Though we did not begin construction this year, with your support, we have accomplished significant, mission driven work to revitalize the Calfee Legacy. In 2022, we have:

• Worked with a wide range of stakeholders to design natural outdoor playspaces for the childcare center and public areas, and the Sankofa Walking Trail honoring Walter “Jingles” White.

• Developed a business plan for the Lena Huckstep Kitchen. The plan outlines a sustainable kitchen that provides locally sourced, healthy, and tasty meals to customers and other local non-profit organizations that serve the community, regardless of their ability to pay. It will also provide a state-of-the-art, Health Department certified kitchen for local food based entrepreneurs to start and scale up their businesses. (Join us on 1/27 for a breakfast to learn more about these kitchen plans!)

• Conducted and transcribed 40 interviews with Calfee alumni, teachers, and friends, including one with Nikki Giovanni; catalogued and uploaded 300 newspaper articles, images, and other documents relevant to local African American history to our digital archive; and secured the donation of the N. Wayne Tripp Collection of materials related to Calfee Training School alumnus, teacher, and principal Chauncey D. Harmon. This work is pivotal to our heritage center’s ability to share the history and impact of local African Americans in our community.

• Produced three traveling museum exhibits that will be shared throughout the County in the coming year. (Let us know if you want to host these exhibits at your business or organization!)

• Brought the community together for the inaugural Calfee Benefit Gala and community-wide Juneteenth Celebration (cosponsored with our friends at the Wilderness Road Regional Museum and Pulaski County Public Library System). In addition, our volunteers and Board members shared our story and our African American history at numerous events throughout the NRV.

• Were honored to receive the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce’s 2022 Nonprofit Excellence Award.

As we enter 2023, I ask that you continue to support Calfee CCC’s multifaceted goals: to provide innovative, quality early childhood experiences to 100 children across the income spectrum; to foster a just local food system that provides affordable, nutritious, and locally sourced meals to all residents; to inspire our youth to excel in STEAM and other fields through engaging and challenging out–of-school experiences; to remember and learn from the nationally significant history of the Calfee Training School and the community it served; and to build leadership capacity for all parts of our community. 

We thank you for continuing to support us. And, we thank you for continuing to fix your eyes on this goal.

Best wishes for a wonderful 2023!

Jill Williams
Acting Executive Director
Calfee Community & Cultural Center

2022 YEAR END UPDATE

“FIX YOUR EYES ON A GOAL” reads a poster behind the Calfee School 1962 seventh grade class photo. 60 years later, we keep our eyes fixed on the goal of preserving and revitalizing the legacy of Calfee Training School.

We thank everyone who has played a significant role in supporting the goal of transforming what was once the Calfee Training School into a facility that will once again help children and families in Pulaski County to reach their fullest potentials. Maybe you participated in the 2019 community visioning process or nominated someone to serve on the Calfee CCC Board of Directors. You might have volunteered your time to help clean up the Calfee property. Perhaps you shared your memories and photos of the school and community at our recent digital days or participated on a committee designing plans for the future center. Or perhaps have contributed financially to support all of this work. Whatever role you have played, we appreciate your support.

You may remember that we originally planned to begin construction in 2022. We share your disappointment that particular goal was not met. As you might be aware, construction costs have increased significantly since we received project cost estimates in 2020. We began 2022 with funding commitments to complete construction based on those 2020 estimates. But in April, we received new cost estimates that nearly doubled the pre-pandemic estimates. In the months since, we have been working hard to find additional avenues to bridge this $2 million funding gap. As I write this, I believe we are almost there! We will publish the invitation to bid to interested contractors in January, which means that we should be able to “break ground” in the first half of 2023!  That date gives me great joy!