Or what about offering an Executive MBA Camp for 8 year-olds? I heard law camp at Little Shop of Stories is a lot of fun. Plus, I’m sure there are plenty of well-connected executives (African American or otherwise) who’d open their doors for a lunch with kids eager to learn about business.

Or what about hosting a town hall discussion on health insurance reform? Sure, health insurance isn’t the same as life insurance, but what matters is that they’d be doing something that’s meaningful in the community.

There are plenty of things the Herndon Home could do, but it has to do more than merely tell the story of the Herndons. Powerful and remarkable though Alonzo Herndon’s story may be, it’s gotta compete with dozens of other Atlanta stories. Worse, the home (as its mission is interpreted now) has to compete with everything from the Aquarium to the Falcons to the internet.

The article made it seem like the board members were open to tinkering with a new mission — why not tinker with it a little more to make a direct impact for folks in the neighborhood? My bet is the home rooted within a community has a much better shot at survival than the “house on Diamond Hill.”