When
people travel through the Normandy School District, they may notice
a common thread – the rose verbena flower.
On
Saturday morning, 500 volunteers planted 1,800 rose verbena flowers
in the district’s 24 municipalities. It’s part of the 24:1
Initiative, which stands for 24 leaders and communities coming
together for one school district.
“It’s
going to tell people that something is happening here,” said Chris
Krehmeyer, president and CEO of the nonprofit Beyond Housing.
“People are working together to make change.
Krehmeyer
and Beyond Housing organized the effort, “Progress in Bloom,” to
symbolize the completion of the 24:1 Community Plan.
Over the
past year at 52 community meetings, community leaders and
stakeholders have met to define the needs and challenges of the
district’s neighborhoods. On Saturday morning, Beyond Housing
passed out copies of the final plan or “roadmap” to their shared
vision of strong communities, engaged families and successful
children.
“The
people living in my district have been looking for a way to make
their community better and have found their solution in 24:1,” said
St. Louis County Councilwoman Hazel Erby.
“When we
all come together, look what we can make happen. I have been
working with the residents and leaders, Beyond Housing to make
strong communities, engaged families and successful children a
reality. It’s a dream we have, but we have to make it a
reality.”
The plan
outlines “impact areas.”
For
example, an estimated 43 percent of residents are obese compared to
21 percent of St. Louis County residents. To improve the health of
residents, 24:1 aims to connect residents with health care,
insurance and education.
About 13
percent of residents in the 24:1 area are unemployed, compared to
six percent in St. Louis County as a whole. Through improving
access to job training and small business development, the
municipalities aim to attract more employment.
And just
like gardeners needs shovels to plant, residents need financial
tools for long-term wealth creation. Currently this area has 36
“alternative financial outlets” and only four formal banks. This
shows the need for providing practical financial management
training among residents and breaking down barriers to formal
banking systems.
Students
equally need tools. About 45 percent of students entering
kindergarten at Normandy School District are considered prepared,
according to the plan. In order to have successful children, the
24:1 plan will focus on early education development, supporting
school services, and providing access to extracurricular activities
and college prep opportunities.
Before the
volunteers put their hands in the dirt, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, a
current world-record holder and four-time Olympian from East St.
Louis, led the group in stretches and warm ups.
“I
understand what it means to plant a seed,” she said. “In the young
people’s lives, we talk about education, but we have to plant that
seed.”
