Community Action Partnership for Madison County is one of nearly 1100 Community Action Agencies across the United States and one of 52 in New York State. CAAs are nonprofit private and public organizations established under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 implemented to fight America’s War on Poverty. The ambitious purpose of the Act was clearly defined:

“To eliminate the paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty in this nation by opening to everyone the opportunity for education and training, the opportunity to work, and the opportunity to live in decency and dignity.”

Economic Opportunity Offices were created in each state, and in turn established a new kind of community-based organization, called Community Action Agencies. While the Office of Economic Opportunity no longer exists, Community Action Agencies continue to thrive. Federal money now funds CAAs either directly in the form of grants, or through the states, as in Community Service Block Grant funds. The federal money works to leverage additional funds from state and local government, foundations, and private funders.

Each Community Action Agency is a grassroots organization designed to meet the ever-changing needs of the local population. CAAs focus attention on specific problems affecting the community to mobilize resources and devise solutions that unlock opportunities for millions of low-income families. CAAs are a primary source of direct support for the more than 37 million people who live in poverty in the United States - helping people to help themselves in achieving self-sufficiency.

Community Action Program for Madison County, Inc. (doing business as Community Action Partnership) was established in 1983 (and incorporated in 1986) by Irene Brown as an outgrowth of the Madison County Office for the Aging. Recognizing that Madison County was one of only twelve counties in New York State without a CAA, Ms. Brown took action to create opportunities for those most in need in our county. For the first few years a small number of workers provided general advocacy and referral from a rented office in Morrisville, NY. CAP slowly began adding programs, securing funding to begin Family Action to assist families lacking positive supports in their lives; “Destination Wampsville” – the first initiative to address barriers to transportation in our rural community; the home buyers program that provided the opportunity for low- and moderate-income families to achieve the American dream of home ownership; and special education advocacy to provide parents of special needs children the information and support needed to reach their full potential.

}In 1994 CAP purchased and renovated the present location at 3 East Main Street in Morrisville that provided much needed office space on the first floor and two transitional apartments for homeless families on the second floor – to this day the only housing for homeless families in Madison County. Shortly thereafter, in 1995 CAP was awarded a major grant from Healthy Families New York to begin Starting Together – a voluntary home visiting program that reaches out to parents of newborns to provide support and information on child development. This new initiative more than doubled the work force and in 1996 CAP opened a second office at 112 Center Street in Canastota allowing Starting Together to expand and offer a closer location for families living in the northern region of the county.

Irene Brown retired in 1999 and that year was awarded a Jefferson Award for Public Service. Stacy Alvord, who launched the Starting Together program for CAP, took over as Executive Director. In 2000, CAP again expanded the scope of services and launched the Mentoring Partnership providing opportunities for caring adults to become matched with youth needing a positive influence in their lives. In 2001 CAP was awarded a federal Early Head Start grant that enabled Starting Together to serve more children through the home visiting program. As the number of staff increased, so did the need for office space and in 2001 CAP opened a third office at 6 Cambridge Avenue in Morrisville.

CAP has come a long way from its humble beginnings and today employs 64 people in three offices and operates with a $2.6M annual budget. We served approximately 4,500 Madison County citizens in 2008. That is one out of every sixteen residents who sought our assistance. Yet with about 1/3 of all Madison County households living below 200% of the federal poverty limit ($44,100 for a family of four), the need is greater than we can meet alone. Our partnerships with health and human service organizations -  private, public, and faith-based - create a strong safety net for our most vulnerable citizenry. CAP works for and with low- and moderate-income families in Madison County to provide education, guidance, and resources for individuals and families striving for economic self sufficiency.  We are the only not-for-profit, non-governmental agency in Madison County with a mission to serve the low-income community.

CAP experienced yet another transition when in February of 2008 Stacy Alvord resigned as Executive Director. In August of that year Julie Dale was hired as the newest Exeuctive Director for CAP. Julie hails from Tuscon, AZ where she served as Program Director for Healthy Families Pima County. She has worked in the field of social service and family support for 20 years and has had the opportunity to serve a diverse population including individuals participating in behavioral health services, foster care, respite, residential care homes, and developmental disabilities services. Julie is thrilled and honored to become a member of the CAP team and looks forward to helping the agency continue to grow and expand services to those most in need in Madison County.

Our governance is structured with a tripartite board of directors - one third are elected public officials or their designees, at least 1/3 are representatives of the low income community, and the remainder are representatives of business, industry, faith-based, social welfare, and other private groups in the community. This tripartite board structure is designed to make room at the table for those whose lives are most impacted by CAP’s programs and service delivery and by those who can make a difference for those most in need in Madison County.

CAP Administration

Administrative services for Community Action Partnership for Madison County are provided by:

Julie Dale, Executive Director
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Susan DiStefano, Fiscal Officer
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Kimberly Krula, Human Resources and Community Operations Manager
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Program services for Community Action Partnership for Madison County are provided by:

Debra Munn, Division Director, Early Childhood
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Jean Martin, Program Manager, Early Head Start
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Kimberly Lorraine, Division Manager, Family & Youth
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Susan Gustafson, Division Manager, Housing
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