PORCH Initiative aims to breath new life into south Cape Girardeau
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – Revitalization and hope those words describe the PORCH Initiative to breath new life into south Cape Girardeau.
City councilwoman and champion of many causes Tameka Randle shares her vision for PORCH and the people who through it can finally call themselves homeowners.
“My passion has always been people so that’s the start of anything I’ve done all my life,” said Randle. “The PORCH Initiative, if I could sum it up a little bit, is to revitalize and make vibrant south Cape with housing education and wellness initiatives.”
Randle, describing her vision to manifest education, housing and wellness in the neighborhoods of south Cape Girardeau through PORCH – People Organized to Revitalize Community Healing.
“Our first home is across the street,” said Randle, “So we revitalize, renovated it. Got it sound, and we came right back in the community to revitalize a home right across the street,” she said. “We are a family we called the PORCH family. Everything we have someone do we work with them to do it. If you do it at 50, we do it at 50.”
We stood inside the walls of a home that is part of the Pacific project – phase two of PORCH’s mission to make the dream of owning a home a reality for families in south Cape.
“We’ve been so fortunate, since we have two phases, and this is our second phase. Our first phase, we have money from private owners, So people become first time homeowners. So our focus is helping people become first time homeowners through helping people with our home ownership course that we have,” said Randle. “make sure they understand the process of getting a home, educating them. They take home ownership courses, and then they are able to purchase a home within the south Cape boundaries only if they never owned a home before.”
Since the first closing in November of 2022, PORCH has helped six families become first time homeowners.
“We are really excited about that,” said Randle. “That is really our focus, helping our generation and helping people have sustainability of living and sustainable lifestyle. We’re giving them the tools, the resources and we’re helping him with the process. One thing that’s supposed to be important. We like to be able to educate so they understand that they’re able to do it.”
“We’ve got the Shawnee Center, the basketball. We’ve got Southside Farms, the different churches in the community, people just coming together. It’s just like the synergy. If you’ve got one person doing something and other people want to do something and that’s just what this community is all about,” said Randle.
“To me it means making everything equal balancing everything and giving people opportunities and letting people have opportunities people have a perspective on how things can be done in a different way,” she said.
Randle says there’s room on the PORCH for everyone to be a part of the lives being changed. She thanks those who have already found their seat:
“One thing I have to say this work being done here is private donations,” said Randle. “We don’t have grant funding for any of the projects we are working on for our houses, so that is saying a lot that means people in our community. Businesses corporations, believe in what we’re doing.”
She’s excited about big events coming up.
“We’ve got a big fundraiser coming up with Curtis Granderson who is my first cousin was an all-star baseball player,” said Randle. “He is the Hall of Fame candidate for 2025 and he will be there doing autographs with the kids having conversations and asking questions and we’re doing that with the City of Cape Parks and Rec and that’s one of our big sponsorships.”
“This place means a lot to me,” said Randle. “It’s near and dear to my heart. I get emotional about it because I want to see people have the best. PORCH is a premier organization. I knew if I was connected to the right people to make things happen.”
The Sneaker Ball is coming up on June 15. The proceeds will provide sneakers for Blanchard and Jefferson elementary school students participating in the Cape Girardeau Public Schools and City of Pape Rarks and Rec intramural sports.
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