Dove, Inc.

Planned endings, planned beginnings. We at Dove have been busy with celebrating the retirement of Ray Batman, former Executive Director of Dove and Jim Walters, joining the staff in November as the new Executive Director. Last night, we had a Meet and Greet for Jim. Jim has been active meeting folks in the community, but the Meet and Greet was an opportunity for those who had not met Jim yet to do so. We are glad so many of you stopped by! We’re excited about moving forward in the months to come. One thing about working at Dove, there are many solid programs working with individuals and families in the community, but there is always something new around the corner. We are ready to see what’s next! Barb Blakey, Director of Volunteers and Community Relations

Age:   I’ll be 45 in March Family : Married to Brandy Mae. Four daughters Murphy 17, Micah 15, Hazel 2, & Isley 1 month What you like best about your position at Dove: The amazing collection of people who work at Dove. I think in many ways it is the job of the administrator to create an environment to help the staff be successful. Staff success equals good, consistent client services. Dove exists to serve the community. What you like best about working in Decatur & surrounding communities : When I was in the process of transitioning to Decatur the one thing people constantly told me was that it was a caring/giving community. That has certainly been my experience. I’ve been so impressed to see how the community works together. Person who has had the biggest influence on you and why : When I grew up – all I wanted to be was Walter Payton. Since then, my life has been blessed with amazing teachers, clergy, co-workers and friends. But today I would say my biggest influence w...

The annual Point in Time survey will be held on Thursday January 26 th . What is the Point in Time survey? This is an important survey as The Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires Continuums of Care to conduct an annual count of the homeless within that Continuum over a 24 hour period during the last week in January. HUD then uses this information to determine the need and characteristics of homelessness around the country. Dove’s Homeward Bound program leads the count process for Macon County by securing volunteers to administer surveys at various locations where homeless families and individuals might frequent. The locations range from the local library to viaducts and parks. HUD’s definition of homeless has four categories; 1.) Literally homeless individuals/families 2.) Individuals/families who will imminently (within 14 days) lose their primary nighttime residence with no subsequent residence, resources or support networks 3.) Unaccompanied youth or families with child...

Forty-eight years ago a great man gave a great speech about having a dream in this country. In his dream, everyone was equal in America--regardless of their race. One man, in the midst of legally allowed and even encouraged segregation, had a dream that all of us, “will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.” And while we have undoubtedly made some strides toward this dream of Reverend King’s, we are not all equal. We live in a society where there is still strong need for institutions such as Affirmative Action to try and help eliminate inequality and injustice against minority populations. As we approach Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year, I can’t help but wonder how many people really understand why we celebrate it. I wonder how many people just ignore the message behind the holiday and simply revel in the fact they get a day off work or school. I wonder ho...

Welcome to the first installment of the Dove blog. Dove is a coalition of religious organizations, volunteers, and advocates that seeks to coordinate efforts to address unmet human needs and social injustices. Dove works for justice, equality and understanding among all people. This blog was created for those who share these values and want to have a positive impact on our community. This is a collaborative effort of staff, volunteers, and program participants. Our goal is to inform you about the inner workings at Dove and the challenges we face. We would like to think this will be an educational format that encourages discussion and action. Perhaps we may also entertain you along the way. As you may know, I am new both to Dove and Decatur. The process of starting a new job and relocating has been exciting for me and my family. I’ve learned that Decatur is a caring community. People are active in their churches, schools, and across a variety of social service organizations. There is a ...