Jan Albanese retires after 28 years of leading ACT program
Photos by Tom Rivers: Jan Albanese is shown at her office at 131 South Main Street, at the back of the Main Street Corner Thrifts, Gifts, and More store run by Community Action of Orleans & Genesee. Albanese worked 37 years with ACT. When she started in 1987, Orleans County had the highest teen pregnancy rate in the state outside of New York City.
County’s teen pregnancy rate has dropped during Albanese’s tenure
ALBION – In 1987, Orleans County had the highest teen pregnancy rate in the state outside of New York City.
That high rate resulted in the start of the ACT program, and reps from ACT go to local school districts to teach sex education.
The teen pregnancy rate has dropped. The most recent statistics from 2021 put Orleans at the 20th highest teen pregnancy rate of the 57 counties outside NYC. Orleans was the fifth highest in 2020. In 2016, it ranked 34th.
Jan Albanese has been part of ACT for 37 years, starting as a secretary in 1987. In 1995 she took over as coordinator and has led ACT the past 28 years.
She has retired, with Wendy Cruz now serving as the program’s leader.
Albanese and her staff of three others developed a 6 to 8-hour curriculum, “Making Proud Choices.” ACT presents the program to youth ages 11 to 21, teaching about responsible sexual health choices. Albanese said the goal is for the youths to effectively communicate with their partner, make responsible decisions, delay the initial sexual encounter, lower the risk of teen pregnancies, and reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases and infections.
The program is tailored to the different age levels and currently is offered in four Orleans County school districts and Batavia in Genesee County, reaching about 400 to 500 students a year. (Before the pandemic it was about 700 students.)
ACT currently isn’t working in Albion, where district staff do the sex education component in health class.
“It is age-appropriate education,” Albanese said. “A focus is for them to know what a healthy relationship looks like.”
Jan Albanese congratulates Wendy Cruz, the new director of the ACT program. Cruz has worked with ACT since February. “We’re trying to teach kids to better themselves,” Cruz said.
ACT staff will ask students how many of them have conversations about sex with their parents. Very few hands go up. Most parents don’t discuss sex, including consent and legal ramifications, with their children, Albanese said.
ACT recently received a new $2 million grant for over five years that will allow it to expand its expand its programming. That so far includes weekly after-school clubs in Holley, Lyndonville and Batavia. ACT also is helping connect youths to services in the community, including the DMV, mental health and other agencies.
Albanese said some ACT staff take youths to sit-down restaurants, which is a new experience for some of the local teens and pre-teens.
“There is an ever-present need,” Albanese said. “There is more work that we can do.”
Cruz, the new coordinator for ACT, said the program remains committed to empowering youths to make better choices, setting their lives up for success.
“We’re trying to teach kids to better themselves,” she said.
ACT also can provide presentations to the community about local statistics, risky behaviors, consent, relationships, internet safety, communication and access to local sexual health care services.
Marty Taber works as a health educator at ACT. He started in 1996. He said Albanese has been a very effective leader for ACT and the community.
“She is very dependable and responsible,” Taber said. “She is available, but she doesn’t micro-manage. I will miss her terribly.”
Albanese has been successful securing grant funding to keep the program going, and to expand the services. She also has served on the Orleans Community Services Board for 26 years, including the past 22 years as chairwoman.
She also served on the boards for GCASA (now UConnectCare), the Mental Health Association, Hoag Library, Human Services Council of Orleans County, Drug Free Communities Coalition, LPP/LIFE Program, OCH Community Partners, Albion PTA and PTSA, Catholic Daughters and the Cobblestone Society.
Provided photo: Orleans County Legislator Don Allport presents a “Special Recognition Award” to Jan Albanese during Tuesday’s Legislature meeting. Albanese was recognized for her 37 years with the ACT program, as well as her 26 years on the Community Services Board, including 22 years as a chairwoman of that board.
