Aspire to Inspire…

The Spire Foundation inspires a new era in the life-cycle of community advancement. We are not of a singular focus. We help communities realize their true potential. Our efforts nurture, empower and provide resources for communities to grow in all directions. A true leader does not teach others to follow, but empowers others to lead. We lead by example, showing that character, virtue and tenacity of spirit make the impossible possible.

The Spire Foundation recognizes that each of us has their own strengths, weaknesses, aspirations and resources. When combined together, very little weakness persists as our strengths and resources multiply to help turn aspirations into realities. Baldwyn’s incredible diversity of people, business and industry make for near limitless potential for collective opportunity and advancement. To date, many have helped build Baldwyn into the city it is with great passion. If we can employ that passion, we inspire others to do great things.

The Spire Foundation helps the community by leveraging resources. Additionally, the community benefits as its citizens and businesses get involved in a way that is beneficial to everyone. The city eventually adopts our example as its own. We believe in our hearts that true strength comes from empowering others to believe in themselves.

“We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference, and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history.”

- Sonia Johnson

There are many goals of the foundation. The first major project is the Belief program. The belief program is the next step

in mentoring. We take leaders from near and far and bring them into inspire all levels of the community, starting with

children in the school, then a chance to be one-on-one with the teachers, and finally the community as a whole..

Smaller events would be on a selective schedule basis and an elective for students in MS-HS. Large events are monthly

and for the entire school system, and then separate community events. Smaller presentations would highlight businesses

in and around the area as well as abroad. There are lots of businesses and other unrealized opportunities, due mostly to

mindset or perception. Many of these businesses would be eager to share what they do and why they do it.

A third series would come online focused on advanced education and the people working to shape the world we live

in through education and research. It would be invaluable to bring in Professors and scientists from large and small

institutions for the benefit of those that really think big. They are in every classroom, but sometimes don’t have the

support they need to really push their limits. Every single school has students that can change the world. Our goal is to

find a way to inspire not just the ones we know, but the ones that we don’t.

Finally, a fourth series would focus on the political process and a plan to bring a major campaign debate for all parties.

As Tupelo and Baldwyn become more vested in the Presidential re-election campaign making a case for having a formal

debate in a community like Baldwyn will become critical.

Baldwyn Educational, Lifestyle and Industry Events Forum (BELIEF)

2009-2010 proposed ideas for the monthly series events:

Liz Murray (author) – Homeless to Harvard, making the dream happen.

Margaret Whitman (CEO, ebay and former executive at Disney) – Selling a smile.

Dominique Dawes (Olympian) – Determination, Dedication, Desire.

Dan Rather & Katie Couric (news anchors) – Generational media.

Chip Foose (designer and car builder) – Empowering others to be their best.

Dave O’Reilly (corporate and educational innovator) – Interactions in the modern world.

James Earl Jones (actor) – Inspirational people and the role models of tomorrow.

Penny Allen and Johnny Keeling (Discovery Planet Earth series) – Our living world.

Alton Brown (chef, Food Network) – A multitasking life.

2010-2011 proposed ideas for the monthly series events:

Alison Levine (adventurer) – Daredevil strategies from Wall Street to Mount Everest.

Alan Alda (actor and documentarian) – Science and the human spirit.

Santiago Calatrava (architect) – Design that mimics nature.

Richard Parsons (chairman, Time Warner) – Media in the new millennium.

John Grisham (author, MS native) – Writing with reason.

Ty Pennington (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) – Giving does not have to be extreme.

Omar Hakim (percussionist) – Marching to the beat of many.

Barrington Irving (aviator that flew around the world, solo) – Ascending to greatness.

Susan Ford (artist) – Blowing minds with glass.

Proposed ideas for the monthly series events in 2008-2009:

Daryn Kagan (former CNN anchor) – Showing the world what is possible.

Sally Ride (first American woman astronaut) – Reaching to the heavens from within one’s self.

Morgan Freeman (actor) – All people have the ability to shape the world they live in.

Cat Kora (Food Network chef, MS native) – Food shapes our culture and culture shapes our food.

Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D. (President, Rensselar Polytechnic Institute) – Research changes the everything.

Hartley Peavey (CEO, Peavey Electronics, MS native) – From Mississippi with love of rock and roll.

Anderson Cooper (CNN anchor) – The story becomes real when you open all of your senses.

Vijay Singh (professional golfer) – Quiet strength that can move mountains and conquer the back nine.

Martin Brothers (motorcycle builders) – Perception of an industry is not always reality.

Proposed ideas for the weekly event series in 2008-2009:

Wayne Averett (CDF) – Inspiring business with the Center for Ideas.

Steve Wozniak (technologist/educator) – Empowering tomorrows generations.

Tim Thomas (director, Cargill) – Cooperation makes our communities stronger.

Victor Rosansky (RavenHouse International) – Through the eyes of innovation.

Myron Bernitz (NASA Minuteman Program) – Mission Impossible.

WWII, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq Veterans roundtable.

Flexible Foam chemical engineer

Industrial Designer from Forefront

Designer from Hancock Fabrics

Representative of one aspect of TAB

Commercial and Industry roundtables

Creative Media Arts Lab

In today’s world of limited budgets, limited time, there needs to be a creative outlet for both kids and adults alike. A

creative media lab will allow people to come in and just let their imagination take flight for a while. Great things start

with great imaginations. I already have about 20 machines, some audio and video gear, the ability to show off some of

the works in both the local gallery, but also in broadcast media via the cable system. A potential temporary location

for this could be next the Galerie D Art. As the future community theatre becomes reality, all of the works and

creativity being generated at the lab can be showcased in the theatre, thus enabling both the theatre and the lab to be

complimentary and empowering to both those that view the work, but also those that create it.

Baldwyn Boys and Girls Club (Idea compliments of Ethan Nanney)

Aside from formalized athletic programs in the school Baldwyn does not have many programs or activities designed

for kids and young adults. When kids do not have things to do, they create things to do – some good, some bad. When

kids are shown good example, along with time, talent and a place to be with their peers, great things happen. Beyond

just a place for kids to get together, Boys and Girls Clubs helps to open a world of possibilities to those that may not

see them as possible. It gives kids an environment where they can be themselves, get support, ask questions they may

not have someone else to ask, or find outlets for a talent thy may not have even known they possessed. When coupled

with the Creative Media Arts lab, you could have an environment where almost anyone could see benefit.

Tangible progress and metaphysical results

Open Sky Pavilion:

Baldwyn needs a place for the community to gather. The park offers space and some amusement, but what it lacks

is a direction. If the community had a place to come together, share, listen, and enjoy each other’s company, the

community can one again become one. The environment needs to be inviting and seen as a place where great ideas

can be shared, from both people in the community and from afar. Because structures are relatively expensive, the

initial goal would be to build an amphitheater. This would allow for larger audiences, a more open feeling as the

program starts and over the long term, would allow the community to support multiple events at one time.

The Grand, Green Entrance to the City (stylized illustration coming)

Baldwyn is a spread out community, and as such, there are many ways enter and exit the community. The problem is

that the entrances are all nondescript. Good entrances should be memorable. Like any good speech, you first introduce

them, then you get into the heart of Baldwyn and finally, you remind them of what they just saw. Except for a few

signs, all of which are different, it is hard to even know what town a person is entering.

Baldwyn has this incredible road into town from one of the major arteries of Northwest Mississippi. The entrance from

highway 45 is one that most towns would dream to have. It is a nice long, quiet drive, but ends at an intersection that

really does not have any defining character. The Main Street parkway entrance is a perfect introduction to the city.

The problem is directing people to make that left turn onto it.

Baldwyn is not Las Vegas, and as such, the entrance needs to reflect the heart and soul of the town. Some proposed

adding normal street lamps to illuminate the road, but that would do more of a disservice to the entrance. Instead,

take the beauty of the entrance and highlight it. Keep the quietness of the drive, yet bring out what makes it special.

One thing that a new visitor will notice on that entrance is the tree line that follows the road, and the wide open

ditches next to it. To take the beauty of this and replace it with standard street lights would ruin the entrance

completely. Instead, highlight the road deck and the trees separately. When light is shined directly on the road deck,

it highlights only the road, so you have this mental break between the road and the trees. The trees would be lit from

below, making the look more majestic.

Beyond serving as a grand entrance, it would also reflect a desire to be more eco-friendly. The lighting design would

allow you to have both light sources, yet not require a normal high voltage electric drop. With the advances of LED-

based lighting, both sources of light can be powered primarily off of a solar panel that is aesthetically built-into the

light, with battery backup and a low-voltage line. This keeps the costs of operation very minimal. Baldwyn already

has the talent and resources to partially manufacture and fully assemble these lights, benefitting the city all-around.

Baldwyn Victory Garden(s)

Community gardens date back thousands of years, and their benefits are shared through the communities that

maintain them. During the depression, they served to feed tens of thousands with nutrient-rich, all natural food. They

also served to help bond communities during an era where there was great uncertainty. As lifestyles changed and the

way of the worker grew faster and faster-paced, families have forgotten that they offer some of the abilities that most

families desire most these days – fresh, all natural food, a chance to slow the pace of life down, even for a minute or

two a week, a chance to be a part of the very food they put in front of the families to eat, and a chance to get to know

the other members of the community around them. Another benefit of these gardens is a reduction in crime around

them. Where there is a community garden, crime rates generally fall. All of these benefits add up to happier, healthier

communities, a fact that has been proven in many studies.

A Sharp Focus

No one wins when the public places its trust solely in the hands of law enforcement. Without partnering with the

community at large, the law becomes a disenfranchised body that simply goes through the motions of societal service.

A vicious circle of indifference begins and, ultimately no one wins. Spire intends to re-insert the humanity and sense

of community belonging back into the mix.

Phase one puts a camera (a single use Kodak) in the hands of every citizen or family, so that when crime happens,

it can be documented. This serves a far greater purpose than just documenting the crime. It also serves notice to

criminal elements that the town is standing up and taking responsibility for their homes. The cameras would be

marked or coded, so that they would only be developed and submitted to the local authorities. This keeps the cameras

from becoming abused by personal-use.

Project Handshake 1.0

When a community embraces its own, great things can happen. Today, communities must function and compete in a

high-speed, technology-savvy, ultra competitive world that often lead communities, businesses and industry at a loss.

Spire believes the power of growth is in the collaboration of a community and its commercial and industry partners.

There have been work study programs for decades, but they see little attention, except by the students and the select few

businesses that participate in them. By harnessing the idea of the work study program and making it both public and

achievement-based, we can now showcase how the community’s own businesses inspire our youngest generations to

want to be a part of long term change and growth.

Twice a year, students get to compete for publicly advertised internships, much like the University system. Events

would highlight the acceptance of the students to the business, based upon achievement, and events at the end of the

term would serve to showcase the achievement while at their work study program. By making these events public,

communities get to showcase not only the students, but the businesses that are helping to show the students the

possibilities as well.

Shaping a community from within

Project Handshake 2.0

Project Handshake came into being after realizing that as most students graduate, they are pushed into the world

with very few associations, while they had just left an institution where there were hundreds, if not thousands of

associations. If the average post secondary school took groups of people from each program and brought them together

starting in their third year, they could begin to create associations that would go well beyond the scope of the school.

Today’s more advanced institutions do this to an extent, but the next step is to bring industry mentors into the picture,

so they could gain perspective in aspects that normally take years of experience to learn, as they are learning in school.

As these groups of people progress through school, new ideas, products, services are going to take hold within those

groups. Because the members of the groups are from all different programs, and each of them has a mentor, they can

take those ideas, nurture them, learn how to make them into realities and as they finish school, have the power, both in

people and in associations to take that step into the business world.

YesterEars

Every day, some of our finest people pass on, leaving few lasting things to remember them by other than memories

and sometimes a written account. Today, we have the technology to be able to capture some of the stories that made

them who they are, in their own words. It does not have to be famous people, because some of the greatest stories

are the ones from average, everyday people. The YesterEars project will record history in people’s own words for

today’s and future generations. The end result would be to take those stories and publish them both online and in

kiosks that could be in public areas like schools, libraries and museums.

Idea Fisher:

Some of the greatest people of our time are right in front of us – they are the children. They are the leaders of

tomorrow, and in as many ways we can think of leaders, they have ten-fold more potential than most would give

them credit. Sometimes a child has an idea in which those around him do not know how to nurture or even support.

Because the foundation is in and of itself a group of leaders, it has the ability to know who or what might be able

to help that child. Sometimes the most simple act of a phone call, a tour of a local business or industry or even an

encouraging word can have dramatic effect on that child’s potential in life. To have that resource and not help those

that are our most prized possession would be turning our back on the most important resource we have in life. This

program can work hand-in-hand with other programs, but needs to stay separate, so it can be versatile and beneficial.

The next Einstein or Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. could be right in front of us and we don’t know it yet. It would be best

that we make it all possible for them to be able to shape their world.

Industry Inside Out

Communities with large industry have an enormous effect on a community. What is missing is the community being able

to see what that very industry does for the community and abroad. By opening its doors to the community on a regular

basis, the community can begin to see what makes it special from a business and industry perspective. This not only

enlightens the community, but brings forth pride and a level of promotion that few methods of advertising could touch.

Organizational structureBoard of Trustees

In order to have a strong foundation, those that are its leaders need to be the pillars of the community. Those that give

of time, talent and resources and have a genuine desire to enrich the community will be those that inspire the leaders of

tomorrow, both in words and actions. Because it is generally accepted that leaders in government roles are expected to

give back, it would be beneficial to have a group of people that are outside of that to show that leadership can come from

beyond the government roles. This will allow the board to be more objective than politically oriented. It will also act to

show the community that leaders (community, educational, business, industry) have a vested interest in their community

reaping the rewards of the foundation. One chairperson will lead a group of approximately a dozen individuals that are

judged by a committee every four years on the basis of endowment, activity in functions and programs, and a public

comment period. The public comment period would last sixty days and allow a level of transparency that will keep the

board focused on progress and hold them accountable. Acceptance to the board will be based on 20% for endowment

contributions, 40% for community activity and 40% public comment. The Foundation and its members must always be

seen as respectable, honorable and focused on results, not negative political campaigning.

Financial Accountability

All foundation financial matters will be of public record during the election process, and would be available for a period

not less than 180 days prior to election. This will allow the board to make strategic decisions during its term, but be held

accountable during the election process for those decisions.

The Spire Trust

The goal of most foundations is to achieve a level that the organization can be supported through its interest. Though

a noble goal, this keeps most trusts from being able to make the differences needed in order to get the trust to the level

where it can be sustained through interest alone. A careful balance of savings and investment needs to be achieved to

maximize the benefit to the community, while preserving long term sustainability. As the community grows, partly due to

the benefits of the foundation, more moneys will become available to benefit the trust.

Building BeliefPrograms like BELIEF are often rejected as being unrewarding from a financial standpoint. Common perceptions are that

they can become a burdensome cost. The reality is, that they are in fact, quite the opposite. Power lies within the greater

community. The variety of businesses and industries within a community are what inspires leaders to come and share

their experiences and make available resources to bring others to do the same.

An example:

In the greater Baldwyn area alone, there are roughly 50 automobile-related businesses. If an event with a speaker like Chip

Foose were to come to town, the cost of bringing this level of an industry leader would be in the neighborhood of $25,000.

While this is a sizable sum to one individual, spread out among 50 businesses, this becomes a more digestible cost.

Each business becomes a sponsor and each would have an opportunity to share in the experience. As a benefit, working

together can bring an industry giant into the city of Baldwyn to the collective benefit of students, teachers and the rest

of the Baldwyn community at large.

With the diverse industry in this region, almost every major industry has enough businesses that surround it to bring

influential and inspiring speakers each and every year to benefit the whole community, all while not economically

straining the city. In areas where a speaker goes beyond the ability of the community to sponsor, the Spire Foundation

would have connections and resources to supplement the effort to maintain the global benefit to the community.

“The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but reveal to them their own.” - Benjamin Disraeli