Legacy Education and Community Empowerment Foundation Inc.

Causes: Children & Youth, Civil Rights, Education

Mission: Educational and charitable Our vision is an empowered youth and community-led by Change Agents who are also intergenerational and diverse servant leaders who work to build a more sustainable community. We desire sustainable and empowered servant leaders who are innovative, oriented to community and service to others, diplomatic, educated, well-rounded, ethical, and confident. Our mission is to work to promote positive developments, changes and reforms that promote community education and social justice for ALL people, especially families of historically underserved populations such as African-Americans, Bi-Racial, Hispanic/Latino Americans, Native Americans (Mississippi Band of Choctaw), Vietnamese, women, children, the elderly and other socio-economically deprived and marginalized groups.

Results: Over 5,000 empowered Legacy Change Agents that have successfully accomplished goals and given back to community.

Target demographics: community education thorugh educational enhancement and social justice. We utilize the components of teamwork, storytelling, hope, action, and service-learning.

Direct beneficiaries per year: 100 scholars (Pre-k-College), 200 families, and 13 county partnerships

Geographic areas served: East Central Mississippi in the counties of Scott, Leake, & Newton

Programs: ****Due to the global, historic, and deadly pandemic of COVID-19, our programmatic work is condensed into our Legacy Connection Program. Legacy Connection incorporates virtual and online learning with the specific programs of reading remediation and tutorial assistance with an ongoing needs assessment. Until a vaccination is discovered and available to people, we will work mainly through our Legacy Connection Program. The Legacy Connection Virtual Program 2020-2021 condenses our community education programs, until the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer a threat to human life. Legacy Connection runs from June 2020-June 2021, and is comprised of reading and literacy online classrooms, support, and remediation. The summer component ended August 7, 2020. The Legacy Connection Program will continue to provide weekly engagement with Change Agent parents and scholars. Support services consist of COVID-19 School Response Packets, homeschooling options, individualized remediation, study skills, learning assessments, reading diagnosis and assessments, goal setting, diversity appreciation, youth leadership, liaisons, and much more. As we continue to provide a safe and nurturing learning space, we await news of a cure, and vaccination for COVID-19. We keep our families in mind as COVID-19 continues to destroy our families, communities, states, and continents. We encourage people to stay at home, wash your hands, wear a mask to prevent the spread of diseases, especially COVID-19 and the FLU! We continue to be tested COVID-19 and quarantining ourselves if we show symptoms. We are grateful for our investors who have allowed us to continue distributing masks, gloves, disinfectants, and paper products to our change agent families. THANK YOU, INVESTORS!**** A. The Legacy Leadership & Literacy Program goals begin with community education. Additionally, the goals are to increase literacy and leadership by creating a nurturing environment where literacy is shared through the leadership of servant leaders and Change Agents with the implementation of leadership and survival skills of the 21st Century for all community Change Agents/families such as critical thinking, problem-solving, effective communication, networking, and innovation. Methods include scenarios and solutions, educational activities, opportunities, and field trips. This program is the foundation of the following projects: 1. The Iona Prep Tutorial and Enhancement provides literacy assistance to youth and families that allow them to be successful in daily life. 2. The Olivia Arts in partnership with Forest HeadStart supports families through early childcare educational development and artistic expression experiences. 3. Change Agents of Legacy Mentoring (C.A.L.M.) in partnership with Forest Separate and Scott County School District focuses on youth leadership development, in-school mentoring, service learning, and racial healing among African-American, Bi-racial, Caucasian, Vietnamese, and Hispanic-American youth. 4. Camp Zoning into Wildlife Education (Z.i.W.E.) in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks to expose youth to survival skills of environmental science such as wildlife conservation, hunting, fishing, and camping with emphasis on safety education with the critical application. 5. Parent Engagement Project (P.E.P.) encourages and supports parents while allowing a safe space for relevant discussions, resource exchange, job skills, career choices, healthy family dynamics, and innovative ideas. 6. Save Our Youth Through Community Action (SOYTCA) leads collaboration with stakeholders which consists of concerned parents, law enforcement offices, school administrators, concerned citizens, and community organizations that join to recognize the socio-economic problems plaguing today's youth and develop innovative and viable solutions to help alleviate some of these problems. 7. Change Agents of Reading Explosion (C.A.R.E.) Summer and Spring Break Camps allows our Change Agents to make a change in themselves and the community through safe spaces that allow youth leadership development and literacy; 8. Legacy Community Education Forums in partnership with the Forest Public Library, Forest Public School District, and Scott County School District to focus on current events and promote community engagement in public discussions regarding events and issues such as bullying, LGBTQ, community and police relationships, drugs, etc. 9. Financial Scholarships and Stipends provide scholarships to high school seniors through the W.L. Slaughter Memorial Academic/Athletic Scholarship, Aura-Neely Gary Memorial Scholarship, and Theaodis Gary Sr. Memorial Scholarship. Stipends and educational supplies are provided to seniors who participate in and place in the O.K. Slaughter Memorial Essay Contest. 10. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) Raids Humanitarian Assistance provided legal, social, mental, and any requested service to Change Agents impacted by the Raid. We testified for the United States Department of Homeland Security. B. The Legacy Service Learning Program begins with community education. Additional goals are to provide services that allow Change Agents to reflect on all aspects of services provided to become empowered with the skills of community and world connections, and survival/sustainability skills through various educational experiences. The program is the foundation of the following projects: 1. Holiday Nursing Home Love Project facilitates youth and nursing home residents to dialogue, bond, and enjoy gifts during holidays. 2. Love 4 Book Donation facilitates youth to donate and read books to children in various community businesses and public offices. 3. William Brown Preparing 4 Back 2 School Project provides school supplies to community youth with an emphasis on youth whose parents are either unemployed or participate in governmental subsidy programs. 4. Health is Wealth Luncheon Project encourages community residents to adapt innovative healthy lifestyles, dialogue, and analyze how to create and maintain a nurturing environment that combats diabetes, heart problems, and high blood pressure to name a few illnesses. 5. Historical Society Project allows effective cross-age communications through effective interviewing skills and presentation skills. 6. Medgar Evers Project in partnership with East Central Community College, MS Department of History and Archives, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Inc. engages students, teachers, and community members to participate in the research and interview processes.