’s in Sports Chaplaincy in the near future.

The Fellowship for the Common Good is a 12-month resident leadership development program, designed to build community capacity and sustainability through enhanced community-based leadership in all three Common Good Initiative communities: Overtown, Wimauma, and Lincoln Park. Due to the pandemic, we are not currently accepting applications at this time for the Fellowship for the Common Good program. However, if you are interested or know anyone who maybe interested in applying for next year, please complete our interest form. Contact Brittney Frazier with questions.

Since 2018, the Lincoln Park Career Pathways Initiative (LPCPI) has assisted residents in developing skills and experiences needed to continue a career pathway through certification training and the opportunity for employment with targeted industry sectors including manufacturing, distribution and healthcare. LPCPI is designed to recruit, support and direct motivated individuals from the community. Participants will have a structured learning environment that incorporates training, coaching, barrier reduction supports (e.g., transportation, childcare) and job placement. The Initiative partners include St. Lucie County Economic Development Council, Indian River State College, Treasure Coast Manufacturers Association and CareerSource Research Coast. Each partner brings their experience and expertise to the table as it relates to specific preparation and training, expedited processes and leveraging of government funding and employer relationships. To date, 134 students have completed their respective program successfully. The initiative has seen an increased interest from residents seeking additional offerings. As a result, the Lincoln Park Council invested in the expansion of this initiative to include new certifications in the areas of Phlebotomist, Emergency Medical Technician, Forklift and Marine Training. The expansion is expected to graduate 88 Lincoln Park residents over the next eight months.

For information about applying to the program, visit https://irsc.edu/programs/lincoln-park-career-pathways.html.

There’s a new mural by Marvin Weeks on NW 3rd and NW 11th Terrace. The mural is called “Ode to Overtown” and features images representing Overtown’s past, present and future. The mural was created through the Urban Health Partnerships’ Activate Overtown project, and funded by Allegany Franciscan Ministries. Through community meetings, surveys and engagement in 2019 and 2020, residents identified art and murals as important elements that inspire them to walk and bike through the neighborhood, as well as take pride in the history and culture of Overtown. In response, UHP collaborated with residents and business owners to identify a location, secure additional funding from wonderful partners like Allegany Franciscan Ministries, and hire a local artist to take on the project. The design of the mural was shaped by Marvin’s conversations with residents of the building, neighboring business owners and organizations, the UHP Community Liaisons, and youth participating in the Touching Miami with Love and Optimist Club summer programs.

Ode to Overtown is directly across the street from the “Welcome to Historic Overtown” mural, where a significant amount of construction materials and debris had been stored for years, blocking the art. The Activate Overtown team worked with Miami Dade County to remove the materials, so now people can enjoy full view of both murals when walking or biking through NW 3rd Ave. A very big thank you goes out to the team at the Office of Mayor Daniella Levine Cava for being so responsive to this issue. Read full article.

We are actively accepting applications for our Tau Grant program. The deadline for Cycle 2 is Friday, January 14, 2022. Grants will support capacity building efforts for organizations or programs that provide services to the following marginalized groups: BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), LGBTQ+, and/or persons with disabilities. People of Color refers to any racial or ethnic group or population that identifies as non-white. Visit the Tau web page to learn more about the program and how to apply. Contact Brittney Frazier with questions.

Allegany has partnered with Florida Nonprofit Alliance to offer free two-year memberships to current grant partners. Florida Nonprofit Alliance serves as a collective voice for nonprofits at the local, state, and federal levels to inform, promote, and strengthen the influence of the nonprofit sector. FNA also provides a central resource and referral center for all nonprofits to gather, analyze, and share important sector data, fostering statewide nonprofit communication and collaboration. If you are a current grant partner and have not heard about this opportunity, please contact Erin Baird.

Topic: Certificate in Grant Writing

Dates: January 27, February 3, February 10, February 17

Description: During this interactive, four-session certificate program designed for those who are new to grant writing or have little or no grant writing experience, you will learn best practices for developing winning grant proposals from grant writing expert Abby Mackness. Topics include Narratives & Outcomes, Budget and Research, Grants Management, and Grant Application Review and Feedback. Register for this in-person certificate program.