Progress Edition 2022 by The Tidewater News

Stronger Together

Progress 2022 • 1

We Are Stronger

Together!

Published as a supplement to The Tidewater News Wednesday, March 30, 2022

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Stronger Together

Progress 2022 • 3

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4 • Progress 2022

Stronger Together

Publisher’s Notebook

ithin our community we have many organizations and people who really get the concept that great things can be accomplished by working together. These folks have identified needs in the community and then worked together to help address the issues. In this year’s Progress

Stronger together edition we are pleased to highlight some of the many organizations and individuals in our community who work to make our area a better place. We hope you will enjoy getting to know these organizations a little bit better — the why and how they do what they do. To all those working

together to make our communities even better we see you, we recognize you and we thank you. Betty J. Ramsey is publisher of The Tidewater News, she can be reached via email at Betty.Ramsey@ TheTidewaterNews. com or by calling 757562-3187.

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Stronger Together

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Table of Contents The Genieve Shelter............................6 Foodbank of Southeast VA...........10 Franklin Cooperative Ministry..... 14 Cover 3 Foundation......................... 18 Speaklife................................................20 Habitat for Humanity.......................24

We Are Stronger

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Stronger Together

The Genieve Shelter

A safe haven for those in crisis

By Titus Mohler The mission of The Genieve Shelter is to provide a safe refuge and a supportive environment for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking. “The way we do that is through information, education and training services that focus on ending that cycle of violence,” The Genieve Shelter Outreach Coordinator Amy Henry said. “Often some of the statistics say that it takes a victim up to seven times to leave an abuser, and that could be in any of those types of situations.” She noted that a misconception about abuse is that it’s always physical. “Physical is only one small part of it, so we do like to educate people about that,” she said. She also noted that a lot of people think The Genieve Shelter just serves women. “But that’s not true,” she said. “We serve men, we serve people of all races, color, creed, religions, sexual orientation — there’s no discrimination on that, and we have served quite a diverse clientele.” Henry highlighted a variety of the services that its clients can count on, starting with a 24-hour crisis hotline. “We have certain office hours where

SUBMITTED | AMY HENRY Staff and volunteers of The Genieve Shelter and Celebration Christian Church in Suffolk work at an event designed to provide emergency supplies for shelter clients in need. Pictured are, from left, Cecilia Christian, Jennifer Williford, Wendy Myers, Adam McManus, Laura McManus and Winter Vann. we’re available and answering the phone for the hotline and the people in crisis,” she said. “Beyond the office hours, though, it transfers. All our calls are accepted by a 24-hour crisis hotline.” The main office number for The Genieve Shelter is 757-925-4365, and beyond office hours, this number transfers over to the hotline, which is 1-800-9694673. “We do provide 30-day emergency shelter,” Henry said. “It’s not limited to 30 days, but that’s our goal. Within 30 days, our goal is to help a victim get out of the emergency situation they’re in

and then also help them move forward into a safe situation where they’re able to get back on their feet and provide for themselves, if its a single (person), or for them and their families, if there’s children involved.” She said The Genieve Shelter, which is headquartered in Suffolk, is able to provide emergency transportation, which is important given the degree to which the population of the shelter’s coverage area is spread out across a large geographic area. “We serve what is considered the Western Tidewater area,” Henry said. “We serve Suffolk, Franklin, Isle of

Wight County, Southampton County, Surry County.” She noted that one of the things abusers will do is try to isolate victims, “and it’s extremely easy for that to happen with our geographic location that we’re serving.” “That’s why emergency transportation is so important, because we might have to meet a victim in a safe site somewhere in Surry County or somewhere in Southampton County,” she said. The Genieve Shelter can also provide emergency supplies, like food and clothing. It can provide supportive ser-

Stronger Together

vices, such as job training, help with housing searches and education. “A lot of times when victims come in, they might need help and assistance getting some of their basic documentation,” Henry said. “Sometimes victims need help getting GEDs and proof of their other education. A lot of times victims need help in court.” She said the shelter meets victims in several different ways, including through the hotline, through referrals from other localities and other agencies, social services, health departments and especially through court. “We actually have legal advocates in the court system,” she said. The Genieve Shelter also offers children’s programs, support groups and counseling, and it has something called a Lethality Assessment Program, which seeks to prevent deaths and serious injuries in connection with domestic violence. Henry said the program is a referral through the police department. When

Progress 2022 • 7

police respond to an emergency crisis situation, they perform the assessment. “It’s a series of questions they ask the victim, and based on how those are answered, it will assess the risk level of that individual as to how high a risk they are for lethality,” she said. “Those

what their individual risk of being killed by their partners may be. Overall, Henry noted that sometimes victims want services from The Genieve Shelter, and sometimes they do not. “But we at least want to make sure they know services are available to

We have certain office hours where we’re available and answering the phone for the hotline and the people in crisis. forms are sent to us, and we always follow up on them.” The shelter’s website notes that domestic violence is the single biggest indicator of murder-suicides in the U.S., and domestic violence survivors can utilize the lethality assessment to learn

them,” she said. “So that’s something that’s important for them to know because it does take several times (to leave an abuser) sometimes. “And people wonder and often ask, ‘Why don’t people just leave?’” she added. “And if it was just that easy, they

might, but there’s lots of reasons why they don’t just leave, and we try hard to make sure they know we’re here if and when they need us, because even if they aren’t ready right now, you never know how quickly that’s going to turn around and they will be ready, and we just want them to be able to reach out to us as quickly as they need.” Henry identified two main avenues through which members of the public can contribute to The Genieve Shelter and its mission. “Funding is always important,” she said. “Right now we’re working on building up our volunteer base as well.” In terms of monetary donations, there are two key fundraisers the shelter is holding for which it is requesting support. The first fundraiser is for the building of a new shelter house, which is, of course, at an undisclosed location. “We are trying to be able to serve more clients that need shelter, so that’s

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

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8 • Progress 2022

Stronger Together CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

SUBMITTED | AMY HENRY Clothes for all ages were available for The Genieve Shelter clients at this clothing closet event that was made possible through a partnership with Celebration Christian Church in Suffolk. Cecilia Christian helps make sure everything is ready.

The Genieve Shelter can provide supportive services to its clients, like job training, help with housing searches and education, and it can also provide emergency supplies, like food and clothing. Jennifer Williford preps supplies at a clothing closet event for the shelter.

something that’s going to be a big project that we’re going to be working on soon,” Henry said in early March. “We’re asking people and leaders in the community to financially support that project.” The Genieve Shelter is also doing a Dollar-A-Day fundraiser for Child Abuse Awareness Month in April. “That’s going to raise money for recreation programs for our children, and that is huge, because the impact that domestic violence has on children lasts a lifetime,” Henry said. “Anything that we can do to improve outcomes for the children of victims is tremendously helpful for generations to come.” To make donations to either of these fundraisers or to the shelter in general, people can call the office at 757-9254365 or visit www.TheGenieveShelter. org. “There’s a donation button on our website,” Henry said. “We also are recipients of funding through United Way, so if anybody donates through United

Way, we have a designated code for that as well, but the easiest thing for donating is on our website.” She also noted people can find The Genieve Shelter on Facebook at www. facebook.com/TheGenieveShelter. For those interested in volunteering with the shelter, Henry said they, too, should call 757-925-4365. “They’ll put you through to me, and then I will send anybody interested an application,” she said. “We’re starting to hold trainings again regularly.” She said four hours worth of training is the base amount. “There are two-part trainings that volunteers go through, and then depending on whether they have direct or indirect contact with the clients will determine if they need more training or not,” she said. The shelter is also open to partnering with churches and organizations that can help provide services for its clients. The Genieve Shelter recently partnered with Celebration Christian Church in Suffolk on a clothing closet event.

Wendy Myers helps stock a church-facilitated clothing closet intended to aid clients of The Genieve Shelter. This is just one avenue for individual volunteerism and organizational partnership with the shelter.

Stronger Together

Progress 2022 • 9

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10 • Progress 2022

Stronger Together

Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore

Addressing hunger and its root causes

By Titus Mohler The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore is doing important work in the community to end hunger, and there are a variety of ways people can become part of this effort. Foodbank Chief Impact Officer Emma Inman said the Foodbank leads the effort to eliminate hunger in the community primarily through two avenues — feeding people who are hungry today and addressing the root causes of hunger to help people become self-sufficient. Inman noted that feeding people who are hungry today involves “your traditional food banking that you think of where we work with agency partners like soup kitchens, food pantries. We partner with a lot of faith-based organizations, as an example. We’re the warehouse that gets food to those agencies. They distribute that food into the community.” She said the Foodbank also has some direct distribution programs, but it is primarily through its network agency partners that it feeds people who are in need of healthy, nutritious meals today. Inman described a new initiative aimed at getting food into communities where it is needed most — the Foodbank’s 757 Mobile Markets. A mobile market is a 40-foot vehicle that will hold 20,000 pounds of food.

SUBMITTED | FOODBANK OF SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA AND THE EASTERN SHORE The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore works to eliminate hunger and to address its root causes, and it relies upon donations of money, time, voices, food, resources, knowledge and abilities. Pictured is the current location of the Foodbank Community Produce Hub in Franklin — the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center. “It has refrigeration and freezer capacity, so not only are we delivering fresh produce, but we’re also delivering lean frozen meats and dairy products, all of those products that are highly nutritious, and in current times as we’re experiencing inflation which is impacting grocery store costs, it’s those products that are some of the most expensive at the grocery store,” Inman said. “We are delivering those free of charge to neighbors in communities where that access is really needed the most, to vulnerable communities.” She noted that Western Tidewater is being served by this initiative.

Inman also noted that the area will be served starting this summer through the Foodbank’s Western Tidewater Branch and Community Produce Hub that is being built at 618 South St. in Franklin. The Foodbank is currently operating out of a temporary location at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Franklin. The new branch and hub at 618 South St. will have what is called a client-choice model, enabling people to browse and choose their own fresh, healthy grocery products like they were in a grocery store. The new branch and hub will also have

the capability to help eliminate hunger through the other key avenue — addressing hunger’s root causes. “We recognize that providing a meal to people is not enough to end hunger,” Inman said. “So we are partnering to do financial literacy and workforce development. We have partnerships with educational partners, we have partnerships with health care partners, so getting at all of those things that are causing people to experience food insecurity, and by addressing that, we hope to be able to help people on the path to self-sufficiency.” The second floor of the new branch

Stronger Together

Progress 2022 • 11

and hub will be dedicated to addressing hunger’s root causes, hosting the aforementioned partners, who will be available to help those who are interested. In terms of what people can do to contribute to the Foodbank’s efforts, Inman emphasized that the Foodbank relies on the generosity of the community and always needs help from community members. One way to help is by donating funds to the organization, which can be done at www.Foodbankonline.org, where a “Donate Now” tab is readily visible near the top of the page. Inman said the amount of food donations the Foodbank is receiving through its grocery retail partners is declining. This was happening pre-COVID-19, but with the pandemic, the supply chain challenges meant the Foodbank had to purchase the fresh produce to stock its 757 Mobile Markets and its Community Produce Hub. “And while we have much more spending power than you do if you go shop-

ping at your grocery store, it is using a significant part of our budget to purchase those items,” Inman said. “So financial donations, always in need.” People can also help the Foodbank with donations of time. “We are an organization that relies on

operated by volunteers. Our Western Tidewater Community Produce Hub is operated by volunteers. Volunteers pack backpacks that get sent home with kids from school for the weekend. “Every facet of our organization relies on volunteers for food distribution, and

Engage your friends and family in helping to support the Foodbank and just understanding the issue. volunteers,” Inman said, noting that there are only about 60 staff members who are employed by the Foodbank. The Foodbank serves a 4,745-squaremile footprint. “You can’t do that with 60 people,” Inman said. “All of our mobile pantries are

so I would say, if you have some time, whether that’s one hour a week, an hour a month, an hour a year, we can use you at the Foodbank in some capacity.” People can also donate their voices to the Foodbank and its mission. “Talk about the issue of hunger and

food insecurity on your social media channels,” Inman said. “Engage your friends and family in helping to support the Foodbank and just understanding the issue.” With all the tremendous negatives brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Inman noted that there was a blessing experienced by the Foodbank. “Never before really in our history was the attention so vividly driven to the issue of hunger and food insecurity,” she said. “I think people understand now that the face of hunger, it’s not some unknown face or statistic — it could be my next-door neighbor, really, who is experiencing food insecurity. And so talk about the issue. Contact your elected officials, and let them know that it’s an issue.” She said the Foodbank and its agency network partners need the support. “I think just having that awareness building always helps us in terms of rec-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

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12 • Progress 2022

Stronger Together

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 ognition of the work that we do and who we’re serving and how that work gets done,” she said. People can also always donate food to the Foodbank. “You can donate directly to the Foodbank,” she said. “Happy to have folks swing by and drop off donations of food.” Lastly, the Foodbank is open to forming new partnerships with organizations. Inman noted that the Foodbank has interest that includes, but is not limited to, forming partnerships with organizations that can offer financial literacy instruction, health care, workforce development, higher education and help to access affordable housing. Inman indicated there is a “one-stop shop” for those interested in helping the Foodbank. “The easiest way to register to volunteer or to find out how you can take action from an advocacy perspective or our hours that you can drop by to donate, all of that can be found on our website, which is Foodbankonline.org,” she said.

SUBMITTED | FOODBANK OF SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA AND THE EASTERN SHORE At work are volunteers for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore. The organization relies upon volunteers to serve its 4,745-square-mile footprint.

This photo of The Community Feed at Jordan-Newby in Norfolk represents what people can expect from the “feel” of the Foodbank’s forthcoming Western Tidewater Branch and Community Produce Hub at 618 South St. in Franklin. Volunteers will be needed at that new facility.

Volunteers with the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore work at a mobile distribution event.

Stronger Together

Progress 2022 • 13

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Stronger Together

Franklin Cooperative Ministry

Helping people deal with life’s unexpected situations

By Titus Mohler Franklin Cooperative Ministry is about community helping community. “All the support that we receive is local,” FCM Director Margaret Anne Smith said. “Our grants are local. We don’t receive any government assistance.” In its quarterly newsletter, the ministry is described as a centralized outreach program serving Franklin, Southampton County, southern Isle of Wight County and the 23437 zip code of Suffolk. FCM was founded in 1991 by community members, churches and social workers who wanted to create a “one-stopshop” by combining the community clothes closet with emergency food pantries operating out of different local churches, the newsletter stated. This also provided the opportunity to centralize record-keeping. “Our database currently has files on 5,922 households,” ministry officials stated in the fall 2021 newsletter. The newsletter pointed out that every organization is unique and has something to bring to the table, and FCM is no exception. “We have an emergency food pantry,” officials stated. “This means we have non-perishable food on hand at all times, always available during regular business hours. We recognize that life can throw a

SUBMITTED | MARGARET ANNE SMITH From left, Franklin Cooperative Ministry Administrative Assistant Sallie Wood, volunteer George Wood and FCM Director Margaret Anne Smith unload holiday food pantry donations. The ministry relies upon volunteers for its success, and food donations are accepted every weekday. curveball from time to time; Franklin Cooperative Ministry was created to help people dealing with life’s unexpected situations.” Smith, who has been FCM director for four-and-a-half years, knows the history of the organization well. She said that in 1995, the ministry had a balance of $3,912.54, with no outstanding bills, and its leaders decided it needed to expand its programming in light of this strong balance. “The first financial assistance we did was dental, because at that time, Medicaid had not expanded,” Smith said.

“There was no adult dental assistance in the area, so it’s the first thing they added.” The ministry’s fall 2021 newsletter outlined how FCM has grown to operate eight different programs now: • the clothing closet, • dental extraction, • prescription medication, • rent, • eyeglasses, • transportation, • food • and utilities. The newsletter then described each of these programs, starting with the clothing

closet. “Our clothing closet began in the trunk of Mrs. Mildred Burgess’s car,” officials stated. “It is currently located at 511 N. Main St. and offers shopping areas for men, women and children. Everything available at the clothing closet is donated, so shopping is free. The clothing closet offers shoes, undergarments, clothing, diapers, accessories, feminine hygiene products and incontinence products. Neighbors in need may shop by appointment (to help accommodate social distancing during the pandemic), and emergencies, such as house fires, are handled on a

Stronger Together case-by-case basis.” FCM officials noted that in partnership with local dentists who provide services at a reduced rate, the ministry is able to assist with the cost of emergency dental extractions for adults without dental insurance. “We often see that pain resulting from a badly damaged tooth leads to missed time at work, which can hinder a working adult’s ability to remain financially self-sufficient,” officials stated. FCM is able to assist with the purchase of eyeglasses and the cost of vision exams in partnership with the Franklin Lions Club. The ministry’s emergency food pantry is available for both community residents and transients who need assistance with food. “We offer perishable items as they are made available to us and also provide special blessings during the holidays,” officials stated. “If transportation is an issue, someone may designate another person to pick up food on their behalf.”

Progress 2022 • 15 Franklin Cooperative Ministry is able to assist with the cost of prescription medications and make referrals to long-term/ ongoing assistance programs, the newsletter continued, also noting that FCM is able to assist with payment of rent when there is imminent danger of eviction. The ministry is able to assist with the

tion. Franklin Cooperative Ministry has two primary locations. The clothing closet is found at 511 N. Main St., while the other seven programs operate out of a location at 301 West 1st Ave. Due to COVID-19, access to the ministry’s facilities is still limited, so the easiest

We accept donations of clothing and linens, infants up through adults, at the clothing closet every Monday morning. cost of transportation during a crisis. “We are also able to provide limited assistance to transients trying to reach another destination,” officials added. Lastly, the newsletter noted that FCM is able to assist with utility payments when there is imminent danger of disconnec-

way to reach FCM to benefit from its services is to first call 757-516-6322. Smith said that when she first joined the ministry, she was amazed by how smoothly it worked. “It shouldn’t flow as well as it does, but it does; it just always works,” she said.

“We have churches, we have groups, we have people that will call weekly or monthly and just go, ‘Hey, what are your top needs right now?’ that have always looked out for us.” She said she expected people to have to step back and take care of their own during the COVID-19 pandemic. “They stepped forward and did more, and it has been an incredible thing to watch,” she said. For those interested in stepping forward to contribute to FCM, Smith explained how they can. “We accept donations of clothing and linens, infants up through adults, at the clothing closet every Monday morning,” she said. “We accept food donations to our food pantry every day that we are open, so that’s Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.” She said the ministry accepts cash donations, and its winter 2022 newsletter noted that with one full-time and two part-time employees, FCM’s success de-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

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16 • Progress 2022

Stronger Together CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 pends largely on volunteers. “The food pantry volunteers are in their bubble, and the clothing closet volunteers are in their bubble, but we do have a list,” Smith said. “When emergency food stamps stop, I expect a big, hot disaster, and we have a list of volunteers on standby to come and help us get the food bags ready.” Smith said the first point of contact for those looking to help FCM would be 757516-6322.

Mildred Burgess, left, and Mildred Eubanks organize the Franklin Clothing Closet out of a storage space at ABC Storage on Armory Drive in November 1990. This outreach program was the seed that would become Franklin Cooperative Ministry, a centralized community outreach agency now celebrating 30 years of service.

People benefit from a clothing closet distribution event held by the Franklin Cooperative Ministry.

This photo showcases part of the Franklin Cooperative Ministry’s clothing closet at 511 N. Main St. that offers shopping areas for men, women and children. FCM accepts donations of clothing and linens, for infants up through adults, at the clothing closet every Monday morning.

Stronger Together

Progress 2022 • 17

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18 • Progress 2022

Stronger Together

Cover 3 Foundation

A persistent fight against childhood hunger

By Titus Mohler Cover 3 Foundation, based in Franklin, has an infographic that notes that one in seven children do not know where their next meal is coming from or when it will be. Franklin native Greg Scott, who is the founder of Cover 3 and chairman of its board of directors, was personally witness to this problem. In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network several years ago, Scott, a former NFL and college football player and college coach, said he was helping lead youth football camps when he started hearing about kids going home hungry from school and coming to school hungry the next day. Consequently, he saw to it that the foundation began doing something to address this, and now years later, that effort is still going strong. In a March 2022 interview, Scott summarized what Cover 3 Foundation is all about: “We are a year-round, nonstop headquarters for fighting childhood hunger. We’ve been doing this for 12 years now, to date. We’ve served more than 3.7 million healthy meals and snacks to Virginia kids, at-risk youth and after-school programs and summer programs.” He said the foundation serves Western Tidewater and some of central Virginia as

TITUS MOHLER | THE TIDEWATER NEWS From left, Franklin Mayor Frank M. Rabil, U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, Cover 3 Foundation Founder Greg Scott and Franklin City Manager Amanda C. Jarratt join for a photo during Rep. Scott’s Cover 3 site visit Aug. 30. Scott learned about the foundation’s goals to teach, reach and feed young people and then sat down with its leaders to learn its needs. well. The localities impacted by Cover 3 include Franklin, Southampton County, Suffolk, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Petersburg, Sussex County, Emporia and Brunswick County. Enabling the year-round service is the foundation’s involvement in both the Child and Adult Care Feeding Program, which is active during the school year, and the Summer Food Service Program, which is active from June to September. Through the CACFP, Cover 3 is active in after-school programs, and through the SFSP, the foundation is feeding children

at places they can be found during the summer, like rec centers, YMCAs and summer camps. Cover 3 was originally based out of a facility in downtown Franklin. “Then we kind of outgrew that area and moved uptown to a building that has some more space so we could put our kitchen in there,” Scott said. The foundation has been at that uptown building, located at 125 South College Drive in Franklin, since 2013. It is in the kitchen there that Cover 3’s staff and volunteers put together all the

foundation’s meals, featuring cold food. “We don’t really do any warm stuff, so we’re not really cooking anything,” Scott said. “All meals are approved by the Virginia Department of Education, and then we send them out to the various qualified locations.” The No. 1 way people can contribute to the Cover 3 Foundation’s efforts is through monetary donations. “We’re in need of funds to keep fighting childhood hunger,” Scott said. “That is the biggest way they can help us.” He noted that Cover 3 is a federally

Stronger Together

Progress 2022 • 19

funded program, but he also noted that there is never enough money because “you always find new food deserts, new kids that need the help.” He said any type of monetary donation would be beneficial, including, but not limited to, corporate contributions and grants. He also offered a reminder that any funds donated to Cover 3 Foundation are tax deductible. “And anyone who donates, we would award them with a tax donation letter that they can use for their taxes as well,” he said. For those interested in donating, Scott recommended they call the Cover 3 Foundation office line at 757-562-2252 or email him directly at Greg@Cover3Foundation.org. “Of course, we don’t mind having volunteers,” he added, “but we kind of slowed those type of things down with COVID because we were trying to keep the main administrative staff safe during those times.” Scott praised the staff he has assembled to help fulfill the foundation’s mission, which is “to inspire and motivate youth to achieve their goals and conquer adversity. We will devote the time and energy necessary to

reach, teach and feed youth through nutritious meals, positive messages and leader-

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20 • Progress 2022

Stronger Together

Speaklife

Vision starts beginning of a community organization

By Frank Davis Speaklife — an organization inspired by a vision, dedicated to building a better community through action, speaking positive, spreading love and celebrating life. In his younger years Kashif Carter grew up in Franklin, later his family moved to Isle of Wight County where he graduated from Smithfield High School. After graduation his career path led him to a position as a welder at the Newport News Shipyard. Carter found he didn’t care for that so he changed direction and went to work for the Virginia Department of Prisons at the Sussex One for about six years. Following his time at Sussex One Carter switched careers again and went back to the shipyard. This time he entered the

SUBMITTED | FRANK DAVIS Kashif Carter takes a moment to speak with and encourage team members.

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electrical field and became an electrician where he worked his way up the ranks and became a crane engineer supervisor. During this time span Carter married and together with his wife Shontelle they have 3 children, Jaylin age 16, Alayna age 8 and Brianna age 2. These days the Cart-

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er family calls Boykins home. When asked about Speaklife and how it came about Carter explains that in January of 2016 he had a vision. While lying in bed one night, the words “Speaklife” kept popping up in his mind. Later in a dream a vision of Speaklife was laid out for him. After awakening from his sleep, Carter asked God for direction. After prayer and talking with local pastors, Carter noticed that he got different interpretations about what Speaklife means — for some it’s heart problems, and for some its going through abusive relationships, for others its marriage problems. But as he continued to talk with people, he realized that there was a bigger vision for the words, “Speaklife.” He realized what was needed in the community was for Speaklife to be a community organization. Carter started to

connect with people in the community, pastors, church leaders and school personnel, to find out what he and Speaklife could do to help. He soon discovered that by sharing stories about life’s situations, people could help each other with problems that were being encountered in life. He also found that not only was he focusing on the youth of the community but their parents as well. As a next step in making Speaklife a reality, in 2017 Carter stepped out on faith and put the words Speaklife with the addition of a heart on a T-shirt. He showed the T-shirt to a few people and they all responded favorably. This led him to produce 300 T-shirts. To his surprise he sold them all within a month’s period of time. He used all the profits from the Speak-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

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Stronger Together

SUBMITTED | FRANK DAVIS The Courtland Hornets Football and Cheer team on a float during the 2021 Christmas parade through downtown Franklin. life T-shirt sales to “plant seeds” in the community. Carter purchased bikes and gift cards which he donated to youth at Riverdale Elementary School. He later purchased new clothes and toys that would go out to those who were in need. Carter also feels very strongly about giving back to the youth of the community. While working at Sussex One he saw so many Black men housed there that were fathers. He knew that many of the youth that he encountered in the community did not have a father in their homes to serve as a role model to look up to. Carter feels that he owes it to those youth to give back to them what they are missing by not having a father in the home. For the 2021 football season, Carter organized and funded the Courtland Hor-

nets youth football and cheerleaders flag program that is sponsored by the Franklin Department of Parks & Recreation. He added that all equipment for the program was funded through Speaklife. It is his plan that all monies raised in 2021 will be used to expand the program in 2022 with two additional tackle teams for the two other age groups of the youth football program. Carter, who has an interest in photography, also launched Speaklife photography. He believes that so much emphasis is put on sports that there is a need to expose and teach youth about shooting sports images. He personally has eight youth photographers’ that he is working with and is teaching them about shooting youth sports. They are presently shooting various youth sports in the

Franklin/Southampton community. Carter added that the Speaklife program is also involved in the weekly food program that is sponsored by the Hope Center of Franklin. Each Saturday morning the program gives away food to those in need. Carter feels that many people in the community personally know him and what he is about. One of the goals that he is shooting for through Speaklife deals with diversity and bringing people together. Carter says the Speaklife program is multicultural and he is getting support from the community as a whole. Living in Southampton County, he mentioned that many of the school officials know him and he has been active in the schools in talking with the youth. He also feels that many youth will share

things with him quicker than parents/ social workers. One of the main points that the Speaklife organization pushes is speak positive, spread love and celebrate life. Carter feels it is important to stay away from anything negative, and instead promote the positive side of a situation. Have fun, life is too short. These last two years we all have seen people leaving here left and right, the young and the old, so have fun while you can. Carter has a small group of faithful volunteers that work with him as different projects are started. He is in the process of becoming a 501-3c organization. To find out more about the Speaklife organization and Carter visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ kashif.carter.31.

Stronger Together

Progress 2022 • 23

Courtland Hornets Football team members and Kashif Carter of Speaklife.

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24 • Progress 2022

Stronger Together

Habitat for Humanity

Making the difference

By Frank Davis Habitat for Humanity is a non-governmental, nonprofit organization, which was founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller. It is a Christian organization with an overall goal of the program to build homes — because everyone, everywhere should have an affordable place to call home. Since the first Habitat for Humanity affiliates were organized in Virginia in 1985, more than 1,680 homes have been built or rehabbed for low to moderate income homebuying Virginians. Franklin/Southampton County has a very active program. Nita Holt serves as the president of the board of directors. Presently eight members serve on the board. The board receives, reviews and

SUBMITTED | FRANK DAVIS Staff and volunteers of the ReStore, from left, Joyce Payton, volunteer; Phyliss Rasnake, volunteer; Glenn Joyner, assistant director; Derrick Barrett, staff; Keith Searcy, store director and John Williams, staff. approves applications from persons or families that are applying for the program. At present, there are 14 applications for the next Habitat build of a new home. The programs goal is to build a home

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about every two years. All these homes are constructed with cash and the new homeowner is not charged any interest — which helps to make the mortgage payment affordable. The criteria for approval is very strict. The program has

some available lots, many that are donated. The person or family that is selected has a choice of the available lots. Those seeking to be considered for a new home have to submit an application and meet the following qualifications:

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• Must have lived in Southampton County or the City of Franklin at least one year • Must be living in inadequate housing (for example – structural problems, over-crowding, unsafe conditions) • Must have stable, verifiable monthly gross income of at least $1,800 • Must be willing to contribute 300 “sweat equity” hours during construction • Must be willing to participate in at least 12 hours in home ownership educational workshops thru VHDA • Should have a credit score of at least mid 500s • Cannot have previously owned a home • Home cannot be used as rental property Once the applications are received, the board of directors review them to see who best meets the qualifications for the program. A big financial support arm of the program is the ReStore. This store is located in downtown Franklin behind City Hall and it is designed to generate income that will be used for the building of the new home. Habitat Restore Manager Keith Searcy and Assistant Manager Glenn “Pee Wee” Joyner said the ReStore focuses on three R’s. - ReSell, ReUse and ReCycle. They sell quality new and used surplus building materials and home amenities. Many items in the store are received by donations. The store is open each week on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Joyner spoke very highly about the do-

nations that the ReStore receives. He stated, “We have been very fortunate in the City of Franklin, Southampton County, Isle of Wight and the City of Suffolk, in the last several years about the donations that we are getting from these places.” He further added that the quality of these donations is a whole lot better than what they had eight years ago when he started to work for the ReStore. Joyner

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says the ReStore is in very good shape now and that they have some very good items for sale. Joyner also added that some of the furniture items have been loaned to area school systems for their plays. Joyner feels that the ReStore plays a very important role in this area. With costs rising and add to that the economic impact from the COVID situation,

many people do not have the income to buy new household items that they need. Although prices for household items have increased pretty dramatically Joyner noted that the ReStore has kept its prices about the same. He stated that people are very appreciate of this low cost and the quality of the items that they are getting. Overall, this program makes a difference for the Franklin/Southampton community both in providing quality low-cost home items for sale at the Restore and the building of a new home for a person or family. Habitat for Humanity provides opportunities for the whole community.

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Progress Edition 2022

Articles inside

Speaklife

Foodbank of Southeast VA

Franklin Cooperative Ministry