January 27, 2008
Dear Donor,
On behalf of the Freedom Foundation, I would like to take a moment to share our accomplishments and thank you for your financial support in 2007.
When an organization is birthed it often goes through several stages of development as it grows and matures into its final identity. The Freedom Foundation has gone through several growing stages this year and I believe that with each stage we are coming more into the vision that initially inspired the creation of the foundation.
The most significant growth came when the board unanimously agreed at our April meeting to move the headquarters to Selma, AL. We clearly saw the need to focus our efforts and make a substantial investment in Selma as support from city leaders grew and where we see so much potential for positive change and renewal. Our desire and mission in Selma is to play a part in restoring the downtown area as a vibrant hub for community events as well as help restore hope and unity in the community. We don’t claim to have all the answers for Selma but do believe that our efforts help support those that are also working towards a brighter future for the city and its residents.
This move gave us the ability to make significant progress toward our primary project - renovating a historical downtown building into a youth leadership institute and community center. During 2007, we made tremendous progress on the renovation project. We have a volunteer crew that spent more than 400 man hours removing the aluminum siding from the building and exposing the beautiful historic brick structure and windows from the early 1900's. We also completed environmental and structural surveys of the building, which was necessary before any demolition work could begin. The dedication of our volunteers has been amazing – totaling more than 1,200 hours of donated labor. We have completed the demolition and clean up of the basement and three floors of the 5-story building and removed more than 4,000 cubic yards of trash and debris from the building.
In addition to our work on the Tepper’s building, much of our attention has gone to establishing our organization in the community. We have connected with a variety of groups that are working to uplift and improve the community. Here is just a sampling of some of the community outreach we did throughout the year:
• Sponsored Real Talk radio, a positive community-based radio show, to help promote community events, share local personalities and help the community appreciate different cultures
• Partnered with local School Uniform drive to raise nearly $1,000 to help purchase school uniforms and distribute to over 300 students unable to afford new uniforms for the school year. (continued on next page)
WHO WE ARE
History
Our Mission
Letter from Trustees
Staff & Board of Directors
News
WHAT WE DO
The Need in Selma
Downtown Revitalization
Youth Development
Real Talk Radio
GET INVOLVED
Volunteer
Community Events
Donate Now
You can contact us at:
Freedom Foundation
PO Box 715
Selma, AL 36701
(334) 375-3606
