2001 Annual Report Executive Summary
Allendale County ALIVE Enterprise Community
Allendale County ALIVE, Inc. (ACA) continues to prosper as a Round II Enterprise Community. 2001 has seen an expansion of programs offered through the volunteer-led task forces as well as increased ACA support of community development efforts. The ACA administrative office was fully staffed with an Executive Director, Assistant Director and an administrative professional by the end of the year, which has allowed for greater community outreach and strengthening of partnerships and collaborations.
ACA develops hands-on community projects through its Task Forces, including Health, Education and Untrained Workforce, Human Relations, Infrastructure, Leadership and Revitalization. These Task Forces are primarily community volunteer driven and work in direct partnership with local businesses, government agencies, the faith community and individuals to develop, implement and enhance community projects.
The Health Task Force has worked diligently to maintain a successful support group that targets a major health concern in Allendale County, Diabetes. The 'Me and My Sugar' group has met regularly for the last two years and provides support and education to the members as well as the community at large. The Health Task Force also inaugurated the first annual 'Walk and Roll' a community walk held in November of 2001 that encouraged walkers and those in wheelchairs to come out and exercise, highlighting the benefits of physical activity for Diabetics.
The Education and Untrained Workforce saw the fruition of a Countywide Adult Learning Center in partnership with both public and private entities come to Allendale. This state of the art computer lab and workforce development training center was aided by $10,000.00 in support from ACA and leveraged an additional $220,000.00 in funds with the assistance of the Rural Crossroads Institute from Columbia SC.
The Leadership Task Force implemented a community education piece in partnership with the Allendale County Council, with a two-pronged goal of bringing information about public services to the community and encouraging greater community participation with the Allendale County Council. Information sessions are held immediately prior to Council meetings and attendees are then encouraged to remain for the Council meetings. The first meeting, covering emergency services, attracted 25-30 members of the community, many of whom remained for the Council meeting. Allendale County ALIVE provided $6800.00 in funds to the Allendale County Soil and Water Conservation District to implement a community anti-littering campaign that will integrate both community education and reinforcement of the message through signs posted throughout the County. Improving the appearance of county public areas, specifically through anti-litter campaigns has been a major task for Revitalization in 2001.
The Infrastructure Task Force continues to provide assistance and leadership with County projects. The Allendale County Airport received $150,000.00 in funding from the Federal Aviation Commission for airport improvements. ACA was successful in leveraging resources to enhance the professional development of staff as well as Board member development, most notably through obtaining $1,000.00 in tuition scholarships to the highly regarded 'Neighborhood Reinvestment Training Institute' in Washington, DC in August of last year. ACA was awarded third year funding of $209,000.00 to continue thier after-school services program, Communities in Schools-Allendale. This program serves over two hundred 6th, 7th and 8th grade students and is targeted at drop out prevention. Students receive homework and academic assistance, as well as career instruction, information on pregnancy prevention and recreational opportunities.
ACA worked diligently with other community partners on the Hewlett-Packard Digital Village grant opportunity in the spring of 2001. While Allendale was not selected for this opportunity, the enhanced collaboration and resource sharing brought about significant benefits to ACA and the community as a whole. ACA was also awarded a $40,000.00 USDA Rural Business Opportunity Grant, which has allowed for the hiring of a consultant to conduct a commercial gap survey and provide specific information back to the community, including ACA and the County Economic Development Board to improve small business development efforts in the Allendale County community.
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