THE SEEDS OF HOPE STARTING TO SPROUT

"But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold,
some sixty, some thirty." Matthew 13:8

Since 2001, Pensacola Weed & Seed Partnership has been planting seeds in
hopes of rebuilding lives and producing a better community.

As the weeds of crime, drugs and poverty are pulled, the seeds of
regeneration and revitalization are planted throughout designated areas to
help improve the appearance of the community and the lives of its residents.

Kevin Franklin is the "master planter." Through his efforts as the
program's site coordinator, his hard work and dedication are beginning to
yield a harvest.

Franklin, 35, a native of White Plains, N.Y., started with the program as a
volunteer while employed by the University of West Florida.

Weed & Seed has had mixed success in other cities, but may be a good fit
for the Belmont-DeVilliers area. Coordination between the law enforcement
and social-service aspects is crucial, along with full participation by the
area's residents.

The targeted area is bounded by West Cervantes, North Spring, West Gregory
and North G streets. It includes 902 single-family housing units, of which
366 are owner-occupied.

The program is more than a crime-fighting tool; it also is about saving
young lives and rebuilding old ones.

Since 2001, arrests for serious crimes such as assault, rape and robbery
have dropped nearly 30 percent; 16 new homes have been built; and more than
130 youths have completed 61,512 reading hours.

"Crime is abated, but the primary objective is to wheel in revitalization,"
Franklin said during an interview in his new office at 1019 W. Belmont St.
The renovated house sits in the heart of the designated area. In addition
to his office space, the house accommodates space for computer training,
workshops and classroom instruction.

It's no secret that crime and poverty have long plagued the Belmont-
DeVilliers area, making it a prime target for the federal program aimed at
revitalizing neighborhoods. The program coordinates federal, state and city
efforts to strengthen both law enforcement and social services. But success
will not come easily in the face of skepticism that has hardened over years
of scant progress.

Weed & Seed has joined with more than 70 community-based service providers,
civic organizations, faith-based groups, agencies and educational
institutions in providing sponsorship and leadership to aid in the
long-term rebuilding and recovery of neighborhoods in targeted areas.

The activities include, but are not limited to, computer training classes,
neighborhood association meetings, parenting workshops, reading projects
and neighborhood clean-ups.

By using a multi-prong, community-based approach, Weed & Seed aims to help
residents help themselves, enabling them to find solutions to public safety
problems, strengthen leadership and achieve their community and law
enforcement goals.

Since taking on the job as site coordinator full time, Franklin doesn't
just work, he works to make a difference -- in the lives of people, the
health of the community and the success of an organization.

To be sure, there is much work to be done. But as long as the seeds of hope
continue to fall on fertile soil, the Weed & Seed Partnership will continue
to produce good fruit of success, progress and hope for a better future.