This is what it feels like to find your voice.
Detroit’s strength has always been its muscle. In the big family of cities, we have always been the hellion, the rebellious child who came late to the party with a beer in his hand with enough charm to get away with it, and with a reputation for throwing a punch when the charm didn’t work. Read More »
Living united means respecting one another. Living united means loving one another. We live united through appreciating one another. We truly hope that you all will join our mission to make a statement that resonates throughout the world. No matter your religion, gender, or socio-economic class, we ask that you help i-appreciate.org stand up for what is right and against what is wrong.
To learn more, please visit our website: http://www.i-appreciate.org, our Twitter: http://twitter.com/iappreciateorg, our Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/iappreciateorg, or our Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/iappreciateorg.
We would love to explain more of what we’re about, please contact our Media Outreach Coordinator Mary at mary@i-appreciate.org or 313-300-5946. Or, feel free to contact me at muhi@i-appreciate.org, or our President/CEO, Altamash Iftikhar, at altamash@i-appreciate.org
Thank you very much for listening about our cause.
Sincerely Yours,
Abdullateef Muhiuddin (Muhi)
President of Marketing & Research
i-appreciate.org
Today I decided this year will officially and drastically different from the last. I've always felt driven to do more...like I was fully capable of making a difference but never knew which direction to in-so I went nowhere. I had ideas but always put off contacting anyone who could help me to "tomorrow". I let my job, single parenting, and school become an excuse. Then I finished my undergrad program, had a marketing degree in hand and one less excuse (school) on my lips. When I looked for volunteer opportunities I was told by family, "remember you have a kid to take care of". I was encouraged to not worry about anything outside of the mundane, repetitive existance they found a comforting for themselves. But I know that's not me. I don't want to live for the sake of existing. I don't want to work soley to keep my bills paid. I don't want to succeed for the sake of putting a smile on my own face. I don't want to focus so much on what I have to do today, that I forget all of the things I want to do that keep getting pushed off to tomorrow, then tomorrow's tomorrow.
Today, I decided I'm done taking tomorrow for granted. I may not be blessed with that "tomorrow" that I lazily profess I'll get things done in. Why wait? Procrasctination is the biggest and hardest barrier to overcome between myself and my future and it's frustrating to know that I put it there in my own way. I'm not sure how I can get out of the lazy mindset I've dragged around other than to FULLY submerge myself in activities. I sent out so many inquiries for volunteer opportunities today that United Way's website began stopping me after each submission "are you sure you're only rewuesting information only on things that really interest you?". YES!!!! I feel particularly drawn to programs to raise awareness of cancer and HIV/AIDS and help those suffering from them. It's strange to me because I've never known anyone personally that has struggled with those issues, nor have I had any personal scares. Maybe I'm sensitive to the suffering of people still holding on to faith that a cure will be found in their lifetime. I can't imagine their daily mental/physical struggles and my heart bleeds for them but is in awe of their strenth and endurance. While I felt this crazy impulse to get info on everything I saw in my area related to that, I also applied to anything related to helping those with no insurance as well. I'm throwing so much bait out there in every direction that something HAS to bite. That's all I need...one bite! And thus my stamina will start to regenergate itself from the ugly dormant state if fell into. I want to start preping for going back to school for my MHSA. I think I have found my calling and I don't want to leave it on "call-waiting" until the opportunity to pursue it "hangs up" on me. I feel so inspired to get on track and start making a difference. I can't until I can tell everyone who says I can't do it because I'm a struggling single-parent "I told you so" AND that moment when my 3yr old is older and I can tell him "Joe Joe, anything is possible, I know that personally...the world is waiting for you! Your gifts are not for you, but those around you..."
Megan Allen
Go start you "tomorrow" today!!God is so good!
I am going to volunteer on Martin Luther King Day, you should too! This is how I live united.
I read an article this morning that’s been passed around Twitter since it was published, about how the number of first-time homeless people are soaring in metro Detroit. Below are the main points quoted from the Detroit Free Press (full article here):
- The number of people who say they are homeless for the first time is increasing in metro Detroit, spurred by unemployment and foreclosures, experts say.
- In Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties, advocates say people who are homeless for the first-time make up 20% to 40% of those seeking services, out of more than 10,000 homeless people in metro Detroit.
- Jason Weller, executive director of the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness, said estimates for 2009 are expected to increase by at least 10%.
With all the contributing factors that define a “poor economy”, many people who until now thought their basic needs were a given, are forced to rely on the help of others to sustain themselves and their families.
“...many who previously had jobs, cars and homes -- are straining already crowded shelters, having worn out their welcome with family and friends, and are unable to come up with money for motel rooms or gas for their cars.”
No matter what kind of work you're involved in, it is important- now more than ever - for nonprofits and individuals to be capacity-builders. We need to daily consider how we can make deposits into other people’s work and lives, and help them do what they do better. We need to be willing to shift gears, take risks, and respond to the growing need in new ways.
GIVE
Build capacity through a financial gift to a family or organization you trust.
ADVOCATE
Identify one person who could use a boost and advocate for his needs within your personal and professional networks.
VOLUNTEER
While money can be a quick and necessary fix, giving of the intangibles (our time, our priorities, our strengths, our personal space) has the power to plant seeds that will bear lasting fruit in people’s lives. Consider who you are as an individual and what you bring to the table, then block out some time to give it away (seriously, put it on the calendar). If you’re not sure where to volunteer, find out who needs an extra set of hands in your area: www.volunteersolutions.org/uwsem
John Azoni assists in working on solutions to homelessness in Detroit through United Way for Southeastern Michigan's 2-1-1 service. For more information, check out http://uwsem.org/211, or follow @UnitedWayJohn on Twitter.
Food's a big deal in metro Detroit - a BIG deal. In fact, 1 in 5 children live in a household where it is not known where they will find their next meal. And the situation is only going to get worse as our economy continues to tumble in metro Detroit.
In the coming months you'll hear a lot more from United Way about this issue and what it is we can all do to make sure that everyone has enough to eat.
Mike Schmitt is doing something about the food problem in metro Detroit. Mike leads Elevate Ministries, a group that brings together different churches and organizations to help college students and young adults make a difference in their church and community. Click here to read about Mike and Elevate's work through Mike's own words.
So on Monday, October 19th, IBM had a project at Grace Centers of Hope, which is an awesome organization that we do a lot of projects with (check them out on our website if you want some more information about them - www.volunteersolutions.org/uwsem/volunteer!) and it couldn't have gone any better!
The volunteers did such an amazing job! They painted one of the classrooms and an entire hallway...you should see how bright and inviting it looks! It really made a difference. Between the six volunteers, they generated 48 hours of service, which gave $972 back to the Baldwin Center and its surrounding community! How cool is that?! This just goes to show that individuals CAN make a difference, and you don't need a large group of people to change the world :]
Another shout out I need to give is to the agencies that participated for Make a Difference Day – they were PHENOMENAL! Thanks to: Accounting Aid Society, Baldwin Center, Beyond Basics, Grace Centers of Hope, Greening of Detroit, Lighthouse Path, Looking for My Sister, Oakland Livingston Human Service Association (OLSHA), Salvation Army Echo Grove Camp and Stanford House!!
Lastly, the volunteers got SO much work done at 10 different project sites. The coolest thing though is the impact of the volunteer hours that we all gave. There were 242 volunteers, and through those volunteers, 726 hours of service were generated…which gave over $14,000 back to our local communities! And what you maybe didn’t know was that it wasn’t just HFCC and UMD that had volunteers participate…it was also Schoolcraft College, Oakland University and Oakland Community College! As a fellow college student from UMD, I really want to thank all of you that participated this year! You each made a HUGE impact in our communities and I couldn’t be more proud to be a student volunteer…you guys ROCK and I hope to see you all out on MLK Day in January!
Click here for part one of the Digital meet 'n' greet
Since I'll be the one taking you on this digital meet 'n' greet tour of United Way, maybe I should tell you a little about me first. My name is Ursula Adams and I'm the United Way for Southeastern Michigan webmaster. You can call me the Digital Diva.
Read More »
In my role as webmaster at United Way, I review every piece of electronic communication that comes to us via the website. If you fill out one of our contact forms, or make a donation, or comment on a blog post, or sign up for a newsletter or send a letter to your Senator using our online tools, I see it.
I monitor all the conversations that are taking place on the web about our organization as well. If there's a blog post, or comment on a news story, or a Tweet about United Way, chances are, I see that too.
It's one of my favorite, and least favorite, parts of my job.
It's my favorite because, admittedly, I'm nosey. I just like knowing what's going on. But, more than that, I love connecting with those that care enough about the work this organization and its volunteers are doing to drop us an email or make a donation or write about their experience with us online. I believe in the good work of United Way and I like to meet like-minded folks.
But then there are the naysayers and they make this part of my job so very unpleasant.
I had many friends running the marathon and they stated how helpful it was to have people cheering and shouting words of encouragement. When the runners were tired someone was there to propel them forward with a simple act such as clapping and cheering. I wanted to share with anyone reading this that it does matter and it is helpful to others that we showed up. We cared! It was a wonderful time and I look forward to volunteering with United Way in the future.
It can be challenging for parents to get their kids to activities, even when the activities are good ones. Kids miss practice for all sorts of reasons: music lessons, math tutoring, lack of transportation, and the list can goes on. And yet, thousands of kids show up for Think Detroit PAL practices and games, day in, day out, every year.
One of those kids is Dalson. Read More »
Please help me to fundraise.
Sincerely,
Fedcmi
"On that Friday in January, those private questions would be answered in an unusually public way. No one knew it, but the fiddler standing against a bare wall outside the Metro in an indoor arcade at the top of the escalators was one of the finest classical musicians in the world, playing some of the most elegant music ever written on one of the most valuable violins ever made. His performance was arranged by The Washington Post as an experiment in context, perception and priorities -- as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste: In a banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?" (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html)
For just about every one of the hundreds of people who walked by that morning, Bell was just another wanderer - another part of the DC landscape. The most interesting part of the story for me was the contrast of privilege versus ordinary depending on the context.
"Three days before he appeared at the Metro station, Bell had filled the house at Boston's stately Symphony Hall, where merely pretty good seats went for $100. Two weeks later, at the Music Center at Strathmore, in North Bethesda, he would play to a standing-room-only audience so respectful of his artistry that they stifled their coughs until the silence between movements."
When you place a world famous musician in a setting you'd expect to see such an artist perform, his work becomes a privilege to behold - one worthy of dropping hundreds of dollars to witness. Take that same person and place him on a street corner, even with a $3 million violin (literally), and he is quickly lumped together with the guy playing Michael Jackson covers on a dirty saxophone. I don't think this is necessarily a bad or unheard of thing. It's the human condition. As much as we say we don't judge, we do. I've met some pretty interesting people who are currently or formerly homeless. These same people have seen more pain than I can imagine, and overcome more struggles than I could withstand. I see very talented people who can't catch a break because no employer sees them as anything more than someone they can get to push a broom around for minimum wages. Restaurants pay them less than minimum wage under the table with the notion that "they should be greatful to even be working."
The funny thing is, they could probably run circles around us in some areas, but we lump them together with a whole population of people we view as "lazy" and worthy of little more than our second-hand clothes and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. If we were to just stop and listen, as only a handful of people did when Joshua Bell played for them for free, we might behold an incredible and irreplacable gift.
If you watch the video in the link to the article above, you'll notice at the end of it one point of redemption. One girl recognizes what's before her. She had seen Bell play not long before, and couldn't believe her eyes (and ears) that he was offering such an incredible gift. Bell wasn't out to receive any glory in this experiment, nor do I think he was offended when people didn't recognize him, but I bet it was interesting to play the part of the meek shaming the prideful, watching quietly as the notes he played fell on deaf ears to all but one.
There are these home videos floating around my parents’ house of my sister and I dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” in the basement of our old house when I was about 2. Even at a young age I was pretty captivated by Michael’s music. My Moonwalk skills developed later in life though, as in about 5 months ago. Nick and I would practice our Moonwalk while waiting for a meeting to start, dancing around the conference table while nobody was looking. This was before Michael’s death though; allow me to make that distinction. Because apparently any interest in Michael Jackson post-death is considered “predictable” (insert winky face).
But I was amazed the day after the new spread about Michael’s death how many people were paying tribute to his music in the streets. I’ve never seen anything like it. I saw more than one person with a saxophone running down a playlist of songs off Thriller with an open instrument case for donations. Restaurants were playing “Billie Jean”, and I heard "Rock With You" blasting into the streets from Hard Rock Cafe.
But what’s even more compelling is the level of remorse for this celebrity; someone whose fame was sustained by some very disturbing controversy, rather than any recent display of his talent. I love what Water1st.org had to say about it on Twitter (Follow @water1st)
“Sad day yesterday. Michael Jackson & Farrah Fawcett passed. And 10,000 children died from preventable waterborne diseases.”
As I spend time mentoring kids in the inner city outside of work, I notice that they’re quick to rattle off Chris Brown’s next court date, but have little clue about issues that matter. It makes me wonder if America is indifferent, or just distracted. Do we really not care that there are people out there that are desperate for a miracle…forced to choose between a bug-infested shelter bed and the hard cement, or are we just buried beneath all the noise? If the homeless got as much attention on Twitter during the week of Michael Jackson’s death as he did, I wonder how many people’s prayers from the park bench would have been answered.
Homeless people die every day for various reasons, but the most disturbing is when they die because the system failed to properly support them. While we’re busy drooling over celebrity gossip, real life is happening, and real life is being lost.
So my challenge is this: Make a habit of shutting out the noise. Spend time with real people, in real life. Make it your default activity to meet the needs of others, rather than sitting in front of the TV cheering on your favorite American Idol contestant. Better yet, find out who in your neighborhood has a killer voice, and encourage them! Michael Jackson was great, but the need is greater.
Let’s put real issues in the Facebook News Feed. And if you need a little inspiration, check out LiveUnitedSEM.org.
Posts