Hope

"Add your light to the sum of light." That's a line from a movie that has emerged as a theme of this whole "Little Red Tar Balls" project. That's because no single individual can fix things alone. Whether it's the Katrina recovery or dealing with the BP oil spill, it's the local groups that bring the people together into a force to be reconed with. Large or small, they are integral to the workings of this region.

I've looked into a few of them over the course of this project. From "The Lord Is My Help" food pantry to the Steps Coalition, Moss Point Visionary Circle and even the Audubon Society, they are all marshaling forces to improve things on the Gulf Coast.

There's one more that deserves some time, Hope CDA, a group I've spent a lot of time with over the last two weeks. These are the people behind the "Phenomenal People" celebration of recovery from Katrina. At the risk of giving too much of their story away, this is a small group with limited resources that has achieved remarkable things since coming into being after Katrina. They are a non-denominational, faith-based non-profit group focused primarily on providing housing to the low income and minority communities across Mississippi's coastal counties.

From what I've seen, a large part of their success comes from enlisting the support of businesses and organizations. Not just locally but across the country. At the nexus of all this activity is Bill Stallworth who divides his time between roles as Executive Director of Hope CDA and Biloxi city councilman. Aided by Marketing Development Officer, Debi Thomas, Wan, Ashley and the rest of his highly enthusiastic and motivated team, Bill is the spiritual motivator behind all that they do.

I was introduced to Bill by Debi during the "Tears to Cheers" beach celebration and was invited for an interview, recorded late afternoon on August 26th. It was sandwiched between Bill's interview with Tom Foreman of CNN and that evening's "Phenomenal People Gala" awards banquet.

This is very much worth watching for it shows that people like Bill and his team bode well for the future of the Gulf Coast. And they are just one group. How many more groups are out there across the USA doing work like this? I would ask that you find the one in your area that shares your view and volunteer with them.

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