Proactive, regional program will prepare children for long-term success United Way of Southeastern Michigan has launched of a new, proactive early education initiative – Operation ABC. Created by United Way, Operation ABC is a unique initiative that brings together school districts, nonprofits, corporations, and volunteers to improve the reading levels of first and second graders in Metro Detroit. As a component of United Ways’ Agenda for Change, Operation ABC is focused on Educational Preparedness, with a specific goal to assure that every child in southeastern Michigan is reading at grade level by the time they enter the third grade. In order to execute the community-based initiative, United Way will recruit and train more than 2,000 volunteers and mobilize them in classrooms across the region as reading tutors. Each volunteer will be required to commit between one and five hours of time a week beginning in 2008.

United Way president and CEO Michael J. Brennan has issued a formal call to action for volunteers throughout the southeast Michigan region.

“Part of our mission is to mobilize the caring power of the region to affect positive, lasting change,” said Brennan. “Additionally, as a member of One D, we took on the mantel of Educational Preparedness as a primary focus. Operation ABC is an example of that commitment in action. We are addressing an immediate need in our community by directly aligning resources – 2,000 volunteers, with a vital need-- tutoring first and second graders in select schools throughout the tri-county region.”

Brennan went on to explain the vital need for Operation ABC: “Our research shows that the third grade is the first benchmark for a successful education. If a child fails to read at the recommended reading level by the third grade, a potential domino effect begins, diminishing that child’s chances of completing high school. Now more than ever, the success of the region in the 21st century will require a renewed commitment to a culture of achievement in our schools and communities. Unless more youth graduate from school prepared to succeed, southeast Michigan will be unable to compete in the global economy. Early education is the key.”

Nationally, 46% of children come to school unprepared to succeed. Within southeast Michigan, the gap in early education is reflected in 2006 MEAP results. While 2006 MEAP Reading Test results showed improvements over those of 2005, nearly 7,000 third graders throughout Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties are not reading at grade level. Though statistics illustrate the gaps in early education in southeastern Michigan, United Way is working to bridge the gap to high-quality early care and educational opportunities that greatly increase readiness through programs such as Operation ABC. Additional United Way early education programs already in progress include Success by Six™ and the Virgil H. Carr School Attendance Initiative. Individuals who are interested in becoming an Operation ABC Volunteer should call 2-1-1. Organizations may get involved by adopting a school (committing at least 10 people to serve as volunteer tutors). Contact Angela Walker at 313-226-9450 for more information.

The Detroit Tigers are seeking students to participate in the Detroit Tigers Jackie Robinson Essay And Art Contest.The contest honors the most significant moment in Major League Baseball history is when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier on April 15, 1947. The contest is open to middle and high school students from the metropolitan Detroit area. Students may enter the contest by submitting an original essay, poem, or work of art in honor of Jackie Robinson.

ART: Create an artistic expression that captures the spirit of Jackie Robinson when he broke the color barrier. Consider the impact his success had on the community and the perception of minorities in sports. Artwork can be a painting, drawing or other rendering no larger than 22”x 28”.

ESSAY: Write an essay that chronicles the citizenship of Jackie Robinson. What characteristics do you feel were necessary in order for him to improve the well being of others? What life lessons can be learned from Jackie Robinson’s success? Essays should be typewritten and double-spaced between 250-350 words.

POETRY: Write a poem that explores one or more of Jackie Robinson’s nine values for success – courage, determination, teamwork, persistence, integrity, citizenship, justice, commitment, and excellence. Poems should be typewritten and double-spaced between 10-20 lines.
To enter, contestants must submit an original piece of art, essay, or poetry by 5:00 p.m. by Friday, March 7, 2008. The student’s name, teacher’s name, school and contact information must be submitted with each entry. Items may be mailed or delivered to:
Detroit Tigers, Attn: Sam Abrams ; Manager of Player Relations, Youth and Sports Programs 2100 Woodward , Detroit, MI 48201

Contest winners will be honored before the Tigers game on Tuesday, April 15 as we celebrate Jackie Robinson Day at Comerica Park. Winners will receive complimentary tickets to this game for their teacher and immediate family and be recognized during a special on-field, pre-game ceremony. In addition, all participating schools that are able to provide transportation are eligible to apply for a donation of tickets to see a Tigers game on April 15 (some restrictions apply). To submit a formal request for a donation of tickets, please follow the instructions on the enclosed ticket donation form.
For more information, please contact Sam Abrams at 313-471-2363 or by email sam.abrams@detroittigers.com.

This March all Michigan high schools will administer to junior students the ACT/Michigan Merit Exam (ACT/MME). The test replaces the MEAP test and students passing the new MME will qualify for the Michigan Promise Scholarship – up to $4,000 for college. This workshop will prepare students to take the ACT/MME test scheduled in March. Plus, this is excellent preparation for the ACT test. ExamExperts; A professional test preparation organization, a provider of private tutoring and ACT/SAT test preparation will conduct the workshop.
Note: If a student receives an ACT score of 23 and above they qualify for the Michigan Competitive Scholarship!

Workshops Dates: Saturday, February 16 & March 1

Students must attend both sessions
Saturday – Feb. 16 --> 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Saturday – March 1 --> 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Workshop will be held at:
St. Stephen A.M.E. Church 6000 John E. Hunter Dr. (formerly Stanford)
(Between W. Grand Blvd. & McGraw) Detroit, MI 48210

For additional information please contact Advisors after 7 p.m.: Doreen M. Odom 313.537.5324 or Gloria Mitchell @ 313.397.4986. Or email; collegeprepint@aol.com

Sportservice Inc. will be hosting several Job Fairs around the metro Detroit area starting February 11, 2008. Sportservice is looking to hire for positions working in food and merchandise concessions at Comerica Park for the upcoming 2008 Detroit Tiger season. Please pass along to anyone that you believe might be interested in these opportunities.

Positions hiring for are: Concession Stand Attendants, Vendors, Tiger Den and Tiger Club Servers and Bartenders, Back of the House-Bussers and Utility Workers, Retail Clerks.

Hiring Fairs:
February 14, 2008 - Livonia Community Center
Livonia Community Recreation Center
15100 Hubbard Rd. (Corner of 5 mile Rd. and Hubbard)
Livonia, MI 48154
12PM - 4PM

February 19, 2008 - Eastpointe Community CenterDepartment of Parks and Recreation
16435 E. Eight Mile Rd
Eastpointe, MI 48021
1 PM - 5 PM

February 26, 2008 - Southgate Community Center
Southgate Recreation Department
14400 Dix Toledo
Southgate, MI 48195
1 PM - 5 PM

February 28, 2008 - Tentative On - Site
Comerica Park
2100 Woodward Ave (Corner of Montcalm and Brush)
Detroit, MI 48201
2 PM - 7 PM

Goodwill Industries of Detroit will present the Goodwill’s 1st annual Motor City’s Bowl-A-Thon, starting March 1 thru March 30, 2008. Sponsorhips opportunities are available. Contact For more information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Mark Lane at 313-964-3900 extension 308. For the entire month of March, the 11 Blue Ribbon Quality Bowling Centers, in conjunction with the Michigan Food and Beverage Association and the Michigan Business and Professional Association (over 180,000 members), are hosting Goodwill’s 1st annual Motor City Bowl-A-thon to benefit Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit. The event will also include: over 30,000 Blue Ribbon Bowling Center bowlers, 4,370 teams, organizations, individuals and families.

Bowling for jobs…
All of the proceeds benefit Goodwill’s employment & training programs. Goodwill provides people who have disabilities and other barriers to employment with opportunities to become independent, self-supporting citizens through training, work experience and employment in the community. In 2007, Goodwill provided 12,000 individuals with employment and training services in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

OPERATION ABLE JOB FAIR IS MARCH 27
Operation ABLE of Michigan is currently accepting registrations from companies and educational institutions interested in recruiting at the 22nd Annual “Ability Is Ageless” Job & Career Fair. Scheduled for Thursday, March 27, the fair is for job seekers 40 years and older.Operation ABLE will host this unique recruiting opportunity from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Plaza Hotel & Conference Center in Southfield located at 16400 J.L. Hudson Drive in Southfield.

Register Now for "Early Bird" Discount - Only $195
The registration deadline for exhibitors is March 17. Exhibitors who return the attached form to ABLE by February 29 pay only $195. After February 29, the exhibitor fee is $250. The fee includes booth space, signage, and a continental breakfast and deli lunch for 2 company representatives. .

Employers: Meet Skilled, Experienced Applicants The fair will bring together mature job seekers and employers who are increasingly turning to these workers to fill positions. Over 2,500 experienced people 40 and older attend this fair each year seeking positions. For more information, calling 1-800-922-HIRE (4473).

Detroit City Council Member Alberta Tinsley-Talabi & Dr. Darrius of WJLB present
Detroit Responds To HIV/AIDS "A Life Saving Mission" National Testing Day,
Friday, June 27, 2008

Council Member Alberta Tinsley-Talabi, Detroit Health and Wellness Promotion, St. John Health System, Michigan Department of Community Health and others are partnering to respond to the increasing number of HIV infections in the City of Detroit. We need more than 100 volunteers to support this effort.

» Volunteers must be at least 21 years of age by January 1, 2008.
» Volunteers must be able to work at least a 6-hour shift.
» All volunteers must complete the Volunteer Application and sign waiver form.
» Dress code will consist of a provided Volunteer T-Shirt, event credential, slacks or shorts and comfortable shoes.

Volunteers are required to attend the Training and Orientation meeting scheduled for the evening of Thursday, June 26, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. at the Northwest Activity Center.

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TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS DURING JULY, AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER. Email gclark@arisedetroit.org.

Learn how to improve your Neighborhood at The Arise Detroit ! Black Family Development Resource Fair

Saturday, May 17, on the Eastern Campus of WCCCD
ARISE Detroit ! and Black Family Development invites city residents to attend an event that should be a great asset in helping to improve City neighborhoods. It's called the ARISE Detroit !/Black Family Development Neighborhood Resource Fair. It will be held on Saturday, May 17 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., on the Eastern Campus of the Wayne County Community College District, located on Conner near the Ford Freeway on Detroit's east side.

The fair will be will be a promotional kickoff event for the second annual ARISE Detroit ! Neighborhoods Day, which will be held Aug. 2, 2008. Last year, in the first annual ARISE Detroit ! Neighborhoods Day, more than 50 events were held in neighborhoods throughout the city.

The resource fair will offer residents and community organizations the opportunity to network, obtain information and resources to improve their neighborhoods. This will include workshops on forming block clubs, home ownership, clean up bags, crime prevention, information on obtaining grants, foreclosure prevention and paying property taxes, etc.

Our partners for this event will include Black Family Development, the Skillman Foundation's Good Neighborhoods Initiative, the Wayne County Treasurer's Office, Comerica Bank, the Michigan Neighborhood Partnership, AAA Michigan and others. We also expect to have participation from Next Detroit and Neighborhood City Halls .
Please indicate your interest in attending by email to gclark@arisedetroit.org or phone us at 313-921-1955.

We are pleased to announce the Detroit Urban League, which for years has been one of Detroit 's finest community service organizations, has joined the ARISE Detroit ! partnership family. We look forward to working with Urban League President N. Charles Anderson and his outstanding team to create a better Detroit . We are also pleased to partner with the Rosa Parks Scholarship Foundation, which has awarded more than $1.6 million to over 800 Michigan high school seniors since it was established in 1980. You can learn more by going to the website, www.rosaparksscholarshipfoundation.org.

We are also pleased to announced a new media partner to spotlight ARISE Detroit ! partner organizations and people, Wayne State University's WDET, 101.9 FM Detroit Today show. The show, hosted by Craig Folle, airs weekdays from 10 a.m. 10 to noon. Our thanks to station station mangager Alan Mazurek, news director Jerome Vaughn and Amanda LeClaire, producer of Detroit Today.

Other new partners include:
Greater Advantage, a life skills and business coaching business.The Michigan Neighborhood Partnership, which promotes home ownership.
If you are interested in becoming a partner go the website, www.arisedetroit.org

Nearly 400 men turned out for the launch of the Detroit Manpower Movement on April 19 at Fellowship Chapel with many of them signing up with organizations to mentor young people and help the community in others.

Many also registered as voters with the City Clerk's office or had health screenings with the Detroit Department of Wellness and Promotion. Others filed job interest applications with the Detroit Police Department or the Detroit Department of Workforce Development.
"We were overwhelmed with the response," said an official with the City Clerk's office.

Derek Blackmon of the Detroit Parent Network also indicated strong response. "We went through seven pages of sign up sheets," said Blackmon, outreach director with the DPN. The DMM is a partner organization of ARISE Detroit ! It is an independent, non-political coalition of more than 50 organizations that have collaborated to connect thousands of men to those programs charged with improving the quality of life for Detroiters. ARISE Detroit , a community wide call to action and volunteer initiative, is serving as the organization connecting the men to mentoring, tutoring and other opportunities for the Detroit Manpower Movement.
Stay tuned for more neighborhood based events from the Detroit Manpower Movement.

The United Way of South eastern Michigan is still seeking people to meet a goal of 2,000 volunteers for Operaton ABC to improve the reading levels of first and second graders in Metro Detroit. Comprised of a coalition of school districts, nonprofits, corporations and volunteers, Operation ABC has a goal of seeing that every child in southeast Michigan is reading at grade level by the third grade. Adults are being sought to work with the youngsters.
Each volunteer is required to make a three to five hour a week commitment. For more information, call 2-1-1. Organizations may also adopt a school for the ABC initiative.
Contact Angela Walker at 313-226-9450.

The Children's Toothfairy Foundation, started by WDIV reporter Paula Tutman, will celebrate its one year anniversary Saturday April 26 at Ambassador Roller Rink in Clawson with host with honorary chairman David DiChiera, director of the Detroit Opera. The foundation provides free dental care to in southeastern Michigan who do not have dental insurance. The event is a fundraiser for the foundation which has a partnership with the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry. The rink is located at 96 W. 14 Mile Road in Clawson . For more information go the website, www.childrenstoothfairyfoundation.com.

Freedom Fund Dinner
The Detroit Branch NAACP's 53rd annual Fight For Freedom Fund Dinner will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday, April 27, at Cobo Conference Center , featuring keynote speaker Rev. Jeremiah Wright. The event generally draws 10,000 people in what is called the world's largest sitdown dinner.
Tickets are $150 per person and $300 for couples. For ticket information, phone 313-871-2087

Call for Volunteers
If you are available in the morning, your help is needed at the Jobs, Jobs, Jobs Super Career Fair to be held at COBO Hall. Volunteers are needed beginning at 7am. If you come after 7am, please go to the NAACP booth to get further instructions.
In addition, volunteers will be needed at COBO from 1pm-5pm. Please come to the Wayne Hall and ask for Latoya Henry.
If you have any questions, call the branch at (313) 871-2087.

Detroit businessman and city booster Dave Bing was honored Thursday April 24 with the Idealism in Action Award at City Year Detroit's Ripple of Hope Dinner at the Max Fisher Music Center . More than 300 people attended the event hosted by City Year, an ARISE Detroit ! partner, that supports community service by young people in city schools.
Bing, a former Detroit Piston star, is the founder and chairman of the Bing Group and is working to improve city neighborhoods through the Next Detroit Initiative

COUNCIL OF BAPTIST PASTORS UNITE WITH DETROIT HEALTH & WELLNESS PROMOTION TO HOST
FOUR-DAY CITYWIDE REVIVAL & FAITH-BASED SUBSTANCE ABUSE CONFERENCE
Pastors and Government Officials Agree
That City Must Be Healed Spiritually, Physically and Mentally

Detroit, MI — March 17 through 20, the Council of Baptist Pastors and the City of Detroit Department of Health & Wellness Promotion (DHWP) are inviting residents to a four-day revival and conference starting at 4:30 p.m. with a light meal followed by a 6 p.m. lecture series and revival services each night at 7 p.m. All four days of the conference and revival will be held at Corinthian Baptist Church, 1724 Caniff, one block west of the I-75 Service Drive.
This is the second year that this collaboration has been formed to educate the community and engage residents in two-way communication on the issues of substance abuse and HIV/AIDS. Dr. Calvin Trent, director of the Bureau of Substance Abuse Prevention, Treatment & Recovery and Special Populations for the DHWP (better known as the health department) explained, “Historically, the church has been the leader in addressing important issues within the African-American community. Since substance abuse and HIV/AIDS have become such pressing issues in our community, it is only natural that the church leads the charge to stop this devastation.”

Citywide Revival & Substance Abuse Conference contd.
This two-way communication will give people an opportunity to ask questions and share their concerns. It will also allow ministers further insight into the hearts and minds of the people living with these issues.”
The Citywide Revival & Substance Abuse Conference is free and open to all residents and to all denominations. It is supported by the Wayne County Department of Community Mental Health.
For more information contact Reverend Dr. Audry Turner, event coordinator, at 313-218-8437.

Contact:
Delora Hall Tyler, APR
248.354.8705 off.
248.755.6512 cell

SKILLMAN FOUNDATION
PROMOTES ART IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

The Skillman Foundation has launched a Community and Public Arts Program in its six Good Neighborhoods communities with funding assistance from the Kresge and JP Morgan foundations. Each Skillman community will have up to $20,000 in the first year and $35,000 in the second year of the program.
Guided by input from community residents and local artists, the arts program is looking to fund lasting, highly visible public art - sculptures, murals and other types of work. The College for Create Studies (CCS) will be the program's managing partner with support from the Arts League of Michigan , Bagley Housing, P.A.W.Z/Artist Village, P.E.E.P.S and Pewabic Pottery.
For more information, contact Sioux Trujillo of CCS at 313-664-7937.