Southeast Gateway Project to receive Wells Fargo Regional Foundation grant

Bridgeton’s Southeast Gateway neighborhood has been working tirelessly for many years to improve the quality of life for individuals and families in that community.  Their years of collaboration and dedication will receive a huge boost on Tuesday, October 8 as Wells Fargo Regional Foundation (WFRF) will announce a significant and sizeable grant award to the community-based collaborative.

A check presentation event will take place at 11 a.m. in the newly constructed River Grove Community Center, 44 Spruce St., Bridgeton, to mark years of neighborhood revitalization planning becoming a reality. The event is free and open to the public and will include the award amount as well as the scope of community building activities it will fund.  The Southeast Gateway initiative is a collaborative effort of Wells Fargo Regional Foundation, Gateway CAP, United Advocacy Group and the Cumberland Empowerment Zone.

“At Gateway, we do more than dream of improving the lives of individuals and families in our community, we work with other organizations that share our vision to make those dreams come true,” Albert B. Kelly, CCAP, president & CEO of Gateway said. “This step is a huge step in a dream becoming reality. It involved an entire community and like-minded organizations working together. Doing a lot of hard and necessary work to get us where we are at this point. Celebrating our collective success, but more importantly, celebrating our community promise becoming a reality.”

Developed from the vision of the Southeast Gateway residents, the 2018 Southeast Gateway Neighborhood Plan for revitalization of this historic predominantly African-American neighborhood hinged on the assessed needs of the community and capitalized on its assets.  Based on the residents identifying the community’s current primary needs as well as its strengths and assets, this neighborhood plan established three principle goals:

• Goal 1: Enhance Public Safety
• Goal 2: Advance Community and Economic Development
• Goal 3: Ensure Creativity and Sustainability.

Within each of these principle goals, a range of projects and initiatives that could be implemented in the short- or near-term, as well as, those that would be transformational in nature and take longer to realize have been developed.  The developed projects and initiatives directly address the community’s most pressing needs while also building upon its assets as captured in the three principle goals.

The 2018 Southeast Gateway Neighborhood Revitalization Plan also builds on the success of the previous 2005 Southeast Gateway Neighborhood Revitalization Plan. That Plan laid the framework for resident and stakeholder engagement and demonstrated successful implementation of the initial Plan’s outlined projects. The 2018 Plan brings a much more focused approach to the initial themes and builds on earlier successes. 

Lois Greco, Senior Vice President & Senior Program Officer of the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation noted, “The Wells Fargo Regional Foundation is excited to continue our decade-long partnership with Gateway Community Action Agency and the residents of South East Gateway neighborhood. With this grant, we continue to build upon the work outlined by the residents and add new partners to the initiative. We know great things are in store for this neighborhood!”

“Gateway has a long history of working with the residents in the Southeast Gateway Neighborhood. We look forward to continuing the work in a more collaborative and comprehensive fashion.  Our partners are, also not new to SEG Neighborhood. In fact, each organization bring a unique perspective and vast resources that would enhance and accelerate the revitalization efforts,” Edward Bethea, CCAP, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Project Administrator, said.

“As a member of the Southeast Gateway Neighborhood Plan’s development team, we have proudly represented the vision of the Southeast Gateway residents. We look forward to the Plan’s implementation that will continue the revitalization effort for this historic Bridgeton neighborhood. I always say, ‘The people of Bridgeton are not a dying breed,’ ” Judy Bryant, Southeast Gateway Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, Steering Committee, and Southeast Gateway Neighborhood resident, said.

After the 11 a.m. program, light refreshments will be served in the River Grove Community Center and additional project information will be available.

For more event information, call 856-451-6330.