Mount Zion Community Development, Inc. (MZCD)

Mount Zion Community Development, Inc. (MZCD) is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Community-based Corporation.

The Mission

Mission: To advocate and amplify the voices of People of Color in particular and all people in general who are disproportionately impacted by health disparities and to address the need for jobs, housing, crime prevention, education and health care.

Vision: To build a thriving community that reduces barriers, systemic and institutional racism and ensures access to employment, quality healthcare, education and housing for People of Color.

Act/Access: To impact health disparities by partnering with faith-based organizations, policymakers, hospitals, and nonprofits to implement evidence-based programs and strategies that empower People of Color in particular and all people in general who are impacted.  

Values

 Accountability

 Advocacy & Support

 Address Social Determinants of Health

  Healthy Weight & Exercise

  Integrity

  Outreach & Collaboration

   Preventive Education

   Promotion of Access to Care

   Promote Social Justice & Racial Equity for People of Color

   Respect & Dignity for ALL PEOPLE  

History Of Mount Zion Community Development, Inc. (MZCD)

 MZCD was organized in 1997 by members of the historic Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church under the visionary leadership of its pastor, Rev. Dr. J. H. Grant. For several years prior to MZCD’s formation, the church took an active role in the development of the surrounding neighborhood, a primarily African American community known as “the Block.” The Block was once a cultural and commercial center of activity for African Americans in western North Carolina. But shortly after WWII, the area began to decline and was declared blighted by the City of Asheville in the early 1990s. As the founder of Mount Zion Community Development, Inc. the church was cognizant of the fact that when a blighted area is restored and improved, the community benefits through the creation of new or restored homes, prospering businesses, more attractive public areas and parks, and renewal of individual and civic pride; Blighted areas can become like prisons for those who are powerless to change their way of life. People living in deteriorated and oftentimes overcrowded conditions can become the victims of crime and disease which have serious social consequences. MZCD has its own separate Board of Directors who have governing oversight of the Corporation.

MZCD Board of Directors:

Linda Glaze: Chief Operating Officer:

Sophie Dixon: Treasurer

Diana Rhodes: Fundraising Chair:

Rev. Scott Rogers: Member

Cynthia Yancey, MD, Member

Belinda K. Grant: Chief Executive Officer

MZCD Staff

Belinda K. Grant: CEO

   Email: belindakgrant@mzcd.info; Telephone: (828) 776-1429; Fax: (828) 254-7150

Vacant: Project NAF Outreach Worker

Sapphire De’Bellott:  Project EMPOWER Instructional Facilitator

   Email: Sapphire.Debellott@mzcd.info; Telephone: (828) 252-0515; Fax: (828) 254-7150

Receptionist: Rosa B. Hearst

   Telephone: (828) 252-0515

Lynette Guillebeaux: Web Designer

Henry Glaze: Transportation Coordinator

Patricia Simpson: Volunteer Coordinator

Founding Chairman, Present & CEO: Rev. Dr. J. H. Grant