Excellence in the Business Sector: Michele Duffe

Congratulations to Michele Duffe, Partner at ND Consulting Group, winner of our 2017 Award for Excellence in the Business Sector!

CBN’s Award for Excellence in the Business Sector recognizes an individual or business that:

• Acts as an anchor institution for communities through investment, by providing employment, or by remaining committed to staying in communities that need economic activity.

• Involves employees in community service with community partners.

• Provides economic growth to the region and locates in neighborhoods with revitalization plans, providing employment and drawing capital into communities.

• Provides funding for community building nonprofits.

Michele Duffe, Partner at ND Consulting Group and Principal of ND&S Management, is a community business leader and anchor for North St. Louis’ Hyde Park neighborhood through her work in mixed-income real estate development, quality housing management, and social service provision. Michele has extensive expertise with housing creation and redevelopment, including a former role as Executive Director for the City of St. Louis’ Land Reutilization Authority, the nation’s first city-run land bank. In 2001, Michele helped form the ND&S Management company and partnered with Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Hyde Park to develop new housing for the first time in decades under the federal HOME Investment Partnerships Program. Thanks to her dedication, low-income tenants have the opportunity to purchase their own homes. Additionally, Michele commits to employing residents from within the local community to manage the development and build a stronger sense of community.

After seeing a need to connect tenants with social services to ensure success for their families, Michele supported the creation of LinkStL (pronounced ‘links’). LinkStL, a community-based nonprofit representing the entire Hyde Park community, has achieved great successes as a community organizing model and has given hope and pride to the long-struggling neighborhood. Thanks to Michele’s leadership and vision in the business realm, sustainable and varied economic and social opportunities now exist in Hyde Park.

Excellence in Resident Leadership: Rosie Willis

Congratulations to Rosie Willis of the JeffVanderLou neighborhood, winner of our 2017 Award for Excellence in Resident Leadership!

CBN’s Award for Excellence in the Resident Leadership recognizes a resident who:

• Has shown incredible volunteerism and involvement in their community and/or community initiatives.

• Goes above and beyond normal resident action to sit on boards, head committees, or encourage the engagement of other residents.

• Lives in a CBN member footprint.

Rosie Willis is the leader of the JeffVanderLou neighborhood’s Fresh Starts Community Garden in North St. Louis City. In 2009, Ms. Willis led the charge to transform a vacant weed- and trash-covered city lot into a source of beauty and fresh, organic produce for the neighborhood. She rallied fellow residents to help build the garden on a shoestring as they struggled to find sources for funding, gardening tools, seeds, lumber for raised beds, and water to irrigate plants. Eventually, Ms. Willis applied for and received a small grant from Operation Bright Side, which allowed her to buy gardening tools, flower bulbs, and discounted cut lumber from a local company. As the group gained momentum, local Alderwoman Marlene Davis approved funding to expand the garden across another six lots.

Today, space that was once covered with trash, weeds, tall grass, and drug needles is the Fresh Starts Community Garden, where Ms. Willis continues to work tirelessly to bring fresh vegetables to fellow neighbors. The JeffVanderLou neighborhood is a recognized food desert, and the garden provides access to healthy food for many area low-income families. Fresh Starts has also helped to build relationships among residents and other stakeholders as they spend time gardening together, and was recently named Best Community Hang-Out Garden by Gateway Greening. Since there is always work to be done in the garden, it has also been a source of youth employment opportunities for the past several years. An annual Fresh Starts Candlelight Dinner event each summer brings together neighbors and guests to share special dishes, live music, and conversation.

Excellence in the Faith-Based Community: Revitalization 2000

Congratulations to Revitalization 2000, winner of our 2017 Award for Excellence in the Faith-Based Community!

CBN’s Award for Excellence in the Faith-Based Community recognizes an individual or institution that:

• Is community oriented.

• Deploys both human and financial resources to bear on neighborhood issues, policy change, or social justice issues.

• Demonstrates a willingness to collaborate with community partners.

Revitalization 2000 (R2K) is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the residents and revitalization of the Ville neighborhood in North St. Louis City. It operates programs and leads projects that build relationships between residents and non-resident volunteers. It also serves as the backbone for the Ville Collaborative, an association of organizations in the community that work together on education, beautification, neighborhood safety, and other collective initiatives. R2K emerged from St. Matthew the Apostle Catholic Parish in the Ville when it was founded in 1998 and collaborates extensively with other churches and faith-based organizations in the neighborhood.

R2K has joined with community partners to make a positive impact on the Ville through a variety of programs. It has been a leader behind several community gardens that help to beautify the neighborhood, provide residents with nutritious food, create visible change, and fortify community ties. The Claver Works youth jobs and savings program provides participants with earned income opportunities and experience in lawn and garden landscaping. R2K helps to organize the neighborhood’s annual back-to-school block party and also runs Claver House, a service-based residence community for young people making an extended volunteer commitment in the Ville. Most recently, in collaboration with a number of community partners, R2K is working to launch a new initiative that will provide hands-on educational opportunities to children living in the neighborhood. R2K is dedicated to “connecting the dots” across organizations by creating a culture of collaboration that is also grounded in their faith-based tradition.

Outstanding Achievement in Community Building: Kathy Sorkin

Congratulations to Kathy Sorkin, Vice President and Business Development Director of Rosemann & Associates, winner of our 2017 Award for Outstanding Achievement in Community Building!

CBN’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Community Building recognizes an individual who:

• Demonstrates a long standing commitment to the community building sector.

• Exhibits leadership, vision, and a commitment to action and results.

• Has achieved an outstanding impact on community building policy, investment, or community change.

Kathy Sorkin is the Vice President and Business Development Director of Rosemann & Associates. Her role includes business development, client relations, and civic and government affairs. A native of St. Louis, Kathy began her career in New York City, where she served as Coordinator of the Mayor’s Urban Action Task Force and Director of Operations for the Association of Neighborhood Housing Developers. Kathy returned to St. Louis to work on housing development initiatives with non-profit community based developers and served on the St. Louis Community Development Agency’s Board of Commissioners. After being appointed Vice President of the St. Louis Equity Fund, she worked extensively with corporate investors, non-profit and for-profit developers, architects, attorneys, and general contractors throughout the region on complex community development projects, utilizing an array of tax credit and public financing programs. Later, as Chief Operating Officer of E.M. Harris Construction Company and Chief Executive Officer of Capital Consultants, Kathy worked on some of the region’s most challenging projects and built successful collaborations between financial partners and elected officials in these public/private partnerships. She continues to be engaged with the community on a personal and professional level, advocating tirelessly for affordable housing and community development policy.

Kathy’s current role at Rosemann & Associates only frames her long-standing commitment to and engagement in the community building sector. For over fifteen years, she served as President and Board member for Habitat for Humanity, St. Louis. She is also an Executive Committee and Board Member with the Missouri Growth Association and has played a formative role in the current formation and ongoing expansion of the Missouri Workforce Housing Association. Kathy’s willingness to build relationships across sectors and her passion for community development establish her as a leader and agent of change within the field.

Excellence in Philanthropy: Missouri Foundation for Health

Congratulations to Missouri Foundation for Health, winner of our 2017 Award for Excellence in Philanthropy!

CBN’s Award for Excellence in Philanthropy recognizes an individual or organization that:

• Supports community building by bringing investment and resources to places’ human or physical dimensions.

• Supports long-term commitments to neighborhoods.

• Demonstrates creative thinking in how to support communities and gets involved beyond traditional grant giving.

• Provides operational funding to community building nonprofits.

Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) is an independent philanthropic foundation that works with communities and nonprofits to generate and accelerate positive changes in health. The Foundation takes a multifaceted approach to health issues and understands that programs, policy, and collaboration all play a role in creating lasting impact.

In 2015, MFH partnered with DeSales Community Development to pilot the Neighborhood 360˚ Health Initiative, a neighborhood-based project seeking to foster livable neighborhoods along the South Jefferson Avenue corridor in St. Louis. Through this initiative, MFH supports investment in both the built environment and the community’s residents. The DeSales Community Garden provides a source of nutritious food, healthy outdoor activity, and social support through group classes and gardening comradery. SouthSide Sports, a low-cost youth sports league, provides physical activity for kids and much-needed community investment in a formerly underutilized city park. Health Leads connects residents with a Community Health Worker (CHW), who assists in health care navigation, patient advocacy, and health education. Though not quite half complete, the Neighborhood 360˚ initiative has already seen impressive results.

MFH’s decision to entrust the implementation of this grant to DeSales Community Development (which has been serving the Fox Park and Tower Grove East neighborhoods since 1976) and its partners demonstrates a strong commitment to local neighborhoods. By trusting long-standing community organizations to pilot programs that are innovative, collaborative, and responsive to changing needs, MFH has proven to be a supportive partner in local efforts to build whole communities.

Excellence in Lending: Justine PETERSEN

Congratulations to Justine PETERSEN, winner of our 2017 Award for Excellence in Lending!

CBN’s Award for Excellence in Lending recognizes an individual or an organization that:

• Gets involved beyond traditional lending in community building activities and is creative in how they support community building.

• Provides direct support to community building organizations.

• Has a strong community presence.

• Demonstrates a deep understanding of the sector and a willingness to accept more risk.

Justine PETERSEN is a nonprofit organization that connects institutional resources with the needs of low- to moderate-income families and individuals so they can build long-term assets and create enduring change. Their team gives people opportunities to create new futures for themselves and their families by helping them become and stay homeowners, launch and run successful businesses, access education, and start and manage personal savings programs. Justine PETERSEN also supports small businesses through funding and technical assistance.

Last year, Justine PETERSEN closed $11 million in over 863 microloans, closed 456 credit-building loans, supported 2.7 jobs for every business assisted, and helped 12 percent of clients move up from the low-income bracket after receiving services from Justine PETERSEN. Justine PETERSEN’s passion for promoting change through financial support and products make them a great advocate for the St. Louis community.

Excellence in Community Building: Lemay Housing Partnership

Congratulations to Lemay Housing Partnership, winner of our 2017 Award for Excellence in Community Building!

Reginald Scott, Executive Director of Lemay Housing Partnership, Inc.

CBN’s Award for Excellence in Community Building recognizes a CBN member who:

• Demonstrates excellence in multi-year, place-based, collaborative, comprehensive community building based on strong community engagement.

• Uses data and evaluation to achieve maximum impact in their efforts.

• Is a full CBN member.

Lemay Housing Partnership (LHP) has served the Lemay community in St. Louis County since 1998. As a certified Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) and U.S. Housing Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-Certified Housing Counseling Agency, LHP provides homebuyer training and counseling, home repair financial assistance through forgivable loans, and downpayment and closing cost assistance as a participant in St. Louis County’s HOME Consortium First Home Program. LHP has also spearheaded the development of more than fifty new construction and moderately rehabbed homes and the demolition of derelict and vacant properties.

LHP has set an impressive standard for community building in Lemay. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors, at least one-third of which is comprised of low-income or Lemay residents at all times. As LHP works to revitalize Lemay, it follows a community plan based on extensive community engagement, pursuing projects and programs as part of a comprehensive vision for the community. Since Lemay (as a Census Designated Place) does not have its own municipal government, LHP—along with Lemay Development Corporation—serves as a trusted partner in representing the interests of area residents and businesses. With the help of the St. Louis County Economic Partnership and many other partners, LHP has played a crucial role in stabilizing the Lemay community.

City Needs to Invest in Neighborhood Capacity, Not Just Bricks and Mortar

By Glenn Burleigh, Community Activist in the City of St. Louis

Last week, City of St. Louis voters passed Proposition 1, which establishes a 1/2 cent Economic Development Sales Tax that is expected to raise $20 million annually. The tax’s final proposal allocates 60 percent of funding (about $12 million) to MetroLink expansion. The rest will be divided evenly (about $2 million each) among four areas: neighborhood revitalization, workforce development, public safety, and infrastructure.

Now that voters have approved this tax, we need to turn our attention to implementation. As written, the proposal has faults that need to be addressed. In light of recent conversations about the tax, I’m concerned that priorities for allocation are out of balance. It favors brick-and-mortar projects without giving equal attention to long-term staffing and community organizing. As we consider how to manage this new funding source, we need to make sure that sustainable investments in human capital are part of the community development equation, too.

After attending a public hearing for the sales tax in January, I was stunned to find out how little detail was given to the community development/reinvestment portion of the plan when compared to the proposal’s other categories. I decided to find out what volunteers and staff in the community development/reinvestment arena thought about the plan.

My conversations have led me to believe that there wasn’t significant input sought on this plan and that many supported it because “something is better than nothing.” Few have seemed to understand how little community development funding the proposal actually commits. Few recalled much internal conversation. Some even believed that the proposal reserved $500,000 (instead of $50,000) for an annual planning grant. This is the proposal’s only “hard number.”

Most of the folks that I spoke with agreed that the sales tax proposal isn’t built to balance this new community development spending. Many also agreed that the proposal doesn’t seem to hold much promise for CDCs and other advocates that need funding and programming to sustain community organizing efforts.

Place-based development strategies are extremely important. But without community organizing infrastructure to deal with the issues that neighborhoods face, new LIHTC spending and other developments cannot be a panacea. Bricks and mortar are critical, and some CDCs might be able to combine sales tax funds with loans and LIHTC funding to create more affordable housing—but bricks and mortar constitute only part of a neighborhood.

A conversation I had with Community Development Administration (CDA) Director Alana Green several months ago indicated that proponents of the sales tax envision using it to fund planning-type projects for many CDCs—projects akin to the community engagement work that the CDC where I serve as Housing Committee Chair (Dutchtown South Community Corporation) is currently doing with the Jefferson Corridor and Historic Gravois Neighborhoods.

This is an important part of community development work. But when a CDC focused on neighborhood organizing receives a grant to do community planning and engagement, they are left accountable to the public after the grant cycle ends. After their two years of funding are up, the CDC will likely need to scale back programming. Residents will associate this scale-down with the local CDC that coordinated outreach, not the organization that’s collecting revenue from the LIHTC units added to their property portfolios.

The proposal does call for some evidence of sustainability and matching funds. But if private entities do not also commit significant dollars up front, much of the non-bricks-and-mortar programming tied to this proposal will ultimately suffer. Unless we can craft a realistic plan to replace short-lived City funds with significant private donations, most new programming won’t continue after the two-year funding period is over—or at least not at the scale to which neighbors will have grown accustomed.

We have seen many promises to dedicate significant cash to this type of programming in the wake of #Ferguson. But that cash has not materialized. Given that shortfall, I find it hard to believe that philanthropic dollars for long-term community organizing funding will now suddenly become available. To be clear, the key phrase in that sentence is “long-term.” Redlining has devastated huge swaths of our city for decades. It will take many years of affirmative, intentional work to reverse generations of economic discrimination and inequity. We should neither shrink from the tasks at hand nor pretend that modest, short-lived capital infusions will suffice to solve these problems.

This is not to say that bricks and mortar and tax credits aren’t important—only that the implementation plan for this new sales tax seems unbalanced. It favors a sustainable funding stream for construction, but guarantees little for community organizing. Week after week, I attend meetings where folks are asking for investments in human capital just as much as investments in the built environment. Both are vital for our community.

Here’s the good news, though: this vague plan leaves us with an opportunity to reformulate how to approach the new funding. The community development/reinvestment sector has a chance to hold its own discussions, select and prioritize best practices, and lobby the incoming administration to codify those practices in department procedure. I hope we can make these critical conversations a reality, even on the back end of this process. Our policy should be as intentional as our rhetoric.

Glenn Burleigh is a community activist in the City of St. Louis. This commentary should not be construed as the official position of any of the nonprofits or coalitions that he works for or with which he serves in a leadership capacity.

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Articles in “From the Field” represent the opinions of the author only and do not represent the views of the Community Builders Network of Metro St. Louis or the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Our Communities Need Us to Fight Missouri State Senate Bill 285

By Kimberly McKinney, Chief Executive Officer of Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis, and Sal Martinez, Executive Director of North Newstead Association

This column is partially adapted from a letter that Kimberly McKinney sent out about Senate Bill 285 earlier this month.

Kimberly McKinney

In January, State Senator Andrew Koenig of the 15th District introduced Senate Bill 285. This legislation threatens crucial funding that supports affordable housing and community development work.

Sal Martinez

The bill would modify the Neighborhood Assistance Act by changing the cap on the Affordable Housing and Neighborhood Assistance Tax Credits and by repealing the Development Tax Credit. Additionally, the Affordable Housing Tax Credit cap for investments in affordable housing activities would be reduced from $10 million to $7 million per fiscal year. The Neighborhood Assistance Tax Credit cap would be reduced from $16 million to just $5 million per fiscal year (Sections 32.100 to 32.125). The bill would also place an initial cap of $160 million on Missouri’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program and decrease that cap annually until it reaches $90 million in 2020 (Section 135.352).

Frankly, this could be catastrophic for organizations like ours.

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Kimberly McKinney:
Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis benefits greatly from our participation in the AHAP tax credit program, which allows donors who make qualified contributions to our organization to receive a significant tax liability benefit in exchange for their generosity. It encourages donors to give larger contributions and gives Habitat Saint Louis an extremely effective incentive to present to donors who have significant tax liabilities.

As an example, AHAP tax credits supported the startup, full rent and related expenses for operating ReStore Des Peres—an invaluable income stream for Habitat Saint Louis and a resource for affordable building materials for the Des Peres community. Just last year, ReStore Des Peres took in more than 5,000 donations and diverted 6,000 tons of usable materials from landfills. The facility provides full-time employment for 10 people.

Imagine if those tax credits hadn’t been available to make the dream of ReStore Des Peres a reality.

Over the past three years, tax credit allocations of almost $2.5 million have supported $4 million in donations to Habitat Saint Louis. We rely on this program for much-needed funding to build housing for deserving, hardworking, local families who simply want to raise their families in a safe place they can afford.

Like most organizations doing community development work, Habitat Saint Louis runs a very tight ship, with 86 cents of every dollar going directly to program costs, and just 14 cents going to administrative and fundraising costs. Part of the reason we are so effective at keeping costs down is because we have been able to leverage the AHAP tax credit program to encourage larger donations from qualified donors.

Sal Martinez:
The North Newstead Association has developed over 125 units of quality affordable housing in some of the most impoverished neighborhoods in the City of St. Louis, including Penrose, O’Fallon, and the Greater Ville. These developments would not be have been possible without the support of LIHTCs.

Real families live in these units and contribute to our city in positive ways. These residents are community leaders, parents, shoppers, and friends who make an ongoing positive impact on the socioeconomic reality of their neighborhoods.

During my tenure as Chairman of the St. Louis Housing Authority, LIHTCs were also used to spur the development of quality affordable housing in neglected neighborhoods like St. Louis Place, Peabody Darst Webbe, Covenant Blu, Columbus Square, and Carr Square. These developments provided vital affordable housing opportunities to families and spurred the future development of mixed-income for-sale and rental housing in these same neighborhoods. The LIHTC program was a major catalyst in helping these neighborhoods transform into more viable places to live and work.

—

We cannot lose these resources and continue to build as many homes in our community. We need these tax credits. The families who turn to us for hope need them, too.

You can help. We urge you to please use your voice to tell your State Senator how vitally important these tax credits are in creating affordable housing for families teetering on the brink of poverty. We and other organizations like ours are deeply grateful for your help in preserving this critical source of income that benefits affordable housing in our region.

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As Chief Executive Officer of Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis for over a decade, Kimberly McKinney is responsible for the overall operation of the St. Louis affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. Locally, Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis has built almost 400 houses. Kimberly’s primary duties include board recruitment and development, strategic planning, community relations, and advocacy.

Kimberly initially began as Development Director with Habitat for Humanity in 1997 after relocating to St. Louis from Tennessee, where she held management positions in both the public and private sector. In 2012, she was selected as one of the twenty-five “Most Influential Women” by the St. Louis Business Journal.

Kimberly serves on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of Rise (formerly RHCDA), the Board and Executive Committee of the Community Builders Network of Metro St. Louis, the Board of Innovative Technology Education Fund, and the Board of Nonprofit MO. She is a past member of the US Council for Habitat for Humanity International and a current member of St. Louis Women’s Forum and CREW.

Kimberly and her husband, Kevin, reside in the City of St. Louis.

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Sal Martinez has established himself as a force in the comprehensive revitalization of the St. Louis region. Martinez, who received his Bachelor of Science degree in Urban Education in 1994 from Harris-Stowe State College, was employed by the college as Neighborhood Services Coordinator from 1996-1998. During his tenure at College, Martinez served as a liaison to many local social service and non-profit agencies. These experiences had a profound effect on Martinez, as he developed a keen interest in assisting in the rebuilding of St. Louis’s many disinvested neighborhoods.

Since then, Martinez has spent years working with St. Louis-area efforts to develop and promote mixed income and affordable housing, innovative economic development, historic revitalization, and safety, security, and health programming for residents. He has served as Executive Director of the Grand Rock Community Economic Development Corporation, the Vashon/Jeff-Vander-Lou Initiative, and Community Renewal and Redevelopment, Inc. In January of 2017, Martinez was appointed as the Executive Director of the North Newstead Association (NNA). The NNA (which recently merged with CRD) is recognized as a community development corporation and has developed over 180 units of affordable housing in addition to promoting a number of human development initiatives for families residing in North St. Louis City.

Martinez has served two terms with the St. Louis Housing Authority Board of Commissioners; during his first, he was elected as the Board’s youngest-ever chairman. He serves on several advisory boards and committees designed to increase minority (MBE), women-owned (WBE), and Section 3 business and workforce participation on both publicly and privately funded construction projects, and is the co-founder of the Minority Contractor Initiative (MCI), which provides training, capacity building and technical assistance to St. Louis-region MBE/WBE/Section 3 construction firms. Martinez is also a long-time member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Martinez has received numerous community service awards from regional and national organizations, including the Human Development Corporation; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.; Better Family Life; Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.; Metro Sentinel Journal; Senior and Disabled Services Committee; St. Louis Argus Newspaper; Employment Connection; St. Louis Housing Authority; Community Asset Management Company; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Committee; and the East-West Gateway Coordinating Council. He also has received the Harris-Stowe State University Distinguished Alumni Award. Martinez serves on the boards of several civic organizations, including the Community Builders Network, Central Patrol Business/Police Association, Civil Rights Enforcement Agency, North Grand Neighborhood Services, Inc., the City of St. Louis Community Jobs Board, and the City of St. Louis MBE/WBE Advisory Board.

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Articles in “From the Field” represent the opinions of the author only and do not represent the views of the Community Builders Network of Metro St. Louis or the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Community Development at Work: Neighborhood Leadership Academy

Neighborhood Leadership Academy Empowers Residents To Make An Impact

Claire Wolff, NLA Director and MU Extension Community Development Specialist

Since Neighborhood Leadership Academy (NLA)’s establishment in 2002, over 250 leaders in neighborhoods and organizations across the St. Louis Metro area have graduated from this program with an UMSL Chancellor’s Certificate in Neighborhood Leadership. The Academy trainings focus on honing leadership skills, learning community development approaches, and cultivating practices in management and organizational leadership. Neighborhood leaders tap into their own connections and networks to enhance their communities and make a lasting difference and change within their environments. A variety of projects have resulted from the drive, creativity, and tenacity of NLA participants, such as establishing youth empowerment programs, conducting community needs assessments, raising funds for local parks and gardens, and organizing neighborhood coalitions.

Claire Wolff, NLA’s new Director and University of Missouri Extension Community Development Specialist, has a background in community development, having most recently worked at Grace Hill, where she collaborated with Creating Whole Communities to create a place-based neighborhood leadership program for the communities within the 63106 and 63107 zip codes. Wolff hopes to grow the impact of the Neighborhood Leadership Academy by developing an “NLA 2.0” to follow up with former NLA cohorts through advanced trainings and workshops that provide an opportunity for community leaders to come together again to share strategies and build relationships.

The current Spring NLA 2017 cohort is now in session and will run through May 17. For any questions or to register for the Fall 2017 NLA, please contact Claire Wolff at wolffca@missouri.edu or 314-516-6392. To access more information on community building strategies and neighborhood leadership while you’re waiting for the next NLA cohort to start up again, check out the Creating Whole Communities website! The NLA team provides you with a free and downloadable Community Toolkit that includes tips and strategies to apply in community and neighborhood-development initiatives and organizations. Visit http://cwc.umsl.edu/nla/ to learn more!

The dots on the map below show where past NLA participants have completed community projects in the St. Louis region.

Written by Elisabeth Coats, CBN Practicum Student