A Gainesville grassroots organization is launching a new initiative to improve student performance in East Gainesville.
James Lawrence, the director of Gainesville4All, presented the initiative, called the “empowerment zone,” at Eastside High School on Thursday. The zone is meant to provide services to improve student performance at Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and W.A. Metcalfe Elementary Schools, which both send many of its students on to attend Howard W. Bishop Middle School.
Services will include tutoring, mentoring, mental health counseling for students and job counseling for parents. The group plans to launch the initiative Oct. 13.
United Way of North Central Florida, a local branch of the nationwide nonprofit, has agreed to provide its services, Lawrence said. He hopes more individuals and businesses in the community will contribute because the empowerment zone depends on volunteers and doesn’t have funding.
“We are not to be viewed as saviors,” Lawrence said. “We are partners.”
The group will hold a stakeholders meeting Sept. 17 involving community leaders like pastors and social agency providers. Lawrence hopes the zone will improve the coordination of community services.
“We want to get these people to the table, so they can talk and hopefully make a bigger impact,” he said.
Tamelia Malcolm, the parent-teacher-student-association president of Howard Bishop Middle School, said she hopes the initiative will create a partnership between Howard Bishop and the elementary schools.
“Any support into a community that has disparities would be beneficial,” Malcolm, 36, said. “It depends on how they involve families. Parents need to be at the table.”
Contact Jessica Curbelo at jcurbelo@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @jesscurbelo
Fourth grader Brianna Smith holds out a Dr. Seuss book to show the picture to other kids in her after-school program.
