ICARE Citizenship (International Institute for Citizenship Awareness and Responsible Engagement) is a community service program of Community Business Strategies, Inc. It is registered 501(c3) tax-exempt with the Internal Revenue Service and Mississippi Secretary of State.
Community Business Strategies, Inc. (CBSI) began operations in 2010 as Jackson Business Accelerator Collaboration, providing business education and training to stimulate local business formation and growth within Jackson, Mississippi. It became quickly obvious that business education and training alone was not sufficient to address the needs of the community.
In fact, an underlying ownership and entrepreneurial mentality needed to be expanded and reinforced. This extended beyond business ownership. After meeting with James Meredith over a period of time, it became clear that a narrow business focus approach was not the answer to transforming Jackson. This eventually led to emphasis on the issue of full citizenship rights as advocated by James Meredith.
Over time the citizenship component, which began as a portion of the business education mission of CBSI, eventually became the primary programmatic approach as we realized that business success alone is not sufficient for a thriving community. As a result, we have developed the five-point program of ICARE Citizenship: God's Simple Plan, Responsible Citizenship, Educational Excellence, Economic Independence, and Health Vitality. Each are necessary and interrelated aspects of a fully functional, thriving, vibrant community.
Community Business Strategies, Inc. (CBSI) is organized exclusively for charitable, scientific, and educational purposes specifically to research, develop, and operate programs to enhance collaboration, capacity building, and culture for business, economic, community, and personal development. CBSI also provides business education, training, and technical assistance services to current and future business owners, and low-income or disadvantaged communities.
