West End Community Foundation, Inc. 2022 Annual Impact Report
“keeping the dream alive”
2022 marked the West End Community Foundation’s thirty years (1992) of service to the community and the centennial of the Lyon Park School (1922) WECF embodies this historical legacy through the operation of the Community Family Life and Recreation Center at Lyon Park (the original home of the school) where we serve the community by keeping families healthy, educating young people, providing residents with human enrichment opportunities, and much more In 2022, we “kept the dream alive” by strengthening our existing relationships and obtaining new partnerships, which increased our responsiveness to the needs of the community and enhanced access to resources
January-February
We continued our partnership with Bull City Strong, an initiative to improve health literacy in Durham to further an equitable community response to COVID-19 and with Reinvestment Partners to provide free tax preparation for the community We processed 550 tax returns for the 2022 tax season We also worked with the Lyon Park Neighborhood Association and other neighbors to improve the traffic safety of the neighborhood by requesting a crosswalk sign at the corner of Halley and Kent The power of community!
March-April
We collaborated with Pillar Consulting (Dr Bahby Banks) to conduct a virtual program called Not A Host™ for 20 youth residing in Durham County that offers unique ways to understand the root causes of disease (COVID-19), health inequities, public health, immunology, informed decision-making, and mass communication We hosted the B L A C K (Blacks Leading Active Communities in Knowledge) Nonprofit Fair to create a space for nonprofits and community-based organizations to network and foster a new sense of connection Thanks to our thought partner, the Greater Durham Black Chamber of Commerce, for assisting with recruitment and planning
May-June
We hosted two events to gather the elders and families that uplifted the community’s voice about DPR’s Master Plan for Lyon Park The park has been in existence since 1964 and needs repair Thank you to our partners, Samet Corporation, for the event funding and the Lyon Park Neighborhood Association, the West End Lyon Park Legacy Project, and Kingdom Building Mentality for helping to plan and gather the community We added Book Harvest to our list of community partners and received our first community bookshelf to help increase access to age-appropriate and culturally relevant books
July-August
After two years of virtual programming, we returned onsite with our afterschool tutorial program, CommUNITY Scholars, where we engaged 31 students and welcomed the assistance of 39 tutors from Duke University’s Partners for Success program Our summer academic enrichment program, Camp Calvary, also returned to the center 40 campers in grades K-8 enjoyed learning about the theme It’s a Different World: Lending a Helping Hand, which explored how the world changed during the pandemic and the importance of community service The campers made over 500 sandwiches for residents of Urban Ministries and wrapped 2,304 diapers for the Diaper Bank of North Carolina In August, we partnered with Note in the Pocket to host a Pocket Pop-Up and provided gently used-to-new clothing and shoes for over 80 people
September-October
We continued to combat food insecurity through the West End Free Market With the help of our partners Part & Parcel, Reality Ministries, and Durham Parks and Recreation, over 10,000 pounds of food was distributed to 125 families in 2022 The highlight of the year was the opening of the Elders of the West End photo exhibit, a series curated by Jamaica Gilmer that centers on the reflections, hope, and wisdom of Black elders amid the COVID-19 pandemic We are grateful to Jamaica for her vision, our partners at The Duke Office of Durham & Community Affairs and Duke Arts for funding the project, and Winnie Okwakol for the beautiful graphic design We could not have done this without the 38 elders who traveled to the center or welcomed us into their homes to give their stories about life on the West End and at the Lyon Park School
November-December
In celebration of the Lyon Park School’s Centennial, we partnered with the Lyon Park Neighborhood Association, the West End Lyon Park Legacy Project, the City of Durham, Village of Wisdom, and B U M P the Triangle for a Black Genius Showcase, a youth-led, adult-guided effort Black geniuses from across Durham gathered and showcased their gifts in a non-competitive environment We ended the year with a homecoming-style celebration for the alumni of the Lyon Park School Black Cowboy Hall of Famer and former Lyon Park School student, Nathaniel “Rex” Purefoy put on a great show with his tricks and talents
