Since 2015, Allegany Ministries, a Catholic non-profit organization of Franciscan Sisters, has invested more than $5.7 million to support community-identified priorities in Lincoln Park.
In 2017, the nuns gave $75,000 to the Roundtable of St. Lucie County for the “Restoring the Village Youth Initiative.” Former Florida State Representative Larry Lee founded "Restoring the Village" in 2013 to make the Fort Pierce community safer.
In a Comprehensive Gang Assessment presentation to the Fort Pierce City Commission in 2017, Roundtable Executive Director Shaniek Mayard, a current Federal Magistrate Judge, outlined the gang problem in Fort Pierce for the implementation of the “Restoring the Village Initiative.” Together with the Fort Pierce Police Department, Roundtable was charged with managing the initiative to combat gang violence in Fort Pierce.
The purpose of the initiative: to prevent youth from becoming violent, intervene in the lives of gang-involved youth and their families, suppress gang-related violence, mobilize action by the broader community, and improve the practices and policies of agencies serving youth.
Restoring the Village's work concentrated in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Fort Pierce. Lincoln Park is a 2.5 square mile area in northwest Fort Pierce, with a disproportionally low-income population and with major public health disparities compared to other areas m St. Lucie County. Approximately 9,961 residents (23% of the city's population) reside in Lincoln Park. The majority of Lincoln Park residents are AfricanAmerican.
The Lincoln Park area of Fort Pierce has an environment with multiple gang involvement risk factors, including high poverty levels, low educational attainment, and challenges around health, transportation, employment and safe housing.
Restoring the Village's solution to the gang problem was to create a "Summer of Success" for workforce development and provide kids with free bus rides with a goal of servicing 100 gang members and families to reduce violence by 50%.
Last month, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a mother was killed and seven others were shot as over 1,000 people gathered for a car show at Ilous Ellis Park in Lincoln Park. Fort Pierce City Manager Nick Mimms and City Commissioner Curtis Johnson, were present at the event, acting in their official capacity and allowed the car show to go on even after armed security failed to show up to the event pursuant to the county’s contract.
Following the shooting and death of 29 year old mother Nikkita Bryant, Fort Pierce City Mayor Linda Hudson told WPTV, “Our City is so safe.”
But residents and the Sheriff’s of Martin and St. Lucie County disagree.
Martin County Sheriff William Snyder has recently had multiple shootings in Indiantown all of which he attributes to Fort Pierce gangs.
St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara has stated gang violence is now as bad as it was in 2006 when there was turf war between rival gangs. Mascara says shootings have been on the rise for the last couple of years.
But this isn't the only time the nuns gave money to the city and haven't receive what they were promised. In November 2022, The Dish reported that the nuns gave $500,000 to city employees, three years ago, under the organization, “Rooted in Change” to build a community engagement space called “The Root.”
With the nuns money spent, “The Root” was never built, and “Restoring the Village” has failed to reduce gang related violence in Fort Pierce.
And now the Regional Vice-President of Allegany Ministries, Upendo Shabazz, is on leave from the organization for, “an extended period of time.”
From 2015 to present, the Reverend Kenny Mills, father of Federal Magistrate Judge Shaniek Maynard, has received $ 867,792.10 in grants from the Children's Service Council (CSC) of St. Lucie County for his non-profit organization, “Save Our Children, Inc.” Maynard, a board member of “Save Our Children,” stepped down to be an advisor to the board in 2014 after being hired as the Executive Director of St. Lucie Roundtable.
Despite “Save Our Children,” being administratively dissolved by the State of Florida in 2010 and 2012, Mills and his wife, School Board Member Dr. Donna Mills, received grant funding from the CSC and questionably spent the money raising concerns of CSC fiscal specialist Erin Craig.
On August 9, 2011, Craig questioned why Mills requested reimbursement for checks made out to "Cash." Mills replied, "We will accept whatever you deem reimbursable."
In an October 4, 2011, email, Craig questioned why Mills paid Carol Kenyon as a program specialist and site manager for “Save Our Children,” Mills replied, "I calculated wrong."
On July 2, 2012, Craig emailed Mills with spending concerns. Craig pointed out that proof of payment for all fuel purchases was required. "Each expense must be proven to the dollar,” Craig wrote. Craig also warned Mills that his budget does not include vehicle maintenance. Craig told Mills he would need to have a budget transfer approved to fix his vehicle. "Fuel only," Craig wrote.
On August 9, 2012, Mills submitted a request for reimbursement for swimming lessons but never provided CSC with a list of the participants. Mills also requested a
$600 payment to Pinkie Miller and submitted no documentation why CSC should reimburse the payment. Craig pointed out that Mills asked for fuel expenses for three different vehicles but only provided documentation for one.
After the CSC questioned the swim lesson reimbursement, CSC Executive Director Sean Boyle wrote Mills:
