Living Library

The Living Library is a project that makes tools and equipment available to a participating community at no financial cost to the community members. The tools and equipment made available are common items that will be needed to maintain a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home and prepare healthy meals. Examples are lawn mower, circular saw, carpet cleaner, and whole food processor. The project has elements that provide for training on the tools and equipment to ensure knowledge of proper use. The project also has an element that allows willing community members, once educated on the proper use of all tools and equipment, to form a team that helps to eliminate blight in their neighborhoods.

Mission – Helping underserved vulnerable community members gain and retain access to needed tools and equipment for healthy living.

Goals – Provide an environment that is welcoming and inclusive. Create access to high quality tools and equipment. Structure a process that allows for growth and change.

Objectives – Secure a safe place for tools and equipment storage. Create tracking system for all tools and equipment. Create classes to demonstrate proper equipment and tool operation.

C.T.S.L.S. Industrial Hemp Cultivation

Community, Transparency, Strategy, Legacy, Sustainability, (C.T.S.L.S.) Industrial Hemp Cultivation is a project that forms partnerships with community members, local institutions of higher education, local public officials and willing business owners to plant, cultivate, harvest, process, and research hemp. The goal of these partnerships is to use our existing skills, resources and expertise to facilitate the opportunity for innovation in industrial hemp cultivation. Hemp has many uses that all afore mentioned stakeholders will benefit from. The main initial goal is to find willing partners and form agreements that we will be able to build on. The end goal is to have many uses for hemp identified and end products created, such as insulation, clothing, and nutritional supplements.

Mission – Utilize the organic sustainable resource of industrial hemp to create needed items and processes structured to benefit participating underserved communities.

Goals – Create partnerships with local public officials, community members, and organizations of higher learning. Identify usable land. Identify uses and products that can be created from industrial hemp.

Objectives – Schedule meeting with public officials and other stakeholders to gauge interest in cultivation. Perform soil samples in different locations to determine which area of land is best. Identify what strains of industrial hemp are best used for whichever product is being created.

Senior Comfort Center

The Senior Comfort Center is a community program that performs small chores and tasks for seniors 60 and above in age. The seniors are identified from interacting with neighbors and them sharing some of their pain points and stressors. The seniors are not charged for the chores and tasks that are completed. Most chores and tasks involve physical movement that the senior is no longer able to accomplish safely on their own. The bulk of the chores and tasks are completed as time permits and when the senior is available unless there is an urgent issue which can be resolved quickly. Senior Comfort Center community program is a creation of Vesey Whitaker starting in 2014 to present day.

Mission – Create and maintain comfortable and safe environments, services and events for seniors today and seniors of the future.

Goals – Form shuttle service for seniors. Organize willing community members to perform daily needed tasks for seniors. Identify issues that cause seniors stress and frustration so that we create an opportunity to present solutions.

Objectives – Determine the number of seniors that need and desire transportation. Choose the style and model of vehicle that will be used for shuttle service. Schedule meetings in the community and with local businesses to identify willing partners. Create a survey that can be used to gather information on the frustrations and stresses of seniors in the community.

Partnership/Living Library

New Direction for a New Generation is a Swansea South Carolina based community nonprofit organization. This organization is working to assist 18-21 year olds in that rural area who have experienced dropping out of high school, to get a GED and prepare for STEM careers. This organization saw the Living Library project and decided to pair it with their organization as a tool, which adds a unique enhancement of town cleanup, using Living Library tools and equipment as the base. This is a partnership initiated by New Solutions Economic Development Authority, Tacoma Coordinator.

Mission – Create and present working examples of national partnership and collaboration with communities using economic development principles and projects.

Goals – Identify economic development tools that can be utilized in multiple regions. Create organizations whose focus is on structuring solutions that are based on economic development principles. Locate willing community members to participate in projects highlighting the benefits of working together in a strategic manner.

Objectives – Compile a list of economic development tools that have work in several areas. Conduct a survey of community members asking who would be interested in working on projects in a group manner. Identify areas in the community that need attention and use these identified areas to form group projects to address the attention needed to make it better.

Positive Connections

Positive Connections is a sole proprietorship for profit business that has a mission to connect and help implement funding strategies for groups and organizations supporting economic development projects in underserved communities. This business is in development. The surety bond and EIN are currently secured. Positive Connections sole proprietorship is a creation of Vesey Whitaker.

Mission –  Assist in implementation of funding strategies and connection for groups and organizations supporting economic development projects in underserved communities.

Goals – Identify groups that are underserved in participating communities. Connect with community groups who are working on economic development projects. Form appropriate agreements with participating groups and organizations.

Objectives – Conduct interviews with community groups to determine who is working on economic development projects. Identify which groups are willing to collaborate on projects.

POCC Mental Health Wellness Support Program

Mental health wellness support is defined as interactive projects and created calm environments that provide people going through addiction treatment programs with positive activity which can replace destructive addictive activity. Our M.H.W.S. Program utilizes community instructors who volunteer their time and expertise to create a positive engaging presentation of their craft. This presentation will be attended by individuals participating in state and VA managed addiction treatment programs. The skilled professionals who create the presentations will be carpenters, brick masons, electricians, plumbers and others. The presentations will be hands on and structured for entry level enjoyable learning. These necessary skilled crafts take years to master, so interest sparked by these presentations are a great way to offer ones dealing with addiction issues a new productive pathway forward.

Mission –  Create interactive projects and calm environments which provide ones attending addiction treatment programs positive activity to replace addictive destructive activity.

Goals – Structure calm environments to promote relaxation and reduce stress. Connect with state and VA addiction treatment programs. Connect with skilled trades professionals.

Objectives – Connect with local unions to find skilled trades professionals. Conduct interviews with skilled trades professionals to identify willing participants. Conduct interviews with treatment professionals to determine willing program members.