FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 24, 2021
Albany, Ga. — The Albany Area Chamber Foundation, a 501©3 affiliate of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, today presented Albany Crime Stoppers with a nearly $13,000 contribution as part of the business advocacy organization’s ongoing public safety efforts.
“The Albany Area Chamber and its Foundation have engaged in discussions with businesses, local officials, law enforcement and judicial partners to explore how the business community can partner and make an impact in crime and public safety,” said Perry Revell, chairman if the Albany Area Chamber Foundation Board of Directors and immediate past president of the Albany Area Chamber. “Beyond our foundational work to support business growth and a healthy and prosperous community, we identified Albany Crime Stoppers as an opportunity.”
Albany Crime Stoppers is a local community action program that encourages citizens who see something to say something and provides cash rewards to anonymous callers for information leading to arrest and conviction.
In 2020, the Chamber engaged public officials in ongoing conversations about crime.
“The Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, the region’s leading business advocate, represents the unified interests and concerns of Albany and Albany Area businesses of all sizes and sectors. Collectively, the business community is increasingly and urgently concerned about crime in our community, its impact to safety and its impact on the economy,” the organization stated in an October 14, 2020, letter to officials. “The business community believes in actionable solutions. We believe in partnership and in collaboration. As such, we seek to engage with you in a transparent discussion around crime in Albany, and together work to address this issue. We recognize that, as with many other complex issues, progress can be advanced through the commitment of stakeholders who share a common goal.”
The impact of crime, both real and perceived, is broad — from citizen pride, population growth and access to talent; to business investment and business success; to tourism and travel; and internal and external perception.
“We must create and sustain a community in which businesses want to invest and people want to live. A safe environment for families, for visitors and for businesses is crucial to that goal and central for Albany’s growth and prosperity,” said Bárbara Rivera Holmes, president & CEO of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce and the Albany Area Chamber Foundation. “Business involvement and collaborative partnerships are powerful tools. We’re grateful to our Albany Area Chamber businesses whose investment supports Albany Crime Stoppers and whose leadership enables so much of the work in which we’re collectively engaged.”
The $12,850 contribution from the Albany Area Chamber Foundation was complemented by a $5,000 contribution from Dougherty County District Attorney Greg Edwards, with whom the Chamber is working.
“Albany Crime Stoppers is a powerful community-based crime solving program that is committed to increasing the safety of our citizens and partners on this effort with media organizations, police departments and other law enforcement agencies,” said Judy Randle, chair of the Albany Crime Stoppers Board of Directors. “The contributions from the business community through the Albany Area Chamber Foundation and from District Attorney Greg Edwards are a much-needed boost and will extend our efforts to provide anonymous rewards for tips that lead to criminal arrests.”
The Albany Area Chamber Foundation’s donation was made possible through the support of Albany Area Chamber member businesses: Albany Sunbelt Ford-Lincoln of Albany; Brad Lanier Oil Co.; Colony Bank; Dougherty, Duggan, Hart & Tiernan Insurors; Fleming & Riles Insurance; Flint Community Bank; Gardner Willis Sweat Plaire & Wilson; Jim Boyd Construction; Maple Hill Landfill; Oxford Construction; Paragon Foods; Phoebe Putney Health System; Southern AG Carriers; Watson Spence; and Worldwide Equipment.
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