JLSP Members Meet with Saint Paul Mayor’s Staff on Community Service Opportunities

Contributed by Christine Sand, Project Research Committee

As part of the on-going efforts of the Project Research Committee to develop options for JLSP community service, JLSP members met with two of the Mayor’s staff on Thursday. Jill Skogheim, Christine Sand, and Katie Misukanis met with Erica Schumacher, Director of Neighborhood Initiatives and Nancy Homans, Policy Director.

The purpose of the meeting was to hear about the Mayor’s initiatives to improve the neighborhoods in Saint Paul, and to ask for advice and input from the Mayor’s staff on how best JLSP can contribute to improving the Saint Paul community.

The information was endless; so much to learn and absorb about the diverse city of Saint Paul. One topic was the Promise Neighborhood grant Saint Paul received from the federal government, based on the Harlem Children’s Zone, one of the topics Mayor Coleman addressed at the April 2010 JLSP General Membership Meeting. The planning and implementation of the Promise Neighborhood in Frogtown will provide integrated services, focusing on the needs of the community. This model, by 2012, will be part of every neighborhood in Saint Paul.

One suggestion from the Mayor’s Office was to think about how we can broaden our current role. Today, JLSP provides food to families at Dayton Bluff’s, plays with children, reads to the children, and improves their environment. How can we take it a step further? Can we create homework “makeover” rooms at more recreation centers? Can we create reading corners at recreation centers? Can we educate parents about the need to do pre-K screening earlier than age 5?

At the end of the meeting this was clear: 1) The Mayor and his staff understand JLSP and what we are currently doing in the community and what our potential is; 2) The Mayor’s staff understands the challenges of finding rewarding community service for an on-going volunteer membership, like JLSP, and wants to work with us to find impactful opportunities; 3) JLSP has many opportunities to find our “niche” and be a part of improving our community.

Stay tuned for more on the Promise Neighborhood and the research done by the JLSP Project Research Committee.