history.html

Urban Impact Ministries is a 501c3 organization recognized and legally incorporated under state of the state of Louisiana and the United States Federal Government.

Urban Impact Ministries (UIM) was founded in 1989 by Rev. Glen Schrieber. It’s focus then and still today is the transformation of Central City New Orleans.

UIM started by creating recreation opportunities for youth in the Guste (Melpomene) Housing Project. Using baseball, football and double dutch, UIM reached out to disenfranchised youth and their families.

In 1991, Pastor John Gerhardt joined the staff as youth director. The ministry then expanded to taking youth to camps, organized Bible studies, boys and girls mentoring, tutoring and ACT prep. Later, UIM added the same activities for Middle School aged students and Pastor Gerhardt became a football coach at Booker T. Washington High School.

In 1995, UIM purchased an old bank building on Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. Using volunteer labor and private donations, the building was renovated and became UIM’s new community center in 1998 and also houses Castle Rock Community Church. Taking this blighted property, UIM has helped spur development along O.C. Haley Blvd.

This property continues to serve the neighborhood today through education ministries (tutoring, Urban Impact Leadership Academy [alternative high school]), open court (our outdoor basketball court serves as the only safe, neutral place for youth from the entire central city to come), youth club and bible studies, community meeting space and Castle Rock Community Church.( a separate organization that meets in the building).

Since hurricane Katrina, UIM has served as host and catalyst for many church, service and volunteer organizations to come help restore our city. Current program includes: youth ministry, crisis help for families, alternative high school, homework help and tutoring, community development in areas of housing, renovation and neighborhood clean up, youth camps, recreation opportunities and other various social service helps. John Gerhardt became the executive director of UIM in 2003. We currently employ 23 full and part-time employees to fulfill our mission.

The mission of UIM is: To Transform the People of Central City New Orleans through spiritual development, community development and strategic partnerships. Our vision is to create a neighborhood where kids can ride their bikes. Our goal, desire and our efforts are for kids to be able to ride their bikes to: schools of excellence- UIM strives to make that happen through the Urban Impact Leadership Academy (alternative high school) and by lending staff and interns to KIPP Central City (a local middle school that serves the central city) in order to help the school with students who need it the most; a safe place to gather- a new community center with classrooms for expanding the school, a gym for community use, a recording studio, meeting rooms, outdoor park and basketball court; a house their family owns- our goal is to get thirty families into homes through financial literacy, first time home buyers classes, employment readiness classes and new home construction.

Besides the accomplishments mentioned in the above narrative, the following are some of the accomplishments of UIM:

Evacuated 81 people from central city before Hurricane Katrina (housed, got kids in school, helped with relocation and reentry)
13 homes renovated or built since hurricane Katrina
Over 450,000 volunteer hours poured into the metro area through UIM and Trinity Church in Covington, LA
First non-profit in the central city to buy renovate and get a family into a house (completed in August 06)
Numerous students graduated and either in college or work force. (Currently have 4 students in college)
Still have the only neutral safe recreation area in central city
Day camps every summer since 1993 (including post Katrina) in the BW Cooper and Guste Housing projects.
Own 1.5 acres in central city to house the new community center
Successful partnerships with Café Reconcile, CCRA, CCP, Living Witness Church, Guste Resident Housing Council, BW Cooper Resident Housing Council, Jericho Road, Habitat for Humanity, New Orleans Rescue Mission, Oretha Castle Haley Merchants Association, Israelite Baptist Church
Helped bring about the revitalization of OC. Haley and helping bring about the same on 1st and Derbigny
Purchased and renovated 1820 Terpsichore(2000) as a center to house volunteers to help in the revitalization of central city
After-school education and tutoring
Have been in existence since 1989 using private donations
Have a 1.7 million dollar budget that is over 97% fund through private donations