On any given day, the Reverend Tonny Algood can be seen at the mission he directs helping individuals or families struggling to rise out of poverty. Over the last several years he and his staff have set up a variety of programs to assist such people within this faith-based environment. Located on Kentucky Street between Washington Avenue and Broad Street in Mobile, Alabama, the mission has a regular fulltime staff of five and numerous volunteers, numbering up to 50, throughout the year.
The signature program is the after-school tutorial service for at-risk students from pre-kindergarten through the eighth grade. The home for this and some of the other Inner City Mission programs is Taylor Park on nearby Baltimore Street. Mission volunteers pick up the children – approximately 80 to 100 – from around the area and bring them to the park, where they are instructed and guided by nine certified teachers and six aides. There is a computer lab, gymnasium, offices and other facilities for the children. A bus takes each child home in the early evening. The program helps to make a significant difference in these young peoples’ lives, giving them hope, educational skills and direction from loving but firm and qualified adults. There are several other programs for children, including year-round sports and a summer enrichment program that educates children about drugs and their dangers.
The mission also serves the senior citizen population from the area. Twice a week in the morning buses pick up adults who are anywhere from 58 to 97 years of age, bringing them to either the mission itself or again to Taylor Park for various activities and programs, including devotional services. The mission is the only temporary shelter for homeless single women in Mobile, though it hopes to become permanent. The women can eat dinner, spend the night and have a breakfast in the morning. They also receive counseling and guidance.
Beyond the important work that both Algood and others do for the mission, they were instrumental and invaluable in helping us make contact with and secure families for this Facing Poverty Project. They called, interviewed and followed up with numerous people. They gave of their time and energy to help us out, and the families and individuals they approached almost always said yes to our requests because of their great respect and admiration for Algood and the work that the mission does. The Reverend Charles Fail, pastor of the St. Francis Street United Methodist Church and the West Wilmer United Methodist Church, also contributed significantly to this initiative. The two churches share some resources and personnel. This Facing Poverty project would not have been possible without their contributions, guidance and wisdom.
