June 6, 2011
Cameron Foundation co-hosts housing and community development summit
Working in partnership with the City of Petersburg, The Cameron Foundation will co-host a housing and community development summit June 15. The forum will be highlighted by keynote speaker Mayor Heather McTeer Hudson of Greenville, MS, a town of similar size and circumstance to Petersburg. Hudson is credited with leading Greenville’s success in securing over $15 million in grants and federal assistance; completing major infrastructure projects; and initiating revitalization of the city’s downtown area. Hudson, who is the first African-American and first female to serve as Mayor of Greenville, will share her experiences with her city’s revitalization and development efforts.
As a day-long event, the summit has been designed to begin a dialogue among nonprofit, local government and business organizations that are providing products or services that address housing needs in the City of Petersburg. Handy L. Lindsey, Jr., the Foundation’s President and CEO, explained, “This forum is a tremendous opportunity to bring together the many constituents who are invested in the community’s revitalization. If we are going to successfully direct priorities and strategies toward improved housing choices and services for Petersburg residents, we need the benefit of these many voices to help shape that agenda.”
In addition to Hudson’s keynote address, the program will include several sessions. Officials from the City of Petersburg will make presentations about the City’s long-term vision for housing and housing development. Participants will review a Petersburg housing survey that the Foundation recently conducted, and, incorporating these findings, they will conduct working sessions to begin developing a shared vision aligned around the City’s priorities. “We really hope to develop greater collaboration across sectors as a result of this effort,” Lindsey added.
Headquartered in Petersburg, The Cameron Foundation’s mission is to improve both the health and quality of life for people living in its service area, which includes residents of the cities of Petersburg, Colonial Heights and Hopewell, the counties of Dinwiddie, Prince George and Sussex, and the portion of Chesterfield County lying south of U.S. Route 10.