Tim McKinney believed that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens could change the world and, four years after he began his work into the neglected Orange Community of Bithlo, he was proven right. He will be in the Blackstone LaunchPad to share the Community Development story of Bithlo and how students can get involved.
With some 3,000 volunteers, fellow nonprofits and business owners, McKinney has opened a private school; started an academic summer camp; brought in a full-time medical clinic and part-time dental clinic; improved public-bus service; launched a "Hire Bithlo" jobs program; cleared the way for government-funded cleanup of a hazardous dump site; and secured $9.1 million to widen a dangerously narrow highway bridge that is the main passage into town.
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