Thursday, March 26, 1998

Ardoyno, Albus leave gaps that need to be filled

WANTED: Two extraordinarily civic-minded Abilenians willing to step up to a leadership role to fill big gaps. One paid position ($25,000), to manage the city's highly successful beautification and environmental efforts. One unpaid position, to volunteer for anything and everything and thereby maintain the community's legacy of outdoing itself on the national day of good deeds.

This wanted ad is no joke. In their respective roles as coordinator of Abilene Clean and Proud and coordinator of local Make a Difference Day activities, Donna Albus and Janet Ardoyno have left their imprint on Abilene history and led the community to state and national recognition.

But after six years of being Clean and Proud, Albus left to join the team at the West Texas Rehabilitation Center. Although a replacement at the nonprofit agency was hired in February, she lasted only a month, leaving the job of developing and implementing beautification projects with volunteers and city staff open again.

On top of that comes word that Ardoyno, everybody's choice for All-American Volunteer, is letting go of Make a Difference Day coordination after five years of phenomenal achievement on the national day of doing good. Last year on the designated Saturday in October, some 50,000 Abilenians pitched in to show how much difference a community could make in one day. Because of Abilene's involvement, sponsors USA Weekend and the Points of Light Foundation had to create a new award, the Encore Award - and we keep winning that one, too.

Ardoyno became executive director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Abilene in December, however, and even someone of her remarkable energy and drive can only do so much.

We've depended heavily on Albus and Ardoyno, and they've come through again and again. Now it's time for someone else to pick it up. And there should be a whole flock of likely candidates. After all, Janet and Donna had an entire community working with them.

That vibrant volunteer spirit is still alive and well and awaiting new leadership. Lots of support structure is in place. Led by executive director Phyllis Conn, the Volunteer Center of Abilene was always a key player in local endeavors connected with both Abilene Clean and Proud and Make a Difference Day. Since Conn recently stepped down, the Volunteer Center has been taken under the wing of the Mental Health Association of Abilene, and executive director Kermit Klaerner says this "new" organization is ready to fill the same role the "old" Volunteer Center used to.

Perhaps you know someone you believe could rise to the occasion and take over either of these key positions. If so, it's time for words of gentle but persuasive encouragement. We can't let two forces like Ardoyno and Albus step aside without replacing them.