The December 2011 Project on Women in Public Service
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For four days we were pleased to have with us five visitors from Jordan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone here on an informative program examining Women in Public Service.
The delegation was welcomed to Pensacola by Councilwoman Maren DeWeese who presented them with honorary citizenship to the City of Pensacola and gave the group an overview of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). Following this, the group toured the Historic Belmont-Devilliers District to see the work of the CRA in action. They then enjoyed a true southern lunch catered by the clients of Community Enterprise Investment, Inc. which Executive Director James Oleksak arranged. Following lunch, Mr. Oleksak talked to the group about community loans and micro-financing before sending them to Oh Snap! Cupcakes, a client of CEII, where Chelsea Murphy welcomed them with open arms and cupcakes, allowing the group to see a thriving local business in action.
The day ended with a moving meeting at Take Stock in Children facilitated by Angi Brown. The visitors were impressed with the work being done by this nonprofit and many left with tears of joy.
That evening, the group enjoyed a further dose of southern hospitality as Brian & Vicki Barlow, Gerry & Leslie Yandle, and Mike & Diane Moran opened their homes to the visitors for dinner parties and exchange.
The following morning, Sarah Bossa from Manna met the group at Oakcrest Elementary School. Leigh Ann South was kind enough to give them a tour of the community gardens planted at the school and explained how Manna and the school implemented instructive cooking classes in each of the classrooms. She also introduced them to the backpack club which aims to address student hunger. After a tour of the school, the group head to Manna’s main location to tour the large facility with its community gardens and food pantry stations.
That afternoon, the women were joined by some of Pensacola’s most active female volunteers. Kristine Karsten, Cynthia Hermann, and Terri Marshall spoke with the group regarding women in business, philanthropic work, and support systems. The discussion was enthusiastic and many great ideas were exchanged making it a valuable meeting for all involved.
Their professional meeting concluded by attending the graduation ceremony of Bridges to Circles where Estella Lee greeted them. Bridges to Circles is a community initiative of Catholic Charities which pairs economically disadvantaged individuals with community mentors. After learning about the program, the visitors met with the graduates to discuss their experience with the program. The international visitors were truly touched to have the opportunity to participate in the final stage of this group’s journey.
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To see more delegation photos, go to www.flickr.com/photos/gccdc.
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