Category: COMMUNITY

 BY ANDREA LUNA

NNB Student Reporter

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. —  On a hot fall day the sun is scorching the pavement making the heat rise in visible waves as the eighth-grade class patiently waits for Elizabeth “Auntie” Perkins to unlock the classroom door.

The school’s website describes their mission:

“To inspire and empower students qualifying for need-based scholarships to become future community leaders through a rigorous middle school program coupled with ongoing graduate support.”

Elizabeth and her colleague Sonja Felton are the ongoing graduate support. They keep in touch with the students through high school and college.

The sizzling of the pavement and the lively conversations are drowned out by the school bell.

Elizabeth unlocks the door and props it open with her body as the students file their way into the air-conditioned classroom.

The gentlemen are first.

One by one they acknowledge Mrs. Perkins with a firm handshake and a “good morning.”

She locks eyes with each one of them and shows off her pearly white teeth.

One student tries to sneak past her without acknowledging.

Big mistake.

She pulls him back to the door by his sweater and ensures he starts the process again, this time with a firm handshake, a “good morning Mrs. Perkins,” and full eye contact.

The process repeats until all the ladies have made their way into the classroom.

This is the graduating class at Academy Prep Center of St. Petersburg, Fla., and today they are working on their high school applications.

She walks the room checking on the progress of each student and answering as many questions as she can.

This is her time to encourage these kids about their future. This is her time to make them realize their potential and to show them options they may have never considered.

Mrs. Perkins has been helping kids find their potential and changing lives for 11 years.

Class is done, and the filing out process is much quicker as the students rush to the basketball courts. Mrs. Perkins is still the door proper and smiles at each of them on their way out.

As we make our way to her office she stops multiple times to talk to different students.

She knows each one by name. She gets on their level and locks eyes and for that moment, they are all she sees. Undivided attention.

She asks where they are coming from and where they are headed. She reminds them to walk. She uses terms of endearment like “baby” and “sweetheart.”

Any outsider looking in would think that this is a mother who came to visit her child at school. Lastly, she sends them off with a smile and tells them to have a great day.

Her journey continues to her office.

The door opens and a slender flight of stairs leads to another door. This woman has been climbing these same stairs for 11 years.

We walk into her office, which is covered in collegiate pennants and pictures of her family. There is a skylight above her desk that casts an angelic glow on her skin.

She is waiting for me to give directions. I tell her to go about her business while I set up and capture some footage of her in her environment. A nervous chuckle is her response.

The second the camera begins to record she squirms in her seat. She is uncomfortable when the spotlight is on her.

“I don’t see me as a hero or anything more than just a person trying to help the next person,” Perkins says with a tear in her eye.

BY SAMANTHA MESERVEY

NNB Student Reporter

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Music blares from overhead, chains rattle, metal clashes to the floor, and a symphony of men roaring fills the air. The All People’s TyRon Lewis Community Gym which is located in Midtown, seems to have a revolving door. Member after member walks in, signs their name into a log book, and enters the gym ready to better their lifestyle.

The gym is a program provided by African People’s Education and Defense Fund (APEDF) which is dedicated to defending the human and civil rights of the African American community. There are 44 members, and although it appears small from the outside the inside is furnished with all the necessary equipment the members need to achieve an accomplished workout. The gym does not require a yearly contract, instead a monthly fee of $20.00 is collected. They also provide a sliding pay scale for the members who may need some financial assistance.

Along with a fully equipped gym, the facility provides multiple programs including Boxerobics, and Body Camps. The programs are free for members and $5.00 for non-members. Another program offered by the gym is a Kids Fit Camp that is provided free of charge for all children in the community.

The manager of the center and certified personal trainer, John Thomas, believes it is not just the adults who need to change but that a healthy community starts with the children.

“Kids are playing too many video games,” Thomas explains. “We want them to get back to being kids.”

The program is held outside and uses running, jumping, and playing to show the kids how fun exercising can be.

Another thing the Tyron Lewis Gym provides is nutrition counseling. Thomas works to teach members how to eat right on a budget.

“It’s expensive to eat healthy, but the revolution starts at your dinner plate,” Thomas said.

Thomas is not unfamiliar with the struggles and hardships of achieving a healthy lifestyle. He was once overweight and diagnosed with both diabetes and high blood pressure, which Thomas says are two of the most common health problems in the Midtown community. This was a wake-up call for him and he began to change his eating and exercise habits. With no help from medications Thomas was able to reverse both these disorders.

“It is near and dear to my heart that these problems can be fixed without medication,” Thomas said.

Thomas is not the only success story TyRon Lewis Gym holds. Although Thomas’ inspiration fuels the gym’s members it is a fellow member who acts as instant motivation.

Leonard Rodgers lost his left leg in a motorcycle accident, but you can still find him at the gym every weekday—sometimes twice a day. As Rodgers does bicep curls, standing without the aid of a prosthetic leg, gym member Bennie Diflavis stops to admire Rodgers’ ambition.

“This is amazing, give me an excuse,” Diflavis shouts as he points to Rodgers.

It is obvious this gym is not just a building full of exercise equipment and muscular men. It is a building filled with stories and inspirations.

The only real problem the center encounters is getting more people to realize the benefits of living healthy. Gym volunteer Danyelle Wilson knows community is strong throughout the Midtown area and is usual source of inspiration for people.

“The residents really need community to get them in here,” Wilson explains.

Community is exactly what the Tyron Lewis Gym offers.

“We are one big family here,” gym manager Thomas said.

BY ALEXA NEWSOME

NNB Student Reporter

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Painting with a Twist offers a different approach from the traditional painting class. It provides enjoyable, recreational activities for Midtown residents who want to learn how to paint or just want to have fun.

Leslie and Marvin Gay started the company at 2527 Central Ave. in 2009, after moving from New Orleans, La. to St. Petersburg, Fla. Leslie Gay was an accountant and Marvin Gay was a CPA.

“They had something like this in New Orleans called Corks N Canvas,” Leslie Gay said. “I just really enjoyed it and always had fun. Nothing like this was offered down here.”

Leslie and Marvin Gay originally planned to retire after moving. However, Leslie Gay kept in constant contact with the founders of Corks N Canvas, Cathy Deano and Renee Maloney, after moving to St. Petersburg. The couple, with the founders of Corks N Canvas, decided to franchise the business as Painting with a Twist, the first of its kind in Florida.

Painting with a Twist offers two and three hour painting classes where an artist provides step-by-step instructions. The two hour classes are $35.00 and the three hour classes are $45.00. The paint, brushes, and canvas are all provided. Private parties are offered for groups with 10 or more. Guests can pick a class they want to attend and register online. There are a variety of classes offered based on subjects, like animals, landscapes, or abstracts. The schedule of themes is posted one month in advance, along with the times of the classes.

What is the twist? Costumers are encouraged to bring their favorite bottle of wine or beverage. Leslie and Marvin Gay want their guests to enjoy themselves and have a fun experience.

People of all ages attend painting classes for different reasons like birthday parties, date nights, and family events. Customers must be at least 21 years old to drink.

Lindsey Albright, 21, and Jenn Wisse, 22, like having their girl’s night out here.

“I just think it’s more fun and classy than going out to a bar or club for some drinks,” Albright said.

The girls enjoy being able to drink and meet new people, while learning how to paint. Both think it’s a nice change of scenery.

“I like that it’s an art project that I’m able to finish during each class,” Wisse said. “I tend to start things, like crocheting, and I never finish because I forget about it or don’t have time.”

Leslie and Marvin Gay always give back to the community through their business. Once a month, they host an event called Painting with a Purpose, where they team up with local charities and non-profits. This event is structured like a regular painting class, but half of the proceeds from that class go directly to the charity. Through these events, thousands of dollars have been donated to many local non-profit organizations.

Painting with a Twist also has multiple fundraisers throughout each month.

The September Painting with a Purpose was hosted on Sunday, Sept. 15. They donated to Faith Hope and Determination, which is a non-profit that promotes awareness for people with blood cancers in the minority community. With an occupancy limit of 50 people, 43 people attended this event. They also had a fundraiser for the Suncoast Basset Rescue on Sept. 7, which was sold out with 50 people attending the event.

The October Painting with a Purpose will be held on Oct. 12, and they will be donating to the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society. There will be three other fundraisers in October. Two are for the American Heart Association, which will be held on Oct. 25 and Oct. 27. The third fundraiser is for the Florida Poodle Rescue, which will be held on Oct. 5.

Leslie and Marvin Gay always try to promote awareness for events through Facebook and by emailing to customers. They will continue to give back to the Midtown community and provide fun painting classes to its residents.

 BY ANDREA LUNA

NNB Student Reporter

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Midtown Rotary is sponsoring two exchange students this year as part of the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. The local rotary provides a host family, a small stipend and different volunteer opportunities for the students to be involved in.

Joe Smith, 50, is the president elect of the Midtown Rotary club.

“If you know people you don’t go to war with them. We strive to influence the youth of the nation,” Smith said in a telephone interview.

Pimtip Pim Promgerd, 17, is from Thailand and living in the states for the next year.

Her host family, the Comsikey’s welcomed her into their home as their son, Andrew Comiskey, ventured off to the Czech Republic.

“We hope she has a good time and that she likes us,” Nancy Comiskey said.

Promegerd attends high school, rotary events and is helping out the Interact Club at the Academy Prep School in Midtown on their mission to help an under funded school in Thailand.

“Pim is an integral part of that project, she will be speaking to the students about Thailand and she may even know the school that the students are trying to help. Do you see the connection and impact?” Smith asks.

When you think about it, these young people are extremely courageous. They are immersed in a different culture, living with strangers, sometimes barely knowing the language, and they serve the host community.

Promegerd is enrolled at Saint Petersburg High School.

“The first week of school I bowed when I passed older people. In Thailand we cannot color our nails, we have to cut our nails, and we have to pull back our hair. We wear uniform and skirt that is down to your knees,” Promgerd said.

The kids also behave differently.

“In school here I see boyfriend and girlfriend holding hands and kissing. In Thailand it’s rude,” Promegerd said.

Making new friends has also been difficult.

“In Thailand when I study, it’s all the same friends in one class and we will make more friendship,” Promegerd said.

Promegerd also revealed what she gave up to have this experience.

“My mom told me that if I not come here she would buy me a car and I come here,” Promegerd laughs, “but when I go back my mom will buy me a car.”

The program also ensures that the students experience different parts of the American culture.

“I went to baseball game, I can’t understand that,” Promegerd said about a recent Rays game she attended.

Promegerd will spend a full year in America and will have to readjust her mannerisms when she returns home.

“My mom told me here it is more relaxed. When I go back to Thailand you have to forget about more relaxed,” Promegerd giggles.

The Midtown Rotary hopes that these students take a piece of St. Petersburg back home with them, and that the whole experience impacts their life for a long time.

 “We want these students to be citizens of the world and not just their country,” Smith reflects.

BY YAN NIE

NNB Student Reporter

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Finding someone to give you the haircut, color or style you have been waiting for is not easy.

In Meme’s Beauty Gallery, four professional trained and licensed stylists have their own hairstyle that matching face and personality.

“Professionalism is what I am expecting,” said Y. Renne Mosley, a loyal customer who has been coming to Meme’s once a week for three years already. “I am very satisfied, and I wouldn’t go anywhere else.”

Meme’s Beauty Gallery is located at 1782 22nd St. S., St. Petersburg, Fla., in the same plaza where the Sweetbay grocery store had been and where the Wal-Mart neighborhood market will be. Jamekka R. Harris, owner of Meme’s, wants to draw attention from grocery shoppers, and therefore increase the salon’s customer base.

Harris joked about her ultimate goal to expand business to other locations and to be able to run the salon without working so hard. After more than 20 years of working as a professional hairstylist and seven years of being the salon owner, Harris is confident with the good quality of work and services that Meme’s provides to its clients.

“There are other salons in this area, but not as competitive as we are, because we do provide full service,” Harris said. Meme’s offers facial and nail treatments as well as a warm environment to win more customers.

“The employees are fabulous; they really care and if you tell them the problems you are having with your hair, they take immediate action,” Mosley said. “They are very knowledgeable about the latest hair styles.”

Harris said that like any other small business the majority of Meme’s clients live in the community. The most effective method of advertisement for Meme’s, besides spotting on the Internet, is word of mouth.

“A lot of our costumers are like our family,” Harris said with a smile on her face. She then shared a story about one of her customers who was in depression, and who eventually gave up her thoughts of committing suicide after chatting with Harris about her life struggles.

Harris said that even though their “no-children-in-the-salon” policy upsets a few costumers, she believes that this policy would keep children away from chemicals and hot irons inside the salon, and the salon would have fewer risks to be involved in possible lawsuits.

“That’s natural in any business. You are not gonna be able to satisfy everyone. But we just try to find what exactly they are not satisfied with, and then we try our best to make them happy,” Harris said.

Meme’s strives to create a nice clean and warm environment for customers. “For anyone interested in receiving a great service, come to Meme’s beauty gallery and you will enjoy it.” Harris said.

BY ABDUL SAHLY

NNB Student Reporter

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — In 2012 Amber Mack decided to look for a rented apartment. She had lived in Gulfport, Fla. for years, but she moved into Midtown, where she had grown up, finding it a vital neighborhood, with good homes and prices.

Mack a Certified Nursing Assistant said Midtown was not good in terms of services and interests when she was a little girl.

But, in the last decade, Midtown has seen huge development and is one of the best places.

“There are many services around here; I can walk to both the post office and shopping, and it takes only five minutes to drive to my work,” she said.

Midtown is becoming a place for many people who are looking for a good neighborhood to live in. Many developments have been going on.

This historic neighborhood in the heart of St. Petersburg, where most residents part of African American community, has also been a place for investors during the boom.

Midtown is a community located in a 5.5 square mile area south of downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., between 2nd Ave. N. and 30th Ave. S. to the north and south, and 4th St. and 34th St. to the east and west.

In the past 25 years, the City of St. Petersburg has facilitated a number of development projects in Midtown, including Pinellas County Job Corps Center, Seaboard Coastline RR Terminal, Dome Industrial Park and many other projects.

“I like the activities here,” said Joe Washington, a musician who has been living in a rent apartment for a month.

Washington said the rent prices are reasonable, and he finds that Midtown is good place for his work because of the neighborhood’s vibrant life. “The church sometimes distributes free food,” he added.

Mazen Marie is an investor in St. Petersburg. He said Midtown is considered a good choice for investors because of its proximity to downtown. “It is close from USFSP, hospitals in downtown and companies.”

Marie indicated that most investors are looking for old and cheap houses in Midtown, and then they fix them and put them up for rent.

“It is the perfect market for buying crack houses for buy-to-rent,” he said.

Tampa Bay Times reporter Drew Harwell said that in the past five years nearly 90 percent home sales have gone to cash. The report indicated that buyers want to fix up and rent out Midtown’s abandoned homes. Buyers don’t care how run down the home is, as long as they want to rent it out.

Aaron Bond, a realtor at Keller Williams Realty, said that demanding of housing in the Midtown area is moderate.

“The average sale price for the last six months in Midtown is $137,366,” he said.

Bond said the housing market in few next years is expected to be stable. “There is a high demand with low inventory in general. I don’t think there is a special demand in Midtown specifically. That may change with the flood insurance rate changes.”

BY ABDUL SAHLY

NNB Student Reporter

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Al Sunnah Islamic Center this year hosted its first Islamic studies and Arabic classes for the Islamic community at St. Petersburg, which began last Sunday.

The Islamic center, located at 2400 S. 6th St., St. Petersburg, Fla., provides Islamic studies, Quran studies, and Arabic language classes for about 60 students from different ages.

Mohammed Khalid, Imam of  Al Sunnah Islamic Center in St. Petersburg, said that most families were born here in the U.S. “The parents know how to speak Arabic and are educated about rules and teachings of Islam but their children don’t know as much about Arabic culture and language.”

The Islamic center administration discussed this problem and started to think about establishing an Islamic school.

The administration decided to organize an education program including three classes this year as the kernel for starting an integrated Islamic school that will begin in the coming years.

“We are working hard in cooperation with Islamic organizations and Islamic schools in the Tampa Bay area to help us to establish an integrated Islamic school in St. Petersburg and we try to get their experience,” he said.

Khalid explained that the school funding comes from the efforts of members of the Islamic society in the city to teach their children about their religion, which is not usually offered in public schools.

“Through generous donations, we were able to offer the basic facilities for classrooms and we are working to finish the entire school by the end of this year,” he said.

Seven volunteer teachers teach the classes that starts at 10:30 a.m. and last until 1:30 p.m every Sunday.

Before 2009, the Islamic Center was originally a church, few Muslim families in St. Petersburg area felt the desire for a mosque to serve the needs of the community.

To this cause, the church was leased for one year to be a mosque with fees paid in advance in goals that funds could be raised from the local Muslim community to purchase the mosque.

In March, 2009, the Muslim community was able to purchase the church.

Nowadays the Islamic center contains mosque, classrooms, restaurant and kitchen, and day care. The Islamic Center serves about 90 families in St. Petersburg.

The students are from different backgrounds and races. They are from Egypt, Morocco, India, Bangladesh, Jordan, Spain, and Native Americans.

Badiah Benuor, an Arabic class teacher, said that most students have difficulty in speaking Arabic because they have not done any Arabic classes in their regular school.

Benuor said  that students don’t speak Arabic at home and with friends before they began attending these classes.

“They are excited and  quick learners in speaking Arabic. I love their accent,” she said.

Khalid said the curriculum of Islamic studies is still taught in English because it is hard for students to understand the subject in Arabic.

He said that classes accept students from 3 years old to 16, boys and girls divided into classes regarding to their ages.

“I want to communicate with my friends in Jordan. I usually don’t understand them because I don’t speak Arabic very well,” said Ahmed Omer, a 12 -year-old student whose parents are originally from Jordan.

“Now, I’m excited about enhancing my Arabic and learning how to read the Quran. Also, I enjoy meeting with my friends every Sunday.”

BY SAMANTHA MESERVEY

NNB Student Reporter

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services almost 30 percent of America’s pregnant women do not receive first trimester prenatal care. Pinellas County is trying to reduce this number with a program called MomCare. The brochures for the program describe it as “health insurance for pregnant women” but MomCare community liaison, Cindy McNulty, would tell you it is much more than that.

“We are working to break down barriers for these women,” McNulty explains.

MomCare is a program that is sponsored by the Florida Department of Health and Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration. It was created in 2001 to link pregnant women to various prenatal care resources. The program is geared toward low-income women, and once accepted into the program medical care and hospitalization during pregnancy is covered.

Application forms for MomCare are dispersed throughout the county and can be found in various places.

“I take them all over town!” McNulty declares, “I bring them to doctors’ offices, schools, and even faith based programs.”

Some of the places that these applications can be found include the Johnnie Ruth Clarke Health Center and Women’s Care Florida locations.

McNulty says that in order for women to be aware of the program, the applications need to be readily offered to them. She describes Midtown as a faith-based community and makes sure the applications are available in locations frequently visited by expectant mothers.

McNulty is quick to explain that MomCare is “no medical model” but that it takes the guess work away from pregnant women by providing resources including names of doctors who accept MomCare, child care providers, and informational courses.

MomCare Maternity Advisor, Maria Dacosta, explains how the program even provides post-pregnancy help.

“When the women are around seven months along we send them post-care information,” Dacosta says.

This information usually contains step-by-step instructions for getting your baby on Medicaid.

“Even moms who have healthy pregnancies get anxious once the baby is born,” Dacosta explains. “They want to get them covered by Medicaid quickly and we help them do that.”

McNulty is in charge of reaching out to women throughout the community and remembers one newspaper ad that really reached Midtown women.

“It was a young pregnant woman and across the top it read ‘pregnant with no insurance?’” she explains. “We got a lot of phone calls from Midtown women looking for help.”

She sees that families “step-up” to take care of their children and are actually “pretty savvy.”

“Many Midtown women are already receiving Medicaid, they are educated about the programs,” she says. “They just have to make the simple switch to MomCare when they find out they’re expecting.”

Although the program does make every effort to contact women who are eligible for MomCare, especially those with high-risk pregnancies, McNulty says that about 30 percent of the women do not respond to contact efforts and require a home-visit.

“Our program is based on mommy’s wanting our help,” McNulty declares.

Dacosta, an advisor, reaches out to Midtown women in need. She explains how although the women are usually happy to receive the help it is the time frame in which they receive it that really matters.

“Many women wait four to five months before receiving any type of pregnancy care or insurance,” she says.

McNulty agrees and, as a former medical assistant and employee at the Johnnie Ruth Clarke Health Center in Midtown, has seen the problem first-hand.

“Many Midtown women have such a tight family-trusted support system,” McNulty explains.

She adds that although this is an amazing thing to have, medical support is also very important during early pregnancy. Through MomCare, McNulty urges women to receive prenatal care as soon as possible.

With both the support of tight-knit families as well as the resources provided by MomCare, pregnant Midtown women are able to fully dedicate themselves to keeping their baby healthy.

MomCare is prevalent in the Midtown community and is consistently trying to break down barriers for pregnant women by providing them with information on resources that will allow them to maintain a healthy pregnancy.

“Midtown girls are lucky,” McNulty beams. “They have so much support and resources right in their backyards.”

BY TRÉ LITTLEFIELD

NNB Student Reporter

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Lightning struck Tuesday outside Community Action Stops Abuse (CASA), as a storm passed over the Midtown area. Inside the nonprofit that serves survivors of domestic violence, another charge filled the air.

Linda Osmundson is the 64-year-old executive director for CASA and she is also a survivor of domestic violence. She has been at the helm of CASA for 24 years and is now taking the nonprofit into uncharted waters.

“We are in the silent part of a campaign but that does not mean I am not talking about it,” Osumundson said.

It is tough to be hush-hush about an opportunity that could be the solution for their greatest need.

“The biggest challenge we are facing today is that we are turning away approximately 1,400 people a year and that is not okay. It just isn’t,” Osmundson said.

Her estimates are based on about 700 women and an equal number of children who come to the center seeking shelter when it is already at maximum capacity. The CASA executive director said the current 30 bed shelter is simply not large enough to handle the needs of the community.

According to a press release by the Department of Children and Families, a settlement agreement with national mortgage lenders and the Attorney General’s Office for the state of Florida resulted in funding that provided a $10 million grant for the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

The coalition is comprised of 42 nonprofits in Florida who provide services for victims of domestic violence. In a competitive bidding process CASA was awarded $2.5 million to build a new shelter but the total cost to fully fund the project is approximately $12 million according the nonprofit’s estimation.

Osmundson said the award for CASA comes with strings attached. She called them tug ropes. The proposed 100 bed shelter must be built by July 15, 2015 and while the executive director is confident that they will meet their fundraising goals, it does make the campaign challenging.

Several components need to occur concurrently for the $12 million fundraising goal to be reached. Osmundson said that typically a feasibility study would occur before the campaign started, but because of the limited amount of time the study is happening along with other important components for a successful campaign.

Stuart Berger, 51, director of development said, “The feasibility study gives development efforts an idea of how the community will back the project and where to focus fundraising efforts.”

Berger said that even in the early stages, before the official kickoff, there has been great feedback from the community.

CASA’s Peace Breakfast is the annual fundraiser for the organization and it draws approximately 600 supporters. The event will raise money for day-to-day operations, but it will also be an opportunity to share the full vision of the new shelter with the public – including all of the donors and volunteers who will be needed for the project.

Sheryl Zeitler is the coordinator for the volunteers. The 43-year-old estimates that for the month of September she has approximately 120 volunteers that are working in some capacity, and she expects these numbers to grow as development efforts ramp up for the new shelter.

“We will need a lot of volunteers to help out along the way,” Zeitler said.

The organization is also taking advantage of federal and state tax credits in their lending agreement with, what Osmundson called, new market tax credit financing. She said the savings for CASA could be as much as $4 million over the term of a 7-year, $10 million loan.

A bigger shelter was not always in the strategic plan for CASA. For many years the organization put its emphasis into expanding community programs.

“When the bottom fell out the market we noticed we were housing fewer people for longer periods of time,” Osmundson said. CASA’s leader said the average stay for an individual or family went from 28 to 40 days.

“The sad irony is we are also serving fewer survivors with children,” Osmundson said. The organization could find room for one more person but a family of three was not always an option.

The existing shelter serves its purpose well but privacy is very limited. Six people share a room and bunk beds are the most efficient way to accommodate the women and children seeking a safe place to live. Osmundson is excited about the design for the new shelter, which will have smaller rooms and multiple family-style kitchens.

Berger is looking forward to the effective design of the proposed shelter.

“We have the opportunity to build a green, energy efficient home,” he said.

Berger said that even though CASA is tripling capacity, the expenses per person will come down.

Osmundson said, “Our time is now. We can do this. Our community is ready to do this.”