Last spring, Order of Fuse, Fuse Project’s member organization, awarded the Sam Schjott Thumbs Up Order of Fuse Grant for $25,000 to The Cookery Project. This competitive grant is awarded annually through a nomination and voting process by Order of Fuse members. Additionally, Fuse Project matched the $25,000 grant and evenly distributed it to three other grant applicants' projects impacting the Avenue community. These programs include City of Mobile Swim Association’s Water Safety Initiative, Round But Square Art Studio, and Flourish. Here is a snapshot of what has been going on since grant funds were awarded and how they have been utilized.

Garden Club

Members of Order of Fuse joined together last fall at Florence Howard Elementary School to build garden beds and install rain barrels to be utilized by their Garden Club, which was launched by Order of Fuse grant recipient, The Cookery Project. The rain barrels were graciously donated to FHES by the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program and Greif. Since their installation, the children have planted seeds, learned all about the different parts of the plant, and how to protect them in the colder months. The most recent meeting of this club was filled with excitement to see real growth from seeds that were planted in October.

Cooking Club

With funding from the Order of Fuse grant, The Cookery Project also launched a Cooking Club at Florence Howard Elementary. Students have learned about nutrition and how to categorize foods using the food traffic light system - green for low-calorie foods that can be eaten freely, yellow for moderate-calorie foods that can be eaten occasionally, and red for high-calorie foods that should be eaten rarely. At one of their most recent club meetings, they enjoyed creating king cakes out of Hawaiian rolls, different fillings, icings, and festive sprinkles. Even though king cakes are a “red” food, they learned it’s okay to indulge just a little during Mardi Gras. They have also learned how to make healthier options like chicken salad and “Leprechaun Dip”, a healthy greek yogurt dip with avocado and herbs.

Art Club

Round But Square Art Studio, who received one of the matching Fuse Project grants, used their funding to launch an Art Club at Florence Howard Elementary School. In one of their first projects, they worked with 4th and 5th grade students to create a special work of art to help us “Light the Fuse”.  In this exercise, they listened to “What Do You Do With An Idea?” by Kobi Yamada. The students identified the things that spark them as people. They completed an abstract art to portray their "spark". After completing their individual art, they worked together to complete a canvas art (pictured below) continuing to paint with their "spark" in mind. This canvas was then cut into pieces of art - one larger canvas we auctioned off during our Light the Fuse campaign and some smaller, matted pieces. These smaller pieces of art (available in two sizes - 8”x8” and 11”x14”) are for sale in our online store and proceeds from the sales will be put directly back into our Avenue community programs and initiatives. Our hope is that your art purchase will place the SPARK in your homes and workplaces to serve as a constant reminder to continue LIGHTING THE FUSE to support the children in our community.

Since then, students have also begun a two-part self-portrait using mirrors to study their reflections to make their drawings more realistic and profound. They have learned about proper placement of facial features, sizing of their drawings, and various art techniques. We can’t wait to see this project continue to come to life in the coming weeks! Stay tuned to our social media for updates.

The Avenue Swim Club

The City of Mobile Swim Association (CMSA) also received one of the matching grants from Fuse Project to support their Water Safety Initiative. The grant funds have enabled this program to educate 50 students from Florence Howard Elementary School in water safety and swim lessons. The three-week, eight class program provided students with the opportunity to learn how to swim and potentially save a life. CMSA also provided each participant with a pair of goggles and a t-shirt. Additionally, students were registered as a USA Swimming Outreach Athlete and became eligible to join CMSA as a member once they gained sufficient skills. Being able to provide water safety education to the children in our community is invaluable. We look forward to continuing our partnership with CMSA and to the next installment of this initiative.

Flourish at Fuse Factory

We also awarded a matching grant to Flourish Community. Flourish applied their grant to their fall 2022 community center budget, where they served eight girls from the greater Mobile area in addition to 14 girls from Baldwin County. They also used funds from this grant to extend their outreach and launch their current Empower Program to girls in Mobile and the Avenue community at Fuse Factory. The Empower Program focuses on empowering teen girls ages 13-18 through health and personal development workshops. As a part of the new Mobile Empower Program, Flourish Community hosted a health instructor to teach a health and fitness class. The girls learned different exercises they can do at home without needing equipment and about healthy eating habits. They also enjoyed yummy, healthy snacks after class. It was a great evening and a great start to this new program which we are thrilled to invest in and look forward to seeing the impact it will make in the lives of the young women they serve.

In addition to these grant initiatives, we have enjoyed fostering our relationships in the Avenue and collaborating with other organizations serving our community.

Soulful Sounds of the Season

We were thrilled to have the opportunity again to collaborate with our friends at Vivian’s Door to sponsor a free Christmas community celebration with “Soulful Sounds of the Season on The Avenue” on Saturday, December 17 at 3 pm at Truevine Missionary Baptist Church. This special event, which included dinner and pictures with Santa, also featured soulful performances by recording artists Michael Slater and Company, Zerrick Bradley, Jeremy Jackson, and Shannon Wesley. 

Ashland Place Toy Drive

During the holiday season, we partnered with Ashland Place Preschool to help spread a little cheer in the Avenue community. Gifts were collected and distributed to over 25 preschoolers at Florence Howard Elementary School through our Academic Support Program as a reward for all of their hard work in the fall semester. Their smiles filled the room with JOY! We are so proud of these students for finishing their first semester of Pre-K. 

Mobile United’s 9th Annual Day of Service

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision of a "beloved community", Fuse Project volunteers joined Mobile United's 9th Annual Day of Service, a city-wide clean up. We are so grateful to Councilman William Carroll and Mobile Baykeeper for hosting us in District 2. More than 200 amazing volunteers turned out for the city-wide event and collected 1,615 pounds of trash, while also removing 5,737 pounds of debris. Thanks to Osprey Initiative, we were also able to recycle forty-eight pounds of material collected.

People United to Advance the Dream

8th Annual Black Tie Awards Gala

Fuse Project and The Historic Avenue Foundation were extremely honored to receive the Dr. MLK Educational Award in January at the People United to Advance the Dream Mobile’s 8th Annual Black Tie Awards Gala honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This distinction is chosen by the members of PUAD who recognize five trailblazers throughout the community making a difference in Education, Community Service, Health and Human Services, Humanitarian, and Leadership Services. It was a beautiful evening, and we especially loved hearing from Chief of Police Paul Prine and Rev. David Edwards, Jr.’s message of “Overcoming Hate with Love.”

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” 

- from Strength to Love, 1963; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

PUAD advocates for productive workplaces by diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. Their mission is to further Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream by empowering the under-served through overcoming social disadvantages by increasing racial equity and increasing financial literacy. 

Annual Pettus Bridge Crossing

Led by our friend Rev. David Edwards, we also had the opportunity to work with PUAD to sponsor local students as they traveled to Selma for the Annual Pettus Bridge Crossing to commemorate the 58th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. The group made the walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in honor and remembrance of the attack on Civil Rights protestors in 1965, an event which became known as “Bloody Sunday”. This trip even made the news! Click here to see the coverage.

We are incredibly grateful for strong partnerships with organizations such as PUAD that educate others on the importance of voting. 

Events and partnerships like these are vital to our mission in the Avenue by allowing us to connect with the residents and build relationships in the community so that we can work hand-in-hand to create transformational change.

Click to find out how you can help make an impact in The Avenue community.