“Mind, body and soul; that’s what we’ve got right here,” said Freddie Woolfork, referring to representatives of the Gifford Youth Activity Center, the Gifford Aquatic Center and Gifford Park, and the Pastors Association of Indian River County.
Those organizations, together with the Progressive Civic League and others in the Gifford community, have recently embraced the “Restoring the Village” campaign launched by state Rep. Larry Lee, Jr.
The concept is to build and restore relationships within the community through a variety of educational, recreational, pastoral and civic activities, as a way to curb violence.
“What we’re trying to do is to pull together the whole spectrum of community relations building. How can we get people to know more about each other? The best way is to have community functions,” Woolfork explains.
“The big umbrella is the Gifford Neighborhood Plan; we’ve been working on that plan since 1999. And about a month or so ago, the County Commission finally approved it,” says Woolfork. “Every component that we’re talking about here, from education to recreation to crime, housing, everything; those components are spelled out in that Gifford Neighborhood Plan. And the plan has a quarterly report card that assesses what we’re doing.”
The community has embraced the concept by hosting family-friendly gatherings such as the “Our ‘Hood is Beautiful” event, which drew more than 200 people to Gifford Park last Saturday. It was organized by Shasta Woolfork, Sonia Ingram and Carolyn Ross.
“The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree!” laughs Freddie Woolfork, speaking with justifiable pride of his daughter Shasta. “They’re doing a great job; it’s just great to see them doing it on their own.”
There was also a Youth Revival at Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church, which addressed some of the challenges students will encounter as they head back to school. One of those issues is social media, such as Facebook and other internet resources, which many children might not be ready for psychologically.
“There are things out there that are available, such as adult material. We, as parents and pastors, have to inform them that there are moral choices and that they should make the right one, because it will affect them for the rest of their lives,” says Benny Rhyant, president of the Pastors Association of Indian River County. “Through this Youth Revival, we want to remind them that God has not changed; his moral standards are the same. In spite of how Hollywood and other people in the world present it, there is a difference when you make the right moral choice.”
He adds, “The African American community has always looked to their pastors for leadership. That is their expectation, so we’re here to help the community in any way that we can. The desire is to bring the community together as one, because the demographic is changing. There is especially a strong desire to reach the youth, because we realize that if they are lost, then the future doesn’t look too good.”
Another component has been to increase safe recreational space in the community. The east Gifford area, just north of 37th Street, had been the site of the first school for black children in the early 1900s. The school later became Gifford High School before that moved to where today’s Gifford Middle School is located.
“It’s like a forgotten area, even though that’s where Gifford started. They went back and did an analysis and found that the kids had no playground,” says Woolfork.
The analysis was conducted by Julianne Price, statewide coordinator of PACE EH (Protocol for Assessing Community Excellence in Environmental Health).
“PACE went to the community and asked them to identify what they wanted, and one of the biggest things was fixing up the park,” says Larry Staley, facility manager for Gifford Aquatic Center and Gifford Park.
The newly revitalized Hosie Schuman Park, named after a longtime Gifford resident, is now fully functional, and Staley says, “We’ve already had a graduation party out there; people are taking their lunches out there; it’s being used again.”
He credits support from Indian River County parks superintendent Dave Fleetwood, county administrator Joe Baird, county commissioners and numerous others with bringing the park alive.
The Recreation Department has come up with a number of activities to keep youngsters involved and address the issue of having “nothing to do.” Al Green organized a female Flag Football League, which has grown to six teams and now travels outside the city to compete, Staley says.
“We have to stop the violence; it’s something we can do to channel their energy,” he adds. “Keep ‘em busy.”
Three men’s teams have been established as well, and when renovations to the football field just south of the Aquatic Center are completed, Staley plans to institute recreational football for smaller children.
Another challenge has been the elimination of a wide variety of job opportunities that had previously been available to students over the summer.
“Now you have idle minds, and idle minds are the devil’s workshop,” says Staley.
Drawing on the concept that “it takes a village to raise a child,” they reiterate the importance of building relationships to recover the small-town atmosphere of their youth, where people knew and were concerned about one another.
“Folks cared; we had compassion for people,” says Staley. “Back then the village was involved.”
“The more we interact, the better,” agrees Woolfork. If you build a relationship with a child, that child will respect you.”
“There’s another factor, that not only affects this community, which is a lack of male figures in the home,” adds Rhyant.
Woolfork said they are working to address that issue with programs such as a GYAC mentorship program for at-risk teenagers called From Boys 2 Men 2 Greatness and through the launch of a new Cub Scout Troop for elementary-age students.
“All these little pieces go together,” says Woolfork. “It’s keeping the kids busy; planting the seeds of goodness. They want consistency; that’s what kids are missing in their homes today.”
Woolfork and Staley both say that many of the youngsters they worked with over the years now profess their thanks for providing them with the tools needed to succeed in a whole range of professional positions.
“It feels good; it lets you know your work is not in vein,” says Woolfork.
“They all come back, and when they get back in town they can’t wait to find us and show us what they’re doing,” agrees Staley.
