TEAM
Tallahassee Equality Action Ministry
Mission
The mission of Tallahassee Equality Action Ministry (TEAM) is to enable people of diverse faiths to work powerfully and effectively together to redress injustices in our community. Congregations in TEAM work together to build relationships, listen to common concerns, research community problems, and then take action to see that systems in the community are held accountable to principles of justice and fairness.
Past Accomplishments
TEAM member congregations have taken successful action on several community issues. Listed below is a sample of some of the issue victories of the organization.
Youth and Education
In October 2007, TEAM packed Good Shepherd Catholic with over 900 people to receive affirmation from Superintendent Jackie Pons on two programs that will be implemented in the Spring semester at Leon County Schools. 2,785 kids served out-of-school suspension in the 2005-2006 school year. The data shows that the majority of youth who serve out-of school suspension are unsupervised. Realizing that this behavior leads to increased gang activity, higher dropout rates and a non-educated community, our leaders worked with Mr. Pons to implement an alternative to out-of school suspension where kids are supervised, learning and staying in an academic environment. This pilot program called Center for Student Intervention (CSI) started on Feb. 19, 2008 at Ghazvini Learning Center. TEAM also noticed the lack of parenting skills and experiences within our community. Therefore, our congregations researched other community projects and will be having a workshop for a program called Including Every Parent at Oak Ridge Elementary on June 12th , with the intention of spreading the program district-wide to all LCS elementary schools in the Spring of 2009.
Affordable Housing
In 2006 TEAM pushed for and received commitments from all 4 City Commissioners and the Mayor to address safe & affordable rental housing
In June 2007 City Commission approved a $500,000 match program, providing $1 million dollars in low interest loans to landlords to rehab their rental units and then rent them to low-income families
In addition TEAM is working with the City towards developing a definition of a livable unit
Health Care
As a direct result of our numbers and power, TEAM won a struggle to get funding reinstated for health care services for the uninsured including mental health services. In 2007:
$1.2 million dollars was reinstated for Bond, Neighborhood Health Centers & FAMU Pharmacy to provide primary care and limited specialty care to 8,000 uninsured Leon County residents.
At the budget hearing on June 28th, TEAMs influence achieved a unanimous vote from the County Commissioners to use their monthly automobile allowances to fund mental health care at the clinics by increasing social workers
In November 2005, 700 community members from TEAM congregations secured commitments from 4 Leon County Commissioners to get the drafting of Comprehensive Health Plan for 18,000+ uninsured people back on track, focusing on preventive care and including dental & mental health services. Following that meeting, in January 2006 the Commission voted 6-1 to hire a consultant to draft the Comprehensive Health Care Plan. In April recommendations came back for a basic health plan to cover 9,000 working families and be funded through a ½ cent sales tax. TEAM congregations pushed the county commission to place the referendum for the plan on the November ballot to be voted on by the community at large. Due to TEAMs efforts the referendum was put on the ballot. During the summer and fall of 2006, TEAM congregations worked with leaders from different facets of the community to provide input to local government on development of the health plan.
Leadership Development
TEAM invests significant amount of time, energy and finances into developing leaders through sponsorship in national training, local workshops, and on-going action-reflection processes. The organization considers itself a 'school for public life' for the grassroots leaders who are developed through the organizing process.
Year End Report
2007 was an exciting one for TEAM as its congregations challenged one another with It takes a whole village to raise a child in providing Youth/Education services, adequate funding for health care services for the uninsured and mentally ill, and safe & affordable rental housing. A new Associate Organizer, Gloria Smith was hired; four new congregations joined bringing total membership to twenty-six; 150 individuals and eight corporations invested $22,000 through the Support Drive; Five Clergy attended the DART National Clergy conference, five leaders attended DART national training events; and, over 400 leaders attended local TEAM training events.
On October 22nd, 2007, 1,000 TEAM members gathered in the largest Nehemiah Action Assembly in TEAM history to press for improvements in youth/education, housing and health care.
In June 2008, TEAM held its 6th Annual Community Problems Assembly with over 250 TEAM leaders in attendance. The areas of energy and environment concerns were adopted, in addition to continued work on youth/education, housing and health care.
Current Membership
Anderson Chapel AME Church
Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Episcopal Church of the Advent
Faith Christian Family Center
Faith Presbyterian Church
First Institutional Missionary Baptist
First Presbyterian Church
Flipper Chapel AME
Friends Meeting
Galilee AME Church
Good Shepherd Catholic Church
Holy Comforter Episcopal Church
Innovation Baptist Church
John Wesley United Methodist Church
New Hope International Outreach Ministries
New Mount Zion AME Church
Powerhouse Church of God in Christ
Saint Eugene's Catholic Chapel
Saint John's Episcopal
Saint Paul's United Methodist Church
Saint Paul AME Church
Temple Israel
Turning Point International Church
United Church in Tallahassee
Unitarian Universalist Church
Unity of Tallahassee
Benefits to Membership
Working together with diverse people of Faith and changing your local community to be closer and closer to what God intended; resulting in justice to flowing like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
Contact Info
Associate Organizer: Gloria Smith
Office #: 850-224-2100
Fax #: 850-309-1489
E-mail: teamtally@gmail.com
http://www.teamtally.org
PO Box 5923
Tallahassee, FL 32314
