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Operation Breakthrough, INC.,

A Fifty Year History

 

 

 

Operation Breakthrough, Inc. (OBT) has played major roles in both the Civil Rights and anti-poverty movement since it was established in 1964. In its early beginning, it was a flagship agency for Terry Sanford, former Governor of the State of North Carolina, United States Senator and President of Duke University, and his then emerging North Carolina Fund. It had, at the core of its operational being, the expressed purpose of “performing such acts as were necessary or desirable for advancing the general welfare and condition of the people in the county and city of Durham, North Carolina, or the immediately adjacent areas.”

 

Operation Breakthrough, Inc. was among the first Community Action Agencies to be established with the enactment of the Economic Opportunity Act, by the United States Congress, in 1964, as an integral part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. It has been a model for the growth of similar agencies throughout the state and country. The first acting Steering Committee for OBT was composed of Mr. E. H. Hopkins, Chairman, Mrs. Lou McCutcheon, Mr. Charlie Sessoms, Mr. Kenneth Royal, Dr. Jim Semans, Dr. Marion Thorp, Mr. Victor S. Bryant Jr. and Mr. Robert L. Foust, the Acting Secretary who, eventually, became the first Executive Director. Mr. R. Wense Grababek, Mayor, was also one of the original incorporators.

 

The address of the initial registered office of the corporation was 213, Allen Building, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.

 

During its nearly fifty years of existence, Operation Breakthrough, Inc. has been among the leading organizations serving citizens, young and old, who were among the ranks of the Durham community’s most socially and economically challenged citizenry. Helping to break the cycle of poverty and dependency has always been and remains OBT’s primary reason for being.

 

Over the years, Operation Breakthrough has implemented a number of programs which include the following:

 

  • Neighborhood Youth Corp

  • Head Start Summer Program (originally under the Durham County Schools)

  • Full Year Head Start Program with five sites

  • Wrap Around Program

  • Neighborhood Advisory Council

  • New Careers Program

  • Concentrated New Employment Program

  • Emergency Food and Medical Service Program

  • Cannery Program

  • Nutrition Program

  • Crisis Intervention Program

  • Transient Employment Program

  • GED/ABE Program

  • Weatherization Program

  • CSBG Family Empowerment Action to Self-Sufficiency (FEATS) Program

  • Emergency Assistance Program

  • Smart Start Transportation Program

  • New Horizons Program

  • Youth Outreach Center of Durham Program

  • Co-Operative Food Store Program

  • National Youth Sports Program

  • Friends of Community United and Upgrading Services (FOCUUS 21) Program 

  • Winners Youth Mentoring Program 

  • Summer Enrichment Camp

  • Emergency Relocation and Housing Program

 

The array of programs implemented by Operation Breakthrough, Inc. is evidence of its responsiveness to the varying needs of the Durham population and, more, specifically, to the tens of thousands of individuals served.

 

With a board and staff committed to representing low income persons, alerting the county and city of the extent and nature of local poverty program challenges, operating programs designed to combat and alleviate poverty, making the entire community more responsive to the needs and interests of the low income, mobilizing available resources and bringing about a greater institutional sensitivity, the stage is set for the next fifty years of Operation Breakthrough, Inc.’s commitment to empowering, educating and serving adults, youth, families and communities. For it is recognized that the need to continue striving to address the critical unmet needs of our citizens still exist!

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