Self-Development of People announces grant recipients
More than $300,000 awarded
by Margaret Mwale
Chicago, Illinois — The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP) has approved grants totaling $ 337,760 to 16 self-help projects in the United States. The money is from the One Great Hour of Sharing offering. The national SDOP, which met here May 15-17, enables members and non-members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to form partnerships with oppressed and disadvantaged people in order to help them achieve self-sufficiency.
The projects and grants:
- Harris Neck Land Trust, Townsend, Georgia, $19,750 to help bring justice to low-income land owners in northeast McIntosh County that was illegally taken by the Federal Government in 1942. The landowners have come together and are being successful in petitioning congress to get their land back.
- Burundian Community of Louisville Association, Louisville, Kentucky, $19,760 to Burundian refugees as they come together to address issues of illiteracy, lack of transportation, access to credit and other issues related to living in a new country .
- Opportunity Threads, support for domestic worker-owned sewing co-operative, Morgantown, North Carolina, $20,000 to assist a group of Guatemalan immigrant women that have come together to form a sewing co-operative, currently they are making organic stuffed animals.
- Good Old Lower East Side, Inc., New York, New York, $40,000 (over a two year period) to support low-income residents as they advocate for the need to keep their public housing.
- North End Action Team, Middletown, Connecticut, $15,000 to train members of this block-by-block leadership development project to be their own advocates in identifying issues for community to improve and empowering the residents. * Worcester Homeless Action Committee, Worcester, Massachusetts, $17,500 to hire an organizer to lead the action plan efforts identified by the homeless population in Worcester (outreach to the population, organized advocacy to agencies and voter registration).
- United Liberians Association in America, Buffalo, New York, $20,000 to assist this refugee community in meeting its needs of economic development by training in tailoring of African clothing and hair braiding, which will then enhance their already existing mall that features custom designed clothing and authentic African food.
- Nile Christian Hope Assoc., Mankato, Minnesota, $20,000 to support training programs for primarily Sudanese immigrants in English as a second language, working with the person’s native language and then English. Computer skills and assimilation information to the American workplace will also be taught.
- Seniors Together Organizing Project, Chicago, Illinois, $20,000 to assist this group of 20 low-income senior citizens in their organized efforts to stop the demolition of affordable rental and single family home in their Chicago south side neighborhood that is leading to their displacement.
- Good Harvest, Worthington, Minnesota, $19,750 to support this group of farmers in rural Minnesota working to produce food for local consumption. They are moving from individual subsistence traditional crops to a commercial horticultural enterprise with a great deal of support from Worthington Westminster Presbyterian Church.
- Burmese Refugees Organic Fruit & Vegetable Garden Project, Mason, Michigan, $20,000 to purchase and install a windmill and well to cultivate small gardens and a large community plot. Crops will be both consumed and sold by the families.
- One Stop Agape, Wichita, Kansas, $16,000 to support this group of African women, mostly Kenyan, that have been victims of domestic abuse and violence as they lift themselves out of their abusive situation by using their creative talents. The group will propose, advocate and negotiate public policy to inform and aid individuals/families on how to remove themselves from abusive situations.
- La Mujer Obrera, El Paso, Texas, $20,000 to support a training program for immigrant Mexican female workers who have lost their jobs and enable them to acquire skills to start their own businesses.
- Border Network for Human Rights, El Paso, Texas, $20,000, to support the training of 20 human rights promoters and four regional coordinators to defend and promote their human and constitutional rights in border communities.
- Dignity Village, Portland, Oregon, $20,000 to enable residents of Dignity Village to become self-sustaining through three micro businesses — a hot dog cart, solar green house and eBay store.
- Building Justice, Building Austin, Austin, Texas, $30,000 to support low-income Latino construction workers seeking fair and dignified treatment.
Guests invited to the meeting included Compassion, Peace and Justice Director and Associate Director Sara Lisherness and Toni Carver Smith; Sarah Jane Moore, Chicago Presbytery Self-Development of People Committee Chairperson and Yvonne Moore a member of the Chicago SDOP Committee. Other invited guests were from groups previously funded by the National SDOP Committee and included: Gwen Beatty and Perry Mitchel from The Winning Circle. The group was awarded $20,000 in 2007 to enable low-income families to organize themselves and develop awareness of and overcome economic injustices through financial literacy and advocacy; Gonzalo Cruz from the Latino Union of Chicago that was awarded $20,000 in 2005. The group of low-income immigrant day laborers organized themselves to form a union and advocate for their rights and fair employment; Timothy Vallianatos from The Lights of the Round Table awarded $20,000 in 2008. These recovering addicts came together to establish a coffee house that will sell baked goods and craft items and create a sober social club for individuals in the community.
During the two-day meeting, SDOP also elected new officers, they are: Karen Finney of Alburquque, New Mexico, West Taskforce chairperson; Mike Fagans of Bakersfield, California, National Committee vice chairperson; Mike Orr, of Springfield, Illinois, Midwest Taskforce chairperson and Selma Jackson, Community Relations Committee chairperson. Those re-elected are Cornelius Blanding of East Point, Georgia, International Task Force Chairperson; Jesse Haynes of South Charleston, West Virginia, Northeast Task Force Chairperson; Josephine Njoroge of Kansas City, Missouri, Church-Wide Relations Committee chairperson; Michelle Uchiyama of Atlanta, Georgia, South Task Force chairperson and Virginia Toliver of St. Louis, Missouri, National Committee vice chairperson.
NOTE: We are not currently accepting applications from individual groups outside the United States. For more information, contact the SDOP staff.