The Woodson Center in Washington, D.C., a nonpartisan organization, announced support for Arkansas' Community Affiliate Network (CAN) Member, the Pine Bluff Interested Citizens for Voter Registration, Inc. for their civic, education, crime prevention, and community engagement.
The Woodson Center recently awarded a $15,000 grant to support PBICVR strategies to enhance the well-being of Pine Bluff residents. "This is great news for PBICVR, a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization working to improve the quality of life for Pine Bluff residents through various initiatives. We struggle year after year to find resources to keep our doors open and provide free income tax preparation for lower-wealth families, often using our personal resources, not to mention the thousands of volunteer hours.
"The Original KingFest fosters a culture of racial respect and appreciation for diversity in the community. We teach the Black history of lesser-known African Americans in Pine Bluff schools utilizing the Woodson Center Lessons/Curriculum, a project providing scholars with lessons and curricula that highlight the contributions and achievements of African Americans in Pine Bluff and beyond," PBICVR Executive Director the Rev. Jesse C. Turner said in a news release.
Turner added the Woodson Center resource also helps PBICVR's efforts to strengthen the development of At-Promise Institute (API), a new initiative for parenting workshops and wraparound support for scholars in danger of entering the juvenile justice system. It supports the PBICVR Respect for Life Homicide Reduction Campaign, which seeks to reduce violence and homicide in Pine Bluff by engaging various stakeholders such as law enforcement, faith-based organizations, youth-serving agencies, and community leaders.
The campaign promotes awareness and the need to reduce violence among all people, specifically African Americans, according to Turner.
"The Woodson Center resources and other collaborating agencies provide the financial synergy we have long needed," he said. "All services PBICVR provides to the community are free of charge."