The Double Look...

     Greetings to our Albion Community! Welcome to our November edition of…The Double Look! We are proud to say that Double Vision Center is “Moving Forward”!!!

     Our Haunted House was a success for the third time in a row.  Albion College students played a key part in decorating the center.  We would like to thank Chaplin Dan for his support and always thinking of Double Vision Center.

 

      Double Vision Center continues to do great things.  We are collaborating with..The Mayors coalition, Substance Abuse program, Recreation Department, Director of Oakmeadows Paulette Hartsell , The City Manager, Pastor Phillips as well as other pastors in other areas.  The purpose of this collaboration is to help keep kids off the street and give them something to do.  First we will start off by doing fundraisers to help with renovations of Double Vision Center and to help provide  scholarships to kids so that they will be able to participate in recreation programs in Albion. Its going down…we are taking back our kids!! Stay tuned for more information about this program in the future.

    We are proud to say to our Health Advisor..Yolanda Brewer has successfully completed a course with the Sexual Assault Services.  Yolanda is able to implement being an advocate here at Double Vision Center to anyone being sexually assaulted. Albion has not had this type of services since the closing of theAlbion Community Hospital.  Double Vision Center is proud to house this program and we hope that anyone that is in need will take advantage of this program.  Way to go Yolanda!!

             
     Double Vision Center is still seeking donations for renovations.  If you would like to donate please do so at the …Albion City Hall /Double Vision Center renovation fund or… Homestead savings and loan located here in Albion.
    Thank you for reading…The Double Look!

 

The Double Look! September Edition

     Greetings to our Albion Community! Welcome to our September Edition.  We would like to thank the community for their support by making our Juvenile Court Day a huge success!  Also, Double Vision would like to thank the funders that gave generous donations to help with the renovations of our building.

 

     Double Vision Center has done a lot since the last time we talked. Our Juvenile Court Day has been very successful but, at the same time, we still need the Albion Community to make the vision become a reality.  Right now, we have repairs that still need to be done such as, carpet, tile and up-to-date lighting system.  Double Vision feels that we have to make our center safe for our youth, as well as, our community and beautify our downtown area at the same time.

 

     We would really like to thank…Joe Domingo for his support!  He has helped us get the word out about helping the low-income families and high-risk kids all over Calhoun County.  Without his support a lot of things would not be possible.  Also we would like to thank…Albion College Community Service Day Volunteers for their support.  Chaplin Dan brought numerous students down to help us with painting our ceiling. Way to go Brits!!!

 

       

 In this Edition we would like to mention a person of interest…Mr. William Greene Sr.  Mr. Greene spends a lot of time at Double Vision Center helping us keep our building clean and make sure that there is plenty of water for our volunteers of Juvenile Court Day.

 

     In the mean while Double Vision Center has been working on helping our County with health issues.  Coming soon to Double Vision Center will be…Marlow’s Boot Camp (MBC)!  By collaborating with MBC, we will be able to help fight obesity and create a healthy heart.  Look for more information soon.

 

     In closing, Double Vision Center understands that funding is very low when it comes to grants and donations.  But we also know that there are some funds that are available as well as funders that can help with the opening of…Double Vision Center/Roller Rink.  Our mission is to put out an S.O.S to save our high-risk kids and help low-income families that are struggling to fill out a job application on-line as well as finding a trade to better their lifestyle. These issues cannot continue to be overlooked!!  

So with your help we can make someone’s dream become a reality. 

 

Thank you for reading our September Edition of….The Double Look!

The Double Look...August Edition

Greetings to our Albion Community! Welcome to our August Edition. We would like to thank all of our volunteers and the different organizations that have put in work to help make our community center one step closer to opening up. A special thanks to the Albion Volunteer Service Organization, The Albion Community Foundation, Albion-Homer United Way, Lincolnshire Homes and also The Albion Housing Commission for their awesome support.

Our community center will benefit the whole entire community once it is open. Not only will the children benefit but, the adults as well. The main purpose for opening up the community center is to take on high-risk kids and low-income families. The second reason is to play a part with the Albion Public School system in bridging the gap between programs and recreational activities.

Once the Double Vision Center is open we will provide training, through our Computer Training class, how to create a resume along with a cover letter, how to complete an on-line job application and surf the web for job search. At this time, we have added more creative abilities to our Creative Art program. A grant was recently submitted for funding to teach people how to create websites, create music and music videos and create phone applications for their mobile phones and other high tech technology skills. Double Vision Center has noticed that these are the things that high-risk kids like to do. With this program put in place, it will challenge their minds to do something more productive, and they will be able to acquire a skill that they can later use in life. Look for this program in the near future.

Collaborating with the Albion Public Schools and other organizations will allow usage of a program we have in place called, Juvenile Court Day. Children that get in trouble will be able to use this program to do homework, community service and give back to the community to help the elderly. We feel that if you are kicked out of school, you are missing valuable lessons. Double Vision will provide volunteers to help with homework. This program will also help people that need to accomplish their volunteer hours through the Calhoun County Probation, Albion Housing Commission, and Family Health Center and other agencies as well.

Double Vision Center has a success story we would like to share with you! Roy, a volunteer, came to us through the AVSO needing 180hrs. He had experience in hanging drywall. Roy restructured the ceiling which has caused us to be another step closer to opening. With 180hrs completed, Roy was so impressed with the things Double Vision Center is doing, that he now volunteers on his own personal time. So, we would like to give a special thanks to Rock’n Roy!

                                         

Thank you for reading our August edition of…The Double Look!

This image was created by our Creative Art director....Dennis Reid. Dennis directs the advance drawings from Creative Art.

This image was created by our Creative Art director....Dennis Reid.  Dennis directs the advance drawings from Creative Art.

The Double Look Newsletter February 2012

     Greetings to our Albion Community!  Welcome to our February Newsletter.  In this issue we talked to some store owners and there concern was, “No support in the Downtown area”. We also talked to some parents that feel there is no good communication now that the word is out about closing another school.

     Some of our store owner’s downtown feel like they have no support in selling their merchandise.  They feel like they have merchandise here and yet our community goes out of town to buy their merchandise.  So they would like to know…”Where is the communication to improve on selling their goods?”  There is good communication to the store owners but there is nothing there to encourage the public to come to the downtown area and do their shopping.

     On another note, a parent shared with us that they attended a meeting about Albion closing another school and there was only an estimate of 27 parents and a pastor at the meeting.  Why weren’t there more parents at this meeting?  Is it because they don’t care? Or is it lack of communication? This parents concern is that Albion is “Cramming” these kids together.  It would not be so bad if Albion was a village, then this parent could see Albion having…one elementary, one middle school, and one high school.  What are we? A village, a town, or a city?  If we cram all these kids together, it is going to be hard to teach 30-35 students at a time.  Some of our children will not get the proper time that they need with their teacher and some kid will be left out.  Is this fair to our children? 

     May we suggest to the merchants to write up what is on sale or what they have to offer to the community and pass it on to our local DDA and ask that it be printed in the Albion Recorder or a Newsletter for better communication throughout our community.

     We also would like to suggest that we as a community have to find a way to get parents more involved in school meetings.  Maybe we have to give up something to get something.  How about if a parent attends these meetings we could give them a coupon that is only redeemable at one of our local stores in the downtown area? Who doesn’t want $5 off a hair cut at Illusions, $10 off getting your nails done or a pedicure, or ½ off a family meal at your favorite Cascarelli’s or a Charlie’s pizza.   Hmmm…something to think about!

     As for Double Vision Center, we had two young ladies come down and donate their time and baked goods to do a huge bake sale!  All of the proceeds went to renovations of the Roller rink.  We are still looking for help and asking for donations from our community.  You may even donate privately if you want.  Just walk right in City Hall and donate to the Double Vision Center Renovation Account or to the Albion Chemical Bank to the Double Vision Account.

    Thank you for reading our February edition.  See you next Month!

The Double Look Newsletter

The Double Look  



Greetings to our Albion Community! Double Vision Center and its board members have decided to put together a newsletter each month to let the community and other organizations know what great things are happening now and what will be happening in the future.

     Double Vision Center recently went out into the community and asked, “What is your main concern in the Greater Albion Area”?

 

·         Lack of job creation

·         Failure in our school system

·         We always hear what an organization has done for 1 person and not what the organization has done to make an impact on the whole community.

     People in our community have noticed when a job comes to town only a few people are affected by the change.  One example that was given was when the ice factory came to town it hired more out of town people than people in Albion. They also feel that there are more jobs going out than coming in. Another example is when the Burger King shut down it put a lot of people out of work.

     A lot of parents feel that some of the after school programs that the school system provides to our children they are being mandated to attend.  A parent spoke up saying, “What if I have to work that day and can’t pick up my child or if I don’t have my child there for the after school program because of work, how will that affect my child and I? So, I think it’s unfair to mandate my child to an after school program without first putting the concerns and needs of the parents especially the single parents”.  Another concern was putting the 7^th and 8^th graders in the High School.  Another parent spoke up saying, “Who is to say that a 12^th grader can’t tell a 7^th grader to meet them at the baseball field after school?  This would definitely cause a greater impact on Teen Pregnancy”.

     A citizen of Albion attended a City Council Meeting which the topic of that meeting was about the City Manager replacement.  The citizen said all he heard was what the City Manager has done for “ME” not what the City Manager has done to make a big impact on the community.

     Double Vision Center feels that our Juvenile Court Day teaches work ethics, leadership, the importance of helping others, and giving back to “YOUR” community.  Getting the skating rink open will create jobs for the young adults and teens which will teach them responsibility also.  Teen Speak Out and computer classes allows Double Vision Center to find out the needs and concerns of the children and their parents so they can receive the necessary  counseling, training and brochures to help them along the way through a motivational speaker.  We are asking the community to come together and lend a helping hand or even make a donation to help make a difference in “OUR” community. Rah! Rah! Rah!

     This survey does not reflect on the views of Double Vision Center but, the views of the public.  Thank you and see you next month.