By Maggie LaNoue
Contributing Writer
March 19, 2020
About 45 women met on Tuesday, March 10, at the soon to be open Senior Care Partners building at 300 B Drive South in Albion, near the Oaklawn Albion Dialysis center. It was the Albion Philanthropic Women’s group, who heard presentations from five local non-profit organizations.
The group sat down to visit and enjoy good friends with their neighbors, many of whom had been away for much of the winter.
Each woman buys her own lunch and makes a contribution to the group’s choice for the project they will support for that meeting. The meetings are quarterly.
Senior Care Partners is a P.A.C.E. organization. That stands for a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. The center will provide entertainment, meals, health care, and transportation for seniors.
There were tours of the Senior Care Partners soon to be open P.A.C.E. location after the meeting was over.
See photos below.
After sitting down to a delicious luncheon catered by Gina’s Pizza Delis, the program opened with a welcome from Tim Mitchell, Fund Development Coordinator for Senior Care Partners.
He explained that they were a P.A.C.E. organization that stands for a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. The center will provide entertainment, meals, health care, and transportation for seniors.
There will be doctors and therapists on site. Then two former recipients of gifts from the women’s group gave reports. The first was Larry Williams from Albion Recreation Department, who described the new steps and equipment coming for the pool at the Albion Community Center at the Albion Opportunity School. The second report was about the after-school music program at Harrington Schools that uses a new piano that the women’s group gave funds for.
Part of the Albion Area Philanthropic Women’s program is to hear back from past recipients of the donation. At the December 10, 2019 meeting the women chose Albion Recreation Department’s request to get better steps into the pool for access for the water aerobics program. The program had been growing and some of the participants are handicapped.
There was other equipment that will also be purchased. Williams expressed his thanks and explained that the pool also needed to have some heating equipment repaired before the steps could be installed.
Larry had made his request at several prior meetings before it was approved. The meeting in September awarded the funds, approximately $10,000 to the Coca Cola mural restoration project.
The Contenders
Five contenders for this quarter’s award were:
Forks Senior Center – director LuAnn Sommers renewed her request for funds for upgraded equipment.
The P.A.C.E. Center where the meeting took place asked for funds for an outdoor patio area
Holland Park was represented by City Council Person Lenn Reid, who hoped to finish a pavilion for outdoor shelter to better support outdoor events.
Albion Food Hub manager Laura Overholt described the group’s plan to increase positive cash flow by upgrading the back room to be a pleasant environment for a series of chef dinners.
Kids’ N’ Stuff request from City Council Person Shane Williamson. He described the need for a new water table that will require a substantial investment to replace. It is the most popular display at the museum and sorely in need of an upgrade.
The group voted with individual color paper ballots, and the winner was…
Albion Food Hub – plans to leverage the investment for a new cash flow venture and excellent food for Albion supporters.
The next meeting of the Albion Area Philanthropic Women was planned for June 9 at the regular location at Tennant Hall.
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Tour of the Senior Care Partners, P.A.C.E. location after the women's meeting.
The presentation from Senior Care Partners said that their program is generally paid for by their members’ insurance. Part of their services include delivery of meals, and transportation to medical appointments.
Even though many of the programs, and the method of meetings have changed since this meeting took place on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, the Albion Area Philanthropic Women are committed to do what they can to best serve the needs of the people in this area.
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