United Way Kicks 2007 Campaign into Gear

Summer may be winding down but United Way is gearing up -- for our annual fundraising campaign that is, which kicks off on Sept. 7.

“Together, we can make a difference for those in need in our community,” said Troy Clarke, United Way campaign chair and General Motors North America President and Group Vice President, Manufacturing. “Every contribution – in every amount – matters.”

Clarke leads 40 volunteers who are serving on this year’s campaign cabinet, which is responsible for steering the campaign. Additionally, about 1,000 volunteers are expected to help United Way engage contributors by coordinating workplace campaigns across Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

The goal for the annual campaign will be set this month, but many activities are already in the works to motivate current donors and connect new participants to United Way’s work. Employees at Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. are eagerly joining the effort, kicking their campaigns off prior to Sept. 7, and bringing early momentum to the drive. Organized labor also kicked off its campaign in early August at the General Motors Hamtramck Plant. Clarke joined United Way board member and International Union UAW Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth Bunn, Metropolitan Detroit AFL-CIO President Saundra Williams and International Union UAW Director of Community Services Linda Lash at the event.

United Way also recently launched Leadership Next, which engages emerging leaders across the region. Already, the group has seen excellent turnout at three events, including networking functions and skill-building workshops.

The official start of the campaign will be marked with the traditional lighting of the United Way torch at the intersection of Woodward and Jefferson in downtown Detroit. Following the early morning ceremony nearly 1,000 volunteers are scheduled to participate in community service projects throughout the tri-county area as part of United Way’s annual Days of Caring – continuing through Sept. 9.

Volunteers can choose from approximately 50 projects that range from spending time with youth through Big Brothers Big Sisters to grounds beautification at a host of nonprofits across the region.

By contributing to the campaign, you help tackle the most pressing issues facing this region. Your gift, no matter how large or small, makes a difference because it is combined with others. The impact of that collective investment is significant.

Through the Agenda for Change, our new business plan for the region, United Way is focusing our efforts on educational preparedness, financial stability and basic needs. We believe that by doing so, we can make lasting improvements in the lives of individuals and families in southeast Michigan.

To make a difference in the community through United Way, please support the campaign.  There are still volunteer opportunities available for the Days of Caring projects. To sign up, click here.

More Oakland County Callers Dialing 2-1-1

Calls to United Way's 2-1-1 from Oakland County topped 18 percent for the first time since the service was launched and overall, users across the region are dialing into the call center at a higher rate than in 2006.

The 2-1-1 call center handled nearly 70,000 calls through July 31, a 40 percent increase over the prior year. Volume for the month – at 11,105 – was up 7 percent from June’s rate, according to the July 2-1-1 monthly report. [PDF]

Oakland County residents, who typically account for about 11-12 percent of calls, have been calling with increasing frequency. Callers have been most interested in getting assistance with utilities, rent and food pantries.

“The Oakland United Way office, its Local Community Committee and many agencies in Oakland County have been very diligent to getting the word out on 2-1-1. We are seeing the result of this ongoing effort,” said Bill Sullivan, director of operations.

LCCs are volunteer groups made up of residents of each county and the city of Detroit who assist United Way in the planning and development of programs in their respective community.

Another interesting 2-1-1 development has unfolded in Wayne County, where for the first time since 2-1-1 debuted, the majority of callers are requesting help finding food.

Utility assistance has consistently ranked No. 1 on the list of 2-1-1 service requests. However, in July, 23 percent of Wayne County callers were looking for food pantries, while 22 percent needed help with gas bills.

Typically, 2-1-1 sees a spike in calls regarding food pantries in July because most children are home on summer recess and no longer receiving free meals in school, Sullivan said. But this is the first time since 2-1-1 debuted in December 2005 that food requests have ranked No. 1.

Employment, electric utilities and housing assistance rounded out the top five service requests in Wayne County.

In Macomb County, assistance with gas bills was by far the top request, followed by food, shelter and rent assistance.
 
Based upon the first two quarters of 2007, projected annual 2-1-1 call volume is 150,000, a 50 percent increase over 2006.

In addition to increasing needs across the region, more metro Detroiters are dialing 2-1-1 because of United Way’s involvement in a number of collaborative efforts like the statewide mortgage foreclosure initiative led by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority and other agencies.

United Way is also working with the Detroit Wayne County Long-Term Care Connection, which connects Detroit area residents to long-term care services.

And through the Osborn Project, a Good Neighborhoods Initiative, 2-1-1 links callers to agencies that help address their overall financial needs. The Project was developed to promote economic self-sufficiency and stability for area residents.

With our Agenda for Change, United Way is working to help more people of all ages meet their needs and move toward financial stability.  In addition to focusing on educational preparedness and financial stability, our basic needs work is integral to this mission.

Leadership Next Monthly Update

Matt Clayson and Rose Giffen of Leadership Next are quickly putting together their vision for what Leadership Next will look like for the next year. After interviewing nearly 40 candidates for the leadership team and standing committees Clayson, LN chair and Giffen, vice-chair, are ready to welcome the initial membership and get embark on the organization’s first year. 

Clayson is a Detroit resident and legal coordinator for ePrize, and Giffen, a Macomb County resident is director of fund development at the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion. Joining them on the newly formed leadership team are (name, city/county, organization):

Austin Black, Detroit, Esquire Properties
James Canning, Detroit, Office of Detroit Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick
Rita Fields, Oakland County, Henry Ford Health System
Tim Greimel, Oakland County, OaklandCountyCommissioner
Sofia Latif, Wayne County, ACCESS
Kelly McGill-Olin, Oakland County, Pulte Homes
Daniel McMann, Detroit, BDO-Seidman
Dara Munson, Oakland County, Big Brothers Big Sisters
Gideon Pfeffer, Detroit, Premium Mortgage Group
Nancy Robinson, Wayne County, Comerica
Derron Sanders, Detroit, SG Capital Group
Michael Smiley, Wayne County, Walbridge Aldinger
Paul Wilhelm, Oakland County, Dykema

In addition to putting the leadership team in place, the group has participated in a number of personal and professional development events – one of the major benefits of LN membership.

The first LN general membership meeting – which doubled as a networking event -- was held Aug 8 at the Fillmore Theater. Over 100 people showed up for the session, and following the meeting, they took in a Detroit Tigers game at Comerica Park. Comerica Bank provided food and drink coupons to LN members.

Clayson also recently announced the launch of a LN wiki, which will provide a platform for members to establish an online learning community. A wiki is a collaborative Web site that can be easily and instantly edited by anyone given access. Clayson also issued an invitation to emerging leaders across the region and their respective organizations to send LN ideas for content to include in the wiki.

LN is trying to create a forum for emerging leaders in the region to have a greater voice in community matters, and the wiki may prove to be a valuable tool.

Wiki Wiki What?
New collaborative tool for Leadership Next members

If you attended the August networking event, you heard a little bit about Leadership Next's new online collaborative tool, the wiki. So, just what is a wiki?

A wiki is a collaborative Web site which can be directly edited by anyone with access to it.

A wiki enables documents to be written collaboratively using a web browser. A single page in a wiki is referred to as a "wiki page", while the entire body of pages, which are interconnected via hyperlinks, is "the wiki". A wiki is essentially a database for creating, browsing and searching information.

A defining characteristic of wiki technology is the ease with which pages can be created and updated. Generally, there is no review before modifications are accepted. Edits can be made in real-time and appear almost instantaneously online.

- Wikipedia

For an example of one of the world’s best-known wikis, visit Wikipedia.org.

Leadership Next members can access the group’s wiki at uwleadershipnext.pbwiki.com by first obtaining the password from Julie Updyke at julie.updyke@LiveUnitedSEM.org. The content of the wiki is a work in progress. Listed below are some of the items we hope to include on the site over time.

• Blog
• Frequently asked questions
• Profile updates
• Links
• Gateway to Board opportunities
• Events calendar
• Newsletter
• Links to represented organizations
• Chat rooms
• Job board
• Podcasts
• News feeds

What would you like to see on the wiki? Email your comments and ideas to Julie Updyke at julie.updyke@LiveUnitedSEM.org.

Upcoming events
Kickoff United Way’s annual campaign with a day of caring

The dollars you give to support United Way’s annual campaign allow the organization to improve lives and communities across the region, and while those funds are sorely needed each year, the time you donate to help out those around you is valuable as well.

That’s why United Way is asking you to mark your calendar for the Days of Caring campaign kickoff event Sept. 7- 9.Those interested in participating in this annual volunteer blitz can sign up online by clicking here, or call 313.226.9337.

The Days of Caring kickoff effort attracts thousands of metro Detroiters who give anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days over a weekend each year completing beautification, ramp building, tutoring children, sorting donated food items, tree planting, home construction projects and other activities that make a difference in communities across Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. United Way invites you to join them.

Over 45 organizations have already come forward this year looking for volunteers. Both individual and group opportunities are available. In fact, families, service organizations and groups of workers from area companies are encouraged to participate.

"This is an opportunity for groups, families and individuals to come out, roll up their sleeves and help others in their community. At the same time, engaging your organization in a community volunteer project is a great team-building activity and morale booster," says Angela Walker, volunteer program specialist at United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

"Having colleagues roll up their sleeves to volunteer to help the people and communities United Way serves is a hands-on experience that leaves a lasting impression."

Kurt’s Corner
Race and ethnicity in metropolitan Detroit

Sept. 4 is the last day to experience the“Race: Are We So Different?”exhibit at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, and I encourage everyone to get over there before it is too late.

The museum, in partnership with New Detroit Inc., kicked off the national tour of the exhibition on May 25, and after this initial stop, it will make its way around the rest of country. The American Anthropological Association and the Minnesota Science Museum collaborated on “Race: Are We So Different?” Together, they produced a powerful combination of artifacts, historic and contemporary photography, hands-on activities and multimedia components that address topics of race and racism from the perspectives of science, history and everyday experience.

The following describes the exhibit from the three perspectives:

Science: In this section of the exhibit, visitors will discover that human beings are more alike than any other living species, and no one gene or set of genes can support the idea of race.

History: Ideas about race have been around for hundreds of years, and they have changed over time. This section of the exhibit demonstrates that, throughout American history, economic interests, popular culture, science, politics and the struggle for power have played a role in shaping our understanding of race.

Everyday experience: Though race may not be a real, biological concept, it certainly is real both socially and culturally. In this section of the exhibit, visitors will explore race in our schools, neighborhoods, health care systems, sports and entertainment industries and other aspects of life through a variety of interesting personal experiences shared by others.

The exhibit makes it quite apparent that race is more a social construct than an anthropological fact, which is significant given the fact that race has long played a huge role across a broad spectrum in metropolitan Detroit. In fact, in the UWSEM community assessment survey conducted in 2006, residents identified racial segregation and racial gaps as critical barriers to our success as a region. The 40th anniversary of the 1967 “Detroit Rebellion,” which began on July 23 of that year, also stimulated a great deal of discussion regarding the role that race has played in metro Detroit history.  We will soon be releasing the results of a “Survey on Race” that UWSEM recently conducted, in partnership with New Detroit.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Census Bureau released its 2006 county population estimates by race and ethnicity. 

“Nearly one in every 10 of the nation’s 3,141 counties has a population that is more than 50 percent minority. In 2006, eight counties that had not previously been majority-minority pushed the national total to 303,” the bureau stated in the opening of its release on the national findings.

This signals the continuation of a trend that has demographers forecasting a nation that will be more than 50 percent minority by the year 2050, if not before. The forecast for Southeastern Michigan mirror the national trend.

Wayne County, which became majority-minority in 2004, showed the “minority” population accounting for 50.2 percent of the population. Macomb and Oakland counties have also experienced a decreasing white, non-Hispanic population and rapidly increasing African-American, Asian, Latino and multi-race populations. These changes are the result of significant immigration streams from Mexico and Latin America, Asia and the Middle East. Additionally, the decade of the 1990’s brought the first significant waves of African-Americans to the suburbs from Detroit – a trend that has not only continued but actually intensified over the past 10 years. Table 1 provides detail on the groups by county.

 
Table 1.  Racial/Ethnic Change in Southeast Michigan, 2000 - 2006

A significant factor driving continued growth in minority communities is the fact that they are younger than the white, non-Hispanic communities.  Not only do minority populations have higher birth rates, but their representation among “child-bearing ages” is much higher, which means they will have a larger share of future births.  Figure 1 offers a snapshot of landscape, highlighting the share that minorities represent within each age group.¹

[Click here for full-size graphic]

Figure 1.  Minority Share of Population by
Age in the Tri-County Area, 2006

The trend of increasing minority representation with decreasing age is readily apparent. While minorities represent 20-25 percent of tri-county seniors, at least 40 percent of our youth belong to a minority group.  The highest share of minorities fall within the 25-29 year age group, and a major contributor to this fact is immigration. Data shows that immigrants to southeast Michigan fall most heavily in the 20-34-year-old age group, with females outnumbering males. While a number of these individuals might end up going back to their native country, the vast majority will seek to establish themselves and either summon relatives to join them or find a spouse in the area and begin a family.

UWSEM’s Agenda for Change recognizes the wide gaps that exist in literacy, educational attainment, employment, income, asset development and home ownership, to name a few categories, across racial and ethnic groups.  While our outcomes are geared to community-wide change, we recognize that community change can only occur when all members of the community succeed and the gaps facing individuals are reduced significantly, if not eliminated completely.

Take action now
Support early childhood education

As part of United Way's focus on Educational Preparedness, we are advocating for the Education Begins at Home Act, which will give many more children across the nation a quality early childhood experience. If this bill passes, Michigan would be eligible for $13.1 million that will provide quality early childhood home visitation programs for targeted communities and strengthen the home visitation component of Headstart. Home visitation is an effective, research-based and cost-efficient way to bring families and resources together to ensure that children grow up healthy and ready to learn.

United Way needs your support to reach out to legislators and tell them how critical federal funding for early childhood programs is.

Click here to find out how you can help.