Statements
Mission
ONE is the community organizing force that works to improve the quality of life for all of the diverse people in the Edgehill Community by developing leaders and collaborating with churches, businesses, and government entities to address needs identified by residents and to serve as a model and resource for other developing communities.
Background
O.N.E. (Organized Neighbors of Edgehill) is one of the oldest and most active neighborhood organizations that combines the efforts of public housing residents, private housing residents, churches, schools, businesses and other stakeholders who share a common interest in the Edgehill Neighborhood. Since O.N.E.'s revitalization in 1993, we: 1) Continue to have an innovative partnership with the police department; 2) Plan specific actions against crime and drugs; 3) Form community watch groups throughout the community; 4) Continue to fight to preserve Edgehill as a residential neighborhood by opposing zone changes; 5) Work to help Edgehill residents understand government departments and suggest neighborhood-oriented changes; 6) Offer affordable homes for low to moderate income individuals; 7) Work to resolve problems between schools and Edgehill parents; and, 8) Award college scholarships, 9) Work to bring critical businesses such as a grocery store, drug store, and bank back into the Edgehill community,10) Work to ensure that community youth have an opportunity to develop gardening skills through a summer stipend program that pair them with seniors, the intergenerational gardening program, 11) 2021-Work with potential developers and residents to assist in design and resident benefits from incoming projects. 12) 2021- Funded through United Way and DHS to become part of the Tennessee Family Collective which works with families to prevent homelessness by providing wrap-a-round resources. 13) 2022 - Partnered with the Friends of William Edmondson Homesite to sponsor WE FEST: William Edmondson Arts & Culture Festival with over 500 in attendance. 14) 2023 - Partnered with the Friends of William Edmondson Homesite to co-sponsor the Edgehill Community Partners & Organizations Meet & Greet with over 44-participants sharing resources that will benefit the community.
Impact
Accomplishments: 2021: We were able to provide COVID-19 cleaning and food supplies to over 1200 residents and signed up 27 clients in our new Edgehill Family Group which prevents homelessness. Previous impact follows: 1) ONE/FRC was able to work with the Save the William Edmondson Homesite to get petitions signed, hold community meetings, take residents to Metro Budget and Finance meetings, Metro Council meetings, and were able to get the Metro Council members to vote in favor to remove the sale of the Murrell School (which is the home of the William Edmondson Homesite) from the Mayor's Budget. Leadership training of residents played a huge part in this accomplishment.2) Continued development of the new youth program 'Young Men of the Future' and were able to provide two meetings and a holiday outing the young men and their parents.3) Partnership with community police officers in the Edgehill area which has included Family Movie Nights, Ice Cream Drive Through to engage youth and the community as a whole. Continued presence at community meetings and social events. 4) Continued scholarships through our O.N.E./Barnes Scholarship Fund which provides funding for community residents. 5) Partnerships (through O.N.E.'s Edgehill Family Resource Center) with over 63 social service, health, legal, educational and religious organizations/agencies/institutions to bring necessary daily living services to the residents of Edgehill. 6) Engaged 122 residents in our Year End Evaluations and Appreciation Day, residents were asked what worked for 2019, what did not work and who is needed at the table for 2019. The results from the evaluations will help determine our work for 2019 and help develop strategies to accomplish our goals. We are continuing to work on our 2017 impact which brought 66 seniors and residents to participate in the Youth Council's Internet/Computer Classes. The ONE/FRC Youth Leadership Advisory Council partnered with Belmont University students to learn and train Edgehill seniors and residents, the impact was that the program was carried on by the MDHA-Nashville Public Library project that has trained many more seniors. 2018 ONE/FRC has brought weekly health seminars to residents through a partnership between Vanderbilt Nursing Students, residents identify various topics of concern, and the students teach classes. 2018 Poverty Simulations workshops brought community residents to Vanderbilt University Campus to serve as various agencies in order to illustrate the challenges that people living in poverty have to go through. A series of five simulations were provided for nursing and social services students, along with staff. Goals: 1) Continue enhancing the quality of life for Edgehill residents by listening to residents' concerns and issues, expanding the knowledge and leadership skills of the residents, including the youth, and working together as a community to address complex issues such as pharmacy needs, overall crime, full-service grocery store and transportation in the community. 2) Continue to provide nutrition education through our twice a year health fairs and the community garden. Coordinating the expansion of government and agency services to Edgehill residents through the Edgehill Family Resource Center's Annual Community Resources Cafe. 3) Developing more residents to be community leaders and building Edgehill's grassroots base through O.N.E. Leadership Trainings in collaboration with the Neighbor 2 Neighbor Resource Center. 4) Continue to train our Youth Leadership Advisory Council in computer/internet skills so they will in turn train our seniors and other residents to be computer literate. Training will be provided through partner agencies and hopefully a grant from the Community Foundation for the youth council.
2022/23) Partnered WEH for Arts & Culture Festival bringing over 500 people out, and the Community Meet & Greet, for agencies and organizations to share resources and needs,
Needs
O.N.E. top 5 needs:1) Funding for youth programs that provide, stipends, dinners, outings, and materials that will train our youth to become productive adults, $10 thousand. 2) Funding for Executive Director, at least $ 40 thousand per year until we can re-apply for United Way funds. 3) Technology funding and consultations to bring our office up to date with other non-profits. 4) Community garden donations materials and funding, $10 thousand per year. 5) Funding for community events that bring resources to the community, such as health, voter rights, and technology awareness forums and workshops, $5 thousand.
CEO Statement
O.N.E. is one of the oldest neighborhood organizations in Nashville, originating in the late 1960's in opposition to the devastation caused to the Edgehill community by Urban Renewal. O.N.E. was reborn in 1991 through a series of house meetings to identify needs in the community. The work of O.N.E. has expanded to include food access through community gardening, scholarships to community resident, workshops to build leadership, partnerships with other organizations and government agencies, and building youth leadership. O.N.E. is a resident driven organization from the Board to the staff, all working together to identify issues that we want to change. We are continuing work on pharmacy issues that have been identified by residents such as some of the barriers in getting their medications and understanding the importance of taking medication on a daily basis. 2018 brought about the focus on youth training seniors in internet/computer literacy and the importance of building the relationships between our valued bookends of society. The past also brought residents together to focus on what our community will look like and include with the MDHA Envision Edgehill process, we are continually moving forward in making sure the residents are an integral part of that process. 2018 also brought about conversations and partnerships with the new Dean of Pharmacy at Belmont University and Pruitt Pharmacy to bring pharmacy needs and delivery of medications to residents here in the community. We will continue to work with both partners to see this work is done in 2019.201: The continuation of last year's work with the inclusion of the focus on saving the William Edmondson Homesite (Murrell School) from being sold to developers, which will require continuous maintenance. The goal of Organized Neighbors of Edgehill has always been leadership development and with our partnerships with Vanderbilt University and Edgehill United Methodist Church/Brighter Days Program we have two items of focus for 2019, the Vanderbilt Poverty Simulation, a series of forums that has engaged 12 resident participants to work with nursing/social services students to illustrate the challenges of living in poverty. O.N.E./FRC with the collaboration of the Brighter Days Tutoring Program has formed the 'Young Men of the Future Program' a work program for youth starting at the age of 9-years old that instills respect for themselves and others, character and moral development, along with leadership and organizational skills. O.N.E. will continue to be a voice for all community residents.
Board Chair Statement
The board of directors is a direct reflection of the community that we serve. One of our challenges is to develop and maintain strong leadership to serve in the governance capacity with the organization. Through their experience on the ONE board many residents are able to develop skills and abilities of which they may have been unaware. Serving on a board requires not only a strong dedication to the mission of the organization but also time. We are very thankful for the past and current members of our board. -- Deborah Hampton/Chair.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Community Improvement, Capacity Building - Alliances & Advocacy |
| Secondary Category: | Youth Development - Youth Development-Agricultural |
| Tertiary Category: | Human Services - Alliances & Advocacy |
Areas Served
ONE serves the Edgehill Community in Nashville which is located in South Nashville near Belmont and Vanderbilt Universities. We are nestled between The Gulch, 12 South, 8thAve South, and Music Row.
| TN - Davidson |
