Saving Towns at Risk

Normal, Feb. 23---Alabama Cooperative Extension System’s Urban Affairs and New Nontraditional Programs unit will officially launch the STAR program -- Saving Towns at Risk -- March 10, during a ceremony in Normal. The STAR ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m. in the Dawson Building, room 240 at Alabama A&M University.

 The ceremony will involve a brief overview of the program and an official signing of a memorandum of understanding between Extension and the Alabama Mayor’s Cooperative for Economic, Cultural and Educational Development led by Mayor Ed Daniel of Marion. A reception will follow the ceremony.  

According to Family Welfare Specialist Marilyn Simpson-Johnson, the vision of STAR is “to leave no Alabama community behind.” STAR's goal is to create avenues of opportunity for enterprising civic and municipal leaders who are committed to seeking a broad range of ideas, relationships, strategies and techniques to improve the quality of life for families and communities. Saving at-risk communities affirms a commitment and dedication to at-risk families since all families exist within some type of environmental arrangement.

STAR also seeks to become a think tank composed of innovative visionaries committed to building citizen dialogue, networking with diverse coalitions and creating municipal infrastructure projects designed to revitalize towns through the use of various assets.

Alabama towns that have been left behind are STAR’s target audience through the development of a pool of special services, resources and assistance interwoven with existing community assets in a comprehensive campaign to strengthen family-centered communities. When communities are strengthened to aggressively address broken families, family development coexists with community development.  This ensures  that family and community development and revitalization enhance all sectors of society, not just the most economically secure.

“Marilyn has been developing the vision of this program for quite some time. The idea of families and communities partnering in progress can come to fruition through collaborative efforts such as STAR,” said Dr. Jannie Carter, Extension assistant director.

Human service professionals, including those involved in implementing Extension programs in urban settings, are continuously striving to meet the challenge to strengthen family-centered communities with new and nontraditional programs. Such initiatives operate with a family and community asset focus, as well as a commitment to interlink family and community outreach.

For more information, please contact Marilyn Simpson-Johnson at (256) 372-4961.

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