PRESERVE EATONVILLE COMMUNITY INC
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Mission Statement
The Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community, Inc. (P.E.C.) is seeking $250,000 for fiscal year 2016 in support of the ZORA! STEM Initiative, our 10-year commitment to address "the leaky pipeline" with special emphasis on the Pre-K-middle school population. These students from historic Eatonville community are predominately African Americans adn they represent a cohorts of students who are historically under-represented in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. This project is a legacy initiative in that it builds upon the history of Robert Hungerford Industrial and Normal School established in 1889 by students from the Tuskegee Institute, Tuskegee, Alabama. Based on the principal of Dr. Booker T. Washington, Hungerford graduates were prepared to find work immediately in a post-agrarian, newly-industrializing 20th century American economy which required workers with skills in the manual arts and crafts.
About This Cause
On December 7, 1987 at 7:00PM, some 200 persons from Eatonville and the surrounding areas of Orange County, Florida gathered at the St. Lawrence African Methodist Episcopal Church in Eatonville to “support opposition” to the proposed county project which called for the five-laning of the existing two-lane road. If this project was allowed to proceed, this expansion would cut through the heart of this tiny African American Community of 2800; it would locate THREE retention ponds – of which would be placed in the town’s park – all of them within 1.4 mile distance and within the eastern boundaries of the town. How could this be? Didn’t county planners know that Eatonville held a special place in the history of the United States? Didn’t they know that this sleepy little community was a literary destination for thousands of readers? Hadn’t elected officials even heard of the charismatic 20th century writer, folklorist and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston, whose hometown is Eatonville? Evidently not – because this “road improvement project” was scheduled for completion by Spring 1990! Local, as well as national community activists, identified this project a “community-buster” because it fit the classic definition of ways to compromise the integrity of a traditional community; namely by (a) moving a community’s school; (b) removing a community’s house of worship; or (c) inserting a highway. So, on that December evening, with the Eatonville Mayor and Town Council present to endorse the meeting; with neighbors from tony Maitland there to lend their support; and with the “grassroots” Eatonville residents ready to formalize their community’s pride into a structured organization, The Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community, Inc. (P.E.C.) was born. The goals of the P.E.C. were both short-term and long-term. In the short-term, we would “support the opposition of five-laning East Kennedy Boulevard from Wymore Road to U.S. 17-92.” For the long-term, we would take all those steps necessary “to preserve the Eatonville Community.” Early on P.E.C.’s founders recognized that historic preservation had to be coupled with vibrant programs in the arts and humanities and that we must focus on educational excellence if we were to be successful in our mission of conserving the precious heritage and cultural resources extant in Historic Eatonville. Thus, the P.E.C. initials of the organization’s name also became the descriptive tags for our three core areas of programs and services: P-Pride in Heritage, E-Educational Excellence and C-Cultural Arts. Over the years, P.E.C. developed programming that is statewide, regionally and nationally for its quality. One such example, the Annual Zora Neale Hurston™ Festival of the Arts and Humanities (ZORA™ Festival) has been named as “One of the 23 Cultural Tourism Success Stories” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Endowment for the Arts; and has, since its beginning in 1990, drawn over 1,000,000 visitors to its “always the last week in January,” multi-day offerings of museum exhibitions, theatrical productions, public talks, pre-K-grade 12 educational programs, and outdoor event featuring vendors, stage performances and lifestyle pavilions. Another of P.E.C. distinguished program is the Zora Neale Hurston™ National Museum of Fine Arts (The Hurston) where the public may enjoy the creative work of artists of African ancestry, whether they be native-born in the United States of who live throughout the Diaspora. Since 1990, The Hurston has featured visual artists such as Betye Saar, Sam Gilliam, Carrie Mae Weems, William Pajaud, Samella Lewis, Deborah Willis, and the late Benny Andrews, Romare Bearden, John Biggers, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence and John Scott. In addition, we have developed resources so that the children of this “low, socio-economic” community have access to the current technology they will need in order to complete globally. Indeed, in 1996, it was P.E.C. who established the Excellence Without Excuse (E-WE) Community Computer Lab, a safe, well-staffed facility located in the heart of the community. Today, almost 20 years, the E-WE Lab serves children and families. Having now completed a quarter century of service, our organization is re-doubling its efforts to create a fiscally-strong agency, stabilizing our financial infrastructure in order to insure longevity. Additionally, we are re-enforcing our efforts to utilize the arts and culture as a catalyst for economic development in Eatonville. In other words, P.E.C. has continued to remain true to our stated mission. As our ultimate goal is to preserve Eatonville’s precious heritage; to assist the community’s return to the educational excellence it once enjoyed, thereby ensuring its ability to survive as a “healthy” community; and to utilize its heritage and cultural resources to benefit its economic growth, our organization must address certain challenges almost simultaneously. 1. Long-term education is the key to Eatonville’s sustainability. If the community’s children are unable at a minimum to “read, write, and cipher,” they will not be capable of maintaining their hometown because they will be academically unprepared to secure a job. “Truth be told,” however, they are going to need more than minimum skills to be competitive in a global marketplace. Therefore, the most important work of our organization is making a positive impact on the education the children receive. 2. Another important challenge facing Eatonville is its economic development. Eatonville continues to be the largest remaining undeveloped parcel of land in Northeast Orange County; and the citizens of Eatonville, known as a “low socio-economic” community pay the highest ad valorem taxes in the County; far in excess of its sister communities, such as Maitland and/or Windermere. 3. Finally, there is the challenge of health disparities and how for example, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, et al are present, disproportionately, within Eatonville; and the negative consequences of such unhealthy conditions. Over the next decade, it will be these three areas where our organization will need to focus its attention. ZORA™ STEM Initiative The Legacy of the Robert Hungerford Industrial and Normal School: P.E.C.’s 10-Year Commitment to Community Preservation Two years after the town of Eatonville was incorporated, the Hungerford Normal and Industrial School was founded by Robert F. Hungerford, Russell and Mary Calhoun, the school’s first and second principals, patterned the school after Dr. Booker T. Washington’s Tuskegee Institute. The Regional Campus was built on thirty-six acres of land. The school was designed to teach students the work ethic, sound moral and human values and the proper social graces. Hungerford graduates were prepared to find work immediately on a post-agrarian, newly industrializing 20th century American economy or to continue their education in a college setting. P.E.C.’s 10-year commitment to address “the leaky pipeline,” with special emphasis on the middle school population, whose cohort is composed of persons historically under-represented in STEM careers. Dr. Pamela McCauley, Professor of Industrial Engineering & Management Systems and Prof. Anthony Major, Program Director, Africana Studies; and Program Director Zora Neale Hurston Institute for Documentary Studies at the University of Central Florida (Orlando) are leading our research effort. Background Concerning STEM Nationwide: STEM Pipeline – Leaking Badly – In 2001, there were a bit more than 4 million 9th graders. Four years later, 2.8 million of them graduated and 1.9 million went on to two-or four-year college; only 1.3 million were actually ready for college work. Fewer than 300,000 are majoring in STEM fields and only about 167,000 are expected to be STEM college graduates by 2011. What has P.E.C. accomplished to date with the ZORA!™ STEM Initiative? ZORA!™ STEM Conference for students in Grades 6-12, Friday, “Education Day,” January 31, 2014, 25th Annual Zora Neale Hurston™ Festival of the Arts and Humanities (ZORA!™ Festival) – UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management with 135 participating students predominately from Orange County Public Schools ZORA! STEM Summer Camp for Middle Schools students June 16 – July 11, 2014 Maitland Middle School 39 enrolled 29 graduates The ZORA!™ STEM A Special “Education Day” Program for Students in Grades 6-12 Friday, January 30, 2015 Valencia College – West Campus Presented at the 26th Annual Zora Neale Hurston™ Festival of the Arts and Humanities (ZORA!™ Festival) by The Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community, Inc. (P.E.C.). As we prepare for our upcoming 2-years, these are key programs: Planning for ZORA!™ STEM Summer Camp – June 15 – July 17, 2015 Seeking Partners to help advance The ZORA!™ STEM Initiative Planning for 2016 ZORA!™ STEM Fundraiser – International Women’s Day, Saturday, March 5, 2016 3rd ZORA!™ STEM Summer Camp – June 13 – July 22, 2016 Here are some of the ZORA!™ STEM Partners: Brighthouse Networks Congresswoman Corrine Brown – Florida 5th District Duke Energy National Center for Simulation Valencia College Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division Orange County Public Schools Orlando Science Center UCF College of Arts & Humanities and Various Departments Florida High Tech Corridor Council UCF College of Medicine techPATH UCF Chapter of National Society of Black Engineers Team Orlando Universal Orlando Foundation InGlur, Inc. Carnival Cruise