Forward DeFuniak, a not for profit 501(c) 3 community organization, was founded in September 2017. It favors reasonable planned progressive change and economic vitality while preserving /promoting area history.
Our Five Purposes are focused and Our Commitment Is Firm –
We pledge to:
1, Advocate for solutions to area issues and concerns: We support citizen research of issues that present available information to our members as well as to the public. We are a non-partisan organization.
2, Encourage greater civic participation among citizens: Attendance at local government meetings and other public forums is encouraged as is being informed about the area’s issues. Once informed, members are encouraged to express differing ideas and opinions.
3, Support efforts that improve the economic vitality of our area: Forward DeFuniak considers and develops ideas that compliment/enhance economic growth while preserving the area’s distinctive natural and historic character and heritage. Support to other groups and projects is provided as they work to achieve this goal.
4, Serve as a resource bank for expertise, volunteer labor and grant funding: Our membership is diverse, including influential, talented, and motivated people such as grant writers/reviewers, teachers, business executives, human resource experts, social workers, comptrollers, negotiators, marketers, ministers, and those with other skills.
5, Preserve and capitalize the area's unique historic and cultural assets: While we are interested in historic preservation and maintaining the unique atmosphere of the historic district, we also see the heritage of the Chautauqua Era and the historic district as an incubator for the development of cultural and heritage tourism. We look forward to a return to the area’s former role as the educational center of the South. If properly developed, we think heritage tourism, cultural events, and educational offerings will add to the area’s economic vitality while preserving our historic buildings and small-town atmosphere.
