Tour of Hope --- The Super Hub

The good news is the Samaritan Center , a multi-service resource center, is the largest One Stop Shop in the country.

The bad news is the Samaritan Center is the largest One Stop Shop in the country.

During a recent visit, Brother Francis Boylan , head of the Samaritan Center, described to me with a smile how the 36 foot flag pole in front of the Center was unbolted from the ground, strapped to the top of a get away car, and zoomed down Conner Avenue on the East Side of Detroit with the Samaritan Center flag flapping in the wind.

It was a small description of the reality he and a team of professionals balance each day: work with local citizens in one of the most economically challenged neighborhoods of our region----and do it with grace, compassion and a pinch of humor.

The team at the Samaritan Center faces great human need and potential with a vision on how to move forward.

To describe the scope, scale and role of the Samaritan Center through words would be a disservice. Simply, imagine taking a former hospital (Detroit - Mercy Hospital) and turning it into a "one-stop" resource center that has in its single location over 150 organizations, programs and micro-enterprise businesses that serve over 35,000 individuals a month.

• Picture in the former morgue a thriving cosmetics business --- now a top supplier in six states.
• A dialysis center that has a 24/7 operation so 120 individuals a day can receive treatment.
• A recording studio to take local talent an move it into a marketable product.
• Computer lab to help individuals prepare for employment.
• A clothes store/Jackets for Jobs --- featured on Oprah--- to ensure woman are ready for the job interview: $21 for four top rate business outfits.
• *The former ICU rooms now are where kids come to be mentored and read to.
• *Dust and sparks flying on the fourth floor as they build the first nursing home in Detroit in over 40 years.

The Samaritan Center is just four years old....now finding its way in the east side community. The Center is creating a new path: one that is increasingly being modeled in this region and areas across the country.

That is, be part of the community --- not just a provider of service. Integrate assets, skills and programs to empower people --- don't view individuals just as recipients of service. Be less territorial --- rather---widen and include in order to provide value to others.

By the way, on the way out, Brother Francis pointed to the front entrance with a big smile: there stood a new flag pole --- now a 32 footer.

Tale of Two Libraries

At 3:30 pm, I met with individuals working to keep the Pontiac Public Library from shutting its doors due to budget cuts.

At 5:30 pm, I walked into the Southfield Public Library for a United Way event on early childhood literacy. The Southfield Public Library is trying to figure out how to manage the high growth and demand as detailed in a recent Detroit News Article.

These two locations are 15.2 miles apart. Not 152 miles, but 15 miles. Same county. Same mission. Yet, they are on two different paths as they strive to provide a critical role for local residents.

In a region of 130 municipal units of government, school systems, fire and police....Etc., we have immense economic disparity and viability right next to each other. One starving. One thriving.

We can operate as if our social issues, economic issues and futures aren't dependent on each other. But the fact of the matter is, progress depends on understanding and leveraging our interdependence.

Our public system of support within the state was designed on an agricultural model determining town squares by how far we could travel on horse or foot. While that design served us well 100 years ago, the evidence is becoming clearer and clearer. The model is no longer sustainable.

This isn't just a city vs suburb issue. Within one of the wealthiest counties (Oakland) in the country, we find the model of history is not the model of the future. I recognize the answer is not simple: it is loaded with real and perceived issues.

However, if we want to experience a future of growth and success, we must look at a regional design on to how we govern, operate and fund vital services.

If you are interested in learning more about research done by University of Michigan on regional governance in Michigan, click here.

If you are interested in getting involved to ensure the Pontiac Public Library stays open, contact Hubert Price at synergistics@ameritech.net.

Becoming Rock Climbers

Often you hear individuals say there isn't a point of view on how to move from where we are today in this region to a better and stronger position.

Lou Glazer, President of Michigan Future, carries a point of view and is sharing it as he talks about his recent report titled ---A New Agenda for a New Michigan.

You can debate Lou's view point --- and should. Lou is compelling on his belief that to move from a industrial center to a knowledge center we have some heavy lifting in front of us: creating a greater concentration of residents with four year degrees, moving from an entitlement culture to an entrepreneurial one and becoming career "rock climbers" not ladder climbers.

There are other studies done than point in similar directions. Click here to see the University of Michigan report on how to move Michigan forward.

Regardless, studying it is one thing. Making the decisions needed to put us on the right track is something not just for politicians, but for each of us.

Listen to Lou Glazer's interview. Do you think Lou's point of view is right?

Making Impact Visible

"I just never knew that was taking place," the Daimler Chrysler employee said to me after spending the afternoon visiting United Way initiatives throughout the tri-county.

"Sometimes you don't know until you can see it first hand," I responded.

"I was impressed with that 211 Center," she declared with conviction. "I could have gone longer than the four hours."

On Friday, 20 Daimler Chrysler leaders toured various organizations and activities that are impacting our friends, neighbors, co-workers and fellow residents. Hear what these leaders had to say by clicking here.

The act of getting out---- into the community----to see and learn is a powerful step.

Maybe, just maybe, those 20 leaders will tell 20 others....and so on. What they saw and experienced is what we know thousands and millions would have to do to fully understand the scope and impact of work taking place in community through the support of United Way. A large part of our work is to make visible often what is not seen. To give voice to those without.

You can help. Forward this e-mail to one other. Pass it on. Let him or her hear what these fellow residents learned by putting the feet to the pavement and exploring a side of community not always seen.

The Killer Chart

I often wonder if progress is impeded simply because we don't think it is possible. Can we really change the level of access on healthcare? Can we really see average income rise in areas of concentrated poverty? Can we really close the racial achievement gap?

My belief is yes.

[Click here to view larger chart.]

Take a look at this chart of a ten year period in Madison, Wisconsin. Over that period of time, the community --- public, private and nonprofit sectors ---- came together around a common purpose and outcome. That is, move the racial achievement gap present in schools from 21% to 2%.

In turn, as progress was made on the issue, local community contributions rose. When impact is seen at a community level, dollars will follow.

To learn more about this, click here.

I recognize that the scale and complexity of Metro Detroit is different than Madison. However, when they began their journey it seemed like it could never be achieved. Yet, through cooperation, common focus and leadership, they carried the fortitude over a LONG PERIOD of time so that progress could be made.

If you imagined this region's 'Killer Chart' ten years out, what issue would it be on?

Sacramento Bee on Detroit

United Way's Research Director Kurt Metzger recently was quoted in the Sacramento Bee about the redevelopment of downtown. The article's focus is primarily about the role of stadiums and the impact of Comerica Park to the revival of downtown.

My own radar has gone up more recently about how others outside the region are telling the story of the region. Whether it was the recent BBC radio broadcast---"The Changing World"-- out of the UK or the Sacramento Bee out West, sometimes those from far away can see things we can't.

It also is a reminder for us --- all of us --- in the region to work together to tell a 'new story' of how progress is being made.

Are there other stories of this region and its redevelopment being told that you have seen? Where do you go to get that story?

BBC World Service on Metro Detroit

The BBC World Service recently had a report on Metro-Detroit that I thought was a unique perspective worth listening to. The program is called the "The Changing World."

This program is running a multi-part series titled ---"Making Cities Work." They describe the region through this lens: "Detroit no longer drives the world's auto industry. Half the city's population has left. But some residents say Detroit has found a new road. Dejan Sudjic looks at Detroit’s efforts to fashion a positive future."

Recognition that Urban Regions are challenged, "The Changing World" explores the complexity and challenges we face. As the program indicates --- "Half of the people in the world now live in urban areas. Cities are complex and beautiful, polluted and congested. Urban planners disagree on how to bring historic cities into the future, without destroying their past. In this radio series produced for the BBC World Service, architecture critic Dejan Sudjic looks at solutions for the urban challenge."

I found it to be an insightful program and thought you might be interested as well. To hear it, just click here.

Be Careful What We Let Become Normal

Recently, driving through a neighborhood trying to reestablish itself off of Michigan Ave and the Jeffries Freeway, there are many things that goes through your mind. How did we---as citizens---let this become normal. You wonder about basic questions like, "where does one go grocery shopping?"

You don't have your local 'big box' store with unlimited selection of foods within walking or even a short drive. Rather, you have a very small corner store --- without much selection, higher prices and limited access to foods central to health.

This is a stark reminder of the economic realities facing the poor and the "high cost of being poor" as articulated by Annie E. Casey Foundation and the book Nickeled and Dimed in America by Barbara Ehrenreich.

How does this type of gap impact us? In several ways, not matter where we live or work in the region. Take just a few minutes to watch a short video of Dr. Amy Schulz from the University of Michigan discussing the local, regional and statewide impact of such gaps. You will find it worth the five minutes of time.

Your thoughts?

Special Ingredient in the Sauce

As I stood at the Delray Neighborhood House on the Southwest side of Detroit (see satellite map) along with several United Way Board members, I thought about the oasis it provides to the neighborhood. The theme this year for the youth that come through the door every morning at 10:30 is "Work the Vision."

The setting outside of the neighborhood house is one that requires the kids to imagine a future beyond what surrounds them. The parking lot looks out towards the sewage treatment plant.


You know that to be true because of the pungent odor in the air coming from the plant. Running alongside the playground resides the gateway to downtown ---I-75.

Across the street rests one of many houses that finds itself in disrepair. Yet, these houses are what the kids call home.

Inside the neighborhood house, it is a different story. Jason, age 11, told me he is going into middle school and that it is going to be 'a lot harder than elementary .... and high school is even going to be harder."

Then he added, "you needed to go through all that to get into college."

"Keep doing what your doing and your going to do just fine," I told this eager youngster.

He said back to me, "Yeah, because you can't get a job unless you go to college."

I can tell you that amongst the toughest surroundings in the poorest neighborhood in the City of Detroit, this young man had figured out what we hope all children do. He has some of the toughest odds stacked against him, yet he was excited about what waited inside the center for him....a gym, a computer lab, his buds and a group of adults that care about him.

If anyone wonders what the special ingredient in the sauce that makes it all happen ---it's love. The person that leads the overall effort through People's Community Services is its Executive Director Tom Cervenak. And Tom would be the first to tell you the work is successful because of his dedicated staff and volunteers.

Tom has gotten key partners like Chrysler involved to set up critical programs such as its computer lab. If you want to learn more about the Neighborhood House, you can call Tom at 313.554.3111 or email tcervenak@aol.com.

If you want to learn more about the work going on in neighborhoods throughout the tri-county area, just give us a call at United Way -- 313 226 - 9221.

Networks Matter

Do you remember when Japan first introduced its vehicles in America? Small and cheap. For many in the US, it was "interesting" and "cute", but they were no where close to the size and scale of the domestic automakers. Now some 30 years later, look how the industry has changed and look what started out as "small" ended up being "big."

Moreover, think about how that shift has changed the way we work and the very fabric of community in which we live.

So as I recover from jet lag at 1:50 am, my mind travels to what I think is a similar, yet more powerful shift in the society. The reclaiming and the power of social networks.

What got me going was listening to the proceeding taking place at the Wikimania Conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts this past weekend. I happened to have my brother and sister-in-law there blogging away about the sessions. I would in turn listen to a session via the web.

I have often said that the most powerful asset of United Way is its relationships. Not the money it raises. Don't get me wrong, the money raised is critical and important. But without the relationships in the private, public and non profit sectors --- progress would not be possible.

So after I listen to speakers from across the globe talking about how society, networks, technology, communities, and behaviors are changing, I get a headache. It literally leaves my mind spinning --- wondering what comes next and how in the world do I (or we) relate/interact/shape to it.

For just a stroll, think about these next few topics and what it means for how a community works together on improving the human condition:

• Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia (world's largest encyclopedia in over 100 languages ---over 1.3 million articles in English), opens Wikimania by reminding everyone that the mission of Wikipedia is "to imagine a world that every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge." The Wiki movement across the world is done by volunteers. Jimmy Wales and his staff of five are the total that work for the Wiki Foundation.
• Larry Lessig, Professor at Stanford University and founder of the Creative Commons, describes how we are moving from a "Read Only" culture to a "Read Write" culture. That is, "Read Only" is more of a top-down distribution of creativity and knowledge. Whereas, "Read Write" is a two way exchange ---much more a horizontal distribution.
• The Wiki platform is now being used by communities, companies and groups to manage knowledge and communication between those who share a common interest.
• New tools like Wikihow have emerged to garner the worlds knowledge on "how to do things." For example, how to fix a faucet. How to survive a hurricane. How to make a goldfish survive for decades. Might there be in the future sections: "How to volunteer" "How to organize a neighborhood group" "How to influence public policy".
• Yochai Benkler, Professor at Yale Law school, wrote a key book The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom. He has given us the observation that the industrial production of information by traditional newspapers and TV companies is very capital intensive and as such requires a large investments to get your voice heard. Today with the price of a cellphone you can begin publishing your voice for the whole world to hear/read. This is causing a major shift in the production of knowledge as Henry Ford cause in the production of an automobile with his idea of the assembly line...breaking the building of a vehicle into small steps.
• Rishab Aiyer Ghosh, editor of First Monday, the most widely read peer-reviewed on-line journal of the Internet, talked about the value of collaborative efforts (http://wikimania2006.wikimedia.org/wiki/Proceedings:RG1). The concept of collaborative knowledge isn't new, what's new is the scale and the tech.
• Brewster Kahle, the founder of the Internet Archive (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Archive), and his goal is to provide universal access to all knowledge - how's that for a small task? He was very hopeful that all books, all audio, all video, all web can be captured and preserved within the next ten years.
• Also available to you is Wiktionary, Wikibooks, Wikiquote, Wikisource, Wikispecies, Wikinews, Meta-Wiki, Commons, WikiTravel, Wikimedia and soon to be coming is Wikiversity. All of these are to provide universal access of knowledge to help people come together to learn.

The above is a little like seeing the new Japanese car driving down the road for the first time in the 1970's. Never seen it before and not sure what it meant to the future.

The above topics give us just a small glimpse that tells us there is now a different vehicle driving down the road that people, networks and organizations all over the world are beginning to use to get work done. To improve learning. To share knowledge and assets. To strengthen an organization. To organize a community of shared interest. To affect social change.

How do you see the ideas and tools above being used now or in the future?

"Me Generation becomes We Generation"

Like most individuals, I learned the power of volunteering from my parents. I remember volunteering at a soup kitchen with my father at a church on the East Side of Detroit, watching my parents work on school projects, or just making a meal for someone who had a death in the family. Being involved beyond your work has been a fabric of my upbringing that I work to model in my actions today.

At least once a week, I will have someone mention to me either two things: 1) how much being involved in a volunteer activity/project means to them personally or 2) how someone feels something is missing in his/her life --- wants to connect to the 'greater whole.'

In a recent USA Today article, Daniel J. Kadlec writes about how the baby boomers are changing: "'Me Generation' becomes 'We Generation'." The change is already taking place as boomers now have a higher volunteer rate (33%) than seniors (24%) or young adults (24%) according to the Corporation for National and Community Service.

As Kadlec observes, the challenge isn't how to pay for a soon to be aging society, but it is 'how to harness the skills of a vast, willing and able new crop of maturing Americans who want to stay in the game longer, give something back and help cure society's ills."

The power of involvement -- volunteering--- is clear. We see it in research and in everyday experience. When we contribute, we learn, grow and become healthier individuals. As Aron J. Ain said in Sunday's New York Times article titled "Volunteering to Learn", "It's just being part of something that gives back." Simply, be part of the greater good.

At United Way we ask others to become involved in improving community by giving of your time, talents and treasure. We recently just changed our own personnel policy to encourage our entire work force to incorporate volunteerism into their month. At our core, we know it makes us and the community better.

Getting involved is easier than people realize. In metro Detroit, one just has to call 211 or go to United Way's web site and look up volunteer opportunities in your area.

Is there a volunteer experience you want others to be aware of?

Prayer and Poverty the World Over

During my visit with the United Way in Taiwan, I headed out early one morning to visit the Longshan Temple --- a prominent place of worship in Taiwan. As I walked from the subway station across the park towards the temple, I came upon a familiar sight to me. Homelessness.

There in small corners and atop benches were those individuals without permanent housing: often a newspaper served as the blanket. As you can see, this setting was right in front of the Temple. Inside the beautiful Temple a couple of hundred worshipers went through a moving prayer service. Many of those in attendance where those on their way to work.....stopping for the 6:00 am prayers.

I write this not to point out poverty and religion in Taiwan, but the universal aspect of homelessness and prayer in the world over. The other day as I walked into work at the corner of Grand River and Griswold ---near the rebirth on Woodward Avenue in Downtown Detroit--- layed a man in a doorway with a newspaper pulled up over him for a blanket. Around the corner on Washington Avenue, individuals headed into church for their morning prayers. Not so different than the reality at Longshan Temple.

As in Metro Detroit and the US as a whole, there is a widening gap between those with resources and those without in Taiwan. They are experiencing manufacturing being outsourced to mainland China. Very different cultures and worlds apart, yet, there are some universal threads that run through every society.

The work for organizations such as United Way and others---as well as our responsibility as citizens---is to help community improve --- to see children grow up healthy --- to see those without find a path to stability. No small task, but one that requires a daily effort --- the world over.

No suprise I know, but as Stanford's Larry Lessig recently said, "We make progress when we make things visible."

The Long Tail of Community

When I started to think about Chris Anderson's book The Long Tail, I thought about the thousands of niches being created in philanthropy. In my post on that topic I posed the question "what is community to you?", I received responses that made me pause and reflect: "there is this long tail of community as well."

In our world --- Civil Society -- United Way---- we use the term community so often, yet it means different things to different individuals.

As individuals reflected on community, I heard comments such as:

• "It's a tug between feeling smaller and bigger at the same time!"
• "I have a strong point of view that it takes collective interests and "niche" interests"
• "From casual networks on myspace to global activist groups like the One Campaign: www.one.org, to local issues like the Clean Downtown Initiative: www.cleandowntown.org, each can represent our idea of community and geography as rapidly as your mouse can click."

The volume and velocity of change is creating a "wobbling affect" for us when we think about our lives in community. This idea of feeling smaller and bigger at the same time is a powerful one: navigating that spectrum is creating a unique challenge for individuals and institutions.

I think the comment by 'anonymous' in the Long Tail of Philanthropy blog is the right insight facing our work: "one just wonders if the relationships are all a bunch of fragmented "choirs" -- or if they will come together for common purpose. "

Where in your community do you see the "coming together for common purpose?"