Executive Summary

Operation Shoestring (OS) was founded in 1968 amid the turmoil of the Civil Rights era as a safe, supportive space for kids and families. OS provides direct services reflecting the needs and dreams of our neighbors while striving to build an ecosystem of equity and opportunity that supports the well-being of everyone in Jackson. OS is a space where people from different races, religions, and life experiences in our community come together to address systemic inequity and its legacy in our city and state.

Most families in our program are headed by Black females who describe to us concerns around community safety, income disparities, health inequities, and other factors that prevent them from achieving their self-determined goals.

OS’s programming creates opportunities for families, and the support to take advantage of those opportunities while promoting initiatives for quality education, self-advocacy, and anti-poverty work in our city. Children in OS’s afterschool and summer programs typically outperform their peers academically and have fewer disciplinary incidents in school, both of which are often predictors of future success.

Organizations may provide budget and employee data based on this proposal or the organization as a whole. For more information on this proposal or organization, please email us.