Rebuilding and restoring:  Building for Good is helping a historic Orlando church bring faith and support to a strong-rooted community in need of healing and hope. 

Built in 1925, the Black Bottom House of Prayer of Orlando is possibly the oldest church building in Orlando’s Black community of Parramore.  Pastor Dana Jackson purchased the church in 2015 with a mission to serve the community and meet the needs of at-risk children with ADHD through her National ADHD Foundation.  The church is also home to the Mr. Keys Music School, which was founded in 2017 to honor the legacy of Pastor Jackson’s late son. 

Since purchasing the church in 2015, Pastor Jackson had been raising funds for the significant repairs that were needed.  Simultaneously, she was trying to obtain a historical designation to preserve the civil rights history of the church.  At the end of 2019, in the midst of historical preservation efforts, the entire church roof collapsed. 

Claramargaret Groover—a B4G volunteer lawyer from the Becker law firm in Orlando—is helping Pastor Jackson navigate the legal landscape of insurance claims and ongoing construction law needs to repair the roof and begin to restore the building.

When restored, Pastor Jackson’s historic Black Bottom church will continue to offer support services to the community, will provide a space for children with ADHD to receive services, and will provide free music lessons and scholarship opportunities to local students at the Mr. Keyz Music School.

To support restoration efforts, please donate through the Cash app at “$blackbottomprayer.”