Community Renewal a
dynamic U.S. export

Editorial
Jan. 8, 2008
The (Shreveport) Times

Local community renewal efforts have expanded to communities throughout the nation and into other areas of the world for some time now. It is fitting the locally based Shreveport-Bossier Community Renewal has changed its name to Community Renewal International. The new moniker reflects its global mission - from Africa to Asia - and its success in uniting a wide range of people in a common cause: caring for each other.

The announcement of the name change came even as the organization was receiving yet another bit of well-deserved recognition: the Omar N. Bradley Spirit of Independence Award at the Dec. 30 Independence Bowl festivities. That honor recognizes outstanding individuals or organizations that symbolize the spirit of freedom and independence upon which the United States was founded.

Dignitaries and CRI Advisory Board members on hand for the presentation pointed out some of the organization's success stories. John Dalton, former Secretary of the Navy, touted phenomenal results in terms of the reduction of crime and drug use and the increased opportunities for children. U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu called CRI an extraordinary model with profound teaching going on and dynamic interactions occurring.

Another high-profile cheerleader of CRI is Bossier City's Kix Brooks of the country duo Brooks & Dunn. "There's a crime element that comes when neighborhoods go the wrong way," Brooks said. "That's when it takes special courage. You can build higher fences and run away from it, or you can meet it head on. Community Renewal is a prime example of people that have met it head on."

Community Renewal's efforts - spearheaded by Shreveporter Mack McCarter and supported by untold numbers of individuals, neighborhoods, businesses and governmental and private groups - are successful models for restoring safe and healthy communities through caring relationships. That they started locally through the good work of McCarter and a small group of supporters is a great source of local pride and a continuing point of light for this area, represented physically by the National Center for Community Renewal building under renovation in downtown Shreveport.

Since its beginning in 1994, Community Renewal has been an independent organization unaffiliated with any organized agency or church but drawing support from scores of them. Its initiatives involve Renewal Teams, Haven Houses and Friendship Houses that each provide life-changing outreach activities. It has touched the lives of more than 1,700 at-risk youth, involved more than 35,000 people in the "We Care" team and trained nearly 900 to serve as Haven House leaders who help renew the city one neighbor and one city block at a time.

An effort begun locally with a single inner-city block has gone international, and our city and our world are far, far better because of it. Welcome and Godspeed to Community Renewal International.