Envision Opelika Foundation Inc.
Annual Report
October 1, 2015-September 30, 2016
Board
- New board members elected: Tim Gore, James Thrift, Phillip Preston, Aaron Bushey
Web Site
- Collaborations attempted with Round House
- Working with Dale Vaughn and V3Media
- Guest Presenter: Chris Call and Trey Gallant on Imagine Opelika
- Continued working to establish website
Task forces
- Opelika Character Council
- Approved the Character trait words for the year with the school system
- Continued the character signs in all the schools, Sportsplex, and Police Department
- Held the Bison Stampede with Southern Union to raise funds for the Southern Union Foundation and the Opelika Character Council
- Recognized students on the honor roll at OMS
- Honored students with Perfect Attendance at OHS with a cookout at lunchtime
- Had proclamation presented by Mayor Fuller to proclaim Character Day in Opelika on National Character Day in September
- Determined to have essay contests with school students (9 schools)and award special coin to winners
- Decided on design of character coin to purchase to give to students
- Created a facebook page for Opelika Character Council
- Participated in National Night Out with a $200 donation and a tent with volunteers and handouts
- Cultural Arts Center
- Signage postponed due to changes in name and work on redesign of the front
- Name changed in agreement with Arts Association of East Alabama to Southside Center for the Arts
- New Lease Agreement between City, AAEA and Envision
- Engineering drawings completed for the front loop, drop-off driveway and handicap ramp
- U.S. Flag presented to Center by Congressman Mike Rogers
- Alabama Flag presented to Center by Senator Tom Whatley
- Opelika Theatre Company presents Children’s Summer Play and holds summer art camp
- Revamped outside bathroom, installing new water lines for use by Community Garden workers and Farmers Market Vendors.
- Agreed for O’Grows to come under Envision Opelika
- Education, Family and Youth Development
- Working on a vision statement for this work
- Working on Collective Impact and its Component parts
- Idea Gatherings on Fatherhood Initiative, Quality Pre-K, Environmental Campaigns/Communities of Hope
- Mapping Cradle to Career Track
- Visited Circles of Troop County
- Identifying resources for the Family Resource Center Circles Program
- Created an ad hoc committee for Babies/2017
- Added new members to the task force
- Arts and Entertainment
- Supported arts events downtown and with arts association
- Received Grant for Downtown Entertainment and re-granted it to Opelika Main Street to be used at Concourse South
- Keeping apprised of the Art Line and how best to support it.
- Recreation, Health, Wellness & Environmental Green Space
- Guest presenter: Matt Battles from Opelika Parks and Recreation gave an update on Floral Park plans
- Brainstorming how to best help with this project
- Neighborhood Development/Housing
- Guest Presenters at Board Meetings:
- Sherrie McCollum – Broker First Realty
- Bill Price – Agent First Realty
- Michael Monk – Michael Allen Homes
- Meetings to help determine how to get new developments and housing into Opelika that will bring young families