New Member Larry Barroll did a Member Minute at the meeting on Friday, August 19.  Larry joined real estate company Barroll & Barroll in 1995.  As you might have surmised, Barroll & Barroll is a family business founded by Larry's mother.  Barroll & Barroll is located in downtown Savannah and specializes in commercial and residential properties as well as property management.  When Larry is not working for the family business, you can find him cycling, at the Habersham Y, or travelling.    

Dionne Young, Principal of Haven Elementary School, shared with the club information about Haven Elementary and the students who attend.  Haven Elementary School has 420 students who mostly reside in Tatemville and the four apartment complexes surrounding the Tatemville area.  A lot of the students are latchkey children being raised by their grandparents because the parent works numerous jobs, is incarcerated or is on drugs.  Due to not having a "traditional" home environment, the children need extra help in learning every day skills.  The teachers and administrators at Haven Elementary teach etiquette throughout the day since most children are not receiving this information at home.  An example of this is at play in the cafeteria where students are encouraged to put their napkin in their lap as well as how to properly use their utensils.  The school also incorporates character into learning with a reward system to encourage students to behave.  The students who attend Haven Elementary didn't ask to be born into the situation where they currently are residing.  Principal Young believes if students know they can be successful and that someone believes in them, then they will succeed.  Even though Haven Elementary School has not met the state quota for CCRPI, they are constantly improving and are aiming to be at quota before moving into their new building in July 2017.     

Step Up Savannah's mission is to reduce poverty which can also be stated as increase economic mobility.  The poverty rate in Savannah is 26% - 37,000 people.  The median income in Savannah is $35,000 and nationally the median income is $55,000.  Location matters when it comes to poverty as is the case here in Savannah.  The majority of those living in poverty are in concentrated geographical areas and only have a 30% chance of ever moving out of their current economic status.  The biggest challenge to those living in poverty is that they are invisible to the eye.  There is a myth that those living in poverty are irresponsible and live off of social services.  However, 60% have jobs and 80% of people on food stamps are also employed.  Additionally, many people do not realize that they are eligible for benefits such as food stamps.  Some of the things Step Up Savannah tries to do is educate businesses in the area on how they can help their employees.  Businesses can offer financial education, information on how to apply for food stamps, and even better compensation monetarily and through benefits.  Upward mobility is higher in places where there are mixed income neighborhoods.  Step Up advocates for incentives to developers to offer affordable, safe housing at lower cost when developing new communities.