Newspaper Page Text
The Savannah Tribune • Wednesday, June 15, 2011-9
UJhat’s Go n’On
AROUND
West Broad Street YMCA Receives
$250,000 Capital Challenge Grant
Peter Doliber, Executive Director
Official Notification of African
American Farmers About $1.25 Billion
Class Action Settlement Begins
The West Broad Street
YMCA announced that it is
the recipient of a $250,000
capital challenge grant to
continue renovations and
improvements of its proper
ty to increase community
services. The grant, from
an Atlanta based tmst that
wishes to remain anony
mous, was awarded because
the organization’s board of
trustees view the West
Broad Street YMCA as vital
to the continued growth of
the surrounding neighbor
hood.
Citing the West Broad
Street YMCA’s revitaliza
tion over the last several
years, its work with the City
of Savannah, Chatham
County, Savannah
Development Renewal
Authority, Housing
Authority of Savannah,
Savannah Chatham County
Public School Systems,
StepUp Savannah,
Savannah Technical
College, Healthy Savannah,
Live Oak Public Library,
Home Depot, Coastal
Health District, and many
other community members,
the Atlanta based trust rec
ognized the importance of
the Y’s role in the growth of
its neighborhood and assist
ing families in ending gen
erational poverty.
“This is an amazing
endorsement of our work
and will help us serve even
more people,” said Dr.
Philip W. Cooper, board
chair. “To have this amount
of tmst in us and desire to
help our community is
deeply humbling.”
The grant is stnictured
as a matching grant. This
requires the Y to raise the
funds equal to the award.
However, to demonstrate its
commitment to the Y and to
help the community rally
around its efforts, the tmst
has already given the West
Broad Street YMCA
$132,000 of the award
based on $103,000 of in
kind match the Y had
already assembled.
“In 2008 we received
money from the City of
Savannah and Chatham
County to begin renovations
of our building,” explains
Executive Director Peter R.
Doliber. “But the buildings
were in such bad shape that
we couldn’t do it all. We
had 2,500 square feet of
potential classroom space
that we could not touch.
When we learned of this
grant possibility, we
approached the funders and
asked if we could possibly
draw down some of the
funds to begin these renova
tions if we had in-kind
donations of services. They
agreed and constniction has
begun.”
The Board of Directors of
the West Broad Street
YMCA will be launching a
capital campaign in the fall
of this year to raise the
matching funds. “We have
no intent of leaving any
available funds on the
table,” says Cooper. “The
community has been won
derful and supportive for
many years. We know that
this spirit of giving will
continue.”
The West Broad Street
YMCA is located at 1110
May Street. It is one of six
remaining Heritage Y’s in
the country, having been
founded in 1942 to serve
African American’s who
were denied services else
where. Through strong
community support and
partnerships it has grown in
recent years to provide an
early learning center for 80
preschool children, a before
and after school program
for 50 children, tutorial and
homework assistance for
approximately 100 children
after school, and over 200
children each summer.
Contact Peter R.
Doliber at 912 233 1951 for
more information.
The Court-ordered
process of officially notify
ing African American farm
ers and their heirs about
the $1.25 billion “Pigford
II” class action settlement,
In re Black Farmers
Discrimination Litigation, is
underway.
Class members should
visit
www.BlackFarmerCase.com
or call 1-877-810-8110 for
complete information,
including the detailed notice,
key dates, and claims-filing
information.
African American
farmers around the country
who tried to file a claim in
the 1999 Pigford Settlement
but were unable to receive a
decision on the merits
because their claims were
late are now receiving infor
mation about their legal
rights and options under the
Settlement by postal mail.
A comprehensive paid
published notice program
will complement this direct
notice. The program will
include a nationwide radio
advertising campaign,
including heavy focus on
areas where large numbers
of class members are
believed to live.
A Summary Notice will
also be published in a variety
of print publications includ
ing African American news
papers, general market daily
and community newspapers,
and farming and ranching
trade publications. Finally,
online ads will appear on a
variety of websites.
The plaintiffs and
USD A announced the pro
posed settlement in late 2010
and President Obama signed
the bill authorizing payment
of the Settlement on
December 9, 2010. If
approved by the Court, the
settlement will resolve dis
crimination claims related to
USD A farm loans and other
benefits.
The proposed settle
ment includes $1.25 billion
for cash payments and loan
forgiveness for class mem
bers who file valid claims.
Class members eligible
for the Settlement are
African Americans who
farmed (or attempted to
farm) between January 1,
1981 and December 31,
1996; were prevented from
applying for or were denied
a USD A farm loan during
that period or were given a
loan with unfair terms; and
who filed or attempted to file
a late claim between October
13, 1999 and June 18, 2008
in the original Pigford case
that was never considered
because they tried to submit
it after the late claim dead
line. Heirs or kin of people
who fit this description but
have since passed away may
also be class members.
Class members’ rights
may be affected by the
Settlement even if they do
not act. Those who wish to
object to the Settlement must
do so by August 12, 2011.
The deadline for filing
claims under this Settlement
may be as early as February
28, 2012. The U.S. District
Court for the District of
Columbia will consider
whether to grant final
approval of the Settlement at
a hearing in Washington
D.C. on September 1, 2011
at 9:30 a.m.
Contact: Lead Class
Counsel: Andrew Marks,
Crowell & Moring LLP,
202-624-2500; Gregorio
Francis, Morgan & Morgan,
P.A., 407-420-1414; and
Henry Sanders, Chestnut,
Sanders, Sanders, Pettaway
& Campbell, LLC, 334-875-
9264.
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