For over 15 years the Community Foundation of St. Clair County has worked on equity and inclusion in different ways and at different levels of the organization. The effort began to take shape in late 2019 and was formalized through an equity and inclusion committee under the guidance of local community members in 2020.
The Equity & Inclusion Committee engages in bold philanthropy that allows underserved groups to tell their own story, be supported, and become philanthropists in their own circles of influence.
Leading the Equity & Inclusion Committee for 2021 is Chair Shawn Shackleford, along with 14 other community members. He started with the committee when it began in 2020 and has been busy working with other members to support local minority and women-owned small businesses in response to challenges brought on by the COVID-19 crisis. Shackelford, who also serves on the Grants Committee and is a Board Trustee, has been pursuing a mission of equity in his position as principal at Central Middle School. Since he came to the school in 2017, he has worked to implement a restorative approach in addressing disparities: analyzing data, educating faculty, transforming discipline policies and engaging youth in mentoring programs.