1
pro ,
diver i ty
10 d.
Com c and eOOn -
eighborhood ere lected to
ho t th two-year pilot program.
The project i tremendo
opportuni t y for the rea, id
Ch rilyn c ney, project
coordin tor for the Highl Park
Communiti First program.
"This is turning point in human
ervice delivery in the rea,"
H ckney ·d.
Hac ey id the program i
bringing citizen and service
gencies together, providing an
opportunity for the groups to freely
h re information,' ide and
ources to effed.ively ttac the
community' problems.
"WE'RE EALLY
complementing e ch other,"
Hackney . d of the citizen-agencies
union. "It' creating whole new
conversation of po ibilities."
Highland Park Communities rmt
organizers plan to focus efforts on 10
issues, identified from a urvey taken
last spring which sked 2,500
citizens and service providers what
i u most concerned them.
From the about 600 urveys
returned, the issues th t will be
targeted include hou ing,
violence/personal afety,
employment, substance abuse,
homelessness, school dropouts, teen
pregencies and hungerlpoverty.
Efforts to implement the program
are progressing on ttack in order to
meet the Dec. 1 tarting date,
officials said. '
Organizers have drafted a plan
focused around the targeted issues
that was presented at a public forum
two wee ago and will oon be
presented to the state Department of
Public Heal th (DPH), Highland
Park's supervising agency, Hackney
said.
.,
THE DPB WILL then offer
suggestions and needs it felt should
be addre sed in order for the
organizers to begin a funding search,
Hackney said.
Two million dollars from the
Kellogg Foundation will be used for
the implementation of the four pilots
over the course of fiscal years 1993
and 1994. However, each pilot, if it
continues past these years, will be
expected to fund itsel�.
State officials are plCGCd with
Highland Park's progress.
"I think it's moving along nicely, "
said Denice Holmes, chief of the
office of policy, planning and
evaluation for the DPH. "The idea is
to empower the community and it
looks to me like they have the
community involved in a thoughtful
process."
Holmes said the supervi ing
agencies invite the communities to
tell them what they want and that the
agencies will respond in seeking
waivers from federal agencies or
even legislative changes to ensure
access to services and resources.
AS FOR THE Benton HaIbor
project, leaders are at the stage of
organizing public involvement.
Establishment of a preliminary
leadership and goals delivered to the
state consumed most of the efforts
the last six months, said Jacob Silver,
research consultant for the Michigan
Department of Education.
Silver, whose agency is
supervising Benton Harbor's effort,
said he is generally positive about the
, program's progress.
The second phase of the project
will be completed within four
months if all goes well, said Zindua
A. Tambuzi, a consultant to the
Benton Harbor project.
Tambuzi said specific issues to be
targeted will be identified following
the second phase.
Communities First is one of a
series of strategies by the Engler
administration aimed at
strengthening families.
State Department of Social
Service Director Gerald Miller said
the Engler welfare programs are
some of the boldest and best in the
country.
For more information about the
Communities First programs contact
Charily Hackney at (313) 883-6109
in Highland Park and Mike Green at
(616) 926-9585 in Benton Harbor.
I
BENTON HARBOR
THE COMMI S10 also approved the
transfer of property t 166 Apple Street b ck
to the State olMichigan vi a quit claim deed.
The City received this property in error,
In other business Benton Harbor Mayor
Emm Hull is trying to get the City
Commission to cut down on the time of the
long lengthy meetin ,the name calling and
Steve Wooden 'd,"If
person don't h ve time to go over the
imfoImltion in their P c ge, they need to
think about givin up their t, H you don't
t you are voting on, you are in the
ron place."
t's hy you don't ant me to
que lion bee u e you don't ant the
tupaye to too that the city i totally
broke,· d 0 Wooden, "and you
get all bogged
do " Y rough d. our're j t trying
to get yourself on 1V and .get your name in
the ne paper by bringing up the same thin
over and over gain," he 'd to Wysinger.
Commi ioner Ricky Hill upported
yor Hull, tating it's the commissione
responsibility to tudy � package. He aid
all the commi loners had their P ckage ith
the agend items for Monday night all
eekend to tudy, giving Wysinger � other
commi loners time to go over an
questions in the or hop ion.
Senior Service Line
by I\btlld� Charles
Ms. Trindade ys. -We c ult with
their doctors before we decide on an
exercise re imen. Once they get
BLASTING TB "MUSCLE .ned, our clien find that exerci
MYTH" - Are you among those ener ize the body. They can be
seniors who believe that the bodies more dive, and this helps them feel
they have are pretty much the bodies better about themselves."
they·re ,oin to have to live with for Apropos of . Trindade - foe
the rest of their lives? Do you believe on exerci e, many older people
that the years pile up, we lose our sometimes find it more difficult to
abilities to build stronger muscles? lose weight because they may have
And do you believe that the older e I muscle mass. That affects their
get, the I exercise we need? capacity to bum calories. However
Well, if you said yes to any of the older people can build and maintain
above, you were wrong. Elizabeth more muscle m by exerci ing,
Navarre Trindade, a fitness profes- which increases the basal metabo-
ianal, and co-founder with her hus- lism which, in tum, helps keep fat
band, Antonio, of the New accumulation down.
York-based ALINE Fitne .. Inc. But, what if .. for one reason or
or with people from all walks of another, someone can-t get into an
an life, an agcs, from teens to exerei prOgram?
seniors. Ms. Trindade comments: "The im-
Of the latter JfOUP, she says, -We portant thin is movement. If you
aU know that our populati.on is get- can walk, then do that, and do it as
tina older. t 're gofn often you and you
to have a I er 60, '10, notice bene ....
even 80, beyond, in very slUt . GOODBYE, 0 A F
time. It a means e 'need to un- Con . bal (D lif.)
If man oy ., I . ,
learn some of the myths that sur- the seemingly tireless chairman of
round aging, and learn how to take the House Select Committee on
advantage of the benefits that proper Aging - one of the best friends this
fitness traming provides. Too many column has had over the years - is
people still associate aging with in- retiring from Congress this year. He
creasinl health problems Actually, will be missed.
with the right Idnd of exercise, done . TO AI: It sounds as if your father
on a regular basis, they can avoid is. suffering from depression. Take
many of those problems and enjoy a him to a doctor who can detennine
healthier .. more active lifestyle. what course of treatment he should
-Many of the clients with whom be given. There is help available.
my husband and I work are seniors,"
CHURCH.
among our own people," Solomon
added. "There is $400 billion that
floats through the African-American
community. But Currently, we only
spend 6.6 percent of that with
African-Americans. Then we
wonder why our people don't have
jobs, or own businesses.
"We have allowed the businesses
that we had previously to just
dissappear," Solomon said. "And the
blame is not on the Koreans or the
Arabs. Other ethnic groups surpass
African Americans ... (because) they
use their own to build their
community. "
Solomon also recommended that
church CDCs include a training
component. This part of the program
would train local residents, giving
them skills in carpentry, roofing and
other necessary areas. These workers
would then be used in commercial
and residential construction projects.
"We need to use our own people
and put them to work," Solomon
said.
continued from Page 1
eligible for foundation and
government funding for various
projects and programs. Solomon said
that such corporations were a means
of "leveraging dollars for our
community."
With a model of the church-based
CDC, Solomon showed how each
church could c�eate a three-part
program.
Neighborhood development is a
crucial part of the CDC, Solomon
said. A CDC would provide funding
for housing rehabilitation projects,
as well as newly-built multi- or
single-family housing, and housing
for senior citizens.
"IF IT TAKES HUD $6000 to
tear something down, why not take
$5000 and build it back up?"
Solomon asked. "We can encourage
home ownership in our community.
If ministers could get their
parishioners involved in rebuilding
homes, and then help them with
financing to own those homes, we'll
be on our way to saving our
community."
A econd part of the CDC would
cover business development. Links
between churches and local
businesses would provide capital for
CDCs. The churches could then use
the funding to rehabilitate
commercial establishments such as
dry cleaning stores and small food
markets. Money could also be used
to create multi tore trip malls.
"Business ownership in our
community is the only way we can
win economicauy," Solomon said.
"Churches have the means to rebuild
and take over local businesses in
their neighborhoods, and then use
church member to run those
businesses, which would serve
parishioners and the people in that
community.
"IF WE CAN stabilize our
neighborhoods through the church
CDCs," Solomon concluded, "We
can take the corporations to task and
demand that they invest in our
communities and do what they're
supposed to do in giving back to
those that helped build them.
"Before integration, we we forced
to work, to hop, with each other. I..et
the divisivene leave our
community and let the spirit of
cooperation in. We have the skip, the
talent, the vision right here in Detroi t
to put our money and our heads
together. Our challenge is to
remember our history, 0 we'll win
again."
. Commi sioner Solomon i
chairman of .the Wayne County
Board of Commissioners Economic
Development Committee. He is also
chairman of the Wayne County Task
Force on Small and Minority
Business.
" WE HAVE the' resources to
turn over dollars in our churches,
FOR INFORMATION LEADING
. TO THE ARREST AND
CONVICTION IN THE,
DROWNING DEATH OF
ERIC cGlNNIS
Call the NAACP at (616) 925-4824
with information or to donate to reward fund.
PUT A YOUTH
IN A SEAT OF POWER.
It all tart with an education.
Take Hiawatha rthington. Becau of hi hard
work, Hiawatha received a full, four- ear ch larship
from the Thurgood -Mar hall Scholarship Fund. And
with the edu ation he' getting at Jackson State Univer-
ity, Hiawatha i well on his wa to becoming a lawyer.
The Miller Brewing Company i committ d to
helping oung men and women fulfill their dream.
through the Thurgood Marshall holar hip Fund. It
the only national program hich award four- ear
holar hip to tudent attending hi tor allw bla k
public college and universitie
The e thirt . ix chool don't receive the arne
kind of financial backing given to black private
college and univer itie . Yet, th repre ent ov r 76
percent of th tudent enrolled in hi tori all bla k
college and universitie .
So if we don't give them a hand, who will?
Give to the Thurgood Ma hall hoIarship Fund,
and h lp more youth realize the power of an edu aton,
Founding