Whether she’s the little girl at the bus stop or the loved one cuddled on your own lap, every child deserves a healthy and safe beginning. Did you know you can provide the most basic needs for a child while protecting your loved ones at home? Consider the following giving option.

GIVE AND RECEIVE

A charitable gift annuity is a simple contract between you and United Way for Southeastern Michigan. You make a donation and we, in turn, agree to pay you a fixed amount each year for the rest of your life. The rate of payment is firmly set at the time of your gift and never changes. After your lifetime, the remaining balance is used to support our programs, like the Food Initiative. Plus, a gift annuity has these other benefits:

• You are eligible for an income tax deduction for a portion of your gift.
• A portion of your payment is income tax–free throughout your estimated life expectancy.
• Any long-term capital gains income can be reportable over your life expectancy, in most cases.

To learn how a gift annuity could work in your situation, please return the enclosed reply card to receive a confidential illustration of your benefits at no obligation. We are happy to answer any questions you might have about gift annuities or other gift types. Feel free to contact me at 313.226.9254 or denise.fleckenstein@liveunitedsem.org.

To learn more about United Way's Planned Giving options, please click here to download the latest copy of our Planned Giving Newsletter.

Debates over the state and federal budgets kicked off this month when President Barack Obama and Gov. Rick Snyder submitted budget proposals to their respective legislatures. Congress made a deal that will impact unemployment insurance benefits and taxation for Michigan workers, and the Department of Education began granting states more flexibility in their public education systems.

Check out the policy update for the complete list of policy developments in the last two weeks. Make sure to click the links to learn about the issues in greater depth.

In addition to the budget proposals, here are some highlights of the past two weeks. They cover United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s three focus areas -  Education, Income, and Basic Needs.

Education

    The U.S. Department of Education approved waivers of No Child Left Behind requirements for all 11 states that have applied. Michigan is applying in the next round.

Income

•     Unemployed Michigan workers lose eligibility for the federal Extended Benefits program, which provides an extra 20 weeks of unemployment benefits. Read more on the State of Michigan website.
•     Michigan to get $790M in foreclosure-abuse settlement. Read more from the Detroit News.

Basic Needs

•     Congress reaches a deal to extend the payroll tax cut through the end of 2012, and continue providing extended unemployment benefits. Click here to learn more.
•     Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is effective and efficient.

You can see the full recap of recent public policy developments by clicking here.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney riled political pundits and the general public recently when he made a statement concerning the lower class. If you missed the speech, he stated that his primary concern was for the wellbeing of the Middle Class, adding, “I’m not concerned about the very poor; we have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I’ll fix it.”

For many Michigan residents, this will come as no surprise – the Safety Net is in disrepair.

For those who are unaware of what the “Safety Net” entails, it is the collection of services designed to help individuals and households address their basic needs. The ultimate goal is to move these individuals and families toward self-sufficiency.

These services include:

• health care
• food
• housing
• family services
• transportation
• work force development
• cash assistance
• and legal aid

Thirty-four billion dollars -- made up of federal, state, local and philanthropic dollars -- flows through the state of Michigan  to fund these services -- $14 billion in Southeastern Michigan. But the need is great. Forty percent of families in Southeastern Michigan are unable to meet their basic needs. Of these, many are just one crisis away from needing assistance. This could be a health-care crisis, loss of a vehicle or a job.

Just think, a single mother with two children needs to make $21.33 an hour just to meet all of her family’s basic needs. But we all know that these wages are not the norm.

For families that find themselves in crisis, we find that they can get short-term assistance, but have a harder time finding long-term sustainability. Before you know it, the net has morphed into a spider web, trapping individuals and families in need.

It is no surprise that our region faces unprecedented economic challenges, pushing more people than ever into the safety net.

Yet this is not just a City of Detroit problem. Many may be surprised to hear it, but the greatest increase in food stamp eligibility, cash assistance and income decrease for families below the poverty threshold can be found in Oakland County, followed closely by Macomb.

We also need to abolish the myth that low-income individuals are lazy. More than 75 percent of low-income individuals work – and they work hard! Many low-income families work one and a quarter jobs – that’s 50 hours a week at minimum. Surprisingly, only 25 percent of low-income working families receive food stamps.

Through the work at United Way for Southeastern Michigan, along with help from area partners, we are taking a closer look at what we can do collectively to create pathways for individuals and families that are stuck in this spider web.

Most of us in the nonprofit world know that the system to help struggling families is broken.

We all need to work together to fix it. In this volatile economy, the next family to fall into the safety net could be you or me. We must work together to fix the Safety Net.

To learn more about our efforts in basic needs and fixing the Safety Net, please click here.

A key indicator of whether or not students will graduate high school is their attendance rate. According to a 2008 study by UCLA, students with more than 20 absences in any given year have only a 19 percent chance of graduating. This is a statistic we are attempting to change in our Turnaround Schools' campuses.

With a new partnership between The Get Schooled Foundation, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, Chevrolet and Viacom, I'm hopeful that these numbers are about to make a change for the better.

We recently launched a friendly competition among seventeen Detroit high schools to increase class attendance rates. Through April 27, close to 10,000 students attending seventeen of United Way's "Networks of Excellence" schools in Metro Detroit will compete for a chance to host a Get Schooled event featuring a celebrity guest who will serve as "Principal for a Day."

Through the competition, students at the Networks of Excellence schools will score points by increasing attendance rates and participating in key activities, including recognizing inspirational teachers, participating in a video contest highlighting what makes their school unique, taking a trivia quiz and signing up for wake-up calls from their favorite celebrities. Students can participate in these activities and track the performance of their school on the Get Schooled website at www.getschooled.com.

National recording artist and Detroit native Big Sean has contributed an exclusive wake-up call to the challenge. Students can sign up for a wake-up call from Big Sean and other participating artists, including Nicki Minaj, Wiz Khalifa, Trey Songz, Tyra Banks and Jesse McCartney, at www.getschooled.com/wakeup.

Mark Reuss, President of General Motors North America and a GM Foundation board member, says it best, "We need to help students succeed. As I have said before, it's about doing the right thing by giving kids a great education. Absenteeism is a threat to that education. Get Schooled builds excitement by encouraging attendance and is a great example of community partnership."

The old saying, "Showing up is half the battle" rings true today. But we have to encourage students to make that commitment.

It's how we get better all the time.

This blog post is a reprint from "We're Better Together," a weekly newsletter, authored by Michael Tenbusch, that discusses the current state of education in metro Detroit and beyond. United Way for Southeastern Michigan distributes "We're Better Together" without charge to people with an interest in education. If you are interested in subscribing to We're Better Together, please visit www.LiveUnitedSEM.org/BetterTogether.

Get Involved: Network

Off the Record: Hosted by President and CEO, Gregg Solomon

Join us for an Off the Record with Gregg Solomon, President and CEO of MotorCity Casino and Hotel on Tuesday, February 21 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at MotorCity Casino (2901 Grand River Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201). The Leadership Next Off the Record series promotes interaction among emerging leaders and Southeastern Michigan trailblazers in candid discussions that address past, present and future regional issues, solutions, shortcomings and opportunities. Attendance is limited to ensure an intimate feel, so secure your spot today! Click here to RSVP.

Take a Learn United tour

Do you want to learn more about the work of United Way for Southeastern Michigan? Then join us for a Learn United tour! These tours are opportunities for you to see, first-hand, how United Way for Southeastern Michigan is working to make metro Detroit one of the top five places to live and work by 2030. Tours last about 60 minutes and take place at United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s headquarters overlooking Campus Martius in downtown Detroit. For more information or to schedule a personal tour, please contact me at 313.226.9238 or Brittany.Guerriero@liveunitedsem.org.

The White House Council for Community Solutions recently convened a group of nonprofit and corporate leaders to talk about ways to help disconnected youth find employment and education.

Given United Way’s long-history of fostering and leading community wide social change movements and in light of this “call” for communities to engage on enhancing opportunities for young people, United Way has launched a series of community conversations around the country.  The conversations will be with community leaders and everyday people to identify ways that their communities can come together to ensure opportunities for a better life for all young people, especially at-risk and disconnected youth.

These conversations will center on understanding the challenges communities face in creating pathways that connect young people to school and work, and what businesses, government, nonprofits, and people can do to overcome these challenges and make a real difference. They will be part of a larger set of conversations happening in the U.S. and nearly a dozen countries around the world on creating opportunity for a good life for all, the results of which will be shared in a report being released at a global Opportunity Town Hall in Nashville on May 3, 2012.

Nearly 40 United Ways (click here for a full list), including United Way for Southeastern Michigan, have signed up to host 3-5 community conversations in February and March around creating opportunities for disconnected youth. These United Ways will also share what they learn with cross-sector community leadership and gauge interest in building a coalition to address challenges in helping young people connect to employment, education, and other community opportunities.

Each United Way participating will be working with local partners to host conversations and to bring leaders together. United Way Worldwide is eager to work with national partners interested in working with us to make connections in the participating communities where appropriate. Working with our partners is a key step in moving from engaging and aligning the community around an issue to building coalitions, developing strategies and taking action. 

Get involved

If you are interested in learning more about how you can become a partner with United Way Worldwide, nationally or outside of the metro Detroit region, on the Community Listening Project on Disconnected Youth, please send an email with details to communityconversationpartner@unitedway.org.

To partner with us at a local level on this initiative, or future community conversations, please email me directly at LiveUnited@LiveUnitedSEM.org.

"We need to help students succeed. As I have said before, it’s about doing the right thing by giving kids a great education. Absenteeism is a threat to that education.” said Mark Reuss, President of General Motors North America and a GM Foundation board member. “Get Schooled builds excitement by encouraging attendance and is a great example of community partnership."

“The Attendance Challenge is a perfect complement to United Way’s work to boost attendance rates and reduce the number of chronic absences among students at our 'Networks of Excellence' schools," said Michael J. Brennan, President & CEO of United Way for Southeastern Michigan. "Along with the Get Schooled Foundation, Chevrolet and Viacom, this campaign gives us a highly-visible way to connect with kids and the community on the importance of these issues. We know that attendance affects school performance and is directly linked to graduation rates, which ultimately impacts individual success and quality of life.” 

Through the competition, students at the Networks of Excellence schools will score points by increasing attendance rates and participating in key activities, including recognizing inspiring teachers, participating in a video contest highlighting what makes their school unique, taking a trivia quiz, and signing up for wake-up calls from their favorite celebrities.  Students can participate in these activities and track the performance of their school on the Get Schooled website at www.getschooled.com.

“Friendly competition is a great motivator for high school students, and we continue to see proof of this with our national and local attendance challenges,” said Marie Groark, Executive Director of Get Schooled. “We’re excited to bring the challenge program to Detroit in a powerful way thanks to the support of United Way of Southeastern Michigan, the iconic Chevrolet brand, and our long-term partners at Viacom.”

National recording artist and Detroit native Big Sean has contributed an exclusive wake-up call to the challenge.   Students can sign up for a wake-up call from Big Sean and other participating artists, including Nicki Minaj, Wiz Khalifa, Trey Songz, Tyra Banks and Jesse McCartney, at www.getschooled.com/wakeup.

“There is no more important step to success than getting your high school diploma,” said Big Sean, a Cass Technical High School graduate.  “I am excited to partner with Get Schooled to encourage more students from my hometown to wake up and get to school every day with renewed focus and motivation.”

Over 30 schools in Southeast Michigan have school dropout rates of 40% or more. Many of these students miss too many days of school, putting them at risk of falling behind or dropping out.  Research shows that attendance is one of the greatest predictors of graduation and a significant driver of student achievement. According to a 2008 study by UCLA, students with more than 20 absences in any given year have only a 19 percent chance of graduating. 

The competition is modeled on last year’s successful Get Schooled Attendance Challenge, in which nearly 100 schools across the country competed to improve attendance rates. Attendance increased as much as seven percent in participating schools.

United Way of Southeastern Michigan’s participating Networks of Excellence schools include Detroit Central High School, Detroit Cody Campus of Small High Schools, Detroit Henry Ford High School, Detroit Osborn Campus of Small High Schools, Hamtramck High School, Harper Woods High School, East Detroit High School, Madison High School, River Rouge High School and Van Dyke Lincoln.

They packed food boxes for schoolkids.

They saw the 2-1-1 human services call center in action.

They heard about United Way's crusade to boost graduation rates past 80% at high schools with the region's worst dropout rates.

Any such corporate commitment of top staff on a workday is unusual, but this was a really large group, and even more extraordinary, it was CHRYSLER -- whose top executives had largely disappeared from local civic and philanthropic activity for several years during its financial collapse, bailout, bankruptcy and struggle for survival.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: Citizenship matters to Marchionne, Eastwood here.

The thought of filing a tax return rarely brings a smile to anyone’s face, let alone tears. But that’s exactly what happened last year to one woman who used United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s free tax filing service.

The woman arrived with three children in tow, and after an hour with a volunteer tax preparer, she found out she would receive a refund for $5,000. Tears fell from her face when she heard the news. My own cheeks ached from the smile that was now chiseled into my features.

Several months prior to that day, I was recruiting volunteers. It’s no easy task to find volunteers who are not only good with other people, but who can navigate complicated tax forms as well.

I had learned this lesson from some of the agencies we fund that provide free tax preparation services. The old saying is true though: The hardest jobs are usually the most rewarding. Thirty volunteers had entered the training session on week one. By the end of the training session, only fifteen remained. On the first day of tax season, only eight showed up.

Last year United Way for Southeastern Michigan targeted several communities in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties. With our partners, more than 8,000 clients received free tax preparation services that returned about $7.4 Million dollars in total refunds and credits. This took place at twenty-three sites with the help of nearly 8,000 volunteer hours.

In the past, clients would be shuffled in and shuffled out, in a never-ending revolving door that would bring them back the following year. United Way for Southeastern Michigan and our partners have realized that not only can we provide free tax preparation for clients who enter the door, but we can also educate them on options and resources to climb out from the pit of debt.

Learning about savings bonds, banking accounts and credit scores are just some of the topics we share with participants who use our free tax preparation sites; the IRS calls them VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) sites.

There are never enough volunteers. Yet there are always more clients. How do you expand with limited resources? The answer is in technology. In an effort to expand the number of people who can take advantage of free tax preparation, United Way for Southeastern Michigan has teamed up with some new partners.

Anyone making less than $57,000 filing as an individual or jointly can complete their Federal and State taxes online for free at http://myfreetaxes.thebeehive.org/Michigan. This service is available now.

To get started, you will need: 

• W2s, 1099s, and other tax forms;
• Social Security or Individual Tax Information Numbers for everyone in the home;
• Bank routing and account numbers for direct deposit;
• Childcare provider name, address and Tax ID (for childcare credits); name, address and phone number of landlord (for renter's credit)

Please share this news with your family, friends and neighbors.

Here are some of the highlights of the past two weeks. They cover United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s three focus areas -Education, Income, and Basic Needs - as well as special topics that impact our community’s public policy goals.

Education

• The House Education committee heard testimony on certain education reform proposals passed by the Senate in 2011, including those governing dual enrollment and cyber schools. Learn more about the bills here.
• Jack Martin appointed Emergency Manager for Highland Park Schools. Read coverage in the Detroit Free Press.

Income

• Gov. Snyder testified before Congress regarding job creation. His recommendations include greater flexibility and outcome-orientation in the Workforce Investment Act, and immigration policies that attract international talent. Read his testimony.
• Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) releases state-by-state 2012 Assets and Opportunity Scorecard. See the scorecard.

Basic Needs

• Senate Agriculture Committee to hold hearings on Farm Bill reauthorization in February and March. See the Committee’s schedule.
• State calls on community organizations to provide free meals for children over the summer. Learn more at the state of Michigan website.

Special Topics

• President Obama delivered the State of the Union address. See the speech ▪ Read about the experts’ reactions.
• On February 9, Gov. Snyder will present his budget recommendations for FY2013 and FY2014. Read coverage from Michigan Radio.

You can see the full recap of recent public policy developments by clicking here.                                                                                                                                                         
Want to get more involved? One way you can prepare to advocate for important policy issues is by attending our upcoming webinar, “Fighting Hunger in the Federal Farm Bill.” Learn more and RSVP here.

We recently received formal evaluation results concluding that the small Detroit high schools in our Turnaround Schools network are showing “statistically significant results” in improving student attendance. While many students have been positively impacted, I would like to share a particular story about one student.

"Tia" recently ran away from home. Her mother says it’s because she doesn’t like to follow rules. Tia says it’s because her mother is abusive. Either way, Tia was on the streets at the age of 16, and she’s a student at the Academy of Public Leadership at Cody High School.

“I got a phone call from her mother telling me she hadn’t been home in three days,” says Johnathon Matthews, her principal. “When we were a large school, the only thing I could do was to call the police. (Pause) And then wait.”

That pause says it all. For just one principal -- governing 1,600 students -- there was a forlorn feeling of failure and resignation. What could one person do for all of these students when the streets were so alluring?

Now, with four small schools containing 400 students each, the principal of every school knows every kid by name, and teachers are charged with getting a group of 20 kids through all four years of high school. Sometimes, for the first time in their lives, kids like Tia have a relentless advocate in their corner.

“Because we are a small school, I knew where she was in three minutes," Johnathon said. "Some of her friends told me she was staying at a ‘trap house,’ and they knew the guy who ruled the house.”

A trap house is typically an abandoned home that has been turned into a den of illegal activity, such as gambling, drugs and sex. It’s usually run by a gang to make money and to gain power. They beckon to kids walking to and from school.   

Johnathon continued, “So Tia’s friends come into my office and call one of the kids who frequent the house. They tell him that if they don’t let Tia go, they’ll tell me where she is and I'll  have the police there within 24 hours. The guy calls back in 15 minutes and says that Tia is gone. He doesn’t know where she is, but she’s run out the back door.

“The beautiful thing is that Lynn Burdell calls me 30 minutes later and tells me that Tia is with her.”

A tireless advocate for youths, Lynn works at the amazing Don Bosco Hall, which has become the home away from home for many kids who attend the small schools at Cody.

This is why small schools work. They offer caring relationships. Kids know they can trust the adults in their school to look out for them and for their friends. They know they have a safe place to go.

Tia is back in school now. She is working to patch things up with her mother. The trap house is gone. But  there are others threatening the future of other kids every day.

The difference is that determination has replaced the "pause" in our response. Our school leaders and teachers are on the balls of their feet fighting back for every kid, regardless of the traps that surround them. Our evaluation results show that they are winning.

It's how we get better all the time.

This blog post is a reprint from "We're Better Together," a weekly newsletter, authored by Michael Tenbusch, that discusses the current state of education in metro Detroit and beyond. United Way for Southeastern Michigan distributes "We're Better Together" without charge to people with an interest in education. If you are interested in subscribing to We're Better Together, please visit www.LiveUnitedSEM.org/BetterTogether.

Ursula Adams
Director of Digital Engagement
United Way for Southeastern Michigan

Most of us can remember that one teacher who made us feel special and important while we were in school. Lauren Weber, the writer of the local blog, "Ms. Weber's Neighborhood," wrote about the impact a teacher had on her.

Lauren's teacher, "Mrs. T.," encouraged her to pursue her strengths while accepting her weaknesses.

She wrote, "Thanks, Mrs. T, for giving me the confidence I needed to uncover my passions. I will never forget you and your kindness, and hope to remember your words of wisdom when my own children feel inadequate about anything."

Over the last few months, I sent you video snippets from "Great Teachers," filmed and produced by Detroit Public Television. The film highlights the amazing teachers who work to inspire and motivate students in Detroit. If you weren't able to watch "Great Teachers" or if you just want to view it again, click here.

I look forward to sharing more stories from our Turnaround Schools in the future.

National Groundhog Job Shadow Day is coordinated locally by the United Way for Southeastern Michigan and Junior Achievement of Southeastern Michigan. The program helps kids gain greater understanding about the skills and education required for a myriad of careers.

Groups of students from 15 United Way Turnaround schools will travel to 13 participating companies (see list) including General Motors, DTE, Bank of America, eTitle, Orlans Associates and Kelly Services, to name a few. At each location they will meet with company representatives, tour facilities and engage in training exercises such as mock interviews.

“The job shadow experience for students is an excellent way to expose high school students to the work environment; to help them understand the dynamics of the modern workplace and inspire them to broaden their dreams for careers and success in life,” says Karen Kosniewski, President and CEO of
Junior Achievement of Southeastern Michigan.

Prior to visiting companies, students participate in self-assessment surveys to identify skills and narrow down possible areas of interest as well as several classroom sessions related to the job shadow experience.   

Around the country, more than a million students nationwide and 100,000 businesses are expected to participate in some type of job shadow experience. In addition to providing real-life experiences in the work world, job shadow activities increase attendance and graduation rates among high school students.

For information about National Groundhog Job Shadow Day, companies and schools can contact Cindy Bazner at (313) 962-5689,  cbazner@jamichigan.org or Nicole McKinney at (313) 408-2511 or nicole.mckinney@liveunitedsem.org.

The school food our region’s children are eating is about to taste differently from anything they’ve ever eaten before.

Last Wednesday, First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a major overhaul in the nutritional standards of school meals -- the first change of its kind in more than 15 years. The new measures, which are primarily based on recommendations made by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, are part of an effort to curb childhood obesity, which currently affects 17% of the nation’s children.

So, what do these changes mean for school meals? Does it really mean pizza is a vegetable? Well, yes and no. A bill passed in November declared that 2 tablespoons of tomato paste would be enough to categorize a slice of pizza as a vegetable, causing controversy nationwide. This new set of nutritional standards hasn’t eliminated pizza from cafeteria trays altogether, nor will potato products disappear anytime soon. But, the standards have encouraged cafeterias to serve versions of those foods with higher nutritional content. So, a school lunch under previous nutritional standards may have contained a slice of cheese pizza and tater tots, while a new lunch would serve a slice of whole-wheat cheese pizza and baked sweet potato fries.

In general, these new regulations have reduced the amount of unhealthy food options that can make it onto a child’s plate. For the first time, school meals will have calorie minimums and maximums, based on a child’s age. Kindergarteners will be served meals that must contain between 550 and 650 calories, while ninth- through twelfth-graders will be served meals containing between 450 and 600 calories. Meal programs will have to reduce sodium, saturated fats and trans fats. Only low-fat varieties of regular milk are allowed, while flavored milk has to be nonfat. As the amount of unhealthy food is reduced, these regulations also stipulate that more fruits and vegetables, as well as whole-grain options, have to be offered.

While new nutritional standards make great strides toward addressing our childhood obesity epidemic, by no means do they have all of the answers. A la carte items on lunch lines and food sold in vending machines will soon come under their own set of regulations, as required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which was signed by President Barack Obama in 2010. And, though these new regulations require a certain standard of food to be served, by no means are children required to eat these new meals. Initial reports from school districts in Los Angeles and Chicago have indicated that some children are rejecting healthy meal options in favor of less nutritional alternatives.

New nutritional standards for school meals aren’t perfect. Some say that the guidelines are overreaching and interfere in children’s lives; others say they don’t go far enough. Nevertheless, they’re a significant and long-overdue step in the right direction toward improving the quality of food served to our children on a daily basis. It might take a while for kids to get used to eating tomatoes instead of tater tots, but by making the switch to healthy choices, they have the opportunity to learn good nutritional habits that will help them eat well for a lifetime.

So, as you send your kids to school next year and new nutritional standards are put in place, take a second to ask your children what they’re eating. They may know a thing or two about healthy food.

DETROIT – GMC, together with the NFL, completed its second annual Monday Night Football Tour, with NFL cities reaping the benefits of more than 300 volunteers who built playgrounds as part of United Way’s nationwide effort to get 1.9 million more kids active and healthy by 2018.

Playgrounds were completed in Dallas, Tampa Bay, Detroit, New York City, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Boston, New Orleans and Seattle. Volunteers, including NFL players like Detroit Lions’ tight end Brandon Pettigrew, contributed more than 1,000 hours of labor.

Read the full article here.

One of the simple solutions to dramatically improving graduation rates is to ask each teacher in a high school to be an "advisor" for 20 kids for four years, guiding them from freshmen orientation in high school to freshmen orientation in college.

Oftentimes, this means that a teacher is the only one standing up for a wayward student. We all need someone like that in our lives at one time or another.

Michelle Parker, a leader at one of the small high schools at the Cody campus in Detroit, has had a first-hand experience of how powerful this is.

Michelle's sister, Tara Fuller, needed more than 40 surgeries to correct numerous life-threatening birth defects, including surgeries to her nonfunctioning kidneys. Tara's prognosis wasn't good. When she was born, doctors told her parents she wouldn't make it through the night. She did. They told her she wouldn't make it through the week, or then to the age of twelve or through school. She did all of these things. When Michelle invited her sisters on a whale-watching trip to Hawaii during Christmas break, doctors told Tara not to go. She went anyway.

Michelle said, "Nobody wanted to touch my sister. They had never seen anyone like her. They had no experience with anyone like her and didn't know what to do." There were two exceptions: Children's Hospital and Dr. Eric Ayers.

Tara spent the first four years of her life at Children's Hospital. She is now 36. And while she still needs hospitalizations and dialysis treatments three days a week, she lives a full life. Dr. Ayers is still her primary advocate. He encourages her to do things other doctors told her not to do, such as attending school, the symphony and the trip to Hawaii. "Whenever everyone else had given up on my sister, Dr. Ayers rescued her," Michelle says.

Michelle knows something about rescuing people others have given up on. She is the principal of the Academy of Medicine and Community Health at Cody in a neighborhood where many have given up on the children who reside there.

Not Michelle. She fights for her students like Dr. Ayers fights for her sister.

When the Skillman Foundation hosted its board meeting at Cody High School's campus last year, Michelle zeroed in on Dr. Herman Gray, the CEO of Children's Hospital.

She asked him to adopt her school, and he did. He became the founding chair of its Champion's Council.

He also organized a health fair at the school later that spring to expose students to the various career options in the health field. One of the doctors leading the event was none other than Dr. Eric Ayers. Dr. Gray and his team are now recruiting other partners and businesses in the health industry to help Cody students, too.

All of these people mirror the resilient and generous spirit of Tara, Michelle and Dr. Ayers, and that spirit is being passed along to the students of Medicine and Community Health.

We can accomplish things others think are impossible, but it's a lot easier when others are standing in our corner. This is why our mission is built on the caring power of people making a difference. Ordinary people do extraordinary things every day.

It's how we get better all the time.

Mike

This blog post is a reprint from "We're Better Together," a weekly newsletter, authored by Michael Tenbusch, that discusses the current state of education in metro Detroit and beyond. United Way for Southeastern Michigan distributes "We're Better Together" without charge to people with an interest in education. If you are interested in subscribing to We're Better Together, please visit www.LiveUnitedSEM.org/BetterTogether.

As the state legislature and Congress get started in 2012, many decision-makers are reviewing and reevaluating the work of the past year. Namely, Gov. Rick Snyder delivered his annual “State of the State” address last week, and President Barack Obama plans to deliver the “State of the Union” tomorrow evening. Both of these addresses provide crucial indicators of our the executive branches’ priorities for the coming year. Click the links in the full policy update to learn more about what Snyder said or and what Obama is expected to say.

Here are some highlights of the past two weeks. They cover United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s three focus areas (Education, Income, and Basic Needs) as well as more general information about the political context that United Way and its partners must navigate to achieve our public policy goals.

Education

New York Times Op-Ed: A Poverty Solution That Starts With a Hug

Income

Bloomberg: Payday Lending Is Focus of Consumer Bureau Alabama Field Hearing.

Basic Needs

• House Committee plans hearing on Feb. 9, 2012 to examine FY2013 budget projections for the department that administers EFSP. Click here for more information

Other

• Gov. Snyder plans to present state budget proposal Feb. 9, 2012.
• Governor Snyder delivered the State of the State address. Read a summary or  read some commentary
• Huffington Post: State of the Union Address 2012: Obama Speech Scheduled for Jan. 24. Click here for more information.

You can see the full recap of recent public policy developments related to Education, Income and Basic Needs by clicking here.

And don’t forget to share your perspective on current events! One way to start a discussion is by leaving a comment below.

Associate for Educational Preparedness of Early Childhood at United Way for Southeastern Michigan, Jamie Greene was raised in a home full of books. Her grandfather, James Chissell, and her parents, Anne Marie and Lawrence Greene, introduced her to charity at a young age.

After graduating from Grand Valley State University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and completing one year of law school at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, Greene decided to dedicate herself to making positive changes in Metro Detroit. With the support of her husband, John Kaniarz, she became involved in The United Way to share her love of literature with local children.

An avid reader, Greene says that she feels every child should have an opportunity to experience literature and receive the best education possible. She also says that she was shocked to learn that currently fewer than 50 percent of children enter kindergarten with adequate skills. In response, she spearheaded programs to improve this statistic. Preparing children for kindergarten requires more than basic academic skills; positive self-esteem, self-confidence, adaptability and time management skills are equally important.

Click here to continue reading this article.

This past Monday, the Volunteer Engagement department mobilized more than 1,000 volunteers for the 19th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. 

It was an exciting day, with a variety of projects. Some projects included painting murals at Harper Woods High School (one of our turnaround high schools),  asecond assembled hygiene kits for the homeless while learning about our 2-1-1 On The Go! homeless outreach service and a third group boarded up abandoned houses in the North End. 

My two favorite volunteer projects of the day were creating thank-you cards for veterans and an Arts & Scraps project, where volunteers made thank-you stickers for customers who donated to the organization. Arts & Scraps reuses industrial materials to make art kits for children. It was not the specific projects that made these two my favorites. Rather, it was the spirit of the volunteers who worked to make these projects successful.

While most of our volunteers on MLK Day were college students and professionals from various corporate groups, the volunteers for the veterans’ cards projects were families, while the Arts & Scraps volunteers were Girl Scouts. The kids had a ball!

For some, volunteering is a chore.  At the United Way for Southeastern Michigan, we are committed to engaging in meaningful projects and having fun. Mobilizing the public to volunteer can be difficult. But watching everyone jump into their projects so enthusiastically is one of the reasons I enjoy the Martin Luther King Day of Service so much. When children volunteer at a young age, and have fun in the process, they come away with a positive perception of volunteering and are more likely to become volunteers as adults.

Therefore, I leave you with one simple request: Volunteer with your son, daughter, niece or nephew. Show the children in your life how much fun volunteering can be. Let’s make volunteering America’s favorite pastime. Please click here to find a variety of volunteer opportunities.

Take action: Volunteer

Join a High School Turnaround Champions Council

In 2008, 30 schools in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties were identified as “dropout factories” or schools that had drop out rates of 40% or higher. In response, United Way of Southeastern Michigan pulled together the school districts, city leaders and philanthropic community and has committed to turning these schools around by 2018. We are already seeing great progress, but we need your help in turning these schools around. We are looking for a dozen emerging leaders to serve on the High School Champions Councils. Parents, business professionals and civic leaders meet monthly to hear from students and teachers and to review school progress. Between meetings, this group acts on priority-issue areas, such as student safety. Interested? Contact Brittany Guerriero via email at Brittany.Guerriero@liveunitedsem.org or at 313-226-9238.
Sign up to help review school performance in Detroit

We believe every child deserves a quality education. Parents, caregivers and community members deserve the best information both to choose the right schools for their children and to engage in those schools to improve them. This year, we are partnering with Excellence Schools Detroit to help them continue the important work of empowering families with reliable information about their schools. We are looking for emerging leaders, who care about education and who want to be part of a longer-term movement to create great schools in Detroit, to help conduct school site visits. To sign up, please visit click here. Want to know more? Email schoolquality@excellentschoolsdetroit.org.

Become a Leadership Next Champion

The Leadership Next Champions Council is an elite group of Leadership Next members who work within their own organization to identify emerging leaders while encouraging them to get involved through United Way on the issues they care about most. We'll provide you with guidance and help develop opportunities for you and your colleagues. In exchange, you will receive exclusive Champions-only invites to exclusive community events and opportunities. Want to know more? Contact me via email at Brittany.Guerriero@LiveUnitedSEM.org or at 313-226-9238.

Get Involved: Network

Off the Record: Hosted by State Representative Andrew J. Kandrevas

Join us at the Detroit Beer Company from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m on Monday, January 23 for an Off the Record conversation with State Representative Andrew J. Kandrevas. He is serving his second term in the Michigan House of Representatives and represents the 13th House District, which includes Southgate, Wyandotte, Riverview and Trenton. This event is designed to promote interaction between emerging and regional leaders in candid discussions that address past, present and future regional issues, solutions, shortcomings and opportunities. Space is limited so please secure your spot and rsvp here today.
Take in a Learn United tour

Do you want to learn more about the work of United Way for Southeastern Michigan? Then join us for a Learn United tour! These tours are opportunities for you to see, first-hand, how United Way for Southeastern Michigan is working to make metro Detroit one of the top five places to live and work by 2030. Tours last about 60 minutes and take place at United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s headquarters overlooking Campus Martius in downtown Detroit. For more information or to schedule a personal tour, please contact me at 313.226.9238 or Brittany.Guerriero@liveunitedsem.org.

MLK Day of Service 2012 will engage 600 corporate and community volunteers and 600 college students to support projects at more than a dozen locations across Southeast Michigan. Projects range from cleaning classrooms to assisting at food banks, to providing aid to the homeless. 

Through the partnership of the three nonprofit organizations, hundreds of volunteers will focus on projects at United Way Early Learning Communities (ELCs) in Southwest Detroit, Harper Woods and River Rouge. An extension of the United Way's efforts to create nurturing, literacy-rich environments for all children in the first few years of life, MLK Day service projects will contribute to those "hub" schools and community resource centers. Volunteers will help organize library and storage materials and paint college-inspired murals.  

Early morning rallies at both Blue Cross and Blue Shield's Bricktown Service Center Building  and U of M Dearborn will kick off MLK Day of Service 2012 before volunteers fan out across the region. Student involvement is made possible through City Year Detroit and Campus Collaborative — an intercampus partnership with U of M-Dearborn, Henry Ford Community College, Davenport, Marygrove, Madonna, Oakland Community College and Wayne State University.

Volunteer activities are coordinated through United Way’s Volunteer Services Division, which matches individuals and groups with meaningful volunteer opportunities year-round in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. To learn more about United Way’s Volunteer Center, or to get connected to individual and group volunteer opportunities year-round, contact 2-1-1or log on to www.liveunitedsem.org and click on “Volunteer.”

Youth interested in joining City Year's volunteer Corps can find application information at http://www.cityyear.org/detroit.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service 2012: Project Locations

Ann Visger Elementary School, River Rouge (map)
Belle Isle Conservancy, Detroit
Bridging Communities Southwest Detroit
Gleaners Community Food Bank, Detroit
Harper Woods High School, Harper Woods (map)
Sabbath Middle School, River Rouge (map)
The Early Learning Community at Phoenix Elementary, Southwest Detroit (map)
The Early Learning Community at The Walter White Community Resource Center, River Rouge (map)
211 On the Go! Homeless Outreach project for Veterans

The following locations offer large numbers of volunteers, diverse projects
and a variety of onsite spokespersons.

TIME / LOCATION         

The state legislature and Congress have been taking a break for the past few weeks, following a flurry of end-of-year activity. Even though there has not been any legislative activity, click through for news and reports that will be impacting policymakers’ decisions in 2012.

You can see the full recap of recent public policy developments related to Education, Income and Basic Needs by clicking here. Below are some highlights:

Education

• Eight legislators named to bipartisan Workgroup on School Quality, which was created by the charter school reform law.
• Detroit News: State school districts seek waiver to teacher evaluations: Schools want exemption from law because of existing review systems.

Income

• Obama appoints Richard Cordray to head Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
• Department of Labor announces solicitation for Workforce Innovation Fund grants.

Basic Needs

• HHS releases $845 million in additional LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program) funding to states.
• Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs: MPSC Awards Grants from Vulnerable Household Warmth Fund.
• Detroit Free Press: Drug test for welfare? Snyder's office says it's too early to tell. To read commentary, click here.

Marchionne's tenure as Campaign Chair began on January 1 and concludes on December 31, 2012.

"Chrysler Group and the United Way have nurtured a longstanding relationship built upon the shared goal of contributing meaningfully and sustainably to people and communities in need," Marchionne said. " At the center of this strategy is the belief that we are all connected and must work to advance the common good -- we all succeed when a child succeeds in school, when families are financially stable, and when people and communities are healthy."

“As this year’s Campaign Chair, Sergio Marchionne brings high-caliber thought leadership to our organization at a critical time,” said Michael J. Brennan, President and CEO, United Way for Southeastern Michigan. “Both United Way and Chrysler Group have undergone dramatic transformations in recent years. We recognize the parallel need to transform the region through our mutual commitment to furthering the work of United Way’s Agenda for Change impact areas—Education, Financial Stability and Basic Needs. We are very fortunate that Mr. Marchionne is leading the 2012 Campaign.”

About Chrysler Group’s longstanding partnership with the United Way
Chrysler Group’s longstanding partnership with the United Way is focused on three key areas critical to long-term regional success:

1. Education – that people are ready to succeed
United Way has embarked on aggressive initiative to turn around high schools so that they graduate at least 80% of their students by 2018. The goal of UWSEM’s Early Education initiative is to have 80% of children entering kindergarten ready to succeed.

2. Income – that people are financially self-sufficient and secure
United Way is increasing stability across the region by helping families become financially stable by providing pathways to jobs, financial coaching and access to benefits.

3. Basic Needs – that people are supported in times of crisis
United Way is helping to reducing hunger in target communities by connecting our region’s organizations, individu¬als and families with the information and resources needed to increase access to quality nutritional food. The organization is helping 80,000 children access three meals per day through systematically increasing utilization of child-based food programs.

By focusing on these building blocks for a better life – Education, Income and Basic Needs – we build a stronger region, and a stronger future for our state.

In 2011, through the generosity of Chrysler Group employee pledges, including UAW and CAW represented employees, more than $4.6 million was donated to United Way campaigns in the U.S. and in Canada. In addition, during the year hundreds of Chrysler Group employees volunteered thousands of hours to support United Way agencies and activities - from Pontiac to Detroit, Warren, Fraser and more communities in the state where their time and resources were needed to help others.

About Chrysler Group LLC
Chrysler Group LLC, formed in 2009 to establish a global strategic alliance with Fiat S.p.A., produces Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Mopar, SRT and Fiat vehicles and products. With the resources, technology and worldwide distribution network required to compete on a global scale, the alliance builds on Chrysler Group’s culture of innovation, first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925, and Fiat’s complementary technology that dates back to its founding in 1899.

Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich., Chrysler Group’s product lineup features some of the world's most recognizable vehicles, including the Chrysler 300 and Town & Country, Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Durango, Ram 1500, Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 and Fiat 500. Fiat contributes world-class technology, platforms and powertrains for small- and medium-size cars, allowing Chrysler Group to offer an expanded product line including environmentally friendly vehicles.

“Excuse me, where is the soap?”

This question, asked by a college student, was followed by, “Or the paper towel, or the toilet paper?”

As I rinsed my hands in the bathroom sink, I contemplated my answer. I quickly realized there was no short explanation. This college student, who had come to volunteer her time on MLK Day at this local high school, was about to get a 45-minute dissertation on educational inequality. She was appalled that these students were not even getting their basic needs met; but that's just the beginning. After I shared with her the persistent struggles plaguing our local schools, she began to realize what her time volunteering meant to this school and its students.

On that very day, United Way volunteers were creating the school's only library. They were installing hard wood floors and stacking books onto shelves. High School students worked alongside, creating a safe space for educational achievement. We painted the walls of an unused storage room to become a meeting place for a book club. We did all of this in one day.

When I picture Dr. King's vision, this is what I see: People working side-by-side in an effort to make our communities stronger, and in essence, our nation healthier. The year, MLK Day takes place Monday, January 16. It's more than a day off of work. It's a time to reflect on King's ideals and hopes for equality for everyone, regardless of race or socioeconomic status. I invite you to live that day fully by embracing Dr. King’s Dream. Find out how you can impact others, and more importantly, find out how those you help impact you.

There are several ways to get involved. For information, visit www.liveunitedsem.org/2012mlkday-cyd.

Over the past week, I read a story to my children that my mom read to me on Christmas nearly 30 years ago. The book's ending had me in stitches as a kid, but in tears as a grown man. The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever tells the tale of the Herdman kids, six unruly kids with a mischievous cruel streak in them. Their father jumped on a train and never came back when they were young, and their mother worked two jobs, leaving them to fend for themselves. No teacher ever flunked a Herdman, regardless of whether the child learned or not, because no teacher wanted a Herdman two years in a row.

When the Herdmans decide to audition for the school's Christmas pageant -- despite the fact that they have never heard the Nativity story before -- no one else tries out for fear of getting beaten up by one of them. As a result, the six siblings get all the best parts as Mary, Joseph, the Angel and the three Wise Men. They play those parts with all their heart, in both awe and anger at the facts surrounding Christ's birth.

At the end of the story, the three Wise Men are supposed to bring gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the infant Jesus. But that seems like such an insult to the Herdmans. Why were the so-called Wise Men so cheap that they just gave him some oils? That just wouldn't do. Instead, Claude, Leroy and Ollie Herdman give just one gift to the baby Jesus: a ham. It was that ham that the church's charitable works committee had given to their family so that they could have a decent Christmas dinner.

Reading this scene to my kids overwhelmed me. My sense of wonder at such a selfless gift was matched by my own sense of shame for what a self-focused life I can lead.

My wife, kids and I had just finished discussing and writing down our vision and hopes for 2012. Mine were typical. I want to get in better shape and be better at work and at home. At the core, all of my resolutions were about me. 

As I tried to read aloud the final scene in the story, all I could think about was Kmone, a student I met at one of our turnaround high schools whose life story is very much like the Herdmans'.

We met two years ago, and I was shocked by his pained perception of the world and his resilient spirit despite that. He has been on my heart a lot since then, but  I have never taken the time to tell him that or to spend time with him at all. I've been way too busy taking care of myself and my own. I know I can be better than that.

And so this year, I resolve to give away my Christmas ham. For me, that means to reach out to Kmone and spend time with him. I don't know where it will lead, but I have a strong sense that it's what I'm supposed to do.

If you have a similar sense about how to use your talents to help others and give back, please let me know. We have lots of opportunities for caring adults to help forge the success of the next generation, ranging in time commitments from a couple hours each year to a couple of times each week. What we need are more caring adults to jump in. If this is you, please let me know.  There is joy to be found in the journey together.

It’s how we get better all the time.

Mike

This blog post is a reprint from "We're Better Together," a weekly newsletter, authored by Michael Tenbusch, that discusses the current state of education in metro Detroit and beyond. United Way for Southeastern Michigan distributes "We're Better Together" without charge to people with an interest in education. If you are interested in subscribing to We're Better Together, please visit www.LiveUnitedSEM.org/BetterTogether.

Throughout the past year I have contacted you numerous times asking for your support. Whether it was to sign a petition, share your story, watch a video or sign up for a volunteer event – it was all in support of United Way’s commitment to bringing long-term solutions to root causes of our community’s major problems: hunger, illiteracy and poverty.

I am writing to you today to ask for your continued support.

In the last year, the generous support of our donors and volunteers has helped people in need gain their footing and pull out of the cycle of poverty.  For example:

    * Five historically low-performing high schools saw a 25% decrease in chronic absenteeism after one year, putting them on track to achieve higher graduation rates.
    * More than 1,100 individuals and families have increased their net income and credit scores by working with financial coaches.
    * An additional 19 million meals went to serve the hungry over the past year in food banks, client choice pantries and school food programs.

I believe in the work of United Way and our volunteers! That is why I have continued to work for this organization for over ten years now. But I don’t just talk the talk – I walk the walk. My husband, Bryan, and I are donors too. For over a decade we have given a portion of our combined family income back to United Way to ensure that kids graduate from school (our daughter graduated from one of the Turnaround schools last year!), that our neighbors have enough to eat and that local families have stable income to help them out of the cycle of poverty.

Please consider Walking the Walk with me today! Make a special year-end gift to United Way today.
Double your impact!

Every gift to United Way is special, but yours can be TWICE AS SPECIAL! As part of the GM Foundation’s efforts to strengthen our community, it will match your gift, dollar for dollar, up to $100,000 until December 31, 2011.

One of the world's largest auto manufacturers with headquarters in Michigan, General Motors and the General Motors Foundation has a longstanding commitment to improving the lives in Detroit and communities across the nation.

GIVE NOW at www.LiveUnitedSEM.org/DoubleMyImpact.

It’s hard to believe that I actually live in Detroit again and that this year I’ll be home – for good - for Christmas. In less than three weeks I’ve left my job as the Director of Young People For (YP4) in Washington, DC (where I lived for nearly 6 years), moved into a new house (and to a new city), and began a job as the Senior Director for Engagement at the United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

As a native Detroiter, my heart has always been in the Motor City. Not only has my heart been here, but my entire family and roots are here, including my 10 nieces and nephews who have inspired me to pursue a career in public service and community change.

In the years since I’ve been gone, so much about the city has changed. As a student at the Detroit High School for the Fine & Performing Arts (now the Detroit School of Arts) my twin sister Racheal and I would catch the bus to school every morning  right near the current United Way office. Comprised of boarded up, vacant buildings, downtown Detroit was virtually nonexistent. Now ten years later, not only are those buildings filled with luxury apartments and upscale restaurants, but downtown is thriving.

While a lot has changed downtown, I wish I could say the same about the rest of the city. From staggering unemployment, illiteracy, and poverty rates to the financial crisis gripping the city, it’s hard to imagine things getting much worse. Where others see hopelessness, I see opportunity and with the current state of Michigan’s economy, the importance of the United Way’s work in southeastern Michigan is more important now than ever before. While I loved working on national issues, I could no longer watch my family struggle with poverty, unemployment, and homelessness from a distance. Being back home is also about helping thousands of other families and I couldn’t think of a better organization to allow me to do that work.

As the Senior Director for Engagement I’ll be helping to better connect the United Way’s work on education, jobs, and basic needs (such as food and housing) to the broader community and we’ll need your help to do so. I’d love to hear from you about how we can make our work better and work together (follow me on Twitter at @RMTintheD to join the conversation).

With Christmas just days away, I’ll be challenging myself to Live United in the New Year. That means thinking about we before me by volunteering with a local organization in my community and mentoring a young person at one of our turnaround schools.

How will you Live United in 2012?

Let us know and hopefully you’ll inspire others to follow.

Last week, Time magazine ran a cover story on how the Detroit 3 began making great cars again. Isn't the same possible in our schools?

Just three years ago, the leaders of GM, Ford and Chrysler went to DC, hat in hand, as their banking peers did months earlier. But, unlike their peers, the Detroit 3 received a humiliating response in front of a captivated national TV audience. The demise of the auto industry seemed imminent as tens of thousands of our family members, neighbors and friends were laid off in the following months. We had been knocked down, and it looked like we were incapable of getting back up.

But one only has to look around on a crowded street to see that the Detroit 3 have made a miraculous comeback. Tough and elegant American-made cars are ubiquitous.

What lessons from the automotive industry's turnaround can we apply to education?

1. Let leaders lead. Mark Reuss is GM's Brady Hoke. His players want to play for him, and his words resonate with conviction. Alan Mullaly at Ford is like TV's Matlock, always affable and upbeat, but with a unique wisdom and determination that lets his team know they will triumph through every trial. And Time magazine captured Sergio Marchionne and his impact at Chrysler. These leaders are vastly different, but successful still.

We have the same types of leaders in our schools - folks with vastly different backgrounds and perspectives, but all with a passion to make their kids and schools great. Let's let them.

2. We've got to get small to get bigger. GM has been losing market share in North America for decades and reversed that trend over the last year. I'll never forget the pain and determination in Mark Reuss's voice after visiting the small schools at Cody: "We know what it means to get smaller, and it's what made us better."

The time of large, autonomous high schools in urban education has passed. There's a reason why the small schools at Cody and Osborn are two of the only campuses in Detroit Public Schools to have growing enrollment in the last two years. It's the same reason why no charter school in America has tried to build a large high school in an urban setting. Kids want to go to school where somebody knows their name.

Make a plan and stick to it. What was Ford thinking when they put the blue oval up as collateral to borrow money before the financial meltdown? When GM announced in 2008 that they would launch the Volt by 2011, it was panned as a "moonshot" by the Wall Street Journal.

In both instances, leadership had a bold vision and kept after it - even when the odds seemed stacked against them.

In counting our blessings this holiday season, let's keep in mind the great men and women who are making great cars and helping to make Michigan great again. As we go forward in 2012, let's start with the conviction that we can do the same in education.

It's how we are getting better all the time.

This blog post is a reprint from "We're Better Together," a weekly newsletter, authored by Michael Tenbusch, that discusses the current state of education in metro Detroit and beyond. United Way for Southeastern Michigan distributes "We're Better Together" without charge to people with an interest in education. If you are interested in subscribing to We're Better Together, please visit www.LiveUnitedSEM.org/BetterTogether.

DETROIT – The General Motors Foundation today announced that it will match up to $100,000, dollar for dollar, in donations to United Way for Southeastern Michigan by Dec. 31, 2011. To give, visit: www.LiveUnitedSEM.org/DoubleYourGift.

“One of the most important challenges in our community today is the education of our young people – ensuring that kids enter kindergarten ready to learn and that at the very least they obtain a high school degree,” said Michael J. Brennan, president and CEO of United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

“A year ago, we received unprecedented grant funding from the GM Foundation to establish a ‘Networks of Excellence’ initiative that supports seven turnaround high schools in the region and the development of Early Learning Communities in each of those schools,” Brennan said.

Early indicators show the model is succeeding in reducing chronic absences and improving graduation rates.

“But there is so much more left to be done and we are grateful that the GM Foundation is giving United Way another boost through its generous year-end match program,” Brennan said.  

“Whether United Way receives $50 or $5,000, every dollar matters. The GM Foundation’s match is intended to inspire individual, community and corporate donors to double the value of their gift to United Way between now and the end of the year,” said GM Foundation President Vivian Pickard.

"Our commitment to match grants from the community will help enable the United Way to bolster education and other programs to bring a better quality of life to those in need,” she said.

About the General Motors Foundation
Since its inception in 1976, the General Motors Foundation has helped to strengthen communities across the United States through investments in Education, Health/Human Services, Environment/Energy and Community Development.  Over the past ten years, the foundation has donated more than $350 million to send students to college, educate parents on how to keep children safe in and around vehicles, promote diversity and support vital non-profit organizations.  For more information, please visit www.gm.com/gmfoundation.

About General Motors
General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets.  GM’s brands include Chevrolet and Cadillac, as well as Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

About United Way for Southeastern Michigan
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.LiveUnitedSEM.org.

Sometimes, having a job is not enough. Underemployment and low wages leave families at risk because they cannot cover the expenses for basic needs, such as food. This was the case for Martha, a Detroit resident, born and raised on the southwest side of the city.

Years ago, Martha found herself out of work after she was injured on the job. After a period of time, she was unable to recover and was subsequently fired. While she sought work at various agencies, she applied for food stamps and financial assistance. She ended up landing a part-time transportation job. Part-time work, however, did not cover all of her expenses.

But that doesn’t stop Martha from helping others. She doesn’t have a lot of money, but she will offer laundry money to families, and has even taken home dirty clothes to wash for families in need.

    “There are still days when we don’t have enough, but we can make it stretch,” she said. “Some people don’t have that option.”

Despite her struggles, Martha continues to see the positive, knowing that by seeking help, she is now able to help others. And she does so with compassion. She knows that it takes a community to improve the critical needs of Michigan’s residents.

    “No matter what little bit we give… it can help somebody out a lot.”

As the holidays near and the temperature drops, the need for essentials is even greater, but YOUR support can help people like Martha. Please, donate now, and help ensure that your neighbors have enough food to eat.

The success of your neighbors is a success for your community.

Double your impact!

The GM Foundation has agreed to match your online gift, dollar-for-dollar - up to a total of $100,000, through the end of this year. General Motors is a great car and truck manufacturer with a long history of outstanding corporate citizenship. They believe in our community and they believe in giving back to our community.

Let them know you believe too: GIVE NOW at www.LiveUnitedSEM.org/DoubleYourGift.