“It’s hard to believe that 10 years have passed already. We have accomplished a ton and have a lot to be proud of, but we also realize that we have a long way to go to actualize our founding vision,” Marshall said.
Over the past 10 years, the organization has transformed vacant lots into learning gardens and built neighborhood book sanctuaries, while “rewriting the narrative of urban spaces across Southwest Ohio.”
Marshall and Mbeseha met while pursing their undergraduate degrees at Wittenberg University before starting the organization together.
“There was definitely a strong sense to give back to the community and to play a positive role,” Mbeseha said. “We had done a lot of work at Wittenberg related to service so we had a foundation to build from as far as understanding there were challenges in the community we could address.”
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
The Conscious Connect CDC framework was created from a graduate school assignment while Marshall was attending the University of Dayton.
After talking with community leaders and parents in 2015, they raised concerns about Ohio’s third-grade reading guarantee, which required students to reach a certain test score to advance to fourth grade. Marshall said they placed culturally relevant books in barbershops and beauty salons as a cost-effective way to give kids access to books within community settings.
“One thing led to another and then we launched 30 Houses of Knowledge (i.e., free little libraries). Three years later, we had 110 literacy access points between Springfield, Dayton, and Trotwood,” he said.
The organization works to change adverse environmental conditions by working with government agencies, removing blighted structures, acquiring vacant lots and returning them to productive status in the form of neighborhood “pocket parks,” and more.
Over the past three years, Mbeseha said the nonprofit’s work has evolved. They’ve moved to be a strategic partner for the Small Business Development Center’s Community Navigators Program and partnered with schools to develop the My Brother’s Keeper program. He said housing is also a major strategic goal for them, as they’ve acquired, renovated and rented a few properties across the region.
“Our pivot to a CDC aligns with our long-term strategic vision to address housing at the core of our overall community development strategy,” he said.
A decade later, Marshall said their vision of “sparking a world-class cultural renaissance and redevelopment movement” is starting to take shape.
“We never set out to become a literacy organization or to end book deserts, initially. That occurred organically by being responsive to neighborhood needs and leveraging community resources. Literacy is one vehicle of many that we are attempting to equip the community with,” he said. “Now, I think people realize that we’re a full-scale community development corporation that is also nationally recognized for our parks and green spaces.”
Marshall said the organization’s biggest accomplishment in the past 10 years is the “level of entrepreneurial excellence and collaboration that we strive for on a daily basis.”
“When we started this organization at 24 years old, we didn’t know anything about grant writing, board development, or anything like that,” he said. “What we knew was community engagement and we had a lot of people support us along the way. We hope that the entire community is proud — that collectively we put a small town like Springfield on national and international stages for the right reasons.
Mbeseha said they have a long list of strategic partners that are public, private and at the neighborhood level that have been instrumental in how they approach their work.
“I am proud of our ability to work in community with community,” he said.
A 10-year gala celebration of Conscious Connect CDC will be held at 6 p.m. April 26 at The Springfield Metropolis, 102 W. High St.
Tickets for this formal, black-tie event cost $100 and include dinner and dessert, access to an open bar, a commemorative gallery walk, formal program, music and dancing, and silent auction opportunities. To buy, visit https://givebutter.com/AucDRk.
“This gala is more than a celebration, it’s an opportunity to honor the stories, people, and partnerships that have been instrumental in our journey. Together, we’ve turned bold ideas into actionable change, and now, we invite you to look ahead to an even brighter future with us,” Marshall said.
The Conscious Connect CDC, Marshall and Mbeseha have won and received at least 24 awards from 2017 to 2025. Some include Community Development Partner of the Year, The State of Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate Commendation, Wittenberg University Alumni of the Year Award, Springfield City Schools District Alumni of Distinction and Award of Excellence Hall of Fame Inductee, and Clark County Luminaries.
As for the future, the two said their “next evolution” will expand their impact in the housing and economic development sectors, while maintaining their core services around literacy and park infrastructure.
For more information, visit https://theconsciousconnect.org.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
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