For years, Hope Community has envisioned a thriving, interconnected community at the historic Anna T. Jeanes School (ATJ) property. This site is more than just land; it’s a cornerstone of Fairhope’s African American history, having served as a vital institution for Black children during the era of segregation. Now, with a newly secured long-term lease from the City of Fairhope, we have the opportunity to transform this historic property into a vibrant community hub that honors its legacy. By creating a teaching farm, teaching kitchen, and community center, we can bring a new source of education and hope to all of Fairhope. We’ve accomplished so much with our dedicated volunteers, but to truly bring this vision to life, we need to hire a Farm and Operations Manager. Join us in our mission to raise $150,000 by September 15th to fund this crucial role and build a vibrant future for everyone.

Hope Community’s mission is “nurturing unity and relationships through food, healing, and education.” As a 501c(3) organization, our vision focuses on restoring and revitalizing the Anna T. Jeanes School site (ATJ) as a community center, garden/farm, and teaching kitchen. For many generations, this location was the center of the Fairhope South community. In the early 20th century, ATJ was the first school for African-American students who were not welcome in the white school system. Special gatherings such as family reunions and May Day celebrations were historically held at ATJ.

Hope Community is developing an engaging and inclusive space designed to honor the past while serving the present needs of Fairhope South. The site will feature an interactive, museum-style exhibit showcasing the history of Anna T. Jeanes and the Fairhope South community, along with versatile meeting rooms that can accommodate a variety of gatherings and events. Thoughtfully designed raised-bed and in-ground gardens will provide both practical use and aesthetic beauty, while 1.5 miles of walking nature trails will offer opportunities for wellness and connection to nature. This vision has been shaped through ongoing conversations and active engagement with Fairhope South residents, ensuring it reflects the community’s voice. We now have a long-term lease for the property from the City of Fairhope. This lease allows us to move forward with our project to revitalize this property as a community center and teaching farm.

Our next step toward realizing this vibrant vision is to raise funds to hire our first FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE, in addition to our annual budget to maintain the property and support our ongoing programs. Hope Community has grown to 650+ members made up of committed, hardworking volunteers. We’ve worked together to accomplish amazing goals, but we now need to hire a FARM and OPERATIONS MANAGER to support all aspects of our volunteer driven organization. This would include volunteer coordination, garden oversight, nature trails, property maintenance, and events, among other responsibilities. This major step towards sustainable operation has motivated us to increase our annual fundraising goal to $150,000.00!

Hope Community is honored to have the opportunity to create a lasting legacy at the ATJ School and property. We have been working determinedly toward the goal of renovating and restoring ATJ. As an exciting bonus, the City of Fairhope, with the support of the Fairhope/Point Clear Community Foundation, plans to construct a splash pad and park on the corner of South Section Street.

STRATEGIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF HOPE COMMUNITY

• Creation of by-laws by the BOD that were recognized by the State of Alabama and the IRS as a Domestic Non-Profit 501c(3) Corporation in 2023
• Completed annual fundraisers in 2023 and 2024 raising $50,000.00 and $60,000.00, respectively.
  Managed our nonprofit expenditures with an annual budget that has facilitated the tracking of our costs through our QuickBooks online account.
• Engaged AVIZO Accounting services to review our bookkeeping to certify we are in good standing and to file the tax returns to maintain our standing as a 501c(3).
• Built a volunteer base through our in-person meetings and Facebook engagement of over 650 members on our email list and 1,500 Facebook followers.
• Through the efforts of Hope Community, the ATJ site has been recognized as an official Baldwin County Historical Site with a marker by the Alabama Historical Commission. Hope Community has also applied for an AHC grant to complete a historical assessment of the school building on site.

FUNCTIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF HOPE COMMUNITY

• HC holds monthly public meetings to engage and update our members. We typically have a guest speaker or hold table topic discussions.
• Since 2022, we have had the responsibility to clean-up and maintain the ATJ property that includes cutting the grass, removal of fallen/dead trees, planting of raised beds and flower plots, and maintaining a compost pile.
  At the corner of Twin Beech Road and Section Street, we have created a colorful picnic area with lending libraries for people to sit together and share meals while enjoying the outdoors under the shade of the magnificent live oaks.
• In coordination with Fairhope Storytellers, HC hosts Story Slams at which participants learn about and connect with each other through the sharing of personal stories.
• In 2024, through a partnership with the USA Health System, HC started holding Food Rx events. We engage local chefs to prepare meals at the USA Mapp Teaching Kitchen using healthy ingredients to together create a communal meal.
• In January, 2025, Hope Community coordinated our inaugural 5K Fundraiser that started and ended at the ATJ site. We had over 200 participants and 16 sponsors.
• Hope Community has engaged the Mobile Bay Maker’s Market to host their bi-weekly local market  on the ATJ site on Sundays for the full year of 2025.

ANNA T. JEANES PROPERTY LEASE

All of this work culminated in January, 2025, when we signed a property lease from the City of Fairhope for 5 years of use and control of the ATJ site. Further, there are two subsequent 5 year renewal options that would extend the commitment to a total of 15 years. This lease is a great opportunity and a great challenge for Hope Community. It took a lot of work to earn the confidence and support of the City of Fairhope. We have laid the foundation for a full-time employee to ensure the success of our long-term vision.

FUNDRAISING PLAN

Goal: Raise seed money for the salary and benefits of the first Hope Community employee. That employee would be the Project Manager for the Anna T. Jeanes site restoration. We want to raise more than the expected 12-month salary so that this position can be sustained.

Financial Goal – $150,000.00

Strategy: Create a fundraising campaign with a direct approach to the charitable businesses and foundations that have supported us in the past. We hope to raise $75,000.00 from these foundations and major donors in order to motivate our rank-and-file members to complete our fundraising efforts through their contributions.

We would love your support. Also, we would appreciate you reaching out to anyone that you think might want to support our goals.

Thank you,

The Hope Community Team