" Resource Directory Comes to Albion"

ALBION RESOURCE DIRECTORY NOW ONLINE

1-27-03

A web version of the Albion Resource Directory, created by the Albion Community Initiative, is now on-line, and can be found by going to Forks.org.
This user-friendly directory of local social services (organized by subject, e.g. food, clothing, transportation), has been well received by the 30 organizations and institutions, 46 churches, and 12 licensed child-care providers who were given it.  The directory was put together by Phyllis Cramer, Robina Quale-Leach, and First Presbyterian member Adrienne Garrison, with printing expenses met by the Rotary Club of Albion.  There are plans to update it annually. The web version was designed by Maggie LaNoue.
To access the Albion Resource Directory go to http://www.albionmich.com/resource at http://www.forks.org

For those who wish to become involved in other projects the Albion Community Initiative has in the works, the group will be holding a meeting beginning at 7 p.m., Monday, Jan. 27 at St. James Episcopal Church on W. Erie St., Albion.

The Albion Community Initiative was launched in the summer of 2002. Co-founder Robina Quale-Leach offers the following historical background on ACI.
In July of 2002, after returning from a church-renewal conference in Pennsylvania which Phyllis Cramer and Robina Quale-Leach had attended on behalf of St. James' Episcopal Church in Albion, they responded to Albion's crisis situation of having lost over 800 jobs between February and June by calling together like-minded people from across the community to brainstorm and to implement those suggestions which appeared sufficiently worthwhile. At present there are 53 individuals, five organizations or institutions, and three newspapers in the e-mail circle of those who come together periodically at St. James' to do more brainstorming and then assign themselves tasks.

Thus far, Albion Community Initiative has:

1. Supplied receptionists for the information sessions sponsored by the Greater Albion Chamber of Commerce in August of 2002 for the more than 500 former Harvard Industries employees, and a continuing member on the committee to aid them, Phyllis Cramer

2. Sprouted a Community Garden project headed by First United Methodist pastor Rev. Dwayne Bagley.

3. Put together a user-friendly directory of local social services (organized by subject, e.g. food, clothing, transportation), which has been well received by the 30 organizations and institutions, 46 churches, and 12 licensed child-care providers who were given it. The directory was put together by Phyllis Cramer, Robina Quale-Leach, and First Presbyterian member Adrienne Garrison, with printing expenses met by the Rotary Club of Albion. There are plans to update it annually.
At present Albion Community Initiative is working on:

1. A program to help teenage mothers complete high school, led by Renee Powaga with support from New Hope pastor Rev. Bill Steere and Kathryn Hemenway.

2. A project to showcase local artists, both students and adults, in the downtown area, suggested by Jen Arnold-Woodman.

3. A massive project to support the city's effort to bring every building in Albion up to AD 2000 Property Maintenance Code standards, which will get under way at the Albion Community Initiative meeting at St. James' (117 West Erie Street  in Albion) on Monday evening.  This project has already obtained pledges of support and participation from the copresidents of the Albion Ministerial Association (St. John Catholic Church pastor Fr. Gordon Greene and Albion College chaplain Rev. Torin Alexander), the president of the Fifth Sunday Churches group (Bethel Baptist pastor Rev. Fred Alexander Jr.), the executive director of the Albion Community Foundation (Michelle Mueller), and the executive director of Minority Program Services (Harry Bonner, Sr.).