WEED & SEED LEADER GIVES NEIGHBORHOODS HEALTHY SHOT TO GROW

Shevelle Porter does not know much about football although she coordinates
a program that needed to purchase equipment so children in a low-income
neighborhood could play football this summer.

She has experience in government work, and her son has not played much
football. He's only 2 years old.

Porter, however, does not have to know about the sport. She has a lot of
help from a growing number of people working with the Weed & Seed program
in Spartanburg.

Her job is to bring them together.

The idea of Weed & Seed sounds simple. First, neighborhood problems such as
drugs and violent crime will be "weeded" out of a 3.1-square-mile area on
Spartanburg's south side and in the Arkwright community. Second, programs
will "seed" improvement such as job training and after-school enrichment.

The multi-faceted initiative is complicated, involving dozens of programs
developed by the community's residents, law enforcement officers,
prosecutors, business owners, nonprofit agencies, spiritual leaders and
city and county staff.

Their shared dream for revitalization came together in a lengthy, detailed
application for federal Weed & Seed funds that won $225,000 in federal
support less than a year ago.

Then, Porter was hired as program coordinator. She began work three months
ago to help the dream come true.

"When Shevelle came, that's when things began to come together," said
Jerline Stewart, co-chairwoman of the "seed" committee.

Porter's job ranges from tracking expenditures to visiting programs to
whatever it takes to make sure plans actually happen.

"It's not a 9-5 job," said the suburban Chicago native. Porter said she
eats, sleeps and breathes Weed & Seed.

The hours are more irregular than her previous position with the city of
Spartanburg's Community Development Department.

The 33-year-old comes into her office at City Hall in midmorning to go over
the sticky notes on her desk of things to do. She then returns telephone
calls and reviews invoices. If a Dumpster and law enforcement officers are
needed at a neighborhood cleanup, she makes those arrangements..

By afternoon, she visits Safe Havens, places that host community enrichment
programs. She takes a pad, pencil and clipboard to jot down the needs of
organizers. She may stop to chat with a few teens about what to wear to a
job interview.

Evenings include neighborhood watch and Weed & Seed steering committee
meetings.

Porter also may work weekends, going with youths on a cleanup project where
too many food wrappers, beer bottles and other garbage have trashed a site.

The program is a priority with Porter. It's not just a job. It's a part of
her life. At one point, she even moved her 2-year-old's stroller to the
front seat of her car so she could transport learning software for a Weed &
Seed-supported project.

Why? Because she believes Weed & Seed programs work.

Just getting more football uniforms -- one aspect of the program -- will
enable more children to get involved in a healthy activity, said Sgt.
Reggie Miller of the Spartanburg Public Safety Department.

"We don't have to turn away anybody," Miller said.

Teresa Killian can be reached at 562-7216 or teresa.killian@shj.com.

WEED & SEED About $225,000 awarded this year for a federally funded Weed &
Seed program has been put toward programs to "weed" out problems such as
crime, violence and drug activity and "seed" community development programs
to empower about 6,000 residents of south-side and Arkwright communities.

WEEDING Bicycles have been purchased for community policing officers.

Officers have been paid overtime to work with the area in such ways as
helping with a youth offender neighborhood cleanup.

Other money will be used to concentrate additional narcotics investigations
in the area through overtime and purchase of equipment.

SEEDING Trash bags have been purchased for community clean-ups. Snacks and
incentives have also been purchased.

SAFE HAVENS Four sites have been designated as safe places to host
empowerment programs. Some of the ways the grant already has helped:

C.C. Woodson Center

Purchases have included two computers, a TV and VCR, football equipment,
basketballs for Police Athletic League and sports and law programs.

Community Baptist Church in Arkwright

Equipment for youth softball and football has been ordered. Work has begun
to acquire playground equipment. Computer equipment has been installed, and
a computer lab program launched through the efforts of volunteers.

Bethlehem Center

An instructor was hired to work with kids in the afternoons in the computer
lab. A youth apprenticeship program to help young offenders was launched.
Workbooks and computer supplies also were purchased.

Crescent Hills

A program planner for the site was funded. Purchases included reading
materials, supplies for youth programs including paper, pencils and
notebooks, board games for small children. Funds also were set aside for
field trips.