Billy The Exterminator We Need Your Help

Uploaded by iambuddyhuggins on May 13, 2011

Billy The Exterminator We Need Your Help

News Release

GREENVILLE (May 10, 2011) - The Delta Citizens Alliance (DCA) is introducing a holistic community development approach to the impoverished tri-state region, thanks to a $50,000 two-year grant from W. K. Kellogg Foundation.

"The goal is to raise the consciousness level in the Delta so residents generate their own solutions," said DCA Director Larry Williams. "We need to affect a change in mindset after decades of apathy and negative perceptions, of racism, depression and low self-esteem."

By helping residents to realize the power their own thinking plays in creating their experience, the DCA hopes to see improvements in school drop-out rates, financial literacy, and citizen involvement within three targeted communities.

The funds are part of W. K. Kellogg Foundation's $200,000 commitment to the National Community Resiliency Project (NCRP), run by the Center for Sustainable Change.

The Delta has one of the highest rates of obesity, diabetes, and infant mortality in the US. Efforts will focus on training residents in high-risk communities with the 3 Principles approach. The first project is Advent Heights, a housing project in Greenville.

The 3 Principles approach has improved family relationships and school behavior in other areas of the US where it has been introduced. The Lakewood neighborhood of Charlotte, NC, saw a 74 % drop in aggravated assaults during a three-year period.

"In every community where the 3 Principles are implemented, we have observed profound changes in a variety of mental wellness categories," said Williams.

The non-profit Center for Sustainable Change brings its time-tested model for releasing human resiliency to some of the most distressed areas of the country in partnership with local organizations in the Mississippi Delta, Charlotte, NC, Des Moines, IA, and other locations. The Center won the California Peace Prize for projects in Oakland, CA. For more information, visit www.centerforsustainablechange.org

The W. K. Kellogg Foundation, established in 1930, supports children, families and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society. Grants are concentrated in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and southern Africa. For further information on the foundation, please visit www.wkkf.org


Media Contacts:

Larry Williams, 662-820-5381

Director, Delta Citizens Alliance

Tasha Griffin
Operations Manager

Delta Citizens Alliance

P.O. Box 5335

Greenville, MS 38704