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Judy Allen, Community Action Center executive director Community Action
Center Families moving on means success for Community Action Center executive director Judy Allen. Moving on is moving up. Allen’s and her staff’s mission is to empower Whitman County people and communities to be self-sustaining. They do this by promoting the self-reliance of low- to moderate-income individuals and families, promoting their active participation in community life, encouraging mutual support and promoting cooperation between local communities. That work often means constant flux for Allen and CAC. Saying hello in one breath is followed by saying good-bye in the next. That was the case for one single-parent family whom the CAC helped. They regularly attended CAC’s "My Family," the enrichment program that brings adults and children together every Monday evening at Pullman Baptist Church for a nutritious meal, children’s activities and parent discussions. The family adult also participated in career development consultation to seek alternatives to the low-wage job she held. Within a few years, the parent relocated the family to a place where she had better employment opportunities and her children could advance in a new school system. Most of the time, however, moving up doesn’t involve leaving the Pullman area. "We see ourselves as a connector or bridge between the families we serve and the rest of the community," she said. "I see Pullman as such a resource-rich community with lots of skills and lots of knowledge to share." For WSU faculty and staff who want to help the CAC, there is a wide spectrum of activities and programs to choose from, Allen said. The Pullman Food Bank offers food assistance services three times a week in the new Fairmont Center. Many families receive nutritional counseling and information on food purchase, preparation and budgeting. WSU students from the Food Science Club have helped the food bank in the past with menu planning and developing recipes, Allen added. Others who have ideas of low-cost foods to prepare are encouraged to lend their assistance. Help is also needed with distributing Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets to community members, as well as gift purchases posted on Giving Trees and a coat drive that runs through the winter months. WSU employees also can help with children’s programming and parenting seminars for "My Family" or with workshops on increasing skills and self-sufficiency. CAC offers programs on energy conservation education, confidence building, budgeting, consumer credit counseling and career development, but Allen said the organization would like to build on these. "There are a lot of avenues, and there may be staff and faculty who could put on workshops for a group of adults." Mentoring children is especially important, Allen stressed. It can be as simple as offering a child a way to share in one’s own family life—baking cookies or lending a hand with a woodworking project. The one-on-one time is crucial. "If people have special skills or hobbies that they would like to share with children or youth ages 5-18, we would love to have them involved," she said. "Kids can benefit a lot from that type of interaction and attention." CAC also has initiated community forums during November to develop ideas and strategies for positive change to address the declining economy in Whitman County and impacts on local communities. Four more forums are planned from 6-9 p.m., including a 5:30 dinner: Nov. 8, Community Building, 304 W. Front, St. John; Nov. 9, Fraternal Lodge, Bartlett and First, Oakesdale; Nov. 15, Guardian Angel Gym, 306 Steptoe, Colton; and Nov. 16, Community Center, 230 E. Main, Palouse. "We’re hoping to get a group of people who will advocate for economic change, which will support the families that CAC serves," she said. A private, nonprofit organization founded in 1988, CAC is one of more than 900 community action agencies established in the United States. CAC services are available in two Whitman County locations: 350 SE Fairmont Rd. in Pullman or 101 N. Main Room 12 in Colfax. For more information on CAC activities and assistance, contact the Pullman office at 334-9147, cac@cacwhitman.com or visit the Web site at www.cacwhitman.com .
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Editor: Sue Hinz |
