AMISH COMMUNITY MEMBER TO DISCUSS "THE AMISH MODEL OF A CARING COMMUNITY"
The Ashland Center for Nonviolence presents the second program of its 4-session spring symposium, "Creating a Caring Community in These Hard Times," on Thursday, February 4, 7 PM at Ashland University's Myers Convocation Center. This program is led by Amish member Atlee Raber discussing "The Amish Model of a Caring Community." Mr. Raber will discuss how the Amish community adjusts to lean economic times and the present economic times. The program is free and open to the public.
From Berlin, Ohio, Raber will share some very interesting stories on how people respond to need, and what he has seen and experienced. He has done work with Old Colony Mennonites in Mexico and serves on the Haiti Board, which has raised large sums of money for the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere through several fundraisers each year in Wayne County; Florida; and Michigan. He also serves on the Crippled Children's Fund, which primarily serves the local Amish community. Professionally, Raber founded Berlin Gardens, a wholesale manufacturing company of gazebos and lawn furniture. He is currently the sales manager at Berlin Gardens, and helps provide support for a cheese factory in Mexico. When explaining Raber's community efforts, Pat O'Bryan, director of the Catholic Commission of Wayne, Ashland and Medina Counties said, "Atlee Raber reflects an Amish sense of community that is essential and inherent to who they are as a people."
Mr. Raber's program follows the spring symposium's opening keynote "Our Shared Community: Hopes and Choices" by First Lady of Ohio Frances Strickland on Tuesday, February 2, 7 PM, at Ashland University's Myers Convocation Center. In addition to the First Lady's presentation, Shelly Whalen, executive director for Community Mediation Services of Central Ohio, will discuss "Community Based Mediation, a Model for Resolving Disputes."
The other programs for the spring symposium include:
•Monday, February 8 at the Salvation Army Kroc Center: Carolyn Basista, Wooster's Director of Bridges Out of Poverty, with a panel presenting "Bridges out of Poverty: A National Model Working Locally"
•Thursday, February 11 at the Salvation Army Kroc Center: Jennifer Parramore, Director of Directions Credit Union, presenting "Financial Literacy and Shared Resources: A Non-Profit Model"
The Ashland Center for Nonviolence is dedicated to progressive social and personal change to help the community discover options, enhance skills, and make choices that lead to self-sufficiency and positive involvement. For more information about the above programs, contact the Ashland Center for Nonviolence at 419-289-5313, ACN@ashland.edu or visit the Web site at www.ashland.edu/ACN.
