Bithlo Update

By: Beat Kahli

I was recently reading an interview with a well-known and as well very controversial Russian billionaire businessman. When he was asked what his business plans were, his answer was, “I do not make plans. People who make a lot of plans and talk, rarely implement them, I just DO THINGS.”

In many respects this is as well part reality for the Bithlo community. While leaders like Tim McKinney and Dale Brooks are doing an awesome job every day of investing their lives into the community of Bithlo, it appears to me that many plans, over the decades were discussed but never fully realized.

In our last edition of the Avalon Park Sun I have pointed out 3 main goals:

1. We have committed to order and pay for the needed sewer system investments for Transformation Village.

2. We will continue to assist Pastor Dale provide quality nutrition opportunities in Bithlo through community dinners and any other means to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry. We will pay for food and help with associated logistics, including new infrastructure.

3. We will help United Global Outreach “UGO” in the planning, design and building at our cost a minimum of 10 small homes to ensure that safe, quality affordable housing is available in Bithlo.

We are fully committed to realizing our promise. And as promised, we will report monthly on the progress towards our three main goals, to keep us accountable and hopefully to also inspire you to also get involved. To date, the following steps have been taken.

-Correspondence with engineers on updated tank installation pricing and timing.

-$7,000 for furniture has been provided by Avalon Park Group to complete the first small home. -Working with UGO and builders to streamline construction pricing on the next phase of tiny homes. -Weekly meals have been established and funded feeding Bithlo families every week.

We were grateful to hear from many community members after last month’s publication. There were ideas such as creating a local food drop-off to help support, to helping with infrastructure to those desiring to mentor or volunteer. We are continuing to receive these calls and excited at some of the new initiatives that will be started because of YOU helping your neighbors! We continue to work with UGO on planning and implementing your ideas.

To find out how you can get involved, we encourage you to continue to reach out to Tim McKinney at 407-810-2214, Dale Brooks at 407-497-8545 or myself