Help enrich the lives of youth in Sulphur Springs and empower them to improve their own community!

As some of you may already know, the Moses House is one of three local grassroots nonprofit organizations that are being granted permission to lease (rent-free) the currently unoccupied buildings at the Mann-Wagnon Memorial Park at 1101 E. River Cove Street in Sulphur Springs. (The other two nonprofits are the Sulphur Springs Museum and Community Stepping Stones.) These buildings have remained vacant since the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department moved out toward the end of 2008. Over the course of 2009, the Sulphur Springs Cultural Park Partnership (the three nonprofits) and their allies at USF and elsewhere have been actively negotiating with County and City officials to be granted use of the buildings and surrounding green park area, which borders the Hillsborough River. USF faculty and students, especially from the Anthropology Department and the College of The Arts, have played major roles throughout this entire endeavor. For more about the history of this initiative, as it was reported in the local news media, click here.


Prior to occupancy of the buildings, each of the three nonprofits must meet certain criteria specified by the Arts Council of Hillsborough County and the Board of County Commissioners. For the Moses House, this includes demonstrating that we have the capacity to renovate our building, the funds to finance organizational operations and programming, sufficient staff and volunteers to direct and assist with program activities, business and marketing plans for sustaining the organization and attracting community members to its facilities, and the ability to make utilities payments and cover our share of the grounds maintenance costs.


The Moses House is now busily preparing our move-in proposal and drumming up support. As a way to encourage donations and pledges of support, three Moses House youth participants have made a video tour of the building we will be allowed to occupy as soon as we meet the move-in criteria. This video was made as part of a series of “Hood Documentaries” being produced by Sulphur Springs youth in the Moses House digital video workshop. It can be viewed below. (For better viewing, click on PAUSE until the entire video loads up, then click on PLAY.)



If you or anyone you know is able to help support the Moses House through donations or volunteering (or pledges of donations and/or volunteering), please e-mail us or visit the donation page on our website. We are accepting miscellaneous furniture, office supplies and office furniture, computer equipment, music and sound equipment, art supplies, books and videos about the history and cultures of Africa and the African Diaspora, and building renovation supplies, as well as monetary donations in any amount. All monetary donations will go toward operating expenses and programming costs; the Moses House board of directors, executive director, instructors, and program staff do not receive any salaries or wages from donated monies.

All donations will be used to further the organization’s mission: to create and provide community-based cultural and educational programs and activities for children and youth from low-income families; to support and conduct non-partisan research, education, and informational activities to increase public awareness of the poor, distressed, and underprivileged; to defend human rights and civil rights secured by law; to strive for the elimination of prejudice and discrimination; to advance social justice education; and to combat community deterioration, juvenile delinquency, and the criminalization of children and youth (see our Mission Statement).

Thank you from everyone at the Moses House!