Get to Know "The Avenue"

THE LATEST HAPPENINGS WITH THE HISTORIC AVENUE FOUNDATION

What is The Historic Avenue Foundation?

Our community of “the Avenue,” historically referred to as Davis Avenue in downtown Mobile, includes parts of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Campground, and Bottom communities. (See map below.) Fuse Project’s partner organization, The Historic Avenue Foundation, serves as a community quarterback creating a unique opportunity to transform this community with a truly holistic approach focused on making investments in mixed-income housing, cradle-to-college education, and community health and wellness - a transformation that will honor the history, legacy, and current citizens, a change that doesn’t require replacing or displacing the people within our community.

Our approach is inspired by the Purpose Built Communities model which has been promoted as a proven, replicable strategy by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Federal Reserve Bank among others. We fundamentally believe in the importance of building authentic relationships while working with everyone in our community. We are not entering with a “Super Hero” mindset. We are not entering wearing capes. We are entering wearing gloves, bringing shovels, and ready to work hand-in-hand with the people already there.

COVID-19 Response 

The COVID-19 pandemic taught us the importance of being bold and unafraid to pivot in order to best serve those in need. By shifting our focus, we were able to not only meet the most immediate needs of our community but to also establish a greater presence and to build trust and relationships with many stakeholders there as well. 

Community Clean-up

In addition to the Order of Fuse trash pick-up, we also partnered with the City of Mobile, Mobile Baykeeper, and the Mobile Kappa League to participate in a community clean-up of the Three Mile Creek watershed area which directly impacts the Avenue community.

Teacher Appreciation

For National Teacher Appreciation Day last month, we provided a surprise lunch for the faculty at Florence Howard Elementary School in the Avenue community. We wanted to show our gratitude to all the hard-working teachers for all they do at the school and in the community. Their hard work and dedication go a long way to advance our mission, and we are very appreciative of their support.