Adrian Dominican Sisters Invest $1.5M in Initiative to Support Community Resilience in East Adrian

ProMedica and the Adrian Dominican Sisters are pleased to announce a collaborative effort to maximize social impact in east Adrian, combining ProMedica’s initiative to address health disparities with the congregation’s $1.5M “Growing Up Resilient” initiative investing in youth and their families. The investment from the Adrian Dominican Sisters aims to connect participating youth and their families with available community resources, expanding literacy and family education programs. ProMedica will serve as the fiscal manager of the new investment, building upon the pre-existing ProMedica Adrian Ebeid Neighborhood Promise.

“We made this investment as part of a congregational commitment to help build resilient communities with local partners that have the capacity to maximize impact in places where our Sisters have had a long-term engagement,” said Patricia Siemen, OP, Prioress of the congregation. “Our Sisters have ministered in the Adrian community since 1879 and it is our hope that this investment, managed by ProMedica and made in collaboration with our other community partners – Boys & Girls Club of Lenawee and All About Adrian Resident Coalition – will enrich the lives of our neighbors on the east side.”

Announced earlier this year, the ProMedica Adrian Ebeid Neighborhood Promise is a community-driven initiative for rural investment and community development. Focusing on a core neighborhood with a total population of nearly 11,000 residents, it involves working with residents and stakeholders to close existing gaps in resource availability, accessibility, and attainability and eliminate disparities by investing in new and proven strategies. The initiative intends to help improve the conditions in which residents live, work and play so they are empowered to achieve their highest health potential.

Through extensive interviews with community members and demographic research, the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Adrian Resilient Communities Committee worked with local organizations and neighborhood leaders to develop a comprehensive plan to address specific inequities faced by east Adrian youth and their families. Efforts that will be supported by the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ new investment include:

• Developing life skills for youth through the social and emotional learning programs housed at the Boys & Girls Club of Lenawee.
• Connecting youth and their families with community services through a part-time community and family liaison who will work with local mentors to identify additional services needed
• Expanding literacy and family education programs in east Adrian. The All About Adrian Resident Coalition, local public schools, and other organizations will collaborate on the development of programs aimed at continuing and expanding literacy activities.
• Creating an Adrian Ebeid Technology Center in east Adrian that will house the Adrian Dominican Sisters Youth Learning Center and computer lab. The center will provide learning opportunities for youth in English language skills, GED preparation and computer skills.

Jennifer Hunter, executive director of campus services at the Adrian Dominican Motherhouse and co-chair of the Adrian Resilient Communities Committee, said, “I have no doubt that the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ partnerships and commitment to building resilient communities will enhance the lives of our youth, their families, and our Adrian community, both today and well into the future.”

“This investment is an excellent example of anchor institutions aligning their missions to address health disparities and inequities within the community,” said Frank Nagle, director of community impact in Michigan for ProMedica. “We greatly appreciate the Adrian Dominican Sisters Resilient Community Investment to the ProMedica Adrian Ebeid Neighborhood Promise. This catalyzes a partnership and expands upon a program that addresses the social determinants of health to improve the health and well-being of the community.”

Cody Waters, chief executive officer of Boys & Girls Club of Lenawee said, “This generous investment allows the Boys & Girls Club of Lenawee the ability to focus our efforts on providing young people with the support necessary to become productive, caring and responsible citizens.”

“Creating a better quality of life for a community only happens when everyone is welcomed to the table. When we all are heard and everyone's hands are to the plow does collective effort create a resilient impact,” said DeAngelo Boone, founder of The All About Adrian Resident Coalition.

ProMedica’s investment in rural placemaking is based on the success of the ProMedica Ebeid Neighborhood Promise in Toledo, Ohio, in 2016. ProMedica established the initiative to catalyze innovations that help to improve community health and well-being with a focus on social determinants of health. ProMedica will oversee and support the outlined efforts, complementing the existing place-based investment.