Empowerment
Shawnee is a former coal mining town in Appalachian Ohio. Rural Action, a project supported by the diocese, assists with community revitalization efforts.
Empowerment programs seek to provide struggling individuals, families, and communities with the tools they need to solve their own problems and achieve secure and fulfilling live. This includes anything from literacy to developing cooperative businesses. Episcopalians in our diocese are engaged in a wide array of ministries under this heading. Feel free to contact diocesan Appalachian consultant Mike Maloney at meamon@aol.com for technical assistance or to get connected with people working on issues similar to the one you are addressing.
Here are some projects already under way in the diocese:
Affordable Housing
Thomaston Woods provides affordable housing for 100 families, plus social service, Head Start and summer enrichment for children, and other resources. Founded by St. Thomas, Terrace Park using federal tax credit provisions to promote low-income housing development. Lord of Peace Episcopal Church is also involved. For information on Thomaston Woods, call 513-752-1588.
Child Care
Fayetteville Family and Child Care Center fills a crucial need in Brown County by providing daycare for preschoolers and before- and after-school care for children up to age 12. For information, contact Mike Maloney, at meamon@aol.com or 513-531-8799 in Cincinnati.
Family Literacy and Adult Education
Lack of education is strongly correlated with poverty in both urban and rural communities. Episcopalians throughout this diocese are contributing their time and resources to grassroots, tuition-free ministries that provide tutoring and encouragement to adults, teen drop-outs, and children at risk of school failure. Examples include:
Cincinnati Episcopalians for Educational Empowerment (Ce3)
contact Ariel Miller, huxleym@eos.net
Franklinton Literacy Center, St. John¹s, Town Street
contact the Rev. Lee Ann Reat, revreat@aol.com
God's N.E.T., Grace, Pomeroy
Contact Frank Sisson, Sr. Warden, 740-992-3867
Technical Assistance and Community Organizing
Rural Action provides workshops for groups of low-income people to teach leadership skills and technical assistance to help community members to develop their own comprehensive plans for the revitalization of their towns. The Church of the Good Shepherd, Athens, has participated in this ministry for many years. Contact: the Rev. William Carroll, gsrector@gmail.com
Rural Action provides community organization services in Athens an surrounding counties. Michelle Decker became executive director, January 2008. See Rural Action website.
Ohio State University Extension Services (OCES) district offices also provide community organizing support, data, and technical assistance to communities. Contact OSU Extension Center, Piketon, OH 740-289-2071.