C IIdr n' Comml Ion propo I ould itr n th n f mill After more than two ye rs of study, 11 field hearing, nd much deliber tion, the tion I Commi ion on Children i ued rem r able report on wh t the nation mu t do to trengthen familie and promote the healthy development of all American children. wa ple ed to be one of commi ion membe who ed under the outstanding denhip of Sen. John D. c etelter IV of We t Virginia. The commi ion wa reated by law nd appointed y the president and ngre sional leaders. We ". rtli stoners were a diver e up-Republican and mocrats; conservative, derate , and liberal . One of our number is a well-known pediatrician; one is a union leader; one i a ember of the Bu h ministration, another served I the Reagan administration; one is a governor; several are religiou leaders; several come from the business community; everal are educators. ,All of u were moved-and ightened-c-by what we learned during our t o-and-a-half years of study about the condition of o America's children. · The 34 of us did not always agree on every detail of wbat the nation must do to save our children. But we did agree that povert ills one erican chilt1 every S3 �minute $0 I am particularly .ratified that the commission nanimously recommended 1,000 tax credit for every merican child. Because the . 'Credit would be refundable, every year that a family had too little income to pay taxes it ould receive a government eheck of up to $1,000 to help . .y for the cost of raising each ne. THIS PROPOSED tax credit, which would replace t tax law's existing emption for each child, w uldn't eliminate child peverty, but it would. ease the struggles of many families to f ed, clothe, and house their children. It would offer far more help to low-income • f milies without the stigma of welfare. Bncourage your , e ected representatives to pport this pro-family tax 'redlt. Another particularly important piece of the oommission's report concerns t system charged with tecting neglected and used children. Under our rrent laws, the states receive reat deal more money from federal government to ce children in foster ilies and other kinds of t-ot-horne care than they elve for strengthening Hies so children can ain safely in their homes. This makes no sense. It's 5t for children to remain at me if they can be protected. Iso costs less to help 0 ilie Iearn how to better n rture their children than it t� to put their children in t-ot-home care. There are ny family support and ily preservation programs und the country which are wing that, with the right d of help, families can and increase their ability to n ture their-children. We recommended tbat the states ive money Cor family support family preservation programs in tame way they no� receive meney to place children ill out-of­ h e care. Happily, there are now t\1lO bills in Congress, S. 4 and H.R. 2 1, that begin to move in this d ection. Wri te your repre­ seatatives in Congress and urge them t these bills. 10 • I HIGHLAND PARK Spotlight on V by Carla Huston Sl4ffWriur Ring th bell at l.aBelle Tow� Co-op and you will meet him. Hi name is Jim Fredd, Security Guard. . A wool felt cap, velcro tab running shoes and an enormous keyring com­ plete his uniform. Fredd circulates on the ground floor all day and keeps a sharp eye on the front door. Fredd knows all the residents on sight and has a cheerful attitude. Fredd moved into LaBelle Towers eleven years ago and began to volunteer as soon as he arrived. 'It was the way to make friends," he said. This handyman can repair the garbage disposal and resolve parking spaces disputes as well as other nifty tasks. He has passkeys to every nook in the building and on a regular basis checks up on any resident, e has not seen for a couple of days. When Fredd is not fixing on the building or standing guard at the front door, he can usually be found listening to jazz, attending meetings of his Masonic Lodge or watching Jim Fredd action shows such as Matlock, which is his favorite television show. Fredd attends Saturday and Sun­ day services at Mount Carmel Bap­ tist Church, whre he serves as an usher. The only thing that has ever, kept Fredd from doing his job was the problem of bronchitis last year. "Now I take 14 different pills each day, but I'm okay" aid Fredd. Fredd loves living in Lalselle Towers Co-op and believes "the best part is the recreational opportunities, and having good neighbors. The resi­ dents here are nice people." Brown Bag The e Ix re 0 e ot the I dlvld al re pon Ible for the ood er Ice, good atmo phere and the good food the Brown Bag peelallze in. Front row, (l-r), Leon Carter, JoAnne Grear and Leon Truitt. Back ro : Tyrone Smith, 'K.rle Grear nd Ester Truitt. (pboto by N. Scott) Talent show cheduled HIGHLAND PARK-Fliers are being circulated in the Highland Park area announcing a "Say kind words (children) pageant talent show." According to the fliers; the finale will be Saturday, August 24 at High­ land Park Community college's (HPCC) auditorium. The talent show will feature two age group'. Ages seven through 12, juniors and 13 through 17, seniors. Participants, the flier states: "Must attend the training sessions." AI though no prizes have been an­ nounced, the contact person, Judy "Naasira" Boissom sa�d such is the case. Rehearsals are every Monday and Wednesday (except Wednesday July 24) from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. Rehearsals are held at HPCC's auditorium which is on Glendale Street between Second and Third Avenues. To nt r th dining room from th � tlbu' l Ilk walking Into a mellow land of w rm II ling. Small! but not too mall. Spa­ cio ! but not too pacio . The slining room, which sea 7S, wann to nd function I b ke lending beauty nd grace to the green foliage th t delights, or p.erhap, surprises, a first time vi itor. And dding to the beauty is the fact, this is a family business. Leon and Ester Truitt, father and mother, with daughters Sandra Robinson and JoAnne Grear -and family: hu band Karle and on Tyrone E., operate the res­ taurant/catering business. According to JoAnne, the busi­ ness opened in December of 1989 and more than one family member Iuld to secure personal loans to keep the business afloat. But as financial demands became more demanding they had to tum to the city of High­ land Park for a loan. Eventually, DEVCO asswned the city's loan and loaned them an additional $10,000. Since then thtngs have improved and she said, "Business is pretty good." THE BROWN BAG, which opens at 10:30 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, averages a,bout ten catering contrac per week. The city of Highland Park, PAL (POlice athletic league). Reggie Me­ Kenzie and Wayne County Com­ munity College (WCCC) are some of their clients. . In addition to daily specials. salads, sandwiches and gumbo (seafood and Chicken), the Brown THATD��l'& uccessful in b i "help the community. JoAnne aid, "My ter the bookkeeper, Mom the brand my I husband nend the b r. I am every­ thing. I do h tever h to be do but my Daddy is the boss." For pecial occesiors the Brown Bag requests three days prior reser­ vations. But three day not al- way been the . In fact, JoAnne· remembers an inqdent whereby they had 30 econds, if that much, advance warning. One day, he id, it was cl to: closing time. The staff had wor 4· long nd hard. And per me, if: not all, were thinking about resting· tired feet, sipping a tall drink or just: sitting with their feet propped up.' But one of tho e buses, big,: Greyhound with seats to the max: kind, wheeled into the parking 10 • stopped, opened its doors and by: twos, three and tours, 45 to so. seniors, "all dressed up," began: ' filing in. • Pots and pans made thilt sweet. sound and. when it was OVer and: those seniors had "truly enjo� it (their meals)," JoAnne said, eld-· est of the ladies called 'er and told her she was a good cook. "I really enjoyed that," she said ... And until this very day the Brow Bag serves a lot