About SACN
history
The program initiative known as The Knowledge Network grew out of the "Rebuild the Bayou" activities following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This initiative was created under the leadership of The Community Foundation of South Alabama (CFSA), The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The J.L. Bedsole Foundation to address the disparity of information affecting our community during times of disaster.
Also, an additional community leadership initiative called Community Economic Development (CED) was begun during this same timeframe in partnership with The Ford Foundation to look at how to work with organizations and entities around issues of education, housing, medical and community leadership development.
It became obvious as CFSA began looking at these program initiatives that an interrelationship existed and that the same issues that occurred in communities during disaster was hampering community development every day. So, in 2007 The Knowledge Network began to develop a database driven tool today known as The South Alabama Community Network (SACN) and during this development time it began to morph into a more comprehensive tool to help communities served by CFSA to communicate with one another, share information, recruit like-minded individuals and post resources as well as other functions.
In 2008, SACN applied and won a grant from The John and James Knight Foundation to produce the web-based network platform now known as SACN. Also in 2008 The Knowledge Network partnered with The National Corporation for Community Service to embed Americorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) members throughout all eight southwest Alabama counties served by CFSA.
In November 2010, The Knowledge Network, will begin BETA testing SACN and working with partner organizations across the region to exercise and refine this free resources to organization willing to collaborate together to help southwest Alabama communities to solve systemic community issues and share relevant community information.
© 2012. All Rights Reserved. South Alabama Community Network.
