Calfee Training School project seeking nominations for Board of Directors

The Calfee Training School Project is announcing an open call for Board of Directors nominations. Much of the group’s work over the past year has been guided by the Calfee Training School Project’s Ad Hoc Steering Committee. As the project moves forward, a formal decision making Board of Directors will be established. The Board will govern the decisions and activities necessary to guide the future of the community and cultural center that will be housed in the former Calfee Training School.

To ensure that the community will have a voice in deciding who will serve on the Board of Directors, a Selection Panel has been established, which includes Calfee Training School alumni, as well as representatives from a variety of churches, community nonprofit and education organizations, social service agencies, and local government in Pulaski County.

The Selection Panel will operate independently and confidentially to review nominations and choose individuals to serve as board members. “It is truly wonderful to see so much interest in reviving the spirit of Calfee Training School and creating a much needed resource for the community,” says Janet Johnson, Selection Panel Chairperson and Calfee Training School alumnus. “For this project to succeed, we need people from across the entire community to be involved, especially on the Board of Directors. While we expect to receive nominations for people with experience serving on a non-profit board, we also hope to see some new faces with fresh ideas among the nominees. Anyone 16 or older can be nominated. Including a variety of perspectives on the Board will be as important as including a wide range of skills and experience.”

Potential board members should be prepared to contribute through active involvement with board meetings, committees, events and special projects. The Board’s first task will be to choose a name for the future community and cultural center. Nominations are open for individuals with integrity who share a commitment to the goals and objectives of the Calfee Training School Project, and previous experience as a board member is not required.

Any individual or organization can submit nominations for board members prior to the deadline of Monday, July 8, 2019. To learn more about the nomination process, or to submit a nomination online, please visit the Calfee Training School Project website at calfeetrainingschoolproject.org/nominate. In addition, paper (hard copy) nomination forms will be available at several local churches, the Pulaski and Dublin Public Libraries, and the Town of Pulaski offices, and can be turned in at any of these locations. Additionally, members of the Selection Panel may be contacted for additional information.

The following individuals will represent their respective organizations on the Selection Panel: Reverend Julie Armbrister, New Life Church of the Nazarene; Reverend Wallace Brown, First Baptist Church of West Dublin; Joe Guthrie, Pulaski County; Reverend Gary Hash, Jubilee Christian Center; Becky Hubble, Pulaski County Commission on Children and Families; Tim Hurst, Pulaski County School System; Janet Johnson, Randolph Avenue United Methodist Church; Lee Ann Martin, Pulaski County Department of Social Services; Reverend Frances McKinney, Spirit of Life Worship Center; Keith McKoy, Adaire Theatre; Meghan Parker, Pulaski Parents of Children with Special Needs; Reverend Douglas Patterson, First Baptist Church on Magazine Street; George Penn, New River Valley Progressive Men’s Club; Jonathan Penn, Calfee Training School Project Historical Society; Lane Penn, Town of Pulaski; Reverend Ladell Slaughter, Spirit of Life Worship Center; Rebecah Smith, YMCA of Pulaski County; and Reverend Terrie Sternberg, Pulaski County Ministerial Association.

About the Calfee Training School Project

The Calfee Training School Project is an initiative to revitalize a historic African American school in Pulaski, Virginia. A group of local citizens, including Calfee Training School alumni and their families, have partnered with the Town of Pulaski, the YMCA of Pulaski County, and the Pulaski County Department of Social Services to honor the school’s rich history by revitalizing the building as a multi-use community and cultural center.

The school, located at One Magnox Drive in downtown Pulaski, VA, was constructed in 1939 after the first Calfee Training School was destroyed by fire. The building is a Public Works Administration project repurposed several times since the school closed in 1966. For more information, or to get involved, visit the Calfee Training School Project website at calfeetrainingschoolproject.org and follow @CalfeeTrainingSchoolProject on Facebook.

PHOTO CAPTION: 

Pictured are members of the Selection Panel that will review nominations for the Calfee Community and Cultural Center Board of Directors. Front row, L to R: Meghan Parker, Terrie Sternberg, Rebecah Smith, Frances McKinney, Janet Johnson (chairperson), Becky Hubble, Lee Ann Martin. Back row, L to R: Joe Guthrie, George Penn, Lane Penn, Gary Hash, Tim Hurst.