Jackson Free Press

Here is a listing of our current Agents of Change. If you know of any we missed or need to know, hit us up at Jackpedia.

Housing
Habitat for Humanity/Metro Jackson
P.O. Box 55634, Jackson, 39296-5634,
601-353-6060
http://www.habitatjackson.org

Habitat builds and sells homes for lower-income residents in the Jackson at no profit and charges no interest. The organization relies on volunteers to build the homes.

Mississippi Homebuyer Education Center
350 Woodrow Wilson, Ste 3480
601-366-9141

The center provides state-wide homebuyer education and counseling services for first-time mortage applicants.

Economic Development
John M. Perkins Foundation
1831 Robinson St., 601-354-1563
http://www.jmpf.org

Provides families with safe, clean, positive places to live and encourage parents—especially single mothers—in the West Jackson neighborhood to continue to pursue careers, educations and faith.

Enterprise Corporation of the Delta
4 Old River Place, 601-944-1100
http://www.ecd.org

ECD is a private, nonprofit community development financial institution that provides commercial financing, mortgage loans, and technical assistance to support businesses, entrepreneurs, homebuyers and community development projects. ECD's mission is to strengthen communities, build assets and improve lives of people in economically distressed areas of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Memphis.

Voice of Calvary Ministries
531 W. Capitol St., 601-969-3088
http://www.vocm.org

VOCM Real Estate Development focuses on housing construction, renovation and community green spaces. VOCM provides housing for low- to moderate-income persons and families through its Real Estate Development program.

Mid-South Community Development Corp.
P.O. Box 668, Tougaloo 39174, 601-525-3898
http://www.midsouthcdc.org

Mid-South provides housing and housing-related community services for very low- to moderate-income residents in Hinds County. Its mission is to develop better housing opportunities, stimulate the flow of resources to communities, increase the quality of education, and provide economic development opportunities for at-risk populations.

North Midtown Community Development Corp.
215 McTyere Ave., 601-354-5373
http://northmidtowncdc.com

The mission of North Midtown Community Development Corporation is to make the North Midtown community a more desirable area in which to live, work and raise families. NMCDC was formed for the purpose of the social and economic revitalization of the North Midtown neighborhood, within the boundaries of Woodrow Wilson to the North, Fortification Street to the South, West Street to the East and Mill Street to the West. This corporation places its prime focus on: job creation; providing adequate and affordable housing; crime and drug traffic reduction; quality education of young residents; and encouraging neighborhood identity.

Mississippi Development Authority
P.O. Box 849, Jackson, 39205
601-359-3449
http://www.mississippi.org

The agency is organized into three groups: Economic Development, Asset Development and Administration and Financial Services. The Economic Development Group focuses its efforts in traditional business recruitment and retention, community development, tourism development and export development. The Asset Development Group pursues innovative ways to develop unique Mississippi assets such as cultural heritage, natural resources and small town life styles. The Administration and Financial Services Group oversees the agency's financial and administrative responsibilities and community development grant programs.

Mississippi Main Street Association
308 East Pearl St., Suite 101
601-944-0113
http://www.msmainstreet.com

Services: Mississippi Main Street Association is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Mississippi Development Authority. Main Street is an economic development program based in historic preservation. Provides leadership, guidance and counsel to Mississippi Main Street communities through organization, promotion, design and economic development to make our cities and towns better places to work, live and play.

Mississippi Resource Conservation & Development Council
Central District
311 Airport Road, Pearl
601-965-5233 Ext.233
http://central.msrcd.org

Services: RC&D depends on grass-roots involvement in making decisions about local areas and on the value of public-private partnerships in making the best use of limited resources. RC&D works to achieve a balance between rural economic development and natural resources protection while working toward a goal of community sustainability.

Art
Footprint Creative Arts Institute
1230 Raymond Road, Suite 1121
601-750-0452

Footprint Creative Arts Institute seeks to lay a solid foundation for nurturing, guiding and educating the whole child and their families to embrace culture, value self and community and to become dedicated to a lifelong process of literacy for present and future generations to come. With experience in creative expression including visual arts, African song, dance and rhythms, FCAI fosters growth and self-discipline through the positive creative spirit.

Mississippi Arts Commission
501 N. West St., Suite 1101A, Woolfolk Building
601-359-6030
http://www.arts.state.ms.us

Services: MAC provides grants for the arts and provides services to local artists and arts organizations. It gives financial support to eligible arts programs and individual artists as well as working toward the preservation of state art. Annually, the Mississippi Arts Commission plans and implements an outstanding list of special projects and initiatives. From the high school recitation competition, Poetry Out Loud, to the online resources the agency provides, the Commission strives to bring the arts to all residents of Mississippi.

Celtic Heritage Society
P.O. Box 5166, Jackson 39296-5166
http://www.celticfestms.org

Celtic Heritage's mission is to study, promote, and preserve Celtic traditions and culture. This includes music, dance, history, language, literature, art and other activities native to Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall, and the Isle of Man. CelticFest Mississippi, now in its 16th year, serves as an important vehicle for meeting the society's mission of studying, promoting, and preserving the musical, artistic, and other cultural traditions of the Celtic nations.

Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi
The Mississippi Craft Center
950 Rice Road, Ridgeland
601-856-7546
http://mscrafts.org

The genius of American craft is how a common and utilitarian basket or wooden bowl may become a piece of art when transformed from materials of the land—wood, clay, fiber, metal and minerals—by the hands of master craftsmen. The Mississippi Craft Center is all about educating people about this natural resource and marketing the talents of Mississippi artisans.

Very Special Arts Mississippi
Mississippi Arts Center
201 East Pascagoula St.
601-965-4866
http://www.vsartsms.org

VSA is dedicated to promoting and providing arts opportunities for people with disabilities. More than 10,000 people are involved in VSA arts education, community arts and professional development programs each year.

North Midtown Arts Center
121 Millsaps Ave., 601-540-5991
http://Northmidtownartscenter.wordpress.com

Open to public in order to encourage creativity. The venue is open to rent for events, in house shows and productions.

Greater Jackson Arts Council
225 E. Pascagoula St. . 601-960-1557

The Greater Jackson Arts Council is the official Arts Council for the city of Jackson and Hinds County. The Board of Directors is a unique and diverse mixture of community leaders. The Council has a year-round funding program that averages 100 grants annually.

Mississippi Humanities Council
3825 Ridgewood Road, Room 311
601-432-6752
http://www.mshumanities.org

The Mississippi Humanities Council has been bringing the insights of history and culture into people's lives since 1972. The Council celebrates and preserves our diverse cultural heritage, creates public dialogue on issues that matter and enriches the education we offer our children.

Education:
Operation Shoestring
1711 Bailey Ave.
601-353-6336
http://www.operationshoestring.org

Operation Shoestring provides services to the children and families of central Jackson. It has after-school tutoring, art, music, and dance programs, athletic summer camps and family communication and parenting classes.

Parents for Public Schools
200 N Congress St., Suite 500
800-880-1222 or 601-969-6936
http://www.parents4publicschools.com

PPS strives to hold districts accountable for results by training and organizing parents to be advocates for their children. Parents are encouraged to become involved. PPS also promotes more arts and music education in schools.

Health & Wellness:
Tougaloo-Rainbow Sustainable Garden
500 W. County Line Road
601-977-7700
http://www.tougaloo.edu

The community garden is a collaboration between Tougaloo College and Rainbow Grocery to provide the community with organic vegetables and fruit at low cost.

Jackson Roadmap To Health Equity Project
350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave., Suite 3140
601-987-6783
http://www.jacksonroadmap.org

The Roadmap to Health Project strives to improve the health of local residents and to promote exercise in Jackson. The Road Map does this by breaking down environmental and economical barriers that would have otherwise prevented Jacksonians from exercising.

Jackson Medical Mall
350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.
601-982-8467
http://www.jacksonmedicalmall.com

The Jackson Medical Mall provides medical, food, and shopping services to midtown Jackson residents. The medical aspect fills health-care needs for midtown citizens and allows them access to treatments that they otherwise might not be able to get.

NUTS – Neat Used Things for Sale
114 Millsaps Ave.
601-355-7458
http://www.goodsamaritancenter.org

N.U.T.S. is a resale store that carries a variety of used items ranging from household items, clothing, furniture, toys and collectibles.

Green Space
Mississippi Recreation and Parks Association
PO Box 16451, Hattiesburg, 39404-6451
http://www.aboutmrpa.org

MRPA works closely with state and local recreation professionals, park agencies, associated corporations within the industry, and citizen groups publicize and support state and local recreational activities.

Mississippi Forestry Commission
660 North St., Suite 300
601-359-1386
http://www.mfc.ms.gov

Provides active leadership in forest protection, forest management, forest inventory and effective forest information distribution, necessary for Mississippi's sustainable forest-based economy.

Mississippi Urban Forest Council
164 Trace Cove Drive, Madison
601-856-1660 or 601-672-0755
http://www.mfc.state.ms.us/mufc.htm

Promotes quality urban and community forestry in Mississippi.

Sierra Club- Mississippi Chapter
912 N. Congress St.
601-352-1026

Protects communites and the environment through legal work and advocacy.