Family Promise

While researching some nonprofits I came across Family Promise. While it feels like I have heard of it before, I had no prior knowledge of what they do and who they are. Here in Knoxville there is a big  homeless problem thus breeding many organizations that help the cause and strive to solve the issue. Family Promise is one of these organizations. Family Promise of Knoxville is a young organization, as they opened up in 2005. While they aim to cater towards homeless, they specialize in families with children. These families could have recently lost their homes, or they could have been homeless for years. The  mission of Family Promise, per their website, is "To help homeless and low income families achieve sustainable independence." They differ from other organizations by being proactive in their service. Not only do they want the homeless fed and sheltered, but they strive to help them get on their feet and able to one day support themselves again. The programs that Family Promise operates are very effective. The provide home-like shelter to families where there is accessibility to laundry, a kitchen and other useful things that may make the family feel better about their situation. They also provide education to teach useful skills and knowledge that will help the parent or parents to find jobs. They teach courses on how to be self-reliant, so that once a family can independently support themselves, they are able to maintain instead of ending up back on the streets. Family Promise is a great organization because not only do they cater to the homeless, but they have found an effective way to get families off the streets for good.

Legacy Parks Foundation

When I began my collegiate journey in Knoxville, I did not have the appreciation that I have now for being outside and enjoying mother nature. Over the past for years, some of my best memories come from being outside and exploring with friends. I believe that being outside and experiencing all that there is to do, from walking in a park to swimming in a quarry, can be very beneficial for getting to know an area. 

When researching local non-profits, I came across the Legacy Parks Foundation. I had never heard of this organization until today. The work that the foundation does is pretty outstanding. They began operating in 2007. Their main mission is to preserve east Tennessee outdoor areas for our use and for the use by future generations to come. They have a handful of areas in which they focus. They are:

• Preserve our Ridges and Views - creating a balance between development and conservation so that the everyone is able to enjoy the breathtaking views that east Tennessee has to offer
• Connect our Greenways and Trails - looking into acquiring land in order to expand the greenways in order to allow for easier access to recreation opportunities
• Maintain the Health of and Access to Our Waterways - developing the public waterfront and swimming, boating and other recreational water sports
• Create Recreational Opportunities for the Underserved - reduce financial barriers that are associated with youth recreation and create parks that are suitable venues for sports
• Exceed the National Average for Public Parks and Green Space - surpass the national average to show that east Tennessee has a healthy community and is willing to protect the environment

Since 2007, the Legacy Parks Foundation has helped to conserve over 1,000 acres of forest and farmland. They have also acquired and added over 500 acres of parks to Knox County. I think that this is a pretty great feat! The outdoors are often taken for granted. Going outside and enjoying the simplicity of nature and the surrounding environment is something that I enjoy and take advantage of and believe others should as well. (I also believe this organization would make Leslie Knope proud).

http://www.legacyparks.org/

Scruffy Beautiful Little City

Keep Knoxville Beautiful is a non-profit organization that aims to promote litter eradication, recycling, and the overall beautification of the city of Knoxville. They focus on education, volunteering, and planning events to inform the community of their organization's values and missions.
One of the biggest ways KKB stays active is by planning litter clean up days with volunteers. They can organize smaller clean ups for smaller groups if requested. Each year they have about 2,000 volunteers help clean up about 50,000 pounds of litter. Below are some facts from the organization in the year 2016:

Aside from litter clean up, the also promote and educate on recycling and landfill use. They have programming for youth groups and other groups wanting to know more about recycling and how they can get involved. Keep Knoxville Beautiful allows for groups to use their recycling trailer to promote recycling at events.
Keep Knoxville Beautiful is an awesome way to get involved in the community and keeping Knoxville a clean and welcome city! I would love to try and volunteer with them sometime.

http://www.keepknoxvillebeautiful.org/whatwedo

Bridge Refugee Services

Bridge Refugee Services is a non-profit organization that started its operations more than 20 years ago. It is dedicated to helping refugees accommodate and rebuild their new home in the United States and become "productive, contributing members of the [Knoxville and Chattanooga' community."

They serve immigrants with refugee status coming into the East Tennessee area. Before refugees come to their new home, Bridge arranges housing and accommodates their home with household items (such as furniture, appliances, bedding), food, clothing, and arranges job interviews. People can contribute by donating household items, volunteering, or providing jobs to refugees.

There are no historical facts about Bridge Refugee Services, but there are fun facts. Many of their case managers and volunteer managers have bachelor's degrees in cultural anthropology, Hispanic Studies, languages, and communications. On January 1, 2017, they launched their blog with topics about what it means to be in America and common wisdom.

                

The Joy of Music School is a school “providing a quality music education for financially disadvantaged, at risk youth” in the Knoxville area. They strive to “Broaden lives through music for all financially disadvantaged children and teens.” The Joy of Music School also seeks to provide structure in life through inspiration and example. They set high standards for students in order to help them grow and develop skills needed. James Dick was the founder of the Joy of Music School in 1997. James was inspired to create the music school after visiting something similar in Nashville; he decided to bring the idea back to Knoxville. He gathered fellow leaders in Knoxville in order to help get it up and running in 1998. He began by offering these lessons to local Boys and Girls Clubs. Originally the music school was located in a small 900 sq. ft. space at the Moses Center on Euclid Avenue. In 2005, the school moved into a more spacious and inviting building on the same street. In 2011, James passed away leaving an extraordinary legacy behind. The Joy of Music School has been featured on the news multiple times for the impact they are making and the many talented artists teaching there. I think this is a very unique non-profit serving a very specific area of Knoxville. I am happy to know this is in existence to provide for those passionate about music. I hope this non-profit continues to inspire and change lives.

Local Charity - Due March 5

This week, please research a local charity/non-profit organization in Knoxville and write about it. I would urge you to consider writing about an agency that you're less familiar with in the area, and also one we did NOT visit during Alternative Spring Break. If you have the ability or desire to go visit this  organization and learn more about it, that is also encouraged (but certainly not a requirement).

Below are a few points to consider while writing/researching your blog post:

1. What is the mission of this organization?

2. Who/what do they serve?

3. When was it founded or how was it created?

4. Where are they located in the community?

5. Are there any interesting historical facts about the organization?

Candoro and Vestal

After visiting the Candoro Marble Works property, it was interesting to see the marble showroom and the adjacent marble cutting facilities. The company was started in 1914 as a subsidiary company to the John J. Craig company to convert the raw materials into finished products. Candoro Marble Works created several works for important clients across the nation like the Smithsonian Museuem of History, the US Capitol Building, pieces at the Pennsylvania State Captitol, and several other monuments and buildings. Albert Milani was the chief carver where for over 40 years he supervised the production of the finished marble products and created several scluptures and ornaments from marble. After World War II, buildings and other monuments were made from other material besides marble and the marble boom soon became a bust. In 1982 Candoro shut down its operations and was soon preserved by the South Knox Arts and Heritage Center and in 2014 the property was acquired by the Aslan Foundation to enhance and preserve the natural beauty and assets of Knoxville.

While visiting the Candoro Arts and Heritage Center, it wasn't hard to notice that the surrounding area was not very affluent to afford the marble pieces that were produced at Candoro. After some researching, I discovered the neighborhood in which Candoro is located, is called Vestal, named after two brothers who owned a hardwood lumber company that was also located in the area (they never lived in what we now call the Vestal community, however). The area became a neighborhood because the workers of the company built their houses around the factory. Its important to note that Vestal is in south Knoxville across the river, which did not have poor bridge access and led to uneven development in the city. So after looking at the surrounding area of Candoro, it would seem likely that the houses adjacent to the facility were homes of workers of either Candoro Marble or Vestal Lumber.