Anchorage Accomplishments
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Making change in Alaska communities
- March: AFACT hosts a virtual mayoral candidate forum with over 250 people
- March: Catholic Native Ministry hosts two virtual school board candidate forums with over 300 people
- December: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship hold a public forum on low-income home weatherization with over 125 people
- January-April: AFACT leaders hold additional information sessions, create and distribute thousands of pamphlets to congregations around the city, and phone bank to garner support for Anchorage’s alcohol tax
- April-May: AFACT leaders meet with Senator Murkowski on COVID-19 response
- October: AFACT leaders hold information sessions on two ballot measures, one on an oil tax and the other on ranked-choice voting, with 400 people
- November-December: Clergy members meet with legislators in response to the governor’s proposed state budget
- February-March: AFACT leaders hold multiple information sessions on Anchorage’s proposed alcohol tax at faith communities around the municipality
- July: AFACT holds a public meeting in response to proposed state budget vetoes for social services with 300 people
- November: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship hold a public meeting on the climate change committee in the legislature with 250 people
- January: St. Anthony holds a public meeting on speeding in the Russian Jack neighborhood with 150 people
- March: Central Lutheran Hosts a forum on connecting with our homeless neighbors
- March: AFACT hosts mayoral candidate forum with 125 people and 5,000 watching online
- March: Catholic Native Ministry partners with CITC to host a school board candidate forum with 125 people and 3,000 watching online
- May: AFACT celebrates its 15th anniversary at the annual Breakfast of Hope
- November: Central Lutheran holds a public meeting on homelessness & behavioral health attended by 225 people
- March: AFACT congregations hold an Assembly candidate forum with over 150 people
- March: Catholic Native Ministry holds a school board candidate forum with 120 people
- March: Central Lutheran continues to work with Campfire to ensure summer programs for low-income kids in West Fairview
- June: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church holds a public meeting on bike and pedestrian safety attended by 130 people
- June: St. Anthony hosts a training session on personal safety with the Anchorage Police Department
- August: AFACT holds an interfaith prayer vigil in response to racist displays of violence in Charlottesville and across the country with 350 people
- February: First Covenant and Catholic Native Ministry hold a second public meeting to address the lack of detox facilities in Anchorage with over 400 people
- March: First Covenant and Catholic Native Ministry form a task force of substance abuse providers that immediately increased access to detox beds in Anchorage
- April: AFACT leaders travel to Juneau to meet with legislators on the state budget crisis
- September: AFACT holds “Hope for Anchorage: An Interfaith Prayer Vigil for Peace and Healing” at Lutheran Church of Hope in response to rising homicide rates with 100 people
- February: First Covenant Church holds a public meeting to address the lack of detox facilities in Anchorage with 200 people
- March: AFACT holds its first public fundraiser, The Breakfast of Hope
- March: 15 AFACT leaders travel to Juneau to move the legislature to pass Medicaid Expansion
- March: Samoan community at Saint Anthony holds a mayoral candidate forum with over 200 people
- March: Catholic Native Ministry holds a school board candidate forum with 125 people
- June-August: AFACT congregations hold daily prayer vigils outside of Anchorage legislative offices to encourage legislators to expand Medicaid
- August: Governor Bill Walker signs the Medicaid Expansion into law
- March: AFACT holds an Assembly candidate forum with 200 people
- June: AFACT voter registration drive registers 330 new voters
- August: AFACT leaders hold a prayer service to address bigotry with 100 people
- September: Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church holds a Senate candidate forum with 250 people
- January-February: Lutheran Church of Hope, Central Lutheran, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, and St. Mark Lutheran hold Medicare town hall meetings
- March: Bethel Chapel holds a public meeting on crime and neighborhood watch in Mountain View
- May: AFACT holds a Cinco de Mayo fundraiser with 400 people
- May: AFACT celebrates its 10th anniversary
- May: Catholic Hispanic Ministry holds a public meeting on immigration with Senator Murkowski and 400 people
- August: AFACT produces and begins distributing 4,000 booklets explaining Medicaid Expansion
- November: AFACT leaders gather in prayer at Governor’s press conference on Medicaid Expansion
- November-January: AFACT leaders make 13 presentations in nine congregations on Medicaid Expansion attended by 800 people
- January: AFACT holds a public meeting on expanding Denali KidCare to children 12 and under with 200 people
- March: AFACT holds a school board candidate forum with 100 people
- April: AFACT launches a youth organizing project, “Youth Making a Change”
- June: AFACT holds a Spanish statewide leadership training with 22 Spanish-speaking members of the Catholic Hispanic Ministry
- October: Central Lutheran Church & Lutheran Church of Hope hold a public meeting on access to Medicare with 200 seniors
- December: AFACT holds an interfaith prayer vigil for Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting victims with 200 people
- January: AFACT holds health care forum with Linda Hall, director of the Alaska Division of Insurance, with 100 people
- January: Bethel Chapel holds a public meeting on the unused Glenn Square mall with 200 people
- January: Glenn Square mall owners agree to lower the cost of rent
- January: Anchorage School District responds to Gloria Dei by placing the CAP Team in the Jewel Lake team
- January: AFACT holds a Mardi Gras fundraiser
- January: DHSS Commissioner Hogan changes Denali KidCare enrollment from six-month to twelve-month continuous eligibility
- March: Catholic & Lutheran Alaska Native Organizing Ministry host school board candidate forum with 150 people
- March: AFACT holds Assembly candidate forums in four churches across Anchorage
- March: AFACT leaders travel to Juneau to address legislators on Denali KidCare
- April: Alaska Legislature passes a bill increasing Denali KidCare to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level
- June: AFACT holds prayer vigil after Governor Parnell vetoes Denali KidCare bill
- August: Gloria Dei leader Sandy Fazio hosts first leader AFACT fundraising party
- August: Anchorage School District brings the national parent-teacher home visitation project to Anchorage to train teachers in four schools
- January: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church holds a public meeting on crime in its Jewel Lake neighborhood with 150 people
- February: APD begins increased police patrols in the Jewel Lake neighborhood
- February: Jewel Lake community council passes a resolution endorsing Gloria’ Dei’s request for policing
- March: Catholic & Lutheran Native Organizing Ministry holds a public meeting on federal stimulus funds for education with 100 people
- March: AFACT hosts mayoral candidate forum with 200 people
- March: Media reports that every mayoral candidate is making community-oriented policing part of their platform
- May: Catholic & Lutheran Alaska Native Organizing Ministry host Canadian speaker, Dr. Martin Brokenleg
- June: St. Anthony holds a meeting on graffiti, overflowing dumpsters, and deteriorating roads in the Russian Jack neighborhood with 100 people
- June: Catholic & Lutheran Alaska Native Organizing Ministry presents a proposal to the Anchorage School Board to bring a parent-teacher home visitation project to Anchorage
- Summer: Mayor Sullivan creates the “Homeless Coordinator” position, as requested at the 2008 Holy Family meeting
- September: AFACT holds a public meeting on expanding enrollment and eligibility for Denali KidCare with 300 people
- January: Bethel Chapel holds a public meeting on the Mountain View rec center Boys & Girls Club with 80 people
- February: Catholic & Lutheran Alaska Native Organizing Ministry holds a public meeting on education with 200 people
- March: Holy Family Cathedral holds a public meeting on homelessness with 300 people
- May: Legislature responds to AFACT by increasing Denali KidCare eligibility to 175% of FPL
- June: Boys & Girls Club hires outreach staff and quadruples the number of children served
- November: AFACT celebrates its five-year anniversary
- January: APD Police Chief Huen incorporates AFACT’s principles of community policing into the APD Strategic Plan
- March: Gloria Dei holds a public meeting on a dangerous bus stop with 60 people
- April: AFACT holds a public meeting on expanding Denali KidCare with 200 people
- June: Parks & Recreation begins a summer play program at St. Anthony in response to November’s meeting on youth
- September: A new bus stop is erected near Gloria Dei Lutheran
- November: Central Lutheran & St. Anthony hold a meeting on children’s recreation with 200 people
- March: AFACT holds a mayoral candidate forum with 100 people
- March-May: AFACT holds several meetings of clergy/cops/kids
- April: Mountain View receives $174,000 Weed & Seed Grant
- May: Central Lutheran holds a meeting on after school children’s program with 200 people
- October: Campfire & the municipality agree to staff and fund after school program at Central Lutheran
- November: Bethel Chapel holds a meeting on a blighted building with 60 people
- November: Municipality removes blighted building from Bethel Chapel neighborhood
- November: AFACT presents a vision for youth in Anchorage with 400 people
- November: Mayor Begich asks AFACT to represent the faith community on Tri-Borough Task Force on youth violence
- March: AFACT holds a meeting on public safety with 400 people
- August: St. Anthony mobilizes Mountain View residents to seek a Weed & Seed Grant
- September: Catholic & Lutheran Native Organizing Ministry hold a meeting on education with 350 people
- February: St. Anthony holds a meeting on community policing with 450 people
- October: Sponsoring Committee adopts the name of Anchorage Faith & Action – Congregations Together (AFACT)
- November: Alaska’s US Attorney announces $50,000 grant for policing in response to St. Anthony meeting
- January: Pastors form Anchorage interdenominational sponsoring committee
- September: St. Anthony Catholic Church forms Local Organizing Ministry
