"There's more than just where you are, and what you have"

If you were to visit the housing development known as Advent Heights, you’d see that the townhouse units are plain and unadorned, that there are few trees or shrubs planted here, and that several units are vacant, their unhinged doors revealing dark and lifeless interiors.

Sylvia Franklin-Maxey

If you were to take a closer look, you might notice the details: flowers planted here and there; children playing between the townhouse units. To the residents of this community on the north-eastern edge of Greenville, Mississippi, these details matter. They signify change.

The tenants, most of whom are single moms and children or people with disabilities, are taking pride in where they are, according to Sylvia Franklin-Maxey. Recently, the whole community threw a party. It was an unprecedented outdoor event to celebrate, in part, the eradication of a bee infestation that had plagued the community for close to 20 years. The children can now play outside freely, without fear. Just the other day, the little ones helped plant some flowers near the office, where Sylvia works as the apartments’ assistant manager.

Yes, things are looking up for the tenants at Advent Heights. Sylvia notices that neighbors are helping each other more. People aren’t as reluctant to ask for help these days.

Sylvia has her own unique way of summing up the mindset that keeps so many people feeling helpless and hopeless. “You see things in black or white and forget the green.” She could be talking about any of us, but in particular those who live with financial lack – those who feel there’s nothing they can do to improve their lives.

Listen to this 60-second audio to hear Sylvia's words of wisdom:  

“There’s more than just where you are and what you have,” Sylvia says. Wise words coming from a woman who until recently lived with scarcity, a struggling single mother of three boys.

Sylvia learned how to use her mindset to attain what she wants in life when she attended meetings on financial literacy, offered last year by Gloria Dickerson and Tasha Griffin. The pair of Three Principles trainers came around to Advent Heights to explain how to open a bank account and keep a budget. Underpinning their talks on finance was an ever-present awareness of the Three Principles of mind, consciousness and thought – and how mindset affects one’s relationship with money.

As Sylvia sums it up now: “It’s not what you have; it’s what you do with what you have.”

At that time, Sylvia was living at Advent Heights, with three sons soon to finish high school. After the meetings, she began to keep a budget and save money aside each month, which helped when it came time for the boys to graduate. It also helped when she decided to get married this year. There was money for the wedding and a fresh start.

“In August I got married to a wonderful gentleman. I relocated to a better house. But the house doesn’t make the mindset,” Sylvia says.

Residents of Advent Heights view "Thoughts on Thought," a video
about the principles of mind, consciousness and thought.

Sylvia still comes back to the community of Advent Heights, keeping her job as assistant manager, and helping Tasha spread an understanding of the 3 Principles among tenants. Many of the residents are receptive, according to Sylvia, because Tasha and Gloria invited them to express their needs and wants, rather than imposing ideas on them. 


The tenants were clear that they wanted to improve their community in a multitude of ways – beautification of the grounds, creating programs for youth, to name a few – but their first priority was getting rid of the bees that had been infesting several of the abandoned units for so many years. Indeed, the bees had terrorized the community for so long that some folks couldn’t remember a time when they could sit or play outside without fear. The extermination job was going to cost $1,000 – far more than this impoverished community could come up with.

And maybe the wisdom of Sylvia’s mantra – “It’s not what you have; it’s what you do with what you have” – paved the way for a miracle. After advocacy work by Tasha and the Delta Citizens Alliance, Reginald Reed of Reed Exterminating offered to do the whole job, free of charge. This September, the local ABC and CBS affiliates came out to cover the event. The residents of Advent Heights, so long neglected on the far edge of Greenville, began to feel seen and heard.

Maybe this was the “green” Sylvia talked about. The palette of life when viewed from an expanded perspective. The color of possibility.

When new tenants arrive at Advent Heights, Sylvia is ready for any opportunity to let them know about the principles of mind, consciousness and thought. Maybe they’ll give it a try, see how it can change their lives.

Advent Heights is a focus of the National Community Resiliency Project, a partnership between the Center for Sustainable Change and local partner organization, Delta Citizens Alliance (DCA) in Greenville, Mississippi. Tasha Griffin is DCA’s Project Director, working towards creating sustainable change in at-risk communities in the Delta region. Special thanks to Reginald Reed of Reed Exterminating in Greenville for donating his services to improve the quality of life for children and adults at Advent Heights. The National Community Resiliency Project is funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and by donations. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation now. You can help people in communities such as Advent Heights to thrive and prosper by giving a contribution today.

By Maureen Latta, Grants Manager