Monday, August 8, 2011
The Espanola Youth Center -hope for the small town's youth
The St. Paul Youth Center Old Schoolhouse is a remnant of the days of segregation, but now a center of hope. It is the first black schoolhouse in Flagler County, Florida, in the town of Espanola. This settlement was originally set up for logging and turpentine production. Back then, two separate societies lived, and in 1972 Flagler was the last district to desegregate in Florida when a federal judge threw out the district's argument that there were "no blacks" in the county, only "Orientals." This legacy that has mostly disappeared, but still lingers in the neglect the small town sometimes receives from county and school administrations. The Schoolhouse was restored by Rev. Frank Giddens of the St. Paul’s Baptist Church, and is used to house an academic tutoring program and summer camp for the town’s disadvantaged youth.
Space is cramped, and there are no summer programs planned or given for the children there. Their peers elsewhere enjoy theme parks, field trips and other opportunities, transported by school district buses that never reach the small town. Thanks to the generosity of donors and sponsors like Bobby and Eileen Boyd however, the children of Espanola have been able to break through some of these barriers and enjoy a normal summer. Their generosity extends beyond summer camp, but has also furnish supplies and equipment for an academic tutoring program at the old Schoolhouse, helping the kids there improve their reading, vocabulary and math skills.
More information can be found at www.espanolayouth.blogspot.com. All deductions are fully tax deductible.
Phone 386-338-7779
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