What's Happening

From left, Arturo Polizzi, President and CEO of ProMedica, presents the Ebeid Healthy Neighborhood Partner of the Year Award to Jennifer Hunter, Chief Operating Officer of the Motherhouse, and Sister Sharon Weber, OP. Jennifer and Sister Sharon were Co-Chairs of the Adrian Resilient Community Committee. Photo Courtesy of ProMedica

November 9, 2023, Toledo, Ohio – The Adrian Dominican Congregation received the Ebeid Healthy Neighborhood Partner of the Year Award from the ProMedica Foundation to recognize the partnership between the two organizations in the Congregation’s Resilient Communities Initiative in Adrian. 

The Ebeid Healthy Neighborhood Partner of the Year Award was one of eight 2023 Emerald Awards presented during the ProMedica Foundation’s Philanthropy Recognition Reception, held October 25, 2023, at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Toledo. Representing the Adrian Dominican Sisters were members of the 2016-2022 and current General Council and members of the Adrian Resilient Community Committee.

The award recognized the Congregation’s partnership with ProMedica through the Adrian Resilient Community Initiative, Growing Up Resilient: The East Adrian Resilience Collaborative, one of six regional initiatives established in response to the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ 2016 General Chapter Enactment on Resilient Communities. Resilient community initiatives were also established in the Mining barangay of the Province of Pampanga, Philippines; Sección San José in the Peravia Province of the Dominican Republic; the McKinley Park neighborhood of Chicago; Flint, Michigan; and Seattle.  

The Adrian initiative includes the establishment of the Adrian Dominican Sisters Youth Learning Center and computer lab, to be housed in ProMedica’s Ebeid Neighborhood Center, which will be established in East Adrian. The program will be temporarily housed in the former Comstock school building until a permanent facility can be built on Adrian’s East Side. In addition, the Adrian-based initiative involves a partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Lenawee to provide mentorship in literacy and social and emotional learning for the youth in Adrian’s East Side. 

Accepting the award on behalf of the Congregation were Jennifer Hunter, Chief Operating Officer of the Motherhouse Campus, and Sister Sharon Weber, OP, Co-Chairs of the Adrian Resilient Community Committee.

“The award represents a recognition that both groups [ProMedica and the Adrian Dominican Sisters] are willing to work together with the people to enhance their future opportunities,” Sister Sharon said. “We both saw the needs and are working together to see them through.” 

Sister Sharon noted that ProMedica’s concern is with health indicators. “That has to do not just with healthcare per se, but whether they have jobs and the skills they need,” she said. “The ProMedica people we’re working with have a real heart for this project.”

Jennifer said it was nice that the Congregation was recognized for its commitment to building resilience in the Adrian community. In accepting the award, she said she “spoke to the fact that we were honored to be selected and were excited that ProMedica had come into this process with us at a pivotal point in our work of building resilience. We’re excited about the partnership and making a difference for the people on the East Side of Adrian.”

Jennifer and Sister Sharon worked for about five years with the Adrian Resilient Communities Committee. “The group worked hard to learn and understand the needs of the city of Adrian and the youth on the East Side,” Sister Sharon said. The committee was also tasked with finding collaborators to partner with in establishing resiliency for the youth.

Serving on the committee were Sisters Rosemary Abramovich, OP, Pam Millenbach, OP, and Kathleen Schanz, OP; Associate Dee Joyner; Co-workers Ashley Concord, Kris Cooper, Joel Henricks, Brad McCullar, and Sara Stoddard; and the late Sister Maurine Barzantni, OP. 

“The first year was really a building block to get the people in place,” Jennifer explained. “We never wanted to duplicate efforts. We wanted to see collaboration among the organizations already serving the community.” Now, much of the work is being done by staff members hired through the initiative, who meet monthly with Jennifer and Sister Sharon to provide updates and receive input.

Jennifer said she was excited “for the real work to start, for the community to see the fruits of our labors, and for the space to be open and available for the community to see,” especially about the opening of the new space. 

“My hopes are that, together, we can make a better future for the people of Adrian, especially the people who live on the East Side,” Sister Sharon said.

Watch a video on the partnership between the Adrian Dominican Sisters and ProMedica, including interviews with Sister Sharon and Jennifer.
 

November 7, 2023, Adrian, Michigan – How do four Black students experience life in the United States and, specifically, in the predominantly white Siena Heights University? A host of experiences, perceptions, and hopes came from a panel discussion, “The World as We See It,” held October 19, 2023, on the Adrian Dominican Sisters Motherhouse campus next door to the university.

The event was part of a series of presentations offered by Kevin Hofmann, Director of the Adrian Dominican Sisters Office of Racial Equity and Cultural Inclusion. The series brings speakers of backgrounds different from those of most of the Sisters and Associates – people of different races, ethnic groups, faith traditions, and experiences of gender – to shed light on a variety of perspectives.

Panelists were Bobby Lindsey, a sophomore from Belleville, Michigan, majoring in musical theater; Toni Brown, an exercise science major from Detroit and Livonia, Michigan; Tichina Jones, a former international student from Windsor, Ontario, in her final semester as a graduate student in clinical mental health counseling; and Thomas Lindsey, an art major from Detroit. 

While the students generally agreed that Siena Heights is a welcoming school, they entered into a heartfelt discussion about the challenges they face among peers who are predominantly white. Much of the discussion centered around concerns they regularly face, of which many of their peers were unaware. 

For example, Toni noted her struggle to find hair-care products made for her hair type. Tichina affirmed the struggle. “As a woman, you want to feel beautiful [and] build your self-esteem,” she said. Not having the right products to help Black women feel their best is a challenge that white people need to be “more mindful of,” she said. “It’s really important to us and how we interact in our community.”

Others spoke of the risks they felt in everyday activities. “Even to this day, any time I buy something, even if it’s just bubblegum, I’m always walking with the receipt” to avoid being accused of shoplifting,” Tichina said.

Thomas spoke of learning from his father about protecting himself as a Black man. “If I ever get pulled over [by the police] I always have two hands on the wheel” to avoid a situation in which he can be shot. “It’s pretty tough to be an African-American because you always have to be aware of your surroundings.”

Bobby noted the same experience of always needing to be alert, especially when entering a store or a predominantly white area. “I don’t want to look like I’m doing something wrong or be accused that I’m doing something wrong,” he said. “I’m always aware of that stereotype … so I always keep it in the back of my mind.”

The students also spoke of the burden they carry as representatives of their race – and their struggles to make sure that they are perceived in a positive way. Bobby said that when he attends certain events, “there are certain things that I can’t wear to them or wouldn’t wear to them because I don’t want to be perceived as less professional or less intelligent than my peers. Sometimes, you have to double-check or triple-check what you wear on campus.” 

Tichina said living like this is exhausting. “You have to really think two or three times about how people perceive you on campus, especially if they don’t know you – whatever stereotypes or assumptions they have about Black people. Do I want to confirm these thoughts?” 

However, other students spoke of the positive aspects of being a representative and a role model. “I want to make a difference,” Thomas said. “I want to be the first [in my family] to go to college. I want to show not just my younger family but others – my friends and other groups of people – just keep going, keep looking forward, and don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do it, you won’t do it, or you’ll never do it.”

Toni said she loves representing her people and her family in particular. “I’m representing my family by making them proud that I can make it through four years of college,” she said. “I love making my people proud, and I love watching my peers proud of themselves – and it makes me happy seeing Black people happy.” 

The students also discussed their perception of race relations in the United States today and whether the situation has improved since their parents’ and grandparents’ time. “I do think the country has changed, but not to the point where race is just obsolete,” Bobby said. “I like to think in this country nowadays that anyone can do anything that they put their mind to, no matter the color that they are … But those systematically built [obstacles] are still there.”
 
Watch the entire video.