The Columbia County Community Connections strives to help those in need thrive. For Teka Downer Jenkins, executive director of CCCC, that work is worthwhile, full of purpose and has its share of hurdles.
“I love the freedom I have to determine the programs that we’re going to offer,” said Jenkins. “But it’s almost like it comes with a two-edged sword also because we are a nonprofit, so we operate off of grants, and oftentimes you have to go where the money is, so that can be very challenging.”
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Based in Grovetown, CCCC is the Columbia County chapter of Georgia Family Connection, a statewide network of nonprofits devoted to aiding the well-being of families and communities in need. The Richmond County chapter is Augusta Partnership for Children.
The CCCC offers a wide variety of programs and drives including the Dream Academy, an after-school program providing tutoring and extra education; and Food 4 Kids, a weekend meal program for children in conjunction with the Golden Harvest Food Bank.
Leveling the playing field regarding education is a major objective for both the CCCC and for Jenkins.
“Our goal is to help children and families, and bring programs that can close the educational gap,” said Jenkins.
School is what led Jenkins to her work with the CCCC, and her work surrounding it. She came to CCCC in 2005 after job hunting online and discovering on her college’s website a position for mentoring young women. She applied for the position and met her old boss, former executive director Julie Miller. She joined Community Connections as an abstinence-education facilitator. This eventually led to becoming a certified trainer for after school programs.
“I became a certified trainer in the state of Georgia in the area of after school, and that was very hard because there were a lot of people who tried out for that training, and I was one of the few to be selected,” said Jenkins. “And I didn’t think I was that good at all. But it led me to understand that I have a platform and I have a voice, and I can do this.”
Jenkins’ success in these areas in turn led to her starting a leadership development and consulting business called Reinvent Me.
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“That’s the entrepreneur side of what I do, and just the training that I found to be so important when it comes to, even in the climate that we’re in, dealing with diversity and dealing with poverty-sensitivity,” she said. “I believe that’s how it’s so connected, how I learned so much from the organization what needed to be done.”
Development and improvement are for individuals, families and communities alike, Jenkins believes, whether wearing her hat as a director of a nonprofit or as a businesswoman. She notes that it behooves the wider public to understand this, particularly for the sake of CCCC’s mission, but that it is easy to overlook those struggling.
“Columbia County is a very affluent community,” she said. “Oftentimes, because we see the wealth, we don’t highlight those issues, and I don’t know what community does. No one’s going around saying ‘we have a low literacy rate’ until we’re writing for grants.”
CCCC depends on donor support to augment its grants. This includes both one-time and long-term givers. What they have to give is appreciated, Jenkins also emphasizes the importance of a more in-depth awareness of the factors at hand behind the need for donations.
“There are surface-level people who understand ‘feeding a kid.’ A lot of people get that,” said Jenkins. “They get the whole, ‘I can provide a weekend backpack,’ but some of the other people don’t necessarily understand systemically how poverty can lead to long-term effects.”
Jenkins also notes that Columbia County is not without those who do understand the value and the need for the kind of work CCCC does.
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“The people that matter—they get it,” said Jenkins. “When I say the people that matter, these are the check writers. These are the people that I have meetings with and I’m able to say, ‘Hey, we need to think about 10 years from now. What we want this community to look like and understand what these pockets of poverty can do.’ I really believe when it comes to leadership that matters, they understand. And they’re at least willing to have a conversation and invite me to the table so we can discuss what needs to happen.”
Among supporters are local government leaders, members of the board of education and others who both contribute financially and with deeper engagement and communication. She singles out Columbia County Fire and Rescue that, at the Aug. 3 County Commission meeting, gave more than $30,000 from funds raised at its annual boot drive. Not only do they give money, but they give their time by volunteering and building relationships with CCCC members.
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“Our firefighters, they get it. They get it financially, and they get it when it comes to volunteering. We have longevity with them now,” she said.
For more information about Columbia County Community Connections and how to support, visit its website at www.cccc4kids.org.
For more information about leadership development with Teka Jenkins, visit www.remeteka.com.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter with The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
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