Bobby Bradley and her lifelong friend, Gloria Batts, started down a path that would ultimately lead to the creation of Village of Promise in 2011. They built upon the success of Lincoln Village Ministry, and combined it with the strategies of the Harlem Children’s Zone, a national model for breaking the cycle of generational poverty. The central idea was to address all of the issues facing children and their families within a defined geographical area. After poring over poverty and education statistics, the choice was clear—and shocking. Huntsville’s neighborhood with the most urgent need of assistance was the very neighborhood in which Bobby and Gloria grew up.

 

Bobby describes the neighborhood of her childhood as a true village. “At the time,” she said, “it was a new African-American neighborhood, and people owned their own homes. These were dual parent families, they were all hard workers, and everybody looked out for one another. They realized the importance of education so there was always a push for the children in the neighborhood to take their studies seriously. It was assumed that everyone would go to college, and after that, everyone would go into whatever career they chose.”

 

Another unique quality of this neighborhood is the great influence that missionaries had on it. In the 1950s, Salvatorian Catholic missionaries (priests and religious sisters) came to Huntsville from Wisconsin to start a private mission school for African-American children. Then called St. Joseph’s Mission School, it is known today as Holy Family School. The missionaries canvased the neighborhood and invited parents to send their children to this new school.

 

“At that time it was a challenge and a sacrifice to pay for secondary education,” Bobby recalled. “But our parents valued the opportunity that was presented. The focus on academic skills and non-cognitive skills such as discipline, respect, and spiritual well-being, created the framework and foundation that allowed us to succeed in school and in life.”

 

Gloria Batts and Bobby Bradley combined the experience of their childhood with the expertise gleaned from their careers as a business owner and social worker to change the course of their former neighborhood and the lives of everyone currently living in it.

 

The success of their efforts proves that when a vision meets a village, anything is possible. Over 300 families today have been impacted by VoP, and today VoP is currently serving 165 families. VoP was named 2023 Nonprofit of the Year and the 38th Annual Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce Small Business Awards.   

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