Executive Director
Howardville Community Betterment Committee
FOCUS
I am an environmentalist, at all times, my surroundings dictate my health, my thoughts are inclusive for all. I am the right person for this program, to demonstrate that cleaning up your community, home and vacant buildings, along with sufficient green space will allow a dying community to become renewed and healthy.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVE: Howardville School “Green” Redevelopment Project
The Howardville School, a Brownfield site, is the focus of this strategic initiative. It aims to continue an environmental job training program and to establish and maintain a Regional Environmental Job Training Center in the Howardville School. The Howardville School was awarded an EPA Brownfield Cleanup grant in 2013 to remediate asbestos and lead-based paint. Training citizens utilized local source hiring to become employed and as a prevailing wage job, was paid over $1100 a week. The School was listed to the National Register of Historic Places on November 22, 2017, and will be redeveloped into a federally qualified health center, an environmental job training center, a mini pharmacy, a disaster shelter, and a community center. It will provide basic amenities to address the social needs of community recreation to promote health, mental health, and wellness through family activities, community events, youth and senior activities, and other basic necessities of wellbeing for minorities and underserved communities in the region.
The first step to health promotion is reinitiating the environmental job training class and adding each component necessary for the sustainability of trained workers, to fill current job openings and certified for jobs carrying emerging trends of renewable energy. The Howardville School will provide sufficient space to accommodate all health initiatives to serve the community and the Missouri Bootheel. The necessary skillsets will build the capacity to redesign their community, building healthy homes, and growing nutritious produce. A rebuilt environment will promote a healthy start for everyone.
Click here to watch Vannessa’s Legacy Project video.