The first project of this foundation was to establish a Head Start program to help alleviate the shortage of space for Head Start. The second project was to build the first fully accessible playground in the state of Georgia. This playground is located between Saint Paul's Church and Fort Discovery. This play space is a place where children who use wheelchairs, walkers or braces can use 70% of the equipment without leaving behind their support devices. Children of all abilities can play side-by-side on this playground and parents or grandparents with disabilities are able to accompany their children at play.

The third project is the Jessye Norman School of the Arts. This is an after-school program that provides middle school students with an opportunity for concentrated study of the fine arts, music, dance, drama, and visual arts. The mission of the Jessye Norman School of the arts is to provide professional quality fine arts instruction for gifted and talented children who are economically challenged, yet possess a strong desire to pursue the fine arts. Through the generosity of Ms. Jessye Norman, the school was endowed for the first year. The school opened in September, 2003, with students from Tubman Middle School attending. Admission to this school is by audition only and requires an overall 'C' average. Students will continue in this program through high school. Research has shown that young people who participate in arts programs, have improved academic scores and attendance at school. Because of the pressure on schools to improve academic scores, arts opportunities have been decreased in public schools. We are interested in the development of the whole child, not just the artistic side. We encourage their academic performance in school, their overall behavior, their sense of responsibility and their respect of themselves and others.

This school of the arts has been an interesting collaboration of local organizations. The Foundation established the school. The Head Start program is at Saint Paul's Church, and the Jessye Norman School the Arts is housed at St. John United Methodist Church. We have an agreement with the Richmond County School Board to provide a school bus to get the students to the program, and take them home following the classes. Almost all of the arts organizations in town, Augusta Symphony, Augusta Ballet, private artists, Davidson School of the Arts, Augusta Chorale and Augusta Choral Society all participate by being on the Board or are on the Advisory Council that works with the school.

In addition to classes four days a week, the students have been on a number of field trips: rehearsal of the Augusta Symphony, a performance by Storyland Theatre at ASU, a play by middle school drama students at Davidson School of Fine Arts, and the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. In addition to field trips, we have had many guest artists. Russell Joel Brown taught master's classes in music for 6 weeks, and many students from the Davidson School of the Arts have taught classes and given demonstrations. Auditions are held for new students each April. We project the school will at least double in size next year.