CARING COMMUNITY'S NEIGHBORHOOD ASSESSMENTS ARE VALUABLE

A response to the citizen's comments in Speak Out about waste of dollars by the Community Caring Council gives me the opportunity to explain in more detail about our council, its mission and briefly its excellent work.

More than eight years ago, out of frustration over the lack of communication and cooperation between agencies and institutions working with families and children, we formulated the council. We began collectively to solve some of the social problems in the community. Now, I am pleased to report, we are almost a hundred agencies, individuals and institutions strong, and strong is the word.

Our council has more than 200 members all working on the goal of "empowering families to be self-reliant, responsible and resourceful." We have task-force committees working in specific problem areas. We have helped to form and encourage councils all over Southeast Missouri. We are recognized as an example of how a community pulling together can find a better way to solve its own problems of families by aiding families to help themselves to a better life.

Our Community Caring Council has served as a model, not only within our state, but to other states. We have had support from our U.S. senators and our late congressman, Bill Emerson.

Because of all the collaborative work done by the Community Caring Council and its record of bringing the community together to work on issues of concern, the council has been designated as one of seven sites in the state to implement and expand the Caring Communities concept.

Caring Communities is an effort to change the way services are provided for families and children, mainly through the schools. It offers a local community the opportunity to have a say in what services are needed and to develop a strategic plan on how the community will make better use of the resources that are already in place, use state dollars more efficiently and be accountable for what we do. Caring Communities directs all its efforts to reach six core results:

-- Parents working.

-- Children and families safe in their homes and neighborhoods.

-- Children and families healthy.

-- Children ready to enter school.

-- Children being successful in school.

-- Youth completing school and entering productive adulthood.

The Community Caring Council has been the facilitator to bring a broad and diverse representation from the community together to form a Community Partnership Resource Board to begin implementation of Caring Communities in four school neighborhoods (Franklin, Jefferson, May Greene and Washington). The board includes a parent from each of these school neighborhoods, a representative from the faith community, someone from the public schools, someone from the business community, a city government representative, a member of the school board, a member of the Community Caring Council board and a representative each from the Division of Family Services, the county health department, the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Labor. This board is the consensus-building group and has the responsibility for the implementation of Caring Communities. The Community Caring Council provides continuing support and oversight for the Community Partnership Resource Board.

One of the requirements for receiving funding for implementing Caring Communities and a prerequisite in developing a strategic plan is to do asset mapping to find out what strengths and resources are available in each neighborhood. Rather than go out and hire outside consultants to do the traditional needs assessment, Caring Communities elected to encourage people from the neighborhoods to help with the surveys. Volunteers walked the walk by going door to door talking to people in the community and gathering information about the positive resources in the neighborhood. A donation was made to the charity of their choice in the name of each volunteer who gave up a Saturday to go out in the neighborhoods and do the door-to-door surveys. Many organizations received the benefit of the work of these volunteers, as all donations went to community nonprofit organizations such as the Boy Scouts, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, the Senior Nutrition Center, the Humane Society, Habitat for Humanity and others. One high school senior class came and worked for a day to raise money for its senior trip. The information and data gathered by these volunteers will be invaluable as a planning tool, not only for Caring Communities, but for any other city planning effort. The money that would otherwise have gone to professional consultants went instead back into the neighborhoods. We do not consider that a waste, but a unique and creative way to get a job done.

The results of these door-to-door surveys, which have now covered almost all of the city of Cape Girardeau, will be tabulated along with information gathered from public forums and focus groups held at various locations in the community. These results will give a broad picture of the community. By identifying strengths and resources of the community, we can avoid duplication and better judge where the gaps are. We can work together to address those areas of concern in the most efficient manner. The Community Caring Council has broad representation in the community. Meetings are open. Participation is not only encouraged, but extremely welcome.

Mary C. Kasten is the state representative from the 158th District in Cape Girardeau.