Albany Civil Rights Institute receives sizable donation

ALBANY — The Albany Civil Rights Institute (ACRI) received a sizable donation Tuesday when Albany’s MillerCoors presented the institute with a check for $10,000.

The donation, which is the largest single donation the beer manufacturer has made in Southwest Georgia, is part of the company’s mission to be a supporter of important programs and facilities within the community.

“Over the past many years Albany MillerCoors has donated money and supported many activities and institutions within the greater Albany area,” said Albany MillerCoors Vice President and Plant Manager Maurice York. “One thing that we wanted to do this year was make a greater impact in our community and we know the history of Albany from a civil rights standpoint and the great things the institute has been doing and we want to be a part of that.”

W. Frank Wilson, executive director of ACRI, said the funds donated by MillerCoors will be used for a number of different things through the institutes general fund, but the majority of the donation will go toward the ACRI’s annual Boyd-Grant Community Services Dinner.

That dinner, which is scheduled this year for May 6, is held in honor of the Revs. Horace Boyd and James Grant, who were instrumental in the uniting the community during the Albany Movement.

“The dinner is a fundraiser for the institute named for Revs. H.C. Boyd and E. James Grant, who were the two ministers who opened their doors for the mass meetings (during the Albany Movement),” said Wilson. “Each year we give an award to a business and a citizen who have shown the same kind of courage in helping to change the landscape for Southwest Georgia and Albany in particular. Part of the funds from this will go to the Boyd-Grant Dinner, so we’re just happy that MillerCoors continues its legacy of being a good corporate citizen in our city.”

Tickets to the Boyd-Grant dinner are on sale and can be purchased by contacting the ACRI office at (229) 432-1698. To learn more about the ACRI, call or visit www.albanycivilrightsinstitute.org.