By: Ryan Duey
Abilene Core Community graduated its first group of leaders on October 21st at the First United Methodist Church in Abilene. 11 participants made their way through the 24-week class, working to better themselves and their families with the support of Core Abilene and the community as a whole.
Abilene Core Community is part of the CARES Coalition of Dickinson County, helping community members who are struggling with poverty, whether it be financially, socially, emotionally, or those lacking any type of resources. Marissa Johnson, Core Community Liaison, talked about the benefits of this organization.
“The benefits of Core are tremendous. We help build bridges and we break down barriers. We share resources and we connect the families with resources within the community. We partner with a lot of different agencies within our community to help with food resources, medical outlets, and more. We help them figure out how to decrease their debt load so then they can help the economy in other ways.”
The community has been supportive of this new initiative and moving forward they hope to continue building relationships with businesses, agencies, and community members as they grow. Johnson said they are currently recruiting people for their next class.
“It’s a 24-week class. There is no obligation other than just showing up. Come as you are, anybody and everybody is welcome. We are building the next class which will start next spring. So right now, we’re recruiting for that class. So, if anybody is interested in being in the next class, they can actually reach out to myself or Cindy if they’d like to attend.”
Johnson said they will also be involved in the Festival of Trees in early December, with proceeds going to Core Community. They are always looking for volunteers, known as Core Friends, also to help bridge the gap and become involved with the program. Information on Core Community can be found on their Facebook page.
