Cram School

The United Way of Taiwan has brought me to Taipei to assist them with community and organizational work. This is a relationship I have had since my work nationally and internationally with United Way of America.

At a recent visit to a High School one would be struck by the preparation of local Taiwanese students for success.

As a perspective:

• Students all through high school never have a Summer vacation-they attend Cram School every day in the Summer from 8 in the morning until 3pm.
• Often they are preparing to apply to colleges and universities in the US.
• Students during the normal school year attend classes until 5 pm

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, there is a review of how now Math camps for kids (like a Cram School) are proliferating in the US. Conversely, in a recent Taipei Times article, there is a debate on how to bridge creativity and imagination into the education of the Taiwanese children.

I am struck on how ALL of our children will be competing with kids not just across town or in another state for acceptance into college, but from across the world. As I have written before in this blog, having our children ready to learn and succeed in school is paramount. That is why United Way programs such as Success by Six, Woman's Literacy Initiative and the Virgil H. Carr Truancy Initiative are critical.

Do you think our children's education prepares them to compete with students from other countries?

The Long Tail of Philanthropy

Chris Anderson's book, The Long Tail, asserts that we are turning from a mass market back into a niche nation, defined now not by our geography but by our interests. He chronicles the economic and cultural impact of organizations such as e-Bay, iTunes, Google, Amazon, Netflix and the phenomenon of blogs.

While there is debate about the theory of the Long Tail---most notably by Lee Gomes of the Wall Street Journal---Anderson captures an idea that makes one think about how the Long Tail not only affects not only commerce, but community.

At the core of Anderson's premise is this: "Our culture and economy are increasingly shifting away from a focus on a relatively small number of mainstream products and markets at the head of the demand curve (think of a tall ski slope - the top is the head of the tail or demand curve), and moving a huge number of niches in the tail(the long running bottom of the ski slope).

While I think Anderson is onto something, it does make me wonder about the impact of the expansion of self interest, special/niche interest, and institutional interest. My belief is the trend is here to stay. Yet, I carry a strong point of view that we must strengthen our collective interests and our community interest. It is then and only then that broad progress will be made.

The fact of the mater is non profits are proliferating in America-- adding 35,000 new ones each year -now totaling over 1.9 million. The Long Tail of Philanthropy is happening as we add more niche and special interest organizations to attract the commerce of the charitable gift. I don't view this as bad, just something we all need to navigate as we strive to improve and strengthen community.

Questions that come to my mind as I read the The Long Tail: Do you believe we need to strengthen our collective interest in community? When you think of the word community, how would you describe it? How does geography play a role in today's society?

Your thoughts?

Being a Great Philanthropist

With the recent announcement of Warren Buffet's $37 Billion donation to the Gates Foundation, one might think that in order to be a great philanthropist you must have a lot of money.

The recent Peanut's cartoon show's Linus sorting out how he can help others. He has the desire to be the next Warren Buffet or Bill Gates. Linus gives us all a smile with his reflection at the end ---"I want to be a great philanthropist with someone else's money."

Philanthropist somehow got combined with the notion that it must be a truck load of money.

When you look at its definition according to the Oxford English Dictionary ---- that notion just isn't true: • noun a person who seeks to help others, especially by donating money to good causes. The word philanthropy has its roots in the word --- love.

One of the aspects of United Way that I value deeply, is its ability to let everyone be a philanthropist. No matter how big or small the gift. The immense strength of United Way is the ability to combine my philanthropic intent with yours to do more than if we had just gone it alone.

At the end of the day, I think Linus is saying "I just want to be someone who helps." And in my book, that is a philanthropist in action.

The power of access

At our recent Board of Director's meeting, Cynthia Miller shared how a group of strangers built a wheelchair ramp at her home so that her son Phillip would have access. As a working parent, Cynthia had been a long time contributor to United Way.

Cynthia asked for help through the United Way Ray West Wheelchair Memorial Ramp Project because she knew she needed to break the barrier which kept Phillip from being able to leave the house.

Today, you are likely to turn to Cynthia to find help. She works at the United Way 211 Center assisting local residents find help for the issues they face. This is in a way a chance for her to extend the United Way network of resources to others. And Cynthia does that with grace and compassion.

To watch the story of Cynthia and Phillip, just click here.

What would you do if you found $21,000?

So often when the term homeless is used, it is without a story or a face. Today's article in the Detroit News highlights the story of Charles Moore --- a homeless man that found $21,000 in the trash and returned it back to the owner. No doubt, Mr. Moore's action speaks to his character. His circumstance of being homeless, tells a story about where we are today in society.

In Southeastern Michigan we have thousands who find themselves in a similar life situation---and with the economic transition, the numbers will only grow. There are personal stories like Mr. Moore behind every individual or family who finds themselves without a place to live.

Mr. Moore went to his counselor at Neighborhood Service Organization, a United Way sponsored agency, to get help with locating the owner of the money. At NSO, he finds not only nutrition, but a resource to assist him in getting back to a stable housing and employment environment. That work is going on each and every day.

If you would like to learn how you can help others like Mr. Moore, please call United Way's 211. We can link you up with organizations who are creating pathways to success.

Philanthropy and Action

This article in the New York Times Sunday Magazine about John Wood, formerly of Microsoft and now of Room to Read, had a few interesting insights on money, philanthropy and taking action.

One, John Wood is in many ways following in Andrew Carnegie's footsteps by focusing on literacy through a library strategy.

Two, his perspective that Non Profits need to 'scale up' at a quicker pace is a counter view to many.

Three, his focus seems clear ---improve world wide literacy.

As mentioned before in this blog, the issue of literacy isn't just an issue across the ocean. Rather, it faces us here in Southeastern Michigan. To learn how you can get involved locally in this issue and many others, visit the United Way.

Diplomas Count

This week I was meeting with the United Way's Virgil H. Carr Society , under the leadership of Walter Douglas of Avis Ford and Judge Damon Keith of US Court of Appeals --6th Circuit. This team of volunteers are working to ensure we help close the truancy gap by piloting new efforts.

The research on truancy is clear and compelling. Simply, when kids stay in school --- good things happen. When they don't attend school, bad things happen.

One just has to take a look at the national map of graduation rates to see this isn't just a regional issue, but a national one. In a recent USA Today article, the graduation rates for major cities were listed ---- putting Detroit Schools dead last at a graduation rate of 21.7 % --- with the national average at nearly 70%. While there continues to be debate of how graduation rates are calculated, the end result still stands: we have work to do.

The cost of not graduating costs society billions in lost taxes and spending on social programs. For example:

• Over a lifetime, an 18-year old who does not complete high school earns about $260,000 less than an individual with a high school diploma, and contributes about $60,000 less in federal and state income taxes;
• Individuals with a high school diploma live longer, have better indicators of general health, and are less likely to use publicly financed health insurance programs than high school dropouts.
• If all those receiving assistance who are high school dropouts instead had a high school diploma, the result would be a total cost savings for federal welfare spending, food stamps and public housing of $7.9 billion to $10.8 billion a year;
• And finally, college graduates were nearly three times as likely to vote as Americans without a high school diploma.

The Virgil H. Carr Society School Attendance Initiative was developed to identify services gaps in selected areas, generate awareness of truancy as a societal issue threatening all of metro Detroit and to facilitate partnerships between area schools and public and private sector partners to address the problem. We are working with many partners, including the Skillman Foundation and Communities in Schools.

For those who are interested in getting involved, e-mail rebecca.slay@uwsem.org.

The Caring Media?

There always seems to be a general sense that the only thing media is interested in is bad news. They never want to tell the positive story. I can tell you from this window, I see a different side of media. I recognize they have a business to run, and a very competitive one at that. I also know that some news just 'sells' better than others. Hence, maybe that is why death and destruction often lead the headlines.

However, almost to a person, I find the leadership of the local media to be interested and committed to utilizing its influence for the betterment of community. And this often means the donation of time, money and people.

Just this week, Steve Wasserman, General Manager of WDIV-TV, hosted other TV, radio and print media outlets to ask for a strong commitment to getting the United Way message out in the coming months. You could hear Jeff Murri, General Manager of Fox 2 Detroit, describing that we ---the community as a whole --- must work together in order for improvement to take place. Here was an example of organizations who compete like the dickens every day coming together --- setting that aside--- for the purpose of community.

While the media is always an easy target, this week's gathering is a quiet reminder that there may be more to the story than we see.

If you act enthusiastic, you'll be enthusiastic

I was standing outside of Masco Corporation, a strong community supporter, having just completed a meeting there along with one of the communities tireless champions -- Ralph Nichols. For those that don't know, Ralph runs the Ralph Nichols Group which provides Dale Carnegie Training to thousands of local residents.

As I was heading off to a key gathering regarding United Way, Ralph reminded me of the Dale Carnegie rule --- "If you act enthusiastic, you'll be enthusiastic." Simply, don't be afraid to bring forward passion that resides within.

I often get to see great passion for our community: authentic caring about the quality of life for others. Ralph is one of those individuals who works most every day to make things better and stronger for others. Whether it is with United Way, or working with local youth as described by LookUpDetroit. Ralph is a champion of others and community.

Home Ownership and Individual Development Accounts

As I went through Tri-Centennial Village located in the wedge between I-96 and Michigan Ave -- not too terribly far from the Old Tiger Stadium ---you see a rebirth taking place despite the great odds.

Over the past few years, Habitat for Humanity has partnered with many to bring forward nearly 100 new homes for low-income individuals. As a matter of fact, this is where just last year former President Jimmy Carter came to work for a couple of days. You have homes in the area in dire need of demolition or renovation. Yet, you have a neighborhood emerging with new two, three and four bedroom homes being built to move families into a stable home. For all, this is the first opportunity to own what every American dreams of --- a home.

On the walk through, I asked how many of the homeowners used an IDA (Individual Development Account) to get themselves into the house. The response was 80%.

For those who may not know, IDAs make it possible for low-income individuals and families to purchase a first home, start a business, or pay for college or vocational training.

How does that happen?

For example, the IDA program run by United Way works with area agencies that encourage individuals to save money, manage the asset responsibly ---- and in return have the contribution matched.

To participate in the program, individuals must meet income guidelines and agree to save at least $28 per month earned from employment in a designated savings account.

Research tells us when individuals/families own homes---many aspects of life improve--- school performance, health, reduction in violence...

The IDA is one way United Way takes the dollars entrusted to it and leverage those resources to ensure a better future. If you would like to learn more about Tri-Centennial Village or the IDA program, just click on United Way for Southeastern Michigan or Habitat for Humanity

The Delray Creed

As some of the United Way for Southeastern Michigan Board members entered into the gym at the Delray Neighborhood House on the Southwest side of Detroit, there we about fifty children---most below the age of 10---sitting in a circle. The day was about to begin for each of them, which meant the "Creed" needed to be said. So together, with the staff, the children began to say:

1. I Love Myself and My Community!

2. I am beautiful Inside and Out!

3. I am Wise!

4. I can do Anything!

5. I will let my Light Shine!

6. I will always Respect Myself, Others, and my Environment!

7. I will Think before I Speak or Act!

Today I pledge to treat everyone the way I want to be treated. Not only do I say the creed daily, I pledge to live it!

As we heard them wrap up the 'Creed', it made me think what our days and/or community might be like if all adults started his/her day with that pledge.

People's Community Services -- which runs the Neighborhood House --- has created a safe, positive and much needed place for children to play/learn/grow. If one is looking for where to find such programs in the tri-county area, you can learn more by calling 211 or by going to United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

United Way's Women's Initiative -- Making a Difference

Last night a group of 10 or so women gathered in Southfield to hear a report from Dr. Ty Partridge of Wayne State University on the early results of work the group has been focused on for over two years: early childhood literacy.

When you have the reality that:

- 60% - 70% of 4th grade children in Detroit DO NOT meet the MEAP English Standards

- 35% to 40% in Macomb

- 55% to 65% in Pontiac

- 45% to 55% in Downriver Wayne County

And:

- 30% of adults in Detroit do not have minimal literacy levels

- 35% do not have high school diploma's

And:

- when research reminds us over and over that early reading skills are the BEST predictor of overall academic achievement:

You then realize that the beginning kernel of work taking place in the United Way's Woman's Initiative is critical.

This is a group of leaders who came together to encourage and celebrate women philanthropists who are leading community change. The work of increasing home visits by professionals to encourage reading was paying off.

One simple stat to me stood out. The 100 kids in the program at the start asked to be read to once a WEEK. By the end, the kids were asking to be read to once a DAY. There are some early indicators that tell these dedicated woman the path they chose is having a tangible impact on the children AND their parents.

This is just one other example of when a group of concerned citizens get focused and act upon a common purpose, more can be accomplished together than alone.

To learn more about the Women's Initiative, you can go to the United Way Web Site at www.uwsem.org/getinvolved/wi.html