Leadership, courage, and commitment to the long haul will be essential elements of the 20 year journey Mayor Bing describes. This is not new, overnight, or without past valiant efforts. But the brutal fact is we are living in the time of consequences for the decisions made 100, 50 and 20 years ago. What was the diagnosis 50 years ago?

Take a look at a view written by Jane Jacobs (http://bit.ly/7tZq2D) in her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities in 1961. That is right, 1961, several years before the ever defining riots.

"It (Detroit) is ring superimposed upon ring of failed gray belts. Even Detroit's downtown itself cannot produce a respectable amount of diversity. It is dispirited and dull, and almost deserted by seven o'clock of an evening." pg. 150

"Thus researchers hunting the secrets of the social structure in a dull gray-area district of Detroit came to the unexpected conclusion there was no social structure." pg. 68

"Detroit is largely composed, today, of seemingly endless square miles of low-density failure. pg.204

There were great leader's in this city, region and state 50 years ago when this was written. Yet, we never made the decisions necessary to put the city, region and state on a sustainable path. And as Jane Jacobs said in her book, "...it is too bad it is so; too bad for the people who live there now, too bad for the people who are going to inherit it in future out of their lack of economic choice, and too bad for the city as a whole."

I recognize this is nothing much new for those who have lived in and loved this community. My point here is this: the twenty year walk to a city of sustainability and health will rest on the many decisions being made NOW. The two vital levers in my view is education(which will have to be a different article) and a sustainable land use strategy. The courage to re-imagine and act on moving the 139 square mile footprint of the city from "seemingly endless square miles of low-density failure" to one of high density mix use areas similar to the emerging mid-town of Detroit will be a legacy worth passing on.

Related links:

• Michael Brennan on Facebook
• Michael Brennan on Twitter

Labels: Michael_Brennan, regionalism, Window on Community

The December issue of our Community M@tters e-zine highlights a recent event tied to our organization’s diversity and inclusion work. The team leading that mission organized the session to provide staff an opportunity to learn more about the region’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender -- or LGBT -- community.

Leslie Ann Thompson, executive director at Affirmations Gay and Lesbian Community Center, and Charles Pugh, FOX2 News anchor and reporter were the featured speakers.

During her presentation, Leslie mentioned the fact that project management and capital support provided through United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s Community Capital Resources department helped make Affirmations’ new 17,000 square-foot headquarters in Ferndale a reality.

At least one reader took issue with our support of the Affirmations project.

“With issues like homeless, rampant poverty, and crime--which erode basic and essential quality of life--why is the United Way funding projects such as the LGBT issues project? Discrimination against any group is an issue that deserves attention if it is seriously impacting the basic quality of life of a significant part of the population. However, considering the sheer number of issues, why is LGBT ‘inclusion’ a priority for UWSEM?” the post reads, in part.

Community Capital Resources helps nonprofits plan and manage facility projects that will enable them to better serve the community, and Affirmations provides much-needed services to individuals and families in Oakland County.

In addition, it is important to United Way that we understand the LGBT community to strengthen our diversity work. We have spent considerable time over the past year developing a strategic plan and participating in cultural awareness activities as a staff. When complete, the plan will help United Way ensure diversity is a prominent component of internal and external operations, and that we are inclusive of everyone, regardless of race, culture, religion, age, sexual orientation, physical ability or other characteristics.

Embracing diversity is about understanding the ways we are all alike and respecting the many ways that we are different. To be inclusive is to make a concerted effort to involve all people in what we do. This is what we believe, and how we aspire to better serve everyone in the tri-county area.

United Way will always be in the business of supporting basic needs in our region, so that people who need help have a place to turn. This diversity and inclusion work will ultimately allow us to serve more people in need of assistance.

The LGBT discussion and other diversity activities that inform our thinking are vital to the process.

Labels: Diversity, Window on Community

Labels: Window on Community

"How did you get so involved in community," Leslie Murphy--one of the regions most impactful civic volunteers-- was asked. She replied, "follow your passion and just start walking down the path of volunteering."


(Leslie Murphy)

Follow your passion.

Don't stand still and wait for it to come to you. Reach out---start walking down the path of involvement. Move from being a spectator to a participant.

==================================================================

Last Saturday morning Jeff Love, President of Baker College, and I spoke to 150 Baker College students about leadership, the health and human service sector, and the huge transition in leadership that will take place over the next ten years: 600,000 executive's in the US will retire from the non-profit sector. Who is prepared to lead non-profit organizations in a 2.0 world?

They asked, "how do we get those jobs that are becoming available?"


(Jeff Love)

Follow your passion.

Don't stand still and expect the organization to create the great job for you. Create your own plan of action. Be the author of your work. Develop the skills inside the organization and outside the organization. Don't be a spectator in an organization. Become a full participant.

================================================================

About 20 individuals from United Way's Leadership Next --- next generation leaders in SE Michigan --- met with Tony Earley-- Chairman of DTE for an informal dialogue on leadership last night.

"It seems to me that those who have successful careers and lives are people who get involved. I have been involved with community for over 35 years, and it is through that involvement, that I have learned new skills and met some of the best people", Tony reflected.

"Identify what you are interested in ..... and just start getting yourself involved."


(Tony Earley)

Find your passion.

Don't stand still. Start looking for others that are involved in that passion as well. Be curious. Seek to understand. Start helping. Don't wait for an organization to come to you. Rather, become a participant by making the first step.

================================================================

Matching retirees with jobs for the public good is a feature in today's New York Times. After a 20 - 30 year career, many retirees are taking their skills and applying them to his or her passions. The retirement model isn't go and play golf in a retirement community. Rather, it is go and take your skills to make a difference. Sometimes for pay. Other times as a volunteer.

Regardless, the pattern is emerging.



Follow your passion.

Don't wait for the next chapter of your life to be prescribed by someone else. Go write your new story ---- the story you always wanted to write. Don't be a spectator of watching others connect their talents to advancing the common good. Become a participant.

How?

================================================================
Five steps to getting involved:

1. Identify what you would like to become involved with. What do you want to make a difference on? What would get you out of bed in the morning with a bounce in your step. Get clear about what skills you most want to utilize.

2. Identify organizations that are doing work in that area by calling United Way's 211. We can help you create your contact list.

3. Call the president of those organizations and ask for a 1/2 hour meeting to learn more about the issue you care about and the organization's work. Any CEO worth his/her weight in salt will welcome such a visitor.

4. Ask the CEO to identify other networks that are doing similar work that you could contact.

5. After a few visits, you will begin to see opportunities to help. Make a suggestion to others on how you would like to help. Before long, you will move from looking from the outside to knowing and having relationships with others that share your passion. Just take the first step. It might not be a perfect match right away ---- but over time --- you will find the fit that makes sense for you.

Thanks for reading. Pass it on.

Labels: civic engagement, Window on Community

Labels: 2-1-1, 211onthego, Window on Community

Labels: Window on Community

I read this morning an old note I recorded years ago ---" just because it is difficult, doesn't mean one shouldn't try."

Appalachian State found that out this weekend in the Big House. Long odds did not stop the belief that success was possible.

I strive to start each day with a focus on our mission of "Mobilize the caring power...." And our priorities of "Meeting Basic Needs", "Financial Stability" and "Educational Preparedness." These are big aspirations and difficult goals.

In my daily travels throughout the region, I often hear comments like --- "do you really think this region can change?" "Educational Preparedness --- good luck!" "In this environment, do you believe "financial stability" is possible?"

My answer is yes.

But I will tell you from a leadership standpoint, you had better believe it at your core --- otherwise the headwinds will wear you right out. The inertia of the current state does not embrace the work of the future state. Hence, one had better be prepared to make decisions not just for today, but for the long haul.

I often think about this region 50 years from now. 2057. What are the decision today that will play out then. I think about that because I face every day the consequences of decisions made 30, 40 and 50 years ago. Some of those are positive. Many are not.

If you believe your actions today influence success 10, 20, or 50 years from now, how does it change your daily decisions? In the world of quarterly returns and drive through service, leadership must seek a daily balance of looking between short vs long term benefit.

For example, do you work on a prevention strategy by focusing on children when they are below the age of five? Or do you focus on the young adults that struggle with academics or social development? The former gets you long term impact at a lower cost. The later, you get shorter term impact at higher cost. Both important --- but the decision on where to place energy and resource is a daily tension of leading social change.

Make your decisions count. Be aware of the intended and unintended consequences of today and in the future. And remember, just because it is difficult doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

Thanks for reading. Pass it on.

Labels: Window on Community

Labels: Window on Community

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.

Labels: Window on Community

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.

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Labels: Window on Community

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.

Labels: Window on Community

As I walked up to a wedding reception this weekend at a golf club with my "retired" brother, my sister-in-law said to him --"you know Tom, all this could be yours (IE golf...)." Tom later told me that while in theory it could be his life: in practice, it just was not possible.

Instead of heading off to the links, he took retirement and headed off to community. He spends his time and talents working with a variety of non-profit organizations in the region and has started a group called the Great Lakes Green Initiative (GLGI). He put his optics on making a difference.

As I walked into the room for an important community meeting last week, I saw our volunteer chair -- Al Lucarelli --- at the head of the table. This was an early morning meeting over on the west side of Detroit. Al, a little tongue in cheek, said to me, "you know I am supposed to be retired." He hung up his professional career and dedicated his efforts towards working in the community with a college, a hospital and organizations like United Way. He makes those around him better. And for that, the community improves.

These two individuals spend most of their free time serving. They are two of many in this region who work every day to make things a little bit better. A little bit stronger.

What strikes me about both of them, is the vibrancy in their voice, actions and aspirations. They are re framing what it means to "retire." They are helping to create a more visible path on other ways to transition from the "have to list" to the "want to list."

As more and more "boomers" enter retirement, Tom and Al might be modeling what others will want to follow. As Martin Luther King said, "Everyone can be great. Because everyone can serve."

If life's success is measured by what you give, not by what you have, then Al and Tom have a bounty of success. My instincts tell me they have figured out "how to retire."

Thanks for reading. Pass it on.

Labels: civic engagement, Window on Community

I have often called 211 the "first social innovation of the 21st century." We came into this century with 211 in its infancy and yet, we will come out of the first decade with nearly universal access to America.

Much of the attention has been put on getting 211 up and running. At the end of last week, Detroit hosted the 211 North American Summit of leaders from both Canada and US. Individuals from Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, LA, New York and many other cities came to explore creating 'version 2.0' of 211.

That is, what have we learned from the first 10 years about the power and utilization of 211. We have seen it play a huge role in 9/11, Katrina and everyday issues that individuals face. For the first time in America, we have real time data about the need in many areas of our communities. Data from 211 is being turned into knowledge which in turn is being converted into better decisions. We also have the beginning of a centralized quality 'check point' from individuals who are accessing service.

We now better understand how Toronto is taking 211 information to improve policy decisions. We heard from the Chief of Police in Detroit --Chief Bully-Cummings -- how 211 in an important tool on the streets for police officers as they face a wide range of issues on a daily basis. We heard from FEMA how 211 has become a powerful long term tool when dealing with the recovery from disasters.

211's presence and role in America/Canada has exceeded any original expectation. The question becomes, how do we steward this important social asset towards its full capability. The purpose of the summit was to begin that work.

If you would like to read more on 211, please go to 211.org.

Thanks for reading. Pass it on.

Labels: 2-1-1, Window on Community

This article in Crain's Detroit Business yesterday about United Way's Leadership Next program tells the story of the pioneers in the region who wake up each day with an abundance mentality. Not scarcity. If you didn't have a chance to read the article......here it is.


Source: Crain's Detroit BusinessBy: Sheri Begin Published: 6:00 am, June 18, 2007

Emerging leaders don't currently feel invested in the region, and that's a problem, according to one of them.“It's very easy to just get up and move to greener pastures” when you aren't invested, said Matt Clayson, a legal coordinator at ePrize L.L.C. in Pleasant Ridge, who's chairing a new young leaders society at United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

“We want them to stay so they build a community they want to see.”Emerging leaders have an opportunity in Southeast Michigan, Clayson, 26, said. “There's something to build.”

United Way plans to launch Leadership Next, a new organization for under 40s, on Wednesday.

“Our goal is to increase regionalism and to bring all of the young leaders together,” said Jeanette Pierce, 26, special events coordinator for the United Way and a member of Crain's 2007 class of 20 in their 20s honorees.Patterned after the One D collaboration of six civic groups and similar groups at United Ways across the U.S., Leadership Next plans to work with other groups from around the region to come up with volunteering, mentoring, networking and leadership training opportunities for younger adults, while engaging them in the community by making them aware of issues that affect the community and showing them how to get in touch with legislators.Retention is the overall goal of other young professional groups, Pierce said. Leadership Next “starts them thinking in a cohesive, collaborative, regional way ... that is more effective.”

“If you have 100 people ... all digging holes in different parts of the region, they'll make a little bit of difference in a lot of places,” she said. “If you bring them together, and they combine their efforts, they can make more impact more quickly.”

United Way by July 1 plans to pull together a committee of 10 to 15 people to set the direction for the group and to develop events in cooperation with other young professional and leadership groups to avoid duplication and have a greater impact, Pierce said.

Clayson was a good candidate to chair the new group, Pierce said.Before joining ePrize, Clayson oversaw the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau's public information campaign to get people reconnected to Detroit before the Super Bowl and subsequently helped to develop the monthly Campus Martius street festival, Fourth Fridays.Clayson also is very involved in the community in a number of different groups, including Detroit Synergy, Pierce said. He also was part of Crain's first class of 20 in their 20s honorees in 2006.


“He's very intelligent, has experience working regionally and was excited to be an agent for change in the region.”One of Clayson's prerequisites for chairing the group was that it had to be more than just a networking group, he said. “For me it has to be something that advocates concrete and tangible change.”

The group will recruit members from every ethnicity and every city, focusing its efforts in United Way's Wayne, Oakland and Macomb service area, Pierce said.

“We're not going to limit this group to just 9-to-5ers. We're going to try to bring in the creative class for a different perspective,” she said. “We need all types of people to effect change in the region.”

After the group's launch, one of its first events will be a joint meeting with all the current leaders of other young professional groups to discuss together how they can work as one to move the region forward, Pierce said.But members won't just come to meetings or networking events, she said. “This will be a deep-dive and discussion into the region's problems, issues and best ways to solve them.”

The group has already planned a team-building trip this fall to help with rebuilding efforts in New Orleans, along with its United Way counterpart in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Pierce said.

It will make the trip on a flight donated by Northwest Airlines Corp.


“Rebuilding is needed everywhere, including here (in metro Detroit),” she said. “Hopefully this will inspire our young leaders to come back to this region and work harder to make a difference here.”

Thanks for reading. Pass it on.

Labels: Window on Community

"Everyone is leaving the state." "There are no opportunities in Michigan." "Once kids can leave, they do." "If you want to be where the action is, go to NYC, Chicago, DC..." "There are no resources available, all the venture capital is in other parts of the country."

You get the point. We all have heard the tape recording similar to the words above. When regions get hit with the contraction of industry like SE Michigan--- it becomes hard to imagine anything but scarcity.

I'm in the upper floor of Buzz Bar in Downtown Detroit meeting with 8 professional and civic minded leaders in their 20's and early 30's. Buzz Bar is a place known for its music --- mostly blues and jazz.

I don't hear scarcity, I hear abundance. I don't hear why one should leave, I hear why one should come and stay. I don't hear entitlement, I hear a pioneer's voice. I don't hear "can't", I hear "do".

As I leave, I am struck that volume and visibility of their voice isn't as evident as it needs to be. This group, which is helping United Way think through its next generation leadership strategy -- called Leadership Next, isn't writing a chapter to an already established story.

They are writing the region's new story.

"My friends ask me what am I doing in Detroit, Michigan. They are in New York and Chicago. I invite them here and show them what I am doing. (This person develops commercial property in the City of Detroit --- he is from New York) They can't believe it. I remind them that I wouldn't be able to do a quarter of what I am doing in Detroit if my work was in NYC or Chicago. I can go farther, wider and faster here than any other market."

Abundance not Scarcity. That's the tune to play. He wasn't singing the Blues; he was imagining the future. He was participating in the writing the new story.

Abundance vs Scarcity --- how do each of us tell this region's story?

Thanks for reading. Pass it on.

Labels: Window on Community

As I entered the small room that local civic leaders were gathering in at Blackwell Institute, I was greeted by an eager Detroit Public School student.

“How do you do young man,” I said to the boy dressed in a blue sport coat and a tie dotted with pins of honor.

He responded with pride and confidence,“fine, thank you sir. Welcome to Blackwell Insititute. The meeting is taking place inside this room.”

“My name is Mike Brennan. What is your name?” I asked.

“Raheam Young.”

“Raheam, what grade are you in?”

“Seventh Grade, sir.”

“That pin on your collar….what does that stand for?”

“I am the Vice President of the Seventh Grade class.”

“Is that an office you run for.”

“Oh, yes. You are elected by your classmates. I love to campaign!”

“Really?”

With genuine conviction, he said, “And I love to give speeches.”

“Well you know, that is the number one fear in the world. Death is number three on the list. People would rather die than get up and give a speech to others.”

“Not me. I don’t get nervous.”

“Raheam, that is a gift. If you had an audience of 300, what would you like to give a speech on?”

Raheam paused and then said, “I would like to talk about the War in Iraq and about Global Warming.”

“Iraq and Global Warming?”

“Yes, that is what I would like to give a speech about.”

Think what you may about Detroit, Detroit Public Schools, and the range of issues facing all of us. But at that moment with that young man, I thought there isn’t a parent in the world who wouldn’t be proud. And it didn’t end with Raheam…..you saw excellence throughout the school of 700 students.

To a person, they all mentioned that excellence began at the top. And at the top of this school is Wilma Taylor - Costen, the principal. To learn more or to visit Blackwell, just click here. http://www.detroit.k12.mi.us/schools/index.php?schoolID=316

To learn more about other Good Schools in Detroit, go to: www.goodschoolsdetroit.org

Thanks for reading. Pass it on.

Labels: Window on Community

“I made the decision to quit the basketball team, so I could dedicate more of my life to service.” As I listened to the story of Adam Harris, I couldn’t help but feel the world was a better place because he was in it.

This high achieving student/ athlete attends University of Michigan – Dearborn and had recently returned from participating in United Way’s Alternative Spring Break (ASB). Over 400 college students from across America went to the gulf coast for their spring break to help in the never ending recovery.

I wanted to take some time with them to learn more about their experience and explore “what’s next?”

About half way through our discussion, Adam began to tell his journey. He told me that on his i-pod he has most of Martin Luther King’s speeches. From Adam's perspective, Martin Luther King's life, the vision he shared, and the depth of thinking he possessed was as defining as any great thinker/doer/leader the world has known.

When he was in the gulf coast volunteering he kept calling his mom to talk with her about what he was experiencing. More importantly, Adam was listening to what the voice deep inside of him was saying. He realized that while he loved basketball, the time required to do that well was something he no longer could do. He wanted to see that significant amount of time dedicated to service. To others. To community.

This is a man who at a very early age has his compass set on a true north. The power, strength and courage of his decision to dedicate his life to service will be felt by many. His example provides a teachable moment for others.

How will we make progress in this region? Through decisions like Adams. The Power of One.

To get of sense of the ASB and Adam, click here. http://uwsemasb.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Pass it on.

Labels: civic engagement, Window on Community

This is the fourth installment of Michael J. Brennan's series, "The Seven Disciplines of a Community of Progress: Creating a New Path." In it, Brennan, the president of United Way for Southeastern Michigan, explores how our region can move forward, and looks at past successes.

---

Discipline Four: The Power of Three

When the public, private and nonprofit sectors find common purpose — headway is made. The potency of these three sectors of society working in alignment provides a winning combination for communities — a trifecta. When the three sectors align around a bold and measurable goal, there is a greater chance of sustained success. Absence of that alignment, a drift of time, energy, and resources takes place throughout the community.

Granted, the barriers often come in the form of turf, politics and cultural differences. Institutional racism, historical mindsets and harsh realities often create obstacles too large to solve. I am not trying to be naive about politics — left, center or right. Nor am I attempting to be simple-minded about the challenges. A look at achievement around the country, one sees that much of it is owed to groups leveraging the intersection of the public, private and nonprofit sectors. The common ground between people and sectors is in abundance. Yet, as individuals, institutions and communities we often leave that bounty on the table.


With 150 municipalities, 120 school districts, 230,000 businesses, and 6,000 nonprofits in a 100 square mile area called the metropolitian Detroit tri-county area, there is vast opportunity to leverage and align each other's good work. A community of progress understands that just adding up stellar results of our "silos" does not necessarily result in a powerful cumulative impact.

Integrating diverse goals make solutions better, talent stronger and sustainability more probable. Individual actions are necessary, but without aligning individual actions into a collective force, forward movement can sputter and stall. There must be room in community to find intersections that connect the work of the public, private and nonprofit sectors — the sweet spot of community. The power of three.


There were many reasons the Super Bowl XL was successful. But the key reason mentioned was how business, government, nonprofits and citizens all worked together. The Super Bowl provided a teachable moment for the region, a blueprint to follow for the tasks ahead. This can be done – but only if we are willing to work together on common goals.

Discipline Four in Action

Something happened on October 28, 2005. For the first time in our state's history the three sectors of this region, public, private, and nonprofit came together to help connect resources and jobs to individuals in an unprecedented way and scale at the Southeastern Michigan Employment, Training and Family Resource Expo.

On that single day, the State of Michigan, the three counties of Oakland, Macomb and Wayne, the City of Detroit, 150 corporations, 100 nonprofits and 6,000 potential jobs came together to do what no entity could do alone. With over 6,000 jobs available by employers that day, all partners rallied to help knock down the barriers to employment and bridge individuals to a new path.

Local residents came, 10,000 in all. They came from all walks of life, ages and race with over 25 percent having college degrees.

This was the largest Employment Expo ever in Michigan — and it happened because the three sectors came together around common purpose and to make an impact. The focus was not on turf but on the citizens in Detroit and southeastern Michigan who have been laid off, displaced and looking for work — a job — a career. On that day, regional cooperation trumped partisanship and parochialism. The Expo set a benchmark for how work can be done.

On that day, at that moment, the region got together and did very well. Moving from a single event, to working together day in and day out to produce results must be the ongoing target.

---

Previous installments:
• Creating a New Path
• Believe it to be Possible
• Pass the Torch of Leadership

Labels: Window on Community

The news of Comerica moving its headquarters to Dallas was tough to swallow. Almost every conversation I had within work or outside of it, somehow, touched on that announcement. The phone calls from media began to come it requesting my comment. Simply, it shook the ethos of the region and the state.

In one of the articles, a local resident asks out loud ---"what is happening with Michigan." This news topping the pile of other bad news can have a cumulative effect upon us all. So where is the hope? What is the other story to be told? Is there another story to be told? I believe the answer is yes.

This blog is about a "Window on Community." A chance to look through the window at work that is taking place in community that may not be always visible. As I drove home last night, still reflecting on the news, my thoughts turned to the work of the day. My day was full of hope. Full of leaders working on the making today and the future better. For example, these are a few of the meetings I had:

Dr. David Fike, President of Marygrove College: Dr. Fike just took on this role last July and is building on the strong tradition of Marygrove. He wanted to discuss Urban Leadership and how the school can play a catalytic role in linking students --- emerging leaders--- to the new and complex work of the region. He shared how Marygrove is working to play a role on redevelopment. As we were wrapping up, he said that he had never been 'more connected' to his work than he is today. He wakes up eager and excited to tackle the mission. He is optimistic. He is actively seeking out partners to join him to make the schools work of Urban Leadership the best in the country.

Philip Fisher and Doug Stewart of the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation: This newly formed foundation, to be one of the largest family foundations in the state of Michigan, is working on how it will 'invest for impact' in the days ahead. The Fisher family has been an enormous champion of the region----and now looks to carry on that legacy through the Foundation. Two years after Max M. Fisher's death, Philip and Doug are working to better understand the work of the community and the areas of the greatest leverage. I was struck by the active learning they are doing as they shape the future of the foundation's work. We took a tour of United Way's 211 Center, discussed potential areas of partnership and shared with each other our respective aspirations for the region. It is clear to me that the foundation will become a very important asset and leader for the region's future.

Doug Rothwell, Shirley Stancato, Maud Lyon, Larry Alexander and Dick Blouse: I gathered with these respective CEO's of Detroit Renaissance, New Detroit, Cultural Alliance, Detroit Convention Bureau and the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce on Fort St. at 5 pm to work into the evening on the newly formed regional alliance --- One D: Transforming Regional Detroit. The content of the work was moving residents aspirations into action. The core issues have been focused around Mass Transit, Educational Preparedness, Economic Prosperity, Race Relations and Quality of Life----as identified by over 10,000 residents. The group is working hard and well together. The group is focused on advancing the issues residents care most about. There is a fortitude to move from process to results. Move from silos to integrated work. Move from either/or to an "and" strategy. Move from go it alone to including a wider/broader net. However imperfect, the leadership of One D is working on hope. Working on making the region better, stronger and viable.

I believe we need to actively help each other tell a different story of the region. We have to ask ourselves what role am I playing in putting voice to a "new story." Am I a spectator or a participant. Am I a reader or a writer. We ---- all of us------must lift up the work that is making our lives and the region better. No story is too small.

If we each passed on the 'story of hope', we can make visible what often goes unnoticed. If you have a story to share, I would like to know it. I would like to read it. I would like to understand it. I would like to connect to it. Connect this or your own story to one other.

Thanks for reading. Pass it on.

Labels: Window on Community

I started off my day with a meeting of 200 local professionals who came to hear Bill Millett, a national speaker, talk about the impact of the investment in early childhood programs. Specifically, the long term return for communities when they focus work on children before the child ever reaches school. As I gave the opening comments, I said that "the decisions that are made today impact lives 20 years down the road."

A couple of hours later, dressed in my flannel jeans, long underwear and a Detroit Lions hat, I joined one of United Way's associates -- Bill Sullivan--on a project he was working on: interviewing the homeless in the tri-county area on the barriers they face. It was one of those days that never saw the thermometer hit higher than a single digit. As we traversed through the central business district of Detroit on foot, we met up with Roderick walking along the sidewalk.

Of his 44 years on earth, 35 of them have been homeless. Roderick didn't complete 10th grade. He had employment on and off over his life. He had family in the area, but not much contact with them. His warn face and hands spoke to someone who looked 20 years older. He lives off of small government support.

Is there a connection between 200 professionals gathering to figure out how this region puts more attention on early childhood development and Roderick. You bet.

I have said it before, and I'll say it again. There is a cost not only to Roderick, but to society for not having him with permanent housing and employment. So when we say that every dollar put in early childhood development saves $17 at the other end, this is in part what we mean. When research shows us that a child not reading at grade level by age three gives them nearly a 90% chance of NOT graduating, the consequences of that gap has a human toll.

These topics of Early Childhood Education and Homelessness can often seem abstract and not real. The things others discuss, others experience and others must solve. But the fact of the matter is the issues are real and the responsibility for solving rests with all of us.

This day, for me, was a stark reminder of how so much of what we all do is connected. At times though, we don't always see the links.

Click here to learn more about early childhood work in the region and the personal reflections of United Way associates who have interviewed over 60 homeless individuals in the region.

Thanks for reading. Pass it on.

Labels: Educational_Preparedness, Window on Community

The following editorial by Michael J. Brennan, president and CEO of United Way for Southeastern Michigan, appeared in the January 21, 2007, edition of the Detroit Free Press.

When 4-year-old Sarah enters kindergarten next year, she will not be prepared to succeed in school. She won't be ready academically, socially or emotionally.

As a result, Sarah -- and nearly 8,000 other students like her across the tri-county area -- will fail to read at grade level by third grade. If she manages to make it through high school, there's only a 2% chance that Sarah will ever earn a four-year college degree. But odds are, Sarah will drop out before earning a high school diploma, as two in 10 young people who struggle to read at grade level do each year.

We all share the cost of their collective failure, and it's enormous.

For every dollar that we don't spend getting children ready for school by age 6, we spend $17 caring for them later in life -- in support programs, incarceration, lost productivity, etc.

Whether it's education, transportation or safety, metro Detroiters worry about the same things. And we should, because social issues are seldom contained by geography. Today, so many Americans are struggling that -- for the first time in our nation's history -- the number of suburbanites living in poverty is greater than the number of poor living in urban cores. The same is true for our region.

Over the past five years, the number of individuals living in poverty in tri-county suburbs rose by 35% to more than 270,000, and 35% of them are children.

During that same time period, the number of Macomb County residents living in poverty grew by 60% and in Oakland County, poverty rose 20%. Wayne County saw poverty climb 35% in outlying areas, and 7% in Detroit.

We must reverse the tide, and I am confident the region is prepared to do just that.

During the course of our research at United Way for Southeastern Michigan, we collected more than 20,000 comments from 7,000 residents, and one theme reverberated consistently: This region aspires to be a place where all people have the educational and economic opportunities needed to succeed and to thrive.

Put simply, tri-county residents want the necessary tools and resources to help themselves.

We used the results of our outreach work to develop a blueprint we call our Agenda for Change, which targets three key areas -- educational preparedness, economic stability and basic needs.

Metro Detroiters told us they want to see children enter school prepared to learn and graduate ready for success. They want to be able to acquire assets, like a home or education, which will allow them to build a life. They also want to make sure that their basic needs are met and help is available in times of crisis.

At United Way, we recognize that the historic racial divide, turf issues, and other barriers have stalled regional initiatives in the past. But our outreach revealed a strong desire to see regional leaders come together in a collective, focused and collaborative way, and a belief that it can and will happen.

We have already taken steps toward that end, through recently formed partnerships like ONE D: Transforming Regional Detroit. United Way teamed up with five leading area organizations to explore synergies and share resources needed to tackle regional problems.

Internally, we are making progress with services like United Way 2-1-1, the 24-hour helpline that over 100,000 callers used last year to get help or give help. Rather than navigating a maze of 800 numbers, people who dialed 2-1-1 were able to easily connect to more than 6,000 health and human service resources and volunteer opportunities.

In coming months, we'll share additional details on our Agenda for Change and new direction, and we welcome your input and involvement.

As famed anthropologist Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small band of committed people can change the world. Indeed, nothing else ever has."

I hope that you will join us in improving the condition of our community.

MICHAEL J. BRENNAN is president and CEO of United Way for Southeastern Michigan. Contact him by e-mail at ceo@uwsem.org. Find out how you can get involved in helping your community, or get more information on the United Way Agenda for Change process, at www.uwsem.org.

Labels: regionalism, Window on Community

Do you know what I think?

I think it matters that we care about what happens next door to us as well as 30 miles from us and 3,000 miles from us. It is all connected.

For the first time in American history, the number of those living in poverty in suburbs outnumbers those living in the urban cores of America.

Fact: There are more individuals and families in America living in poverty in the suburbs now than in the central cities.

Fact: What is true for America is also true here in Southeastern Michigan.

Fact: More residents in the suburbs in the tri-county area ---- Oakland, Macomb and Wayne County ---- live at or below the poverty level than in the City of Detroit.

Fact: Over the past five years, the number of individuals living in poverty in the suburbs in Southeastern Michigan has grown by 35% ---- now over 270,000 residents.

Fact: During that time period, Macomb County has experienced 60% growth. Oakland---one of the wealthiest suburbs in America---20% growth. Out-Wayne county 35%.

Fact: Over that same time period, the number of individuals in poverty in the City of Detroit grew by 7% --- 261,000.

Fact: The number of residents in the tri-county area living in poverty would fill the "Big House" at U of M nearly five times. Of those residents in poverty, 35% are children.

As noted in a recent article in the Oakland Press:

"Economies are regional now," said Alan Berube, who co-wrote the report for the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. "Where you see increases in city poverty, in almost every metropolitan area, you also see increases in suburban poverty."

Kurt Metzger, research director for the United Way of Southeastern Michigan and a longtime advocate of regional economic development planning, said the findings come as no surprise, given Michigan's struggling economy.

"This is a clarion call to show people that we are all in this together. The suburbs are not going to survive if the cities do not survive," he said. "We either have to come back as a region or we're not going to come back at all."

Marc H. Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, said social and economic problems such as struggling schools, rising crime and lowpaying jobs deserve the same attention in suburbs as they receive in cities.

"I call it the urbanization of the suburbs," he said. "I hope this says to people that the way to confront poverty is not to wall it off and concentrate it. You really need policies to eliminate it."

What are some of the driving forces:

Berube, research director at the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program, said several factors are contributing to the trend:

1. Faster total population growth in suburbs than in cities.
2. Increasing presence of low-wage jobs in suburbs.
3. Growing presence of low-income immigrants in suburbs.

"Traditionally, cities have been viewed as home to poor populations, surrounded by middle- and upper-income suburbs," the report said. "This 'tipping' of poor populations to the suburbs represents a signal development that upends historical notions about who lives in cities and suburbs."

"Looking back at the 1970s, you would have seen cities suffering and suburbs staying the same," Berube said. "But the story is different today."

This is precisely why the direction the United Way Board adopted in December to focus on Financial Stability for families, Educational Preparedness of children and getting to the root cause of what is keeping individuals and families living in the safety net of society.

This is precisely why six key civic organizations formed One D to develop a regional capacity to address the complex issues facing and us ------ and to move from process to results.

No silver bullets are present, but with bold steps, clear goals and dedicated leadership, progress is possible. The continual trend described here ought not be our legacy to our children.

Rather, it ought to be how this generation turned the trend line. I believe its possible.

Thanks for reading. Pass it on.

Labels: Financial Stability, Window on Community

There are moments you have in life you realize your in a conversation you will always remember. I had such a moment last week when I met with Judge Damon Keith. Those joining me on the visit were Secretary Rodney Slater -- Chairman of United Way of America, Brian Gallagher--President of United Way of America, and Reggie Turner--Vice Chair of the United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

Judge Damon Keith is someone who has stood for equality, social justice and just plain old decency to one another. He is walking history not only for southeastern Michigan, but for the country.

While in his chambers, he told a story I heard him speak about not to long ago. At the time, I incorporated it into an essay I wrote. I have included below an edited version.

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Judge Damon Keith, United States Court of Appeals Judge for the Sixth Circuit in Detroit, is a giant. He has been bestowed over 35 honorary doctorates by some of the most prominent universities. This country, region and city have been blessed by having the courage, wisdom and presence of Judge Keith.

At a recent community gathering, Judge Keith spoke of his experience when he was appointed by Chief Justice William Rehnquist to serve as the National Chairman of the Judicial Conference Committee on the Bicentennial of the Constitution.

Judge Keith described standing outside of the hotel where the committee was holding a meeting. As he stood there, a man came up to him and said, “Boy, can you park my car?”

An angered committee member wanted to speak out, but Judge Damon Keith said to his colleague, “No, don’t. Understand, there isn’t a day in my life that I am not reminded that I am black.”

While I believe most would say we have made progress on many of our social justice issues, one cannot claim all is well. The divide doesn’t lie just along racial lines.

The 2005 Michigan Women’s Leadership Index came out describing the lost ground that women have made in the private sector, bringing forward one conclusion: “the primary cause of the weakening has been the decline of women among the most important category: top compensated officers.”

Youth have difficulty mounting a voice and participating in issues that affect their future. Our expanding senior populations often are not thought of as essential players for progress.

When we experienced the largest economic expansion in our history through the 1990’s, we didn’t see the same gains on social issues or a closing of the economic gap.
This region does not hold the franchise rights to these gaps. However, closing the gap is possible.

For example, when Madison, Wisconsin eliminated the academic achievement gap among minority students, it took a weakness and made it into a strength. Turning our weaknesses into an emerging strength is an opportunity sometimes leveraged, but often overlooked or ignored.

"Civilization is the process in which one gradually increases the number of people included in the term ‘we’ or ‘us’ and at the same time decreases those labeled ‘you’ or ‘them’ until that category has no one left in it.”
— Howard Winters

There is potency when we widen and include. I once had an associate who always said, “Be careful what you let become normal.” Whether we are focused on the disparity by race, economics, education or gender to name a few, the acceptance of the gap and leaving others behind ought never to be “normal.”

A student failing in Detroit is no less important than a student failing in a suburb. Human need is human need wherever you are. Not only is gender and racial inequity unjust, it doesn’t make economic sense. These issues are a long time in the making so, one can reasonably conclude, a long time in resolving.

Are we a region that wants to be defined by our gaps? Or are we interested in demonstrating that, through intentional efforts, this region can make marked progress over a three, five and 10-year period.

What is the one thing that can help us make progress on these gap issues? Only everyone.

Two words that seem at polar opposites hold a key to progress. It’s creating the seat at the table— ensuring there are bootstraps by which to pull up one’s boots — engaging voices that often are excluded. It requires increasing the number in our “us”.

Judge Keith learned a long time ago, for a region to be great, it must be great for everyone.
All are needed. All are welcome.

Thanks for reading. Pass it on.

Labels: Window on Community

Labels: civic engagement, Window on Community

My office is at 1212 Griswold---next to Capital Park and the bus terminal----in downtown Detroit. One block from Campus Martius Park and Compuware. Or for long time Detroiters, one block from the old Hudson's on Woodward.

I walk through downtown wondering what it might have been like when the city was at its peak ----- two million strong in 1959. Buses, trains and trolly cars. Shops, businesses and restaurants at each turn. My father, having returned from China after WWII and gone to University of Detroit on the GI Bill, worked two blocks from where I do today at that moment. Many of the buildings are the same, yet, it is a different time and condition.

I think of my relationship to Detroit: to this region. In the past three days, I found myself in downtown Ann Arbor doing an errand, shopping for produce at the Eastern Market, listening to our city's orchestra at the Max, having a coffee in downtown Northville and over to Lansing to meet relatives. My workday can as easily have me in Auburn Hills, Downtown Detroit, Mount Clemens, Northern Oakland County or downriver. This is the geography of my community.

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In Orhan Pamuk's Nobel Prize winning book "Instanbul", he writes about his relationship with his city after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. These insights made me think more about my relationship with my city and region. As I read these, I inserted the word Detroit for Instanbul and Auto Industry for Empire.

"Instanbul's fate is my fate. I am attached to this city because it has made me who I am."

"For me, it has always been a city of ruins and end-of- empire melancholy. I've spent my life either battling with this melancholy or (like all Instanbullus) making it my own."

"I sometimes think myself unlucky to have been born in an aging and impoverished city buried under the ashes of a ruined empire. But a voice inside me always insists this was really a piece of luck"

"Once imprinted in our minds, other people's reports of what we've done end up mattering more than what we ourselves remember. And just as we learn about our lives from others, so too do we let others shape our understanding of the city in which we live."

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At a recent meeting with civic leader's from around Southeastern Michigan, I was struck at how many had found their way here in the past 5 to 12 years. Yet, how much of the conversation trickled to events that took place 40 years ago.

2007 will mark 40 years since the riots of 1967. I was five year's old when the riots took place and I have no recollection of the events. Most of the nearly 5 million residents in Southeastern Michigan either have no recollection of '67, weren't' born, or didn't live here. Yet, I feel the presence of its impact in my work almost daily.

Pamuk says: "...just as we learn about our lives from others, so too do we let others shape our understanding of the city in which we live." I wonder how much of the shaping of our relationship to the city of Detroit has been through other people's reports? Have the historical deficits blinded the present day assets and opportunities?

Since I was a child, I have always witnessed the relationship people have to their birthplace in the region as an 'either/or". Either I am pro- suburb or pro-city. It is rarely an 'And'.

As long as I can remember, the region has struggled economically because of the world moving from an industrial giant to a service economy to a global information age. Even in our self-described boom times of the past decades, there has been a constant shrinking of the industry that built the city and region.

What is the relationship I am shaping for my children to the city and the region? That is why for me the work of the regional alliance One D: Transforming Regional Detroit is so important. One D is working on the new story to this region. It recognizes our history, but it is putting its energy on building a new capability to lift the financial stability and quality of life for all in the region. One D is about the work of today and tomorrow: faith that when we work in the collective we will see progress.

Might this 'new story' be the "other people's reports" that are passed onto our children to shape their understanding of the city and region?

How have 'other people's reports" shaped our relationship to the City of Detroit and the region?
Thanks for reading, pass it on.

Labels: Window on Community

The year 2014 is the deadline set by the 'No Child Left Behind' law for schools to close the test-score gaps between minority and white students. News articles over the past two weeks indicate that a half dozen recent studies reveal that little progress has been made towards that goal over the past five years.

The reports tell us that the test score gaps between black or Hispanic students and whites appear in KINDERGARTEN and worsen through 12 years of education.

Recently, I was with several United Way volunteers visiting Madison, Wisconsin to learn more about how Dane County has closed the racial achievement gap over the past ten years. Where there once was a 20% difference in performance in schools, the community now finds itself essentially having eliminated the gap.

As I read the recent articles on the lack of progress across the country and in Southeastern Michigan, I thought about what happened in Dane County. Ten year's ago, this community announced publicly that it was going to eliminate the racial achievement gap. This wasn't just a school issue. Rather, it was everyone's issue. They realized that gap couldn't be solved by just the schools. So they started down a new path --- one that required a 'collective approach' to foster progress.

The media was invited in to observe and report on the messy work that was going to take place over the coming months....years. The three sectors of the community -- public, private and non-profits --- got focused on the goal. Volunteers were recruited to begin working with children on their reading. Corporations and local citizens contributed money to help with the project. Parents were provided a network to ensure that they all realize a fundamental truth: a parent is a child's first and most important teacher.

There will be much debate in the months ahead on what is required to see the nation make greater progress on closing this gap. I don't presume for one minute there is a clear cut answer. But I do believe this issue is solvable. Why? Because over and over you find pockets of success. You see the necessary alignment of resource, tools, talent and focus. Moving that success to scale is the next frontier of development. One of the key first steps to that frontier will be changing the optics from 'it's the school's issue' to 'it's our issue.'

Someone once told me that when you think the problem is out there, that's the problem. Progress will only take place when there is a community will for results and the necessary leadership to do the heavy lifting for the long haul.

If you are interested in learning more about the recent findings, go to the New York Times magazine article.

Thanks for reading, pass it on.

Labels: Educational_Preparedness, Window on Community

I have encountered many discussions, experiences and initiatives that scream out for greater cooperation throughout the region. As globalization connects directly to the issues we face locally, the opportunity to move forward with a different capability--- to act regionally--- has become more evident and urgent.

A CEO of an automotive parts supplier recently said to me, "when you begin to travel to other countries as I have for business, you are left with no doubt that our world, our region, and our industry has become global. Many residents here in Michigan don't know it because they have never seen it. We need to move forward because the world outside of us is."

I heard from a small suburban community leader not long ago: "we---in the suburbs--are now experiencing the issues that many of our cities have faced."

A school principal says to me, "my job is to get these kids ready for their world --- the global one."

Regionalism---the closer integration of the communities of Southeastern Michigan on issues that effect all---begs the need for more collective action, for people and communities to act together to solve common problems.

What separates successful regions from others is not just a resource gap, but a knowledge gap. Whether it has been the report from Michigan Future or recently the Brookings Institution, the importance on investments in educational readiness, technology and research becomes the difference makers.

We have a fragmented, uncoordinated system of responding to regional issues without regional governance or government. We have an array of institutions and working initiatives that are striving to address regional issues (transportation, economic development....) without clear alignment and accountability. In the near term, residents will begin to hear about concrete steps to address this issue as private civic organizations are working to a cooperative blueprint for success.

Most of us will always live locally --- in our own neighborhoods and communities. But globalization has meant that we are, at the same time, part of a larger community --- our globe, our country, our state and our region.

While we live locally, we increasingly will need to think and act more regionally. This dual responsibility -- to my immediate community and to the larger whole---is a mindset shift for us here in Southeastern Michigan.

Clearly, if we are to make progress as a region, a change in mindset will be essential. A pro- region or anti-region ought not be the debate. Rather, we ought to have greater focus on the positive potential of a stronger regional approach. We ought to seize the opportunity to recognize that only some issues (education, mass transit...) can be addressed when we act on our collective responsibility. When we align our mutual resources, talent and aspirations, progress will be made.

This progress will ask that all participate. The development of our capacity to work as a region involves every aspect of society: free market enterprises, government, not for profits and citizens at large. All are needed, all are welcome and the time is now.

Labels: regionalism, Window on Community