Richmond Guardian Angels

As Commander of the Alliance of Guardian Angels Richmond Chapter since June 19, 2010, I lead a task force that promotes public safety to the communities.  Our activities include street and event patrols, community clean ups and neighborhood watch assistance. We have been recognized and rewarded by the City of Richmond, Police Department and the Mayor’s Office

for our activities. As Commander of the Richmond Guardian Angels, my skills include:

 

·         Building Teamwork. Bringing a team of volunteers together to fight crime in a safe manner through training and discipline.

·         Skills in conflict resolution which is necessary when dealing with street life situations.

·         Coordinating a variety of community based services, programs and activities to speak and fight against violence, crime and drugs.

·         Work closely with elected officials on activities to improve the safety of the community and a better quality of life.

·         Work with the Mayor’s Office, City Council, RPD and other agencies to identify issues in the community and which assets and capacities we have to deal with those issues.

·         Provide positive role models for today’s youth and work toward promoting community safely and betterment for the good of society overall. 

 

 

HIGHLAND PARK NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

 

As Coordinator of the Highland Park Neighborhood Watch, I assist share knowledge and resources to effectively to the community through:

• I built and maintain a Highland Park Neighborhood Watch website

• I started the Nextdoor Highland Park

• I form teams to go door-to-door to speak with neighbors to engage new potential members and community leaders

• I’m the main coordinator for 3 large community events, Highland Park Spring Break, National Night Out and the Highland Park Christmas Crawl.

• I’m diligent in making sure the neighbors know of all community meetings and activities

• This watch includes residents from North Highland Park, Southern Tip, Highland Terrace, and Providence Park.

 

 

HIGHLAND PARK QUALITY OF LIFE TEAM

 

As part of the Highland Park Quality of Life Team, I’m the Coordinator of the Safety Team. My objectives are to:

• Increase members in Neighborhood watch. The neighborhood watch now consists of 298 members.

• Collect crime data and mapping to share with the community. I share these as part of my QOL reports.

• Establish community events which are the 3 events listed previously.

• Reduce criminal activities in Ann Hardy Park. This was part of my Guardian Angels Team activities. We got the park to stop allowing people to sit on the steps which gave us the right to tell people to move off the steps.  That was important because a lot of illegal activities were going on there because it is somewhat a hidden area.

• Decrease loitering in front of the stores. This again I included in Guardian Angels activities especially with our community patrols.

• I’m currently working with the LISC, the Storefront for Community Designs and Boaz & Ruth to establish a new merchants association.

 

 

SAVING OUR YOUTH VA

 

The youth are our future. Since June of 2009 I have served as CEO/Executive Director. of Saving Our Youth, Virginia. Saving Our Youth was developed to support the need for developmental help the at risk youths in the Richmond Metropolitan Area through 2 programs, Higher Education and Juvenile Rearing for troubled youths. I  work with youths and partner with other organization to bring the programs necessary to fulfill our goals of helping youths work their way through obstacles to become production adults.  My skills as CEO/Executive Director of this organization include:

·         Demonstrated management experience, including staff supervision and

·         Leadership skills and ability to develop program vision

·         Financial management and reporting

·         Proven capacity to work with a governing board of directors

·         Grant seeking, proposal writing, fund raising, and development

·         Project planning and management experience

·         Comfortable speaking in community forums and facilitating relationships among various

 

 

 

OTHER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS

 

Although most of my activates are in the Highland Park area, I work with communities outside the area as well.

·         I stated the Time-to-Live Cancer Walk in 2011.  This is not a 5-10K walk, it’s a door-to-door walk to distribute breast health information and remind people to get mammograms and when they are due.  My partners in this walk are 7th District Health and Wellness Initiative, Capital Area Health Network, Cross Over Ministries, Susan G. Komen, Richmond Guardian Angels, VCU Massey Cancer Center, and the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation. We also work with 8 churches as hubs for the walk.

• I work closely with the 4th Precinct to bring other groups in the Northside together. We are currently working on a campaign called “The Tipping Point”, the Law of the Few.  The Law of the Few", "The success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts."  Economists call this the "80/20 Principle, which is the idea that in any situation roughly 80 percent of the 'work' will be done by 20 percent of the participants. 

• I’m part of a 7 person City of Richmond Community Emergency Response Advisory Team.  We work under the City Emergency Manger Anthony McClean to develop standard operating procedures for Richmond CERT. We also decide as a group how to spend the funding we receive for the program.

 

 

 

EDUATION

 

I do not hold a bachelor’s degree in urban studies, urban planning, public policy, political science or community development, but I have more than 5 years of commensurate experience.

 

Essex College of Business

Newark, NJ

Graduated in May 1980

2 Year College where I majored in accounting

 

West Side High School

Newark, NJ

Graduated in June 1978

 

 

OTHER COURSES

 

Emergency Management FEMA Courses:

·         IS-00100  Incident Command Center

·         IS-00200  Single Resources and Initial Action Incident

·         IS-00700  National Incident Management System

·         IS-00800  National Response Framework

 

Commonwealth of Virginia

Virginia Department of Emergency Management

·         VDEM CERT Train the Trainer

·         VDEM G191  Incident Command System/Emergency Operations Center Interface