Believing in ourselves

This morning, there was a note in my in box from a Leadership Next member that included a link to a Boston Globe article. She knew that I would be excited to see the positive publicity that the region is getting around the country.

You see, we both were at the One D Community Forum last week - and one of the messages that we heard was that we, as Southeastern Michiganians, need to start believing in ourselves - that people from outside this region think better of us than we think of ourselves.

So... just to show you how awesome this region is - and the beauty that is evident in all the corners of Southeastern Michigan - check out this Boston Globe article, where Detroit was featured in the Sunday Travel Section. That's right- Detroit is THE Weekend Getaway spot!

www.boston.com/travel/articles/2007/07/29/detroit_still_has_its_vibe/

Without United Way's new program, Leadership Next, I would have never seen this link.

One goal of Leadership Next is to provide a way for everyone who believes in the potential of this region to have a voice in our future. We want to support and empower emerging leaders to make the changes they see necessary to ensure a vibrant region. One way we see to do that, is to provide skill-building workshops, volunteer opportunities, and networking events. We think that these will lead to the advocacy, engagement, and social change that is necessary for our region's future.

I think the really exciting part is that, really, we are merely providing a time and a place for people to come together. What are cool are the conversations that are happening once everyone is in the same room. We know that once these conversations get started - the collaboration and inventiveness that is necessary to create new solutions is inevitable.

So far, things are off to a great start! We had an amazing skill-building workshop last week, and on August 8th, we have our first networking event. Interested in learning more? Just go to www.uwsem.org/leadershipnext.

Julie Updyke,
Campaign Associate & Leadership Next member
United Way for Southeastern Michigan

The Giver

Giving of time.

Giving of money.

Giving of talents.

In my daily work throughout the community, I see the reluctant giver. I see the authentic giver--- the one who often doesn't have much but gives anyway. I see the spectrum of means and willingness to let go of those resources for others.

I think one of the most powerful lessons I ever had in giving came from my Aunt--- Sister Mary Walker.

Sister Mary, a Dominican nun, spent her vocation as an elementary school teacher in Detroit. Everyone knew Sister Mary by her laugh, hug, and generosity. At 4' 11", she was a busy and tall force to reckon with ---- in a good way. Mary asked my brother to wire a wood block to the gas peddle on her car so she could reach it. He often laughed later that she never asked for a block on the brake peddle! She was always on the go in serving others.

She played a special role in my life because she came and lived with our family of six shortly after my mother had passed away in 1973.

When Mary died several years back, I remember during the eulogy how everyone spoke about what she had given them or taught them. She was a giver. Mary was a giver of self---a giver of hand crafted goods---a giver of a listening ear.

After the service, a close friend of Mary came up to each of her nieces and nephews and said, "we have gathered all of Mary's belongings and she asked if each of you would take one for yourself."

I remember turning the corner at the doorway and seeing ALL of Mary's belongings. Her entire life possessions fit on two small card tables. Nothing on the table carried much monetary worth --- a scarf, watch, and the like. I chose a small wooden box. The box today remains for me a simple reminder that life is more about how we treat others than what we accumulated along the way.

By any measure, Sister Mary Walker had nothing. No money. No fine material goods. Yet, one of her core legacies was---"Mary as a giver." After she lost her sight and was no longer able to do her passion of sewing, she said, "well at least I can become even a better listener for others."

I often think of Mary. I think of the legacy we each create in the wake of our life. Am I the reluctant giver. Or am I an authentic giver. Mary inspires me to work every day to be the later.

The best way to thank the person in your life that taught you the importance of giving is to model it so others can learn from you. Who is that person in your life?

Thanks for reading. Pass it on.

Volunteer: Adam Harris

Source: MetroMode
By: Maureen McDonald
Published: July 19, 2007

A college senior from University of Michigan-Dearborn, Adam Harris discovered the universal camaraderie of students earlier this year when he helped rebuild a section of Lake Charles, La., with the help of United Way for Southeastern Michigan during Alternative Spring Break.

Vital stats: Adam Harris, 20, is organizing a student volunteer arm of the United Way at UM-Dearborn. He plays basketball for the Wolves, as in Wolverines, while majoring in business management. His ultimate goal is to gain masters in sports administration and better the community through recreational programs for youth.

Background: Adam's family is integrally involved in the World Church of God on Mack Avenue near Crane on Detroit's East Side. He grew up passing out food to needy families. He lives with his mother in Lathrup Village and gives time to coach a junior basketball league in Southfield. "Sportsman skills – teamwork, leadership and commitment to practice – are skills transferable to every area of society," Adam says.

Volunteer history: Adam was one of 14 Detroit-area volunteers including college students and professionals who participated in United Way's Alternative Spring Break 2007, sponsored by FedEx and GameStop/EB Games. He rode a bus to Lake Charles, La., to help in the long-term recovery efforts to rebuild the Golf Coast area still devastated by the 2005 hurricanes.

Why go? "Sure I could have looked at girls in bikinis for one weekend or played basketball. But I wanted to better myself, involve myself through volunteering."

What did he find? "The first day we took a tour of surrounding places to see how much damage was done. It was insightful to see how much destruction was still left 18 months later, especially because of stagnant water. I could feel how depressed people must be to live in such a situation. We helped one family recover some of their dignity. Their house had holes in the roof and a lot of damage. We tore out the old floor and installed a new one. We worked 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. The greatest joy was seeing Roxanne come home with tears in her eyes as her house was rebuilt."

What will you do now? "Working with United Way on Alternative Spring Break, I got to recognize the power of volunteering," he says. "It brings together people of all ethnicities and nationalities. It isn't about your position in society but how you can help others. This fall I will work on an organization I helped start, Students Working Onward Together, SWOT. We'll partner with United Way and the University of Michigan."

Who is your mentor? "Martin Luther King was my dad's hero, mine as well. I listen to his speeches on CD as I drive around in my car. His issues are as prevalent today as they were in the '60s. I can recite his 'Mountaintop' speech word for word."

To read Adam's blog from his Alternative Spring Break trip, go here: http://uwsemasb.blogspot.com/

Impact for the Long Haul

There are those who are spectators to life. And there are those who are participants. Ed Deeb is a participant.

Ed, President of the Michigan Food and Beverage Association, is a co-founder of Metro Youth Day. Recently, Metro Youth Day celebrated its 25th year anniversary.

The first event 25 years ago had 1,100 participants. At this years gathering there were over 30,000 youth on Belle Ilse from all across the region. This has become the largest youth event in Michigan.

Ed is one of those champions who gets others involved. He would be the first to tell you that it has taken many co-champions to move the event forward. But without his leadership, Metro Youth Day would not be possible. He has been the core ingredient to its success.

In a time when there are questions about "where have all the leaders gone", sometimes we just have to look right around us. Ed Deeb is someone for us all to model.

Thanks for reading. Pass it on.

"I Matter in Making a Difference"

I recently received a note from a young man who wrote a brief essay titled "I Matter in Making a Difference." When you wonder about the generation coming along, read this essay by Adam Harris to elevate your hope about the future.

I Matter in Making a Difference by Adam Harris

Everyday I wake up I feel like I have a new reason to live. This reason to live has not evolved because it never existed but it seems like there is a new spark that initiates this reason. This reason to live is not because I didn’t love life but it seems to give life more meaning. This reason to live has nothing to do with a personal or self infliction but a motivation and determination to make a difference. This reason to live has been sparked by the understanding that “I can and will make a difference.”

My mother once told me that hope deferred is long suffering. This suffering that takes place can consist of hardships, a phase of life, a problem in a relationship or even being submissive to the storms of life. It can even lead to life looking weary or a journey seeming fuzzy but when one can realize that he/she faces this psychological condemnation, one can make an attempt to exit and overcome.

Being a 20 year-old African-American male, attending The University of Michigan-Dearborn, I thought life finally made sense and there was nothing more to add. I figured I would receive my degree, choose a career and make a living for myself. Little did I know that one experience such as Alternative Spring Break through United Way for Southeastern Michigan and United Way for America would change my perspective on life.

This experience helped me realize the importance of giving back and the obligation that each member of society has to their community. It helped me understand that change can happen even on an individual level but even greater on a collective level, when people work together. It opened my mind to see that everyone has their own talents and skills, and once everyone comes together to make a difference, change will occur.

So you might ask yourself what matters in making a difference? I’ve come to understand that I matter, you matter and together we all matter in making a difference. United Way for Southeastern Michigan has shown me that my individual effort in Lake Charles, Louisiana mattered in making a difference. I now understand that I no longer have to wait for a community service initiative to carry out my obligation to my community. I now understand that I don’t have to wait until Spring Break comes back around to be involved and engaged in an alternative to make a difference. Lastly, I now understand that time continues to move and if I want to make a change, I must start now.

With this new reason to live, I no longer have to hope for change but have faith in change. By definition faith is a belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. I like to think of faith as the belief to sit in a chair, knowing that chair will hold and support your weight, dismissing the fact your body mass or weight. So with this faith, I’ve internalized within my conscious that I will make a difference and I do matter in mobilizing change. Martin Luther King Jr. said; “This faith can give us courage to face the uncertainties of the future. It will give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom.”

So even though I know not what tomorrow has in store, I do know that I will play a part in making a difference. We must move forward knowing that we are the advocates for change and our destination rest upon our decisions. We have the power to break away from the psychological condemnation that holds us down, and the ability to preserve our community within. Alternative Spring Break 2007 has shown me this new vision and I will use that experience to foster my new reason to live.

I matter in making a difference

Everyday I wake up I feel like I have a new reason to live. This reason to live has not evolved because it never existed but it seems like there is a new spark that initiates this reason. This reason to live is not because I didn’t love life but it seems to give life more meaning. This reason to live has nothing to do with a personal or self infliction but a motivation and determination to make a difference. This reason to live has been sparked by the understanding that “I can and will make a difference.”

My mother once told me that hope deferred is long suffering. This suffering that takes place can consist of hardships, a phase of life, a problem in a relationship or even being submissive to the storms of life. It can even lead to life looking weary or a journey seeming fuzzy but when one can realize that he/she faces this psychological condemnation, one can make an attempt to exit and overcome.

Being a 20 year-old African-American male, attending The University of Michigan-Dearborn, I thought life finally made sense and there was nothing more to add. I figured I would receive my degree, choose a career and make a living for myself. Little did I know that one experience such as Alternative Spring Break through United Way for Southeastern Michigan and United Way for America would change my perspective on life.

This experience helped me realize the importance of giving back and the obligation that each member of society has to their community. It helped me understand that change can happen even on an individual level but even greater on a collective level, when people work together. It opened my mind to see that everyone has their own talents and skills, and once everyone comes together to make a difference, change will occur.

So you might ask yourself what matters in making a difference? I’ve come to understand that I matter, you matter and together we all matter in making a difference. United Way for Southeastern Michigan has shown me that my individual effort in Lake Charles, Louisiana mattered in making a difference. I now understand that I no longer have to wait for a community service initiative to carry out my obligation to my community. I now understand that I don’t have to wait until Spring Break comes back around to be involved and engaged in an alternative to make a difference. Lastly, I now understand that time continues to move and if I want to make a change, I must start now.

With this new reason to live, I no longer have to hope for change but have faith in change. By definition faith is a belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. I like to think of faith as the belief to sit in a chair, knowing that chair will hold and support your weight, dismissing the fact your body mass or weight. So with this faith, I’ve internalized within my conscious that I will make a difference and I do matter in mobilizing change. Martin Luther King Jr. said; “This faith can give us courage to face the uncertainties of the future. It will give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom.”

So even though I know not what tomorrow has in store, I do know that I will play a part in making a difference. We must move forward knowing that we are the advocates for change and our destination rest upon our decisions. We have the power to break away from the psychological condemnation that holds us down, and the ability to preserve our community within. Alternative Spring Break 2007 has shown me this new vision and I will use that experience to foster my new reason to live.

Adam Harris
United Way for Southeastern Michigan volunteer
2007 Alternative Spring Break