Dr. Scott M. Crawford, a Livable Cities and Disabilities Advocate, spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club’s June 9, 2020, meeting. Dr. Crawford received his undergraduate education at Millsaps College and his doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. Following the completion of his Ph.D., he pursued a Post Doc at the University of Miami. In 2002 he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Multiple Sclerosis and has been dependent on a motorized wheelchair for mobility since then. He is the past Chair of the Mississippi Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities. 

The title of Dr. Crawford’s presentation was “Building Livable Communities for All.”  He focused on what Jackson needs to do to become a city that is livable for all of its citizens, including those with disabilities. Key points in his presentation were:

• Accessible affordable integrated housing

• Universal Design

• Welcoming to people of all backgrounds, abilities, and income levels

• Citizens don't necessarily need a car to live if the city has Transit-Oriented Development with Rent Controls.

Crawford said that because he lives on a fixed income, he cannot afford to rent housing and was forced to purchase one. He pointed out that 26% (61 million) of Americans have a disability so his situation is not unique. In Mississippi, the disability rate is 33.5% or over 1 million people. Disability includes limits on mobility, cognition, living independently, seeing, and the ability to care for themselves. Further, 17.5 % (525,000)of Mississippians have “serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs.” The rate in the US is 12.9% (30 million). He encouraged his audience to think of themselves as “temporarily able-bodied.”

Crawford showed an aerial view of his neighborhood and told the club why he bought his home there. He showed his house and the fact that he could get to a grocery store, bank, one bus stop, and two pharmacies in his wheelchair.

Discussing the lack of wheelchair accessible housing, he pointed out that that:

• It is an obstacle to community integration

• Due to that lack many people cannot rent because they’d be priced out over time because of their fixed income limitations.

• People resort to buying existing homes and retrofitting them to make them wheelchair accessible.

• Retrofitting older homes is often difficult and expensive due to the need for wheelchair ramps, the need to widen doorways, and kitchens in older homes are often small and not wheelchair friendly as are bathrooms.

These were the problems Crawford faced when he purchased his Fondren home. He showed a photo of his Fondren home 

The answer to these accessibility problems is using “Universal Design” to build for access by all people. The benefit is that  it “allows people to Age-in-Place and have a welcoming home for all.”

Crawford showed an example of accessible housing; the Lakeshore Foundation Cottages in Birmingham, AL which are designed to be accessible.

Crawford then switched to transit. He said that community integration depends on transit. His point was that the cities and their citizens need to:

• End stereotyping of transit users - Transit is not just a “last resort” for the “poor”, disabled, and elderly.”

• Recognize:

  • that younger professionals seek out transit-friendly communities.

  • Retirees want alternatives to driving

  • Commuters want to avoid stress and enhance their quality of life.

He gave a commute from South Jackson to Tougaloo College as an example of an existing commute that is 16 miles and takes 21 minutes by automobile. By public transit, it takes 3 bus routes and nearly 2 hours if the buses connect.

His next point was that housing needs to be linked to transit with accessible sidewalks where today the City of Jackson has not provided them or required developers to install them forcing people into the streets. The costs of inaccessible streets are:

• Social isolation: Feeling like one is under “House Arrest.”

• Increased dependency on others and paratransit.

• Lack of Productivity (Access to schools,  jobs, etc.

• Societal segregation by class and ability

• Pedestrian fatalities

The solution is to build complete streets that are safe for all users. Examples are the Metro Parkway in Jackson, Mission Street in San Francisco, streets in Nashville, TN, and Capitol Street in Jackson. “Complete streets make a community safer for everyone, not just people with disabilities. Cities should create a livable community from the beginning.

Crawford’s suggestion was that Jackson and other cities need to upgrade their transit systems. The best solution is light rail, but it is more expensive. Bus Rapid Transit is an option. Examples of these solutions are Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and Arlington, VA’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). New building should be along existing transit corridors as is being done in Nashville, TN.

His policy summary is that creating livable cities involves:

• Building using Universal Design principles.

• Connecting existing housing to transit via:

  • Complete Streets

  • Electric BRT vs. Light rail, plus neighborhood circulators

• Target new housing along transit corridors

• Ensure some rent-controlled and lower-income units in all developments.

• It will take cooperation and financial incentives.

Crawford then repeated his advice “Think of yourselves as the “Temporarily Able-bodied.”

He then quoted anthropologist Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

We thank Crawford for his very thought-provoking and insightful presentation. He is shown below during his presentation.

Per Alexander, a community foundation is a platform for building community and enhancing the quality of life of its residents. It is a place where donors can connect with causes they care about and create a lasting legacy. The CFM is a tax-exempt public charity created by and for the people of Mississippi. It serves 22 counties in central and southwest parts of the state. The CFM was first organized in 1994 with a gift of $200,000. Today it has more than 275 funds and $60 million in charitable assets. The first community foundation was established in Cleveland, Ohio in 1914. There are more than 800 community foundations in America and 7 in the state of Mississippi. 

A community foundation has three special features: personalized service, local expertise, and community leadership. Community leadership involves disaster relief and recovery,. For example, Community foundations have mobilized more than#312 million is Covid-19 relief since the beginning of the pandemic. In Mississippi, there is the  Community Response & Recovery Fund formed in partnership with Volunteer Mississippi to pool donations from corporations, foundations, and individual donors. To date, $500,000 has been raised and will be deployed statewide to the other community foundations and other partners. Donors to this fund include the Robert Wood Johnson Foundations, the Walker Family Foundations, Arnold Ventures LLC, Atmos Energy, and countless Mississippians. Community leadership also includes place-based grantmaking. For Example, at CFM, the John F. and Lucy E. Shackelford Fund is a bequest of almost $9 million designated to make permanent enhancements for downtown Jackson. Since 2017, the Shackelford Fund has granted $2.25 million to a range of projects including the Museum of Mississippi History, the Mississippi Arts Center, Thalia Mara Hall, the Art Garden of the Mississippi Museum of Art, Capital Street lighting, Greenwood Cemetery, and other similar projects.

The CFM provides a variety of tools for building communities. Available charitable funds include unrestricted funds, field of interest funds, designated funds, and donor-advised funds. Funds can be created in any of these categories by an initial commitment of $25,000. The funds can be created with a wide variety of assets. 

Alexander closed her presentation with two simple thoughts:

• Community foundations are among the fastest growing and most accessible forms of philanthropy in the United States today

• “Don’t let anyone else hold the pen.” attributed to Harley Davidson

We thank Alexander for her presentation and for her service to the citizens of Mississippi. She is shown during her presentation to the club.

We thank Officers Smith and Younger for their service and their commitment to the City of Jackson. They each received a certificate, gift cards to Kroger,  The Corner Market, and the Manship Wood Fired Kitchen as part of their recognition. Shown from left, Precinct 4 Commander Tyrone Buckley, Deputy Chief Tiny Harris, Rotary President Greg Campbell, Officer Younger, Officer Smith, Steve Orlansky, Rotary member and Police Chief James Davis.

The Rotary Club of North Jackson also honored Jackson Police Department Precinct, 4 Officers, Tuesday, June 2, 2020, with meals from Aplos Restaurant. Shown from left with the meals are JPD Precinct 4 Commander Tyrone Buckley and JPD Deputy Chief Tiny Harris.

J. Keith Carter, Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics of the University of Mississippi (Athletic Director) spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the Club’s May 26, 2020 meeting. The meeting was a Zoom one accommodating the considerations of the coronavirus pandemic. Mr. Carter said that he has been associated with the university for 25 years since he was recruited to play basketball. He is a native of Perryville, Arkansas, northwest of Little Rock. Being an Arkansas native, he was a committed Razorback fan growing up. His fondest desire was to play basketball for the University of Arkansas, but he was not recruited by the program. In fact, he only had one SEC basketball offer and that was from the University of Mississippi. When he reported to the campus in Oxford, he knew little about the university.  Following his collegiate days, during which he was an All American, Carter played basketball in Italy for 6 years. 

Following his Italian basketball career, Carter returned to Ole Miss and joined the Athletic Department where he focused on fundraising. He has worked in the Rebels' athletics department since 2009. He was the executive director of the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation since 2012 and took over as the deputy AD for resource and development acquisition in 2018.  In his time atop the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation, Carter saw monetary commitments and donations nearly triple from $62 million to $182 million toward the Forward Together campaign. In 2016, the National Association of Athletic Development Directors named Carter the Fundraiser of the Year.

Carter was named interim Athletic Director in May 2019 when his predecessor, Ross Bjork resigned to take the same position at Texas A&M. He was elevated to AD on November 22, 2019.

In his talk to the club, Carter focused on reopening the intercollegiate athletic programs and taking care of the student-athletes. He said that fall sport athletes may begin voluntary practices on campus on June 8. There is still uncertainty as to when and in what manner fall sports will resume; i.e, whether there will be fans or not, and if so, how many. A lot remains to be seen.

We sincerely appreciate Carter’s presentation to the club. He is shown in the following photo during his presentation via Zoom.

John Gibson, Director of Television for Mississippi Public Broadcasting spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club’s May 19, 2020, meeting. Mr. Gibson is a native Mississippian. He did his undergraduate studies at Vanderbilt University and graduate work at the University of Texas.

Gibson said that Mississippi Public Broadcasting was formed on February 1, 1970, and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The MPB radio network joined the MPB television network in 1984 to create the MPB we know today. MPB’s mission is to tell Mississippi’s story to the world. MPB reaches al of Mississippi’s 82 counties and it reaches a global audience via the internet.

For a network from a mostly rural state, MPB creates an impressive number of original programs, including, for example, “Mississippi Roads” with Walt Grayson, “Conversations” with Marshall Ramsey, Fit-to -Eat”, “Farm Week”, and “Mississippi  Outdoors.” MPB has also created documentaries such as “Meet Carl Jackson” which premiered earlier this year.  

The Educational Department participated in “Between the Lions” and “Aha Island” which are programs targeted to pre-K children and originated by WGBH in Boston, MA. MPB TV also devotes its morning and early afternoon programming to education. The Rotary Club of North Jackson has participated in both Between the Lions and Aha Island at Walton elementary school in Jackson.

During the Covid-19 crisis, MPB has been the originating station of the video coverage of Governor Reeves’ daily press briefings. Its feed is carried by other local stations.

For all of its activities and offerings, MPB  operates on a relatively small budget of about $10 million. Six million is provided by the State of Mississippi, Approximately $1.3 million is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The balance of about #3million comes from Members, grants, and other sources.

We thank Gibson for his service to the citizens of Mississippi and for his presentation to our club. He is shown during his presentation in the following photo.