WILLIE CLARK FOUNDATION

MISSION STATEMENT

To empower central Florida communities by providing information and resources that assist individuals in solving personal and neighborhood problems.

OVERVIEW

In this era of ever tightening government budgets, escalating debt and political gridlock, now more than ever it is important that individuals and communities are equipped to solve problems themselves. To that end, The Willie Clark Foundation was incepted as a non-profit corporation on Feb. 19, 2004. The WCF is organized for the purpose of empowering individuals and communities through resource allocation, seminars, broadcasts, publishing, event implementation and advocacy.

The Willie Clark Foundation’s areas of emphasis are human development, racial harmony and social progress. Through strategic partnerships with businesses and other non-profit organizations the Willie Clark Foundation will implement efforts to address concerns in the three areas of emphasis. WCF will endeavor to engender critical thinking, self-actualization, personal responsibility and unity in our communities.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

In its brief existence, The Willie Clark Foundation has participated in several notable community assistance efforts. In the spring of 2004, the foundation teamed up with Orange Co. Com. Homer Hartage and the Ivey Lane Neighborhood Center to present the “Taking Back Our Streets” festival and rally against drugs and crime in the Ivey Lane community. After the area was devastated by hurricanes in the summer of 2004, the Clark Foundation partnered with the Christian Eternal Prayer Assoc. (CEPA) to provide food, water, ice to the neighborhoods in west Orlando. The organization also rendered assistance to several neighborhood clean-up efforts in the wake of the storms. Currently, the foundation is working with Maynard Evans High School to assist their students in raising the school’s score on the state assessment test from an “F” to an “A”. As a part of this effort the Clark Foundation, with the assistance of area businesses, will give computers to many of the students through its Tech Outreach Project.

TECH OUTREACH PROJECT

OVERVIEW

The Tech Outreach Project is an effort to bridge the “technology gap” between central Florida’s disadvantaged communities and the general population.

Research by the State of Florida’s Power Up program and Black Family.Net indicates:

· The state’s black and Hispanic households are 50% less likely to own a computer.

· 45.8% of Black children, 3-17 years old, have access to a home computer while 82.7% of White non-Hispanic children in the same age range have a computer at home.

· 24.7% of Black children, 3-17 years old, have Internet access at home while 50.2% of White non-Hispanic children in the same age group have Internet access at home.

RAMIFICATIONS

Should the current trend continue unfettered, the result will be a gentrified, low-tech class of citizens locked out of the American mainstream. In all aspects of life, computer skills and Internet access are becoming a standard not an option. As the country and the world surges forward into the “Information Age” under-served communities will find themselves with less access to jobs, education, business, government, healthcare, etc.

THE PLAN

The Tech Outreach Project provides free computers to residents of disadvantaged areas that complete computer orientation classes. All participants are clients of local community centers and/or service agencies located in neighborhoods with a preponderance of low performing schools.

COMPUTERS

Corporations that have recently updated their computer network and have no use for their old PC’s donate them to Tech Outreach. New governmental restrictions on the disposal of computers make our offer an attractive one. Instead paying to have their computers disposed of in an environmentally safe manner. They can donate them back into the community then use the contribution as a tax write-off. The result is a win for the environment, the community and the corporation. Tech Outreach has already secured a contribution of 400 computers from Wachovia Bank with more to come.

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