Operation ABC™
Every child a reader by grade three

• Operation ABC is a United Way for Southeastern Michigan early education initiative that brings together school districts, local unions, nonprofits, corporations and volunteers to improve the reading levels of first and second graders in metro Detroit. This community-based initiative will recruit and train 2,000 volunteers and mobilize them in classrooms across the region as reading tutors. Each volunteer will be required to commit between one and five hours of time a week beginning in 2008.
  
  
• In southeast Michigan, recent standardized test scores reveal that nearly 7,000 third graders throughout Wayne Oakland and Macomb counties are not reading at grade level.
  
  
• Though 2006 MEAP Reading Test results showed improvements over those of 2005, 33,000 tri-county 3rd through 6th graders, attending public and charter schools tested as not reading at grade level.
  
  
• The 2005 MEAP trend of increasing shares (and numbers) of students “not meeting standards” with increasing grade level continued in 2006. The tri-county averages for 2006 were: 3rd Grade – 12.8%; 4th Grade– 15.4%; 5th Grade – 16.1%; and, 6th Grade– 17.9%.
  
  
• Studies show that of the children who don’t read at grade level by third grade, 10 to 15 percent will drop out of high school, and only two percent will complete a college degree.
  
  
• A total of fifty-five schools in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties will be involved in Operation ABC. The following twenty schools will participate in Phase One, Winter 2008.

Wayne County
City of Detroit

• Blackwell Institute
• Carstens Elementary School
• Roberto Clemente Academy
• Mark Twain Elementary School
• Maybury Elementary School

Outer-Wayne
Hamtramck School District

• Hamtramck Academy

Highland Park School District

• Cortland Elementary School

Taylor School District

• Myers Elementary School

Wyandotte School District

• Taft Elementary School

Oakland County
Pontiac School District

• Whitman Elementary School
• Crofoot Elementary School
• Franklin Elementary School

Macomb County
Fitzgerald School District

• Mound Park School
• Westview School

Van Dyke School District

• John F. Kennedy
• Washington Elementary School
• Marjorie Carlson School
• McKinley School

Warren Woods School District

• Westwood

To date, United Way has recruited 1,300 Volunteers to place in 20 partners schools for Phase One of Operation ABC. The current list of volunteers are from the following companies, non profits and organizations:

• AFL-CIO (Community Services)
• City Year Detroit
• Credit Union One
• Fifth Third Bank
• Ford Motor Company
• Golden Key International Honor Society
• Holiday Automotive Group
• IBM
• Leadership Detroit
• Macomb County Community College
• Michigan Department of Human Services
• Schoolcraft College
• UBS Financial
• University of Michigan Dearborn, Golden Key

United Way Operation ABC Community Partners include:

• AFL-CIO (Community Services)
• City Year Detroit
• Cities of Promise – Michigan
• Communities in Schools
• Detroit Parent Network
• Lighthouse PATH
• Literacy Project Directors of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties
• Macomb Community College
• Michigan Department of Human Services
• Oakland County Michigan Health Division – Department of Health and Human Services
• Pontiac School District
• UAW

United Way’s goal for Operation ABC is to improve MEAP reading scores in targeted schools over a three-year period (2008-2011), and to raise the level of community involvement in children’s reading.

Individuals who are interested in becoming an Operation ABC Volunteer should contact 2-1-1. Organizations may get involved by adopting a school (committing at least 10 people to serve as volunteer tutors). Contact Angela Walker at 313-226-9450 for more information.

Labels: Educational_Preparedness

The idea that the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr. was alive and well at the University of Michigan-Dearborn on Monday was something no one would contest. With a turnout of over 400 volunteers in its 15th year, it was the biggest MLK Community Service Day the campus has hosted to date.

Click here to continue reading.

Labels: civic engagement

PRESS RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Cara I. Belton, 313-226-9484 or (313) 520-8454
Laura L. Rodwan, 313-226-9484 or (313) 477-2750

Proactive, regional program will prepare children for long-term success

DETROIT – United Way today announced the launch of a new, proactive early education initiative – Operation ABC. Created by United Way, Operation ABC is a unique initiative that brings together school districts, nonprofits, corporations, and volunteers to improve the reading levels of first and second graders in Metro Detroit. As a component of United Ways’ Agenda for Change, Operation ABC is focused on Educational Preparedness, with a specific goal to assure that every child in southeastern Michigan is reading at grade level by the time they enter the third grade. In order to execute the community-based initiative, United Way will recruit and train more than 2,000 volunteers and mobilize them in classrooms across the region as reading tutors. Each volunteer will be required to commit between one and five hours of time a week beginning in 2008.

United Way president and CEO Michael J. Brennan unveiled Operation ABC at a press conference at the UAW Solidarity House. Accompanied by a representative group of Operation ABC sponsors and thirty first and second graders from area schools, Brennan took the opportunity to issue a formal call to action for volunteers throughout the southeast Michigan region.

“Part of our mission is to mobilize the caring power of the region to affect positive, lasting change,” said Brennan. “Additionally, as a member of One D, we took on the mantel of Educational Preparedness as a primary focus. Operation ABC is an example of that commitment in action. We are addressing an immediate need in our community by directly aligning resources – 2,000 volunteers, with a vital need-- tutoring first and second graders in select schools throughout the tri-county region.”

Brennan went on to explain the vital need for Operation ABC: “Our research shows that the third grade is the first benchmark for a successful education. If a child fails to read at the recommended reading level by the third grade, a potential domino effect begins, diminishing that child’s chances of completing high school. Now more than ever, the success of the region in the 21st century will require a renewed commitment to a culture of achievement in our schools and communities. Unless more youth graduate from school prepared to succeed, southeast Michigan will be unable to compete in the global economy. Early education is the key.”

Nationally, 46% of children come to school unprepared to succeed. Within southeast Michigan, the gap in early education is reflected in 2006 MEAP results. While 2006 MEAP Reading Test results showed improvements over those of 2005, nearly 7,000 third graders throughout Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties are not reading at grade level.

For the past year, United Way has been working to build the framework, partnerships and collaboration to make Operation ABC possible. Following extensive research, United Way began to shape the model for Operation ABC, including securing the necessary resources to support volunteer the effort. “Aside from the amount of human resources needed, we had to shape a training process and develop specific security clearance procedures for each volunteer,” said Dona Ponepinto, Vice President of Community Investments and Partnerships. “Once accepted, each volunteer will participate in two basic training sessions that will cover areas such as emergency procedures, child interaction coaching, and specialized training on their school’s specific tutoring model. Volunteers will then be placed based on their skills, location preference, or a school’s program needs.”

Though statistics illustrate the gaps in early education in southeastern Michigan, United Way is working to bridge the gap to high-quality early care and educational opportunities that greatly increase readiness through programs such as Operation ABC. Additional United Way early education programs already in progress include Success by Six™ and the Virgil H. Carr School Attendance Initiative.

Individuals who are interested in becoming an Operation ABC Volunteer should call 2-1-1. Organizations may get involved by adopting a school (committing at least 10 people to serve as volunteer tutors). Contact Angela Walker at 313-226-9450 for more information.


United Way for Southeastern Michigan mobilizes the caring power of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties to improve lives in measurable and lasting ways throughout the region. The organization is led by a diverse group of volunteers from business, labor, government, human services, education and the community. United Way provides opportunities to invest in the metropolitan Detroit community through its annual Campaign and is a leader in convening partners to impact local residents each year by increasing economic self-sufficiency, protecting children and youth at risk, strengthening families, empowering neighborhoods and communities, and promoting health and wellness. Additional information is available at www.uwsem.org.

Labels: Educational_Preparedness, Press_Releases, programs and initiatives

Between now and the Super Bowl, you and your United Way can help generate $100,000 to support United Way of America young adult and campus-based programs. Click here to participate in “Performance with a Purpose,” and please forward the link to 10 friends so they can help support United Way too!

Labels: donating

The pledge cards, pens and balloons may have been packed away until next year, but it's never the wrong time to lift up and celebrate the positive work going on in the community made possible by your employees’ donations.

We know that finding ways to increase camaraderie and morale in the workplace is an ongoing challenge. Holding a year-round campaign has not only been proven to boost workplace morale, it also serves as a way to keep issues important to the health and safety of communities and their residents in front of employees. This constant reminder motivates staff members to do what they can to make a difference in the lives of those around them.

Click here to read more.

Labels: Annual Campaign, monthly enewsletter

Effecting positive change in the life of someone around you is easier than you think. In fact, over the next couple of months you can help improve the financial outlook for hundreds of metro Detroiters by donating your time or an older computer to the United Way Earned Income Tax Credit initiative.

By participating in this program, known as the EITC Initiative, you can help low-income individuals claim up to $4,700 in tax rebates and credits. Through the end of January, United Way for Southeastern Michigan is recruiting volunteers to assist metro Detroiters with tax preparation at a number of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites throughout the region.

Click here to read more.

Labels: Financial Stability, monthly enewsletter

One of the major components of United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s Agenda for Change centers on providing the tools and resources area residents need to achieve financial stability. While the projects and programs that we support and develop in this area will cover a wide range of issues and populations, our primary targets will be low- to moderate-income residents.

Our emphasis will center on those falling below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines – about $40,000 annually for a family of four. According to estimates from UWSEM researchers, there were about 1.2 million residents – better than one in four – living below the line in 2006. Many of these individuals fall into the category of “unbanked,” which means they have no relationship with a bank and are often vulnerable to opportunistic check cashing vendors and their inflated fees, along with other costly money traps. United Way is working to help these residents establish bank accounts, and to teach them how to save and manage money wisely. We also recognize the importance of taking action now.

Click here to read more.

Labels: Financial Stability, monthly enewsletter

Martin Luther King Jr. sought to forge the common ground on which people from all walks of life could join together to address important human rights issues. On Jan. 21, millions of Americans will honor his legacy by taking part in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service - a wide range of community service projects including food drives, beautification projects, youth mentoring, and delivering meals to homebound neighbors.

You can help honor King’s memory by participating in one of these organized service projects in your area or volunteering at other service agencies throughout metro Detroit.

Click here to learn more.

Labels: civic engagement, monthly enewsletter

It’s the New Year and many of us are making (and some of us are breaking) yearly resolutions. One resolution United Way hopes you keep is your commitment to giving back to the community, and we have a great new opportunity that will allow you to do just that.

Operation ABC is a region-wide collaboration aimed at getting more children to read at grade level by third grade. To do this, United Way is recruiting 1,000 volunteers to serve as reading tutors in first and second grade classrooms across Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. These individuals will play a critical role in helping children build their literacy skills through reading and other learning activities that augment current curriculums.

Click here to read more.

Labels: civic engagement, Educational_Preparedness, monthly enewsletter

United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s Leadership Next initiative is providing laptop computers to children across the region and around the world as part of an ambitious plan to make access to learning opportunities universal.

The One Laptop Per Child project was originally intended to provide a low-cost computer for poor children in developing countries. The effort led to the creation of the XO computer, dubbed the “$100 laptop.” OLPC proved to be such a good idea that it has attracted worldwide support, and interest from groups like Leadership Next and others seeking to help young people in their respective communities. The United Way leadership group is made up of young professionals who share an interest in improving conditions across the region.

"Leadership Next believes in the power of technology," says Julie Updyke, UWSEM Major Gifts Associate and Leadership Next coordinator. "We want to begin bridging the educational divides that we see in our region - and think that everyone in our community must have access to technology for this to be possible."

Click here to read more.

Labels: Educational_Preparedness, leadership_next, monthly enewsletter

According to the Detroit Free Press, Americans have doubled their debt over the past decade to an astounding $2.5 trillion. While this excludes mortgage-related debt, news reports also continue to paint a bleak picture of Michigan’s rising number of home foreclosures.

Many of the current money issues adults in southeast Michigan face stem from lack of financial education as youths. As part of our Agenda for Change work, the United Way’s public policy team has been advocating for a financial literacy component to be included in school curriculums across the state so that more youth learn early on how to save money, avoid debt and build assets.

The effort is already reaping results.

Click here to read more.

Labels: advocate, monthly enewsletter

John Wilkerson (center), senior communications manager, TRW Automotive, presented a check for $29,905 to Michael J. Brennan (right), president & CEO, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, representing TRW Automotive’s corporate contribution to United Way’s 2007 Torch Drive. The combined 2007 contribution for TRW Automotive and its employees comes to $179,426. Also on hand for the check presentation was Jeff Baytarian, campaign manager at United Way.

Labels: donating

According to the latest Moneytrack/IPT Investing Secrets Survey, just one-percent of American investors grasp financial basics, and only about a third know more than half. To avoid falling victim to investment scams and to develop a comprehensive financial plan, you need to educate yourself on basics of how to succeed when it comes to your personal finances.

Sign up for a free workshop at a library near you. Investor Education @ your library­­® is a first-of-its-kind, non-commercial national public education and awareness campaign designed to help individuals make informed investment decisions.

Please visit WWJ's website to learn more about these classes and to find dates scheduled in your area.

Interested in more Investor Education information? Listen to these podcasts from WWJ.

Investor Education 11/27 In this Making the Grade report, WWJ's Greg Bowman talks with Bernie Margolis about the free program 'Investor Education at Your Library.'

Investor Education 11/2 Are you worried about the latest stock market dip? WWJ Newsradio 950's Beth Fisher talks with Mark Robinson of Investing Fundamentals to put things in the proper perspective.

Investor Education - Feldman Report 9/14 Michigan families are coming together to learn how to better their financial future. WWJ and Fox 2 Business Reporter Murray Feldman explains in the Feldman Report.

Investor Education - Feldman Report 8/27 A free seminiar could help you become a better investor -- it worked for OFIS Commissioner, Linda Waters. WWJ and Fox 2 Business Reporter Murray Feldman explains in the Feldman Report.

Labels: Financial Stability

Week of events at UM-Dearborn will honor the life, legacy and achievements of the late civil rights leader

DEARBORN / Jan. 9, 2008---To commemorate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., the University of Michigan-Dearborn will host a week of programs and events dedicated toward nonviolent social improvement, the development of positive communities and regional reconciliation.

The week will kick off with a Freedom March at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 15 beginning at the University Center circle drive. The march, presented by campus’s Black Student Union and the National Society of Black Engineers, is a student-led initiative that will conclude with a gathering at the Social Sciences Building.

On Monday, Jan. 21, volunteers from campus and the surrounding community will spend the day helping others in honor of the 15th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Day, which commemorates the achievements of the late civil rights leader.

The campus is collaborating on the event with United Way for Southeastern Michigan, Henry Ford Community College and Madonna University.

Volunteers will be dispersed throughout the metropolitan Detroit area to support local community agencies. Among the activities, volunteers will assist Bridging Communities Inc. with elder home beautification initiatives in Southwest Detroit; work hand-in-hand constructing affordable housing with Habitat for Humanity; renovate abandoned homes with Motor City Blight Busters; and partner with Gleaners Community Food Bank to sort/pack donated food items to be delivered to local charities and shelters.

The community service event was established in 1994 by UM-Dearborn and United Way Community Services. Last year, over 400 volunteers visited sites around metropolitan Detroit, including nonprofit agencies, soup kitchens, senior centers and schools.

On Tuesday, Jan. 22, the Women’s Resource Center at UM-Dearborn will present its second annual MLK Noon Day Observance Program from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Kochoff Hall. The event will commemorate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and include a performance by members of the UM-Dearborn gospel choir.

On Wednesday, Jan. 23, the Mardigian Library will host a special session of its Read, Eat and Discuss (READ) book club program in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. from noon to 1 p.m. in Kochoff Hall. The group will discuss the reading A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Following the book club discussion, the campus will host “Meeting Martin and Malcolm,” an interactive character portrayal of the meeting between Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Kochoff Hall.

On Thursday, Jan. 24, the campus’s Civic Engagement Project will present “Academic Service-Learning: The Academic Side of Service” from 10:30 a.m. to noon in Room 1225 of the University Center. Participants will learn about the Academic Service-Learning Faculty Fellows program and the variety of courses now available on campus that utilize community-based service as a way of enhancing student learning and complementing the learning objectives of the course.

Later that evening, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority will host a fundraising dinner to benefit the development and construction of the King Monument in Washington, D.C. The dinner will take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Quad E of the Fairlane Center North Building.

For more information about MLK Day, visit http://www.umd.umich.edu/mlk/ or call the Student Activities Office at 313-593-5390.

####

CONTACT: Jennifer Sroka
PHONE: 313-593-5644
The Office of University Relations
Room 1040, Administration Building
University of Michigan-Dearborn

Labels: civic engagement

1/10/2008
Tanya Muzumdar/metromode

"Joe the dragon didn’t breathe fire, he breathed sushi. He had a crazy, curly mustache that was five miles long. Joe loved playing catch with cinderblocks, and he collected dragon stamps ..."

You can get to know Joe in The Adventures of Joe the Dragon and Zegwen the Talking Bologna, a tale written by students in a program run by 826 Michigan, the Ann Arbor non-profit devoted to teaching students age 6-18 the art of creative and expository writing. It's one of many Detroit-area volunteer corps, large and small, that invigorate communities by picking up where schools, private enterprise, and governments leave off.

Many, whether through teaching or other means, are volunteer-bound. Over 32% of Michigan residents offer their time and expertise, gratis, for an average 37 hours annually, per a 2007 Corporation for National and Community Service report.

"Financial resources are important, but putting money behind an issue isn’t the only way you're going to make change," Patricia McCann, director of the George W. Romney Volunteer Center at the United Way for Southeastern Michigan, believes. "It's really the human capital that makes a difference, that's going to change community conditions."

Pass the pen

While most educational organizations supplement school literacy efforts through reading tutorials, 826 Michigan focuses on the art of writing. After all, its parent, 826 Valencia, was founded in 2002 by Dave Eggers, author of the best-selling A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, and former teacher Ninive Calegari. With the addition of the Ann Arbor chapter in 2005, 826 has grown to seven locales nationwide. The belief? One-on-one attention will help develop strong writing skills that are fundamental to future success.

Musicians, lawyers, teachers, and university students are among 826 Michigan's 125 active volunteer scribes set on passing their passion for the pen to the younger generation. "I think why some of us do it is it sort of takes you back a little bit," explains tutor and University of Michigan graduate student Rachel Lieberman.

The group offers unrestricted free drop-in tutoring and workshops for students to put ink to subjects not normally covered in the classroom: the killer college essay, comedic playwriting, and horror writing not being the least of them. Some students even see their names in print, in either their own books or the group's annual teen-edited book of scribbles, aptly titled Vacansopaporosophobia – "fear of a blank page."

Each year, tutors also visit about 20 schools dealing with sub-par written test scores. Contrary to expectation, assistance isn't only in English classes. Often, "we'll be in a science classroom and we'll let the teacher teach the science lesson and then we step in and help [students] write about that subject in a creative, engaging way," says 826 Michigan's Executive Director Amanda Uhle.

The group plans to expand school programs, now primarily in Ypsilanti, deeper into Wayne County and beyond, says Uhle. "That is such a powerful thing for students to feel they are competent in the writing area and also what they write is valued by their communities, teachers, parents, and other adults that are mentoring them," she explains. "It's about expressing themselves and being confident in that way and opening up more possibilities for their careers and their lives. We see that a lot – we see kids who learn to call themselves writers and that's exciting."

A legacy of help

The organization most synonymous with charity is, of course, the United Way. The organization is a community leader and invaluable resource, matching thousands of volunteers with 300 to 400 other agencies in the tri-county area. A recent search for Detroit area opportunities on its website yielded nearly 400 choices.

The non-profit also places thousands annually in its own programming to fill areas where business and government fall short. Its earned income tax credit program recruits volunteers to become certified tax preparers and places them at free income tax assistance sites for low and moderate-income families, many of whom are unaware of their eligibility for the credit. Accordingly, raising their purchasing power puts green back into the local economy – to the tune of $1 million in 2006, says McCann, who characterizes the 100 volunteer effort as "another way in which people are using their skills or learning a new skill to make change in a community."

Full house

Nowhere is a volunteer heritage more evident than at the 75-plus year-old Community House in Birmingham. It's best known for offering 800 educational classes per year, with content running from the intense – Chinese language; to lighter fare – "Face Reading For Singles".

Last summer, over 30,000 metro Detroiters passed through the doors of this exemplary local fixture – an undeniable part of Birmingham's vitality. President and CEO Shelley Roberts says, "I know when people move into town, the realtors point out what the Community House has to offer … it definitely adds something to the community and I think the [city manager and mayor] would be the first to agree."

Thousands of citizens donate upwards of 10,000 hours annually to coordinate classes and plan events like the Jazz fest, art show, and youth theater performances. The non-profit also runs several respected community outreach programs – in 2005, its Race Relations and Diversity Task Force received the Closing the Gap award from New Detroit, a race issues leadership coalition.

Volunteers bring "all kinds of skills from people in the garden club who come and help pull weeds to retired executives who come and help us do our business forecasting," says Roberts, adding that the scale and scope of the Community House's programming is unparalleled in the local area – and nationally admired as well. "I get calls all the time from all over the country from people who would like to copy it in their communities."

Wild and free

Those yearning to serve outside walled confines will find the wild at close hand in local parks.

"At various times, and it's just when they've done master plans for parks and recreation, [cities have] always had nature programs – and the city doesn't put tax dollars into them," Bob Muller, program director and founding member of the Royal Oak Nature Society, explains. Hence, the society formed in 2001 to handle programming, trail maintenance, and infrastructure projects in Royal Oak's Tenhave Woods and Cummingston Park.

Muller credits the society's efforts with bringing locals in to walk and jog the formerly deserted parks, where 300 different plants and 45 members of the arbor family, including the Hop-hornbeam and the tree-of-heaven, grace the grounds.

Last year, nearly 1,600 people enjoyed the free year-round programs. Frequent naturalist-led weekend and nighttime nature walks include activities both academic – wildflower identification; and charming – owl hoots to coax replies from the great horned and screech owls lurking in the trees. And speakers present topics on all earthly levels, ranging from the underground fossils of the Middle Devonian Michigan basin to the celestial bodies glittering in the night skies high above.

"If you want someone to do volunteer work, you look for the busiest person around and ask them because busy people are stupid enough to do more," advises Muller, a model volunteer. The General Motors engineer guides most of the society's nature walks and boasts 40 years of Boy Scout leadership to boot.

"With less than 20 [volunteers] we're putting on this kind of program, which I think is phenomenal. It doesn't take a lot sometimes, it just takes several individuals," Muller says. "People have to do everything from reading to the infirm to having baseball for kids to having this nature society to all of these things that flesh out and add the real bulk to a community and to our society – those aren’t done with tax dollars .... It's people that just enjoy doing it and want to do it."

Tanya Muzumdar is a regular contributor to metromode. Read her previous article Double Lives: Aliccia Berg & Bob Zabor.

Labels: civic engagement, InTheNews

Bottled water consumption exceeded that of coffee for the first time in 2005, as the average American drank 25.4 gallons of water compared to 24.2 gallons of coffee. Ten years earlier the numbers were 11.6 and 20.2 gallons respectively. Remember, these are just averages, as I can attest since my coffee to water ratio is drastically skewed in the other direction. Alcohol consumption (driven primarily by beer drinkers) exceeds that of coffee and trails bottled water by less than half a gallon.

While our national body mass index keeps rising along with the number of weight loss books, programs, pills and television shows, it appears, to some degree, that the nation is getting the message about healthier eating and exercise. The last 10 years has brought a 25% increase in per capita chicken consumption (60.4 pounds) and a 2 percent decrease in that of beef (62.4 pounds). Pork, the other white meat, has not fared as well as chicken, or even beef, falling by 4 percent (46.5 pounds). Whole milk consumption has declined by 20 percent, while we are eating 40 percent more yogurt. We are eating 17 percent less frozen dairy products – still 24 pounds a year – but we can’t seem to get enough of cheese, especially mozzarella! Overall cheese consumption has grown by 17 percent in the last 10 years to 31.4 pounds per person, with mozzarella accounting for 10.2 pounds. Now I know why there is a pizza shop on almost every corner.

Few of us were smoking cigarettes in 2005 than ten years earlier – 20.8 vs. 24.6 percent. Males out smoked females by five percentage points – 23.4 vs. 18.3 percent. Michigan exceeded the national average with 22.1 percent of our residents smoking, in spite of our high tobacco tax. While cigarette smoking is down, I am not sure what effect the proliferation of cigar bars is having. Finally, self-reporting (which, as all of us know, can be somewhat biased) indicates that just under half the adult population is getting the recommended amount of daily exercise, with men outdoing women 49.9 to 47 percent.

You are probably tired of numbers by now, but you may, at least, be curious as to their source. Well, the data geek in me is thrilled to announce that the latest version of the Statistical Abstract of the United States was released last week. While not as “edge of your seat” exciting as the Farmers’ Almanac, the Abstract contains almost 1,400 data tables arranged in 30 sections, covering just about any topic you might want.

While you can certainly purchase the Abstract from the federal government, the most convenient way to browse is to go to the Census Bureau’s website where you will find the entire volume online. Please take a look and let me know some of your favorite statistics.

Kurt Metzger
Research Director
United Way for Southeastern Michigan Community Investment and Partnerships

Labels: Employee Voices, Research

My parents met during World War II when my father, who was in the Army, was stationed in Belgium. Whether it was the chocolate, the stockings, or his incredible good looks, Lore Richter fell head over heels for him and left her country and family in April of 1946 to travel to New York City, where they were wed, and then on to Cincinnati, Ohio, where they set up residence. In January of 1947 (it was 9 months and 2 days later for those of you who are counting) they were joined by a 6 lb. 14 oz. baby boy. It was that event that solidified my place in the first month of the second year of what was to be called some years later - the Baby Boom.

Being kind of a founding member of the “greatest generation” (sorry, I think Tom Brokaw already gave that moniker to an earlier cohort) and assuring you younger folks that the 60’s were GREAT, my interest is always piqued by articles that talk about us.

I came across some research the other day that combines the baby boomers with volunteerism – what I would consider the DAILY DOUBLE. The research explores the question:

As the first wave of the 76 million-strong baby-boom generation begins turning 62 and receiving Social Security benefits January 1, will they create a massive army of willing and able volunteers?

While I hope you will take time to peruse some of the studies, allow me to give you a few of the findings:

• The vast majority of adults who volunteer while working also do so after retirement. What’s more, a significant share of older adults who don’t formally volunteer give it a try after retiring. (I will have to part of the first sentence because I don’t see retirement as a possibility for years to come.)
• Volunteers who put in many hours over many years and who are married to volunteers tend to volunteer the longest. Non-volunteers take the leap more often if they have been uninvolved for relatively few years and their spouses volunteer. “These results point to the need to focus efforts on retaining older volunteers to maximize volunteer engagement during later years,” the researchers conclude.
• Despite older adults’ relatively high rates of engagement -- defined as paid work or formal volunteering -- researchers see enormous potential for recruiting more older adults into the workforce or nonprofit volunteer forces.

The upside of longer work lives, the researchers point out, includes increased retirement incomes, greater tax revenues, and reduced net Social Security payouts. The payback from increased volunteerism includes enhanced health status, potential reductions in the cost of government health programs, and benefits to those receiving services.

While that soldier passed away in 1979, his Belgian wife, now 87 years old, taught elementary school French until well into her 60s. She still lives in Cincinnati and runs circles around me as she volunteers 2 days a week, attends exercise and water aerobics classes, participates in book clubs and a number of cultural activities, and cheats at crossword puzzles. What could be better than that?

If you are interested in the research, here are the links to each of the reports.

• Will Retiring Boomers Form a New Army of Volunteers?
• Retaining Older Volunteers Is Key to Meeting Future Volunteer Needs
• Are We Taking Full Advantage of Older Adults’ Potential?
• Posted with these research briefs was the discussion paper, Volunteer Transitions among Older Americans

Kurt Metzger
Research Director
United Way for Southeastern Michigan Community Investment and Partnerships

Labels: civic engagement, Research

United Way seeks 200 volunteers to help eligible workers receive the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) refund

DETROIT– United Way for Southeastern Michigan, in partnership with the Southeast Michigan Regional Asset Building Coalition, is recruiting 200 volunteers by Jan. 31 to assist with tax preparation to help eligible low-income working families receive the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). EITC is a federal tax refund that allows eligible individuals and families to build assets by increasing savings and reducing debt.

Eligible volunteers will have the opportunity to receive free training and gain a marketable skill. The training will provide valuable information on tax issues and tax credits, and instruction on using tax software. Those who successfully complete the training will earn certification as a tax preparer. Volunteers must:

• be at least 18 years of age
• be familiar with operating a computer
• be willing to make a difference in the lives of others

Once trained and certified, participants will volunteer their time at one of the 30 free tax preparation sites in southeastern Michigan. Working individuals who received less that $12,590 in 2007 would be eligible to receive up to $428 in tax credits; families consisting of one parent and one child who earned less that $33,241 in 2007 would be eligible for a credit up to $2,853. EITC tax refunds could go as high as $4,700 based on the number of dependents in working families.

“We have an opportunity to help thousands of people gain greater financial independence,” said Michael J. Brennan, president & CEO, United Way for Southeastern Michigan. “EITC lifts more families out of poverty than any other federal aid program, providing families with increased savings, reduced debt and the ability to enroll in financial training and education programs. I encourage all companies, universities, retirees and community groups to support this volunteer effort, which will make a significant financial difference in the lives of others.”

Help working families gain financial stability. Sign up to volunteer by Jan. 31. Call United Way at 2-1-1, or go to www.uwsem.org/eitc to register.

Labels: Financial Stability

On Wednesday evening, January 9, 2007, the Anti-Defamation League will host the first session in their new 5-part series - Weaving Our Community. As described by the League, the goals of the series are:

• To educate members of the greater community about the history, nature, and extent of anti-Semitism, racism, and other biases with a preliminary focus on metropolitan Detroit.
• To learn how anti-Semitism, racism and other biases have contributed to the division and tension among the communities of southeast Michigan.
• To work together to recognize, expose, and to address the underlying causes of this divisive trend.

The five sessions are as follow:

1. A Community Divided: Segregation in Metropolitan Detroit
2. Dispelling Myths and Stereotypes of Muslim and Arab Communities
3. A Conversation with Abraham H. Foxman: Evolving Trends of Anti-Semitism
4. Immigration Today: Balancing Our Security, Humanitarian and Economic Interests
5. Impact of a Community Divided: Moving Forward

The overall program series will provide terrific background on a number of issues that are critical to “our community.” I am honored to have been selected as one of the two speakers who will “kick-off” the series on Wednesday evening. I am also excited about the opportunity because I will be sharing the stage with Thomas J. Sugrue, PhD, professor of history and sociology at the University of Pennsylvania and author of one of the quintessential books on Detroit – The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit.

Dr. Sugrue will open the program by using his book to describe the historical processes – post-World War II – that caused Detroit and other urban cities (and their metropolitan areas) to become highly segregated. As one review of his book wrote:

“Once America's "arsenal of democracy," Detroit over the last fifty years has become the symbol of the American urban crisis. In this reappraisal of racial and economic inequality in modern America, Thomas Sugrue explains how Detroit and many other once prosperous industrial cities have become the sites of persistent racialized poverty. In this provocative revision of postwar American history, Sugrue finds cities already fiercely divided by race and devastated by the exodus of industries. He focuses on urban neighborhoods, where white working-class homeowners mobilized to prevent integration as blacks tried to move out of the crumbling and overcrowded inner city. Weaving together the history of workplaces, unions, civil rights groups, political organizations, and real estate agencies, Sugrue finds the roots of today's urban poverty in a hidden history of racial violence, discrimination, and deindustrialization that reshaped the American urban landscape after World War II.”

My portion of the program will overlap briefly on demographic shifts between 1950 and 1990, and then describe and discuss the post-1990 period when we witnessed African American residents moving from Detroit to the suburbs in unprecedented numbers, joining major streams of recent immigrants. While racial (Black/White) segregation appears to be breaking down in some regards and needs to be celebrated, there is evidence that communities, schools and other institutions are struggling with its aftermath. We read about incidents of cross-burnings, racial and ethnic epithets, both uttered and written (many times scrawled on walls), and actions such as the defeat of Proposal 2, but we are not as aware of the resegregation that is going on in suburban communities and schools.

These issues, along with the segregation that we are experiencing along economically[1], both across race and ethnic groups and across the region – Detroit vs. suburbs, must be recognized and addressed head-on if we are going to truly be one region pulling together across all political, geographic and demographic lines.

To learn more about this program, please click here.

Kurt Metzger
Research Director
United Way for Southeastern Michigan Community Investment and Partnerships

[1] Detroit resident income averages less than half that of its suburban (in total) neighbors. Nowhere else in the country is the differential so great.

Labels: Rick_David

3:01 a.m., January 7, 2008
By Sherri Begin/Crain's Detroit Business

The Skillman Foundation's $100 million investment in six Detroit neighborhoods over 10 years could leverage an additional $400 million if the pace of supplemental grants continues.

Just two years into its effort, Skillman's $14.7 million investment has brought in commitments for another $64.5 million — or more than $4 for every $1 Skillman has invested — in those neighborhoods.

"We were shocked it happened so soon," said Tonya Allen, vice president of programs at Skillman. "We got a lot of good initial investments early."

Typically, similar multiyear projects don't leverage other substantial grants until their later years, she said.

"If the initial investments are any indicator, we expect the investments to grow towards the end of the initiative," she said. "We're going to try our best to attract (total) investments of another $500 million to those neighborhoods."

Skillman launched the 10-year project in 2006 to foster healthy, safe and supportive environments for children and their families. More than 65,000, or a third of Detroit's children, live in the target neighborhoods, Skillman has said. About half of them live in poverty.

Skillman's grants in the neighborhoods are paying for such programs as after-school activities, family support, income-building and personal finance. They also provide smaller grants to help volunteers in the community work with children.

Several of the six neighborhoods identified by Skillman overlap neighborhoods that the city of Detroit and Detroit Local Initiatives Support Corp. are focusing on in their funding.

LISC, part of a New York City-based national organization, has invested $36 million to improve housing and economic development in five of the six neighborhoods.

Those five neighborhoods are: Chadsey/Condon and Vernor in southwest Detroit, Brightmoor on the west side, Central in the middle of the city, and Osborn in northeast Detroit.

The sixth neighborhood, Cody/Rouge, on the west side, has better housing stock than the others, Skillman said.

LISC had targeted the neighborhoods in 2004 as part of a broader, $100 million-plus plan for new housing, health clinics, commercial revitalization, recreation centers, parks and other public improvements.

"The goal is that we're building healthy, sustainable communities," said Deborah Younger, senior program director at Detroit LISC.

The city also is funding efforts in three of those neighborhoods —Brightmoor, Osborn and Central — as part of the Mayor's Next Detroit Neighborhood Initiative, a $225 million five-year pilot revitalization project in six neighborhoods launched in May.

"When the mayor was choosing his neighborhoods, we advocated very strongly that there be some overlapping," Allen said.

Other money will come from housing developers and other community development organizations; foundations, including the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation and the Berman Family Foundation; companies, including DTE Energy Co. and AT&T Inc.; Wayne County; federal money directed by the Michigan Department of Human Services; Local Initiatives Support Corp.; and The Virgil H. Carr Society of the United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

Having different organizations funding programs in the same Detroit neighborhoods "allows a comprehensive strategy to develop," Younger said.

Sherri Begin: (313) 446-1694, sbegin@crain.com

Labels: InTheNews

Today I got a chance to speak to incoming Freshman and transfer students at The University of Michigan-Dearborn. After receiving many questions on how these students can become involved, I realized that at the core of every person there is the desire and hope for individuals to see their community doing well and thriving. Some of these students I was able to elaborate in great detail about my ASB experience and I told them how life-changing it was for me.

I am very excited for Alternative Spring Break because I hope it will be that life-changing experience for someone else. I have learned so much from being with United Way that I can't tell you how much the practical learning has developed me into a caring citizen of my community. Working along side Angela Walker, Patricia McCann, Kira Putt, Brad Frost and many others has allowed me to gain organizational experience as well as organizational values that contribute to building a great team and organization. I am very blessed and I have United Way for Southeastern Michigan to thank for such a great experience.


As I enter into my last semester at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, I hope that the people of United Way and the community can learn as much from me as I am learning from this moment. There is still hope and a need for a better metropolitan Detroit, and I believe that the members of this community are really eagered to join in to support the effort. However, we must continue to provide opportunities for others to be engaged and experiences that will take others outside of their social circles. I look forward to Alternative Spring Break Detroit doing just that and I still believe in a new Detroit.

Labels: Alternative Spring Break, civic engagement

Labels: Alternative Spring Break, civic engagement

• Did you have a bank account that was mismanaged and now it is hard for you to get another one?
• Do you have questions about FORECLOSURES?
• Need answers on what to do next?
• Would you like to know how to KEEP $400 (or more) of your tax refund?

Our Financial Fitness Fair can help! Learn smart money skills that can help you move toward a brighter financial future.

• Open Bank Accounts ON THE SPOT from Banks and Credit Unions
• Meet one on one with a foreclosure counselor
• Make an appointment to get your taxes done for FREE
• Learn about foreclosure, bankruptcy, utility assistance, budgeting, and many more asset development tools

This event is free and open to the public. Participants will receive a free pass to skate at the Warren Civic Center Ice Rink

The Financial Fitness Fair is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, at Warren City Hall, 1 City Square, north of 12 Mile Road and east of Van Dyke Avenue.

The event is sponsored by the United Way for Southeastern Michigan, Macomb County Community Services Agency, Macomb County Michigan State University Extension Service, Macomb County Asset Building Coalition, IRS, Accounting Aid Society, the cities of Warren and Roseville and other community organizations.

Labels: Financial Stability