Posts in the category How I Live United

Imported from Detroit

Mike Tenbusch — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 14:23:08 EST

If you haven't seen the Chrysler commercial about Detroit, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKL254Y_jtc

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.

Southwest Detroit and all low income communities

Unknown user — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 12:25:00 EST

I run Latino Family services in Southwest Detroit and all though are organization is run by
Latinos' we help everyone in need. We are touching base with Mittens who is a new organization offering mittens to adults and children. We have after school program and all these children are affected by the needs in their family We have a pantry that distributes food On Wednesday for the needy. Our need has increased 40%. Winter is close so now you have your construction workers out of work , You have your landscaping worker out of work and this area is in major need of help, The west coast has its need but it is not cold, IT is i could out this way so the need is in greater numbers. They are pulling our grants, they are trying to close down our avenues of support . We need to speak up and help with what ever we can .
I have a voice and will be heard , DO YOU. ????????????????

Helping those in need.

Unknown user — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:13:27 EDT

There are som many people who are affected by the war, the economy, the changes, and even the weather. They need our help. So many people are in a position to help their fellow neighbors and being apart of the solution and not the problem is a way to make change. So be apart of helping and give to those who need your help.

Double SNAP!

Carrie Leach, Public Policy Associate UWSEM — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:09:53 EDT

We learned at one of the Town Halls last week that SNAP benefits are worth double the value at farmers markets at Eastern Market! Spread the word.

Watching a Dream Come to Life

Judy Muhn — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 16:31:46 EDT

There are times, sometimes rarer than we'd like, when we have the privilege to witness our own or someone else’s dream come to life. I had that privilege on Friday morning in Macomb County.

It was the opening of a new client choice pantry. A client choice pantry is one that looks very much like a grocery store, and families that use these types of food pantries have the chance to chose their food, rather than receive a box that is pre-stocked with standard foods. There is little variation or customization in a typical food pantry's box, but a client choice pantry allows for family dietary and cultural variations such as families who prefer rice over potatoes. This particular location is the first client choice pantry in Macomb County.

Engaging local officials

Carrie Leach, Public Policy Associate UWSEM — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:19:27 EDT

United Way for Southeastern Michigan is hosting two town halls in Metro Detroit. The first town hall meeting was June 10th at the Butzel Family Center in Detroit. The second is Thursday June 17th at St. Luke AME Church in Highland Park.

These events focus on food insecurity and hunger in Southeastern Michigan. ST. Luke AME Church lies within the boundaries of Congressional District 14, which has the 11th highest rate of food insecurity in the nation and the Butzel Family Center is located in Congressional District 13, which has the 27th highest rate of food insecurity in the nation, out of 236 Congressional Districts.

The purpose of the town halls is to provide a forum for community members to share their stories with a “listening panel” about how food insecurity has affected their families and ask questions of current elected officials and local service providers. Feel free to join us!

"Business Is Booming"

Carrie Leach, Public Policy Associate UWSEM — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:25:48 EDT

Sunday, March 6th began the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference in Washington, DC. The opening breakfast and plenary housed a packed room with over 500 employees, volunteers, fellows, and execs from 45 states and a wide-ranging variety of organizations fighting tirelessly to "End Hunger by 2015."

Over the course of three days workshops and training programs provided in-depth knowledge and training on communications, advocacy strategies, research, data use, child nutrition, programs, legislative discussions, capacity building and information on SNAP, and CACFP, to name a few. Luncheons included speakers like Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who spoke to the importance of Hill visits and the work that the organizations were doing to help Americans win the war against hunger.

Carrie Leach
carrie.leach@liveunitedsem.org

In Detroit: Kindergarten = Crowd Control

Annemarie — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 21:01:47 EST

My son, Tommy, is 5 and in kindergarten at Monteith School in the Grosse Pointe School District. This week, I learned that the School Board approved all day kindergarten for all students, beginning in 2010-2011. That's a good thing - studies show that all day kindergarten improves academic outcomes for students beyond kindergarten. Grosse Pointe Schools isn't perfect, but it does provide a quality learning experience for children. Tommy is in a class with 22 other children. His teacher, Mrs. DiVirgil has an aide, Mrs. Farnsworth, who supports the classroom throughout most of the day. The children follow high curriculum standards (Tommy can count to 100 by 2!), time for play, specials (library, art, gym, music) and access to high quality learning materials.

Contrast that with the Detroit Public Schools. In the same week that I learned about GPS, I also heard from several DPS kindergarten teachers about the status of kindergarten in Detroit:

"I have 30 students in my classroom"
"We have no aides/staff support"
"Children are coming to class without the knowledge how to hold a pencil or a book"
"Parents are uninvolved"
"I had a student show up one day, then not show up again until 60+ days later"
"One child the other day hit another child in the head with a chair"
"I can tell the difference between a child that went to preschool and a child that didn't"
"All we can do is crowd control, forget about actually supporting children's learning"

My purpose in sharing is not to say that DPS is awful, Detroit parents are bad, or that Detroit is bad. Grosse Pointe and Detroit share a common boundary, but they might as well be on different planets. What also struck me is that for those of us on the mission of improving educational outcomes for chlidren, we must understand the reality. We must also shift our priorities. Early childhood education is the foundation. We are wasting time and money on high school graduation if we are ignoring the learning environment that our young children are in. I applaud the focus on improving reading outcomes, but volunteers reading to students a couple of hours a week will not have a long term impact, so long as we have ill prepared teachers, overcrowded classrooms and low quality environments. We invest significant financial and management resources to address graduation rates. Kindergarten and early education need the same sort of substantive solutions. It's the only way to achieve what we all want - children to become successful adults contributing to a vibrant and healthy society.

Join the Cause

Muhi — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:35:02 EST

Based out of the western suburbs of Chicago, i-appreciate.org was formed as a non-profit organization to make a difference in the world. i-appreciate.org intends to bring the topic of domestic violence to public consciousness through activeness in the community and the selling of specifically designed anti-domestic violence t-shirts. All the proceeds from the sale of our shirts are used towards numerous services for women and children affected by domestic violence. It is our sincere hope that everyone will wear the shirts with pride and abide by what the shirts represent. These shirts are an affirmation of tolerance and respect towards one another. It is not our only goal to raise money and awareness for survivors of domestic violence, but it is our sincere hope that this organization will start a social movement.

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

Michigan Realized $1 BILLION in Savings Through Early Childhood Education

Annemarie — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:49:50 EST

Investments in school readiness over the past 25 years helped Michigan realize cost savings and revenue of $1.15 billion, according to the Wilder Research Study, "Cost savings analysis of school readiness in Michigan," commissioned by Early Childhood Investment Corporation.

Where did we see those savings? In K-12 Education ($221 million), Reduced Govt Spending and Increased Tax Revenues ($594 million), and Reduced Social Costs to Public ($347 million).

An estimated 80,000 adults, ages 18-29, are in the labor force today are high school graduates who likely would have dropped out of school if not for Michigan's investment in early childhood education. The estimated economic impact is $1.3 billion annually, including the $584 million in reduced govt spending and increased tax revenues and $700 million in additional wages they have generated.

Let's continue to realize costs savings and increased revenue in Michigan. We must maintain and increase public and private investments in early childhood programs that work - including preschool (Head Start and Great Start Readiness Programs) and child care quality improvement initiatives, like QRIS and United Way's Early Learning Communities program.

Panera Bread Promotes Early Childhood Education in Metro Detroit

Annemarie — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 08:40:24 EST

Panera Bread is supporting United Way for Southeastern Michigan's Early Learning Communities program by hosting FREE Family Fun Days on the second Saturday of each month during the school year.

From 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. on select dates, children will participate in educational crafts and reading activities. While the children play, parents will have the opportunity to learn about the Early Learning Communities program and how to best prepare children for school. The events are open to all ages.

The Early Learning Communities is a network of neighborhood-based hubs providing free training and resources to parents and caregivers of children aged birth to five. Research shows that the first three years of life are critical to a child’s ultimate success in school and in life, making it an important time to intervene to guarantee long-term achievement. The Early Learning Communities was started to ensure that all children enter kindergarten ready to succeed.

United Way for Southeastern Michigan is Panera Bread’s Operation Dough-Nation® partner in metro Detroit. For all donations made to Panera’s Community Breadbox, located near the registers, Panera matches a portion back to UWSEM.

Panera Family Fun Day dates and locations:

Feb. 13 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Panera location:

Rochester Hills, 2508 S. Adams Rd.

March 13 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Panera location:

Southgate, 13665 Eureka Rd.

April 10 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Panera locations:

Dearborn Heights, 26580 Ford Rd.

Sterling Heights, 36808 Van Dyke Ave.

Livonia, 37091 Six Mile Rd.

Farmington Hills, 37611 Twelve Mile Rd.

Allen Park, 3112 Fairlane Dr.

May 8 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Panera location:

Roseville, 31960 Gratiot Ave.

June 12 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Panera location:

Southfield, 23719 Greenfield Rd. (between 9½ Mile and Greenfield, located in a shopping plaza)

Sept. 11 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Panera locations:

Woodhaven, 23061 Allen Rd.

Troy, 823 East Big Beaver Rd. (located in the Troy Commons Plaza)

Oct. 9 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Panera location:

Livonia, 28551 Schoolcraft Rd.

Nov. 13 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Panera location:

Farmington Hills – KT Plaza, 34635 Grand River Ave.

Dec. 11 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Panera locations:

Orion, 4804 S. Baldwin Rd.

Canton, 41950 Ford Rd.

Who's caring for and educating Metro Detroit's children?

Annemarie — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 14:04:17 EST

In Michigan, 65,000 children in poverty are supported by the child care subsidy program. 65% of these children are being cared for by family, friends and neighbors. In Metro Detroit, we have about 15,000 FFN subsidy providers.

They (FFNs) have an important job - providing high quality early learning development opportunities for the children in their care, setting the foundation for success in both school and life. The problem is, most of them aren't aware of this most important role. They see themselves as helping out their daughter, friend or neighbor who's looking for or is working. In addition, they are at a significant disadvantage - in poverty, undereducated, in crisis - to focus on being a quality caregiver.

The only way to get to school readiness is to have caregivers that support a child's learning and development. Since 2008, United Way has been supporting caregivers through the Early Learning Communities program - a quality improvement initiative providing training, resources and support to all caregivers delivered by neighborhood-based hubs.

The state of Michigan has also entered the arena of quality improvement by requiring that all FFN subsidy providers receive mandated training. We are at the beginning of a cultural transformation - that training and continued learning are essential to be quality caregivers.

This morning, I attended an informational session hosted by one of our Hub Partners at a Detroit child care center. More than 100 FFN subsidy providers attended. Yes, they were there because DHS is requiring them to take training. Yes, many of them were frustrated and annoyed. But they showed up and they registerd for training. Not just the mandated training, but also the child development courses that ELC offers.

In Metro Detroit so far, 500-750 have signed up for training. We have a long way to go. But we're going to achieve our ultimate goal: improving the quality of early care and education that our most vulnerable children receive so that they have the proper foundation for school and life success.

New Year...New Outlook

Megan A. — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:04:27 EST

Good Evening Whomever Finds Themselves Bored Enough to Read This :)

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 did it.

Muhi — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:03:46 EST

I graduated from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and am ready to take on the world. Bring it!

I am going to volunteer on Martin Luther King Day, you should too! This is how I live united.

Help Improve Access to Food for Young Children

Annemarie — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:13:45 EST

I just emailed Senators Stabenow and Levin asking them to improve the Child and Adult Care Food Program, which provides young children with access to nutritious meals. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced legislation that would improve young children's access to nutritious meals in child care centers, family child care homes, and Head Start and Early Head Start programs. With your help, we can gain support for the Access to Nutritious Meals for Young Children Act of 2009 (S. 2749). Please take action yourself and spread the word! For more information, check out National Women's Law Center.

I once heard there's enough food for everyone

The Digital Diva — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:27:26 EST

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.

IBM project at Grace Centers of Hope!

Kristen — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:29:27 EDT

Hey all!

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 :]

Make a Difference Day 2009!

Kristen — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:23:31 EDT

Make a Difference Day was this past Saturday, October 24th, and it was awesome! I had so much fun being able to interact with the volunteers from HFCC and UMD and to see how excited they were to volunteer. I also got to check out both Greening of Detroit project sites to see how things were going, and I couldn’t believe how many people were there! I found out afterwards that 127 trees were planted on Saturday!! Great work, you guys! I know it was kind of cold out, but no one cared…everyone just wanted to make a difference!

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!

The digital meet 'n' greet: Ursula, webmaster

The Digital Diva — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:25:50 EDT

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.

On a personal note, I'm a 30-something, Gen X'er, wife, daughter, step-mom, homebody, computer geek, closet goddess, and wanna-be rock star (I can't sing to save my life, I just want the fancy clothes). My husband, Bryan, is a laid-off steel worker. My step-daughter is a student in one of our Turnaround schools. The work of United Way affects me very personally. I need this region to grow and prosper, I need our schools to graduate strong, prepared students, because my family'slivelihood depends on it every bit as much as yours does.

The digital meet 'n' greet: The beginning

The Digital Diva — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:59:26 EDT

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.