CARLTON FLETCHER: Albany Cares Group takes some of the sting out of woes

Give a little bit, give a little bit of your love to me.

— Supertramp

After talking to a close friend (one of two I have), I was all set to write a column about how difficult it is to remain optimistic in a community that seems to be its own worst enemy.

In PR fiascoes that have become dominant topics of conversation, the county’s opposition to the Lee County Medical Center, the deficit budgets that have plagued the Dougherty Commission for the past few years and will most likely lead to a millage rate increase this year, and the sewage spills on the Flint River that shone a light on the city of Albany’s partially antiquated sewer system have become primary negative drivers that have left some on the verge of packing it in.

Then I talked to Gilbert Udoto and Tosh Sevier about the work of the grassroots Albany Cares Group (see story on Page 1A), and I’m reminded that the human spirit can overcome any obstacle.

I’ve grown weary and even gun-shy when writing about the proliferation of nonprofit groups that spring up in this community, a cottage industry whose primary benefit appears to be tax-exempt status … oh, and we’ll probably end up helping some group along the way if enough money comes in to pay off our principles.

The Albany Cares Group is an anomaly: a group that has been meeting weekly for 18 months now without really trumpeting its existence and — get this — “has not asked anyone for a penny.” The idea of the burgeoning, loosely organized collective is for its membership to emerge into a bridge of sorts that will connect people with needs to groups and agencies that can help them.

And, no, that doesn’t mean Albany Cares will direct people to the latest handout. Sure, they’ll personally feed and clothe the needy, but they’ll also direct groups to government agencies, educational institutions, religious organizations and civic groups that have the capacity to provide specific needs.

Udoto, a native of Kenya who has become a successful businessman and a patron saint to many in Albany, likens the efforts of the Albany Cares Group to that of his native African village.

“What we have done is identify areas of need,” Udoto said. “And we will go to those areas of need. We will go into the areas of our village where we are needed, and we will talk directly to the people. We will connect this community.”

Sevier, who is a passionate speaker, said the Albany community, in this age of lightning-fast social media connections, has disconnected.

“We get so caught up in our lives, in those good jobs that we have, that when we see someone who perhaps could use a hand, we turn our head and look away,” Sevier said. “But one thing that I’ve discovered by being a part of the Albany Cares Group is that when you reconnect and do things for people who have a need, you also reconnect with your humanity, that part of you that ties you to others.

“It’s humbling. It also makes you realize that losing a mother, losing a son, losing a job … that could happen to any of us. And then we’d be the ones needing help.”

The Albany Cares Group hosted a Community Family Festival at the Mount Zion Gardens Apartments Saturday. It’s planning other such events — events that include everything from voter registration to mental and physical health care to the teaching of soft skills to food to help for people who’ve been incarcerated but are looking for a second chance. And, as it did Saturday, the group will bring all these things to neighborhoods where they’re needed.

And, Sevier noted, numbers were not the measuring stick for the success of the community festival.

“We’re in this for the long haul,” he said. “Look, we’ve been meeting and planning for a year and a half before we even decided it was time to hold our ‘coming-out party.’ If we can make a difference in one child’s life — and one of the focuses of this event is the children, as young as 2,3, 4 — we will have achieved a level of success.

“Because one motivated person is a powerful thing. One person can change lives.”

So, too, can a selfless group that does things for all the right reasons. Such a group can take at least some of the sting even out of spilled sewage and rising taxes.

Email Carlton Fletcher at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ABH_Fletcher.