Business leaders think work with nonprofits will break cycle of poverty, crime

At times – quite often in fact – Walter Strathy feels a bit overwhelmed.

As executive director of Third Street Community Center, headmaster of Third Street Academy and business developer of a new facilities services company, he frequently finds time and resources in short supply. And if for some reason he is tending to one of his roles when he is needed in another, there is no one on the “bench” to fill in.

“Being an executive director of a nonprofit is a lonely place,” Strathy said.

James Haskins can relate. In his six years at Building Hope Community Life Center, he has stared down many of the same giants in the quest to give west Greenville children on an uncertain path a glimmer of hope. There are plenty of life-altering victories to celebrate, but he sometimes wonders if anyone outside the walls of his Ninth Street facility notices.

That may be changing, however.

On a recent rain-scattered Thursday, a group of about 15 that included some of the city’s most influential business leaders spent all or at least part of a 10-hour tour of several local nonprofits to get a first-hand look not only at what they do day after day in the trenches but to learn the obstacles they face.

The tour was inspired by a fall visit to Selma, Ala., where Dallas County District Court Judge Bob Armstrong has spearheaded a transformation of one of the poorest and most racially divided cities in his state, creating partnerships among legal, business and faith-based entities and establishing programs that have reduced youth violence and recidivism, put people to work and most of all inspired hope.

It was an eye-opening experience – and a step in transforming Greenville.

“We said, ‘We want some of that,’” said Sam Johnson, who made the trip to Selma along with a group that included local businessman Parker Overton and recently retired Pitt County Superior Court Judge Rusty Duke.

The one-day tour of Greenville also opened some eyes – and hearts.

“A lot of what’s going on in Selma is already happening in Greenville,” said Webb Tyndall, a financial adviser who helped organize the local tour.

Tyndall said the goal for those who often donate their money but may have never stepped through the doors of many of the area’s ministries aimed to build awareness, encourage the organizations’ leaders, and identify gaps in collaboration and funding.

That also was Strathy’s goal as he highlighted all that is going on at Third Street, ranging from educating 17 pre-K to first-grade students to starting a USDA-classified farm and fruit orchard to adult workforce development and a fatherhood initiative.

“People go on mission trips all over the world. I’d love for them to see how the Lord is moving right here in their own city,” said Strathy, who spent 13-plus years in the corporate world, including 10 years as a company president and chief operating officer, before shifting to full-time ministry.

“I’m counting on God moving their hearts to participate where they’re being led. The main goal is awareness,” Strathy said. “ … I think we achieved that.”

After beginning the morning with breakfast with about 60 homeless people at Community Crossroads Center and ending the day with an introduction to 20 Men of Standard teens at Building Hope, Jule White could not help but be inspired by the grassroots efforts in his hometown.

The real estate developer volunteers for children’s causes through University City Kiwanis, but these few hours touched him on a deeper level.

“I’ve never been more proud to be from Greenville, North Carolina, than I am today,” White said as the tour wrapped up. “I think the main thing is we’ve heard of all these things going on but never seen it. It’s one thing to maybe be asked to give money to something and hear about but never walk in and see it.

“The big thing was learning that we’ve got great stuff happening in Greenville,” White said. “The thing that hurt my heart was learning that we have great things going, but people aren’t necessarily walking alongside these great people doing great things like they need to be.”

Community Crossroads Center stands as an example of the fruit that can be produced when a city’s residents believe in a cause and commit their time and finances, Executive Director Bob Williams said. A capital campaign brought in $2.1 million to replace a building in disrepair. In the last year, the center has served 508 people, and the presence of a family center has increased the number of children being served by 90 percent.

“I think it says a lot about what we as a community care about,” Williams said. “It says that we care about the homeless population, and we want to help those people. It’s not just a matter of putting a roof over their head in the evening and giving them some food. It’s about making those people self-sufficient, giving them the tools they need to get back on their feet, making them tax-paying citizens, making them good citizens.”

Hope of Glory Ministries mirrors that approach and continues to adapt its model of ministry in an effort to empower instead of enable its clients. Along with a thrift store, Hope of Glory has a food warehouse but is transitioning to a co-op program that will provide mentors to aid with budgeting, setting goals and being accountable.

“We want families to have financial health. We want families to be independent, not dependent on us, not dependent on the federal government,” Director of Operations Tony Potter said.

Dependence on prayer and faith is encouraged.

“We can’t miss in our work to share the gospel with people and encourage them. We can’t miss that,” Executive Director Mandi Nichols said. “The biggest thing the Lord has laid on my heart lately is how to get the church and the community to see service and discipleship as one thing.”

Crucial to any remedy of society’s ills is digging to the root causes rather than treating symptoms, Strathy said. But he cautioned that is a long process.

“I think the church has to step in and say, ‘Let’s stop treating chronic issues with a crisis response,” Strathy said. “ … We’re talking about slowly untying the knots that Satan has put into our families, and that takes time. It’s not like an add-water-and-stir kind of thing. Giving somebody a can of beans is a real easy thing and is nice thing to do, and it makes us feel good, but you’ve got to get your hands dirty.”

Cycles of poverty and fatherlessness plague communities and strip opportunities for children well before their teen years. U.S. Census data shows 100 percent of black children within a half-mile radius of Third Street Community Center do not have a father in the home.

Haskins said third-grade reading proficiency is a leading indicator of a child’s path, and not just academically. Data compiled by Building Hope shows children who fall behind in school early likely are headed for futures marked with suspensions, drug use and violence. And those students account for a high percentage of dropouts, inmates and teenage pregnancies.

“You don’t have options, you don’t have vision, you don’t have skills, you’re going to turn to a life of crime,” Haskins said.

Fatherlessness is at the heart of many of society’s ills, Duke said. He witnessed in his courtrooms and believes responsible dads are where change needs to start.

Strathy agrees.

“To us the gospel is all about a dad who goes to great lengths to be with his kids,” he said. “We need to give young men permission to succeed. That’s what your dad does, right? Your dad gives you permission to succeed. So we speak life to our young people and say, ‘You can do this. Just because you come from where you come from doesn’t mean you have to end up there.’”

Tim Grigg, who works with the Department of Social Services, believes what Strathy and others are doing is beginning that transformation.

“I think we’ve been putting Band-Aids on bullet wounds,” he said. “I think now we are starting to dig deep and heal the wound.”

Greg Greene, a former pastor who now owns a Great Harvest Bread Co. franchise, has been in Greenville just two years but sees a city on the verge of change.

“There are a lot deeply faithful people in here that care about the community,” Greene said. “There are lots of opportunities. What excites me is they’re working at the roots and not just at the symptoms. There’s a heart here to do the long, hard work. That’s really where you’re going to see a change over time.

“I think God has been building a foundation here for a long time,” he said. “I think in the next couple of years you’re really going to see that foundation take off. It’s encouraging. There’s a lot of hope.”