A Rose for Detroit Blog

I’m Marie Colombo, senior officer for knowledge management and chief of staff-program at the Skillman Foundation. I'm a life-long Detroiter whose ancestors were drawn to the region for work in the auto industry. I have a very special place in my heart for zip code 48205 and the Osborn/Denby neighborhoods.
There’s been a flurry of social media conversations where people are sharing the things they love about Detroit. For me it’s the spirit – of Detroit’s past, its present and its future – epitomized in the poem Detroit Jesus, written Peter Putnam, which was composed for Grace Lee Boggs on her 96th birthday.

Detroit Jesus

Time, Inc., buys a house in Detroit
and tries to track him for a year.
But he’s invisible to those looking for a
            blue-eyed dude in a white robe
or for a city gone completely to hell.
He is the cinnamon of my son’s skin
with a green thumb and a Tigers cap
and my daughter’s dove-grey eyes.
He prays into Blair’s guitar,
hangs out on Field St.,
bakes bread at Avalon
and plants tomatoes on the East side.
He rides his old-school bike down the heart
            of Grand River,
paints a mural in the Corridor,
shoots hoop in the Valley
with priests and pimps and lean young men
trying to jump their way to heaven.
At night,
while the Border Patrol counts cars,
he walks across the water
            to Windsor,
grabs a bite to eat,
walks back.

Like Grace,
born in Providence,
he lives so simply,
he could live anywhere:
Dublin, Palestine, Malibu.
But Detroit is his home.
It was here one Sunday
a boy invited him down
            off the cross
and into his house
for a glass of Faygo red pop.
That was centuries ago, it seems,
and how far he’s come,
reinventing himself more times than Malcolm.
He’s been to prison,
been to college,
has a tattoo of Mary Magdalene on one arm,
Judas on the other,
and knows every Stevie Wonder song by heart.
He’s Jimmy, he’s Invincible, he’s Eminem.
He’s the girls at Catherine Ferguson
            and their babies,
and he’s the deepest part of Kwame
still innocent as a baby.
The incinerator is hell,
but he walks right in,
burns it up with love,
comes out the other side,
walks on.
He can say Amen in twelve religions,
believes school is any place
where head and heart and hands
            meet,
and wears a gold timepiece around his neck
with no numbers, just a question:
What time is it on the clock of the world?
And every second of every day
he answers that question
with a smile wide as the Ambassador
and a heart as big as Belle Isle,
hugging this city in his arms
and whispering to each soul
words no one else dares to say:
You are Jesus,
this is your Beloved Community,
and the time
on the clock of the world
is Now.

Recently, The Skillman Foundation had the privilege of hosting a reception for the White House Fellows. The White House Fellows program, developed in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, was created to provide young, talented individuals with the opportunity to view government close-up and allow them a first-hand opportunity to explore career opportunities in service to their country. The program is now one of America’s most prestigious programs for leadership and public service. As part of the programs “Living City Tour,” the fellows visited Detroit for five days in early November, which included meetings with the police chief, mayor and governor.

Skillman Foundation President & CEO Carol Goss played host to the fellows on the Thursday evening of their visit. The fellows, which include members of the military, academia, government, healthcare and non-profit, sat in round-table format with leaders from the communities that the Foundation serves and works in: Brightmoor, Chadsey/Condon, Cody Rouge, Northend Central, Osborn and Southwest Detroit. Along with the community leaders at each table there were high school students representing the communities. Each table had introductions and then dialogue surrounding educational reform in the city of Detroit. At the end of the dialogue, each table discussed, in open-forum, their views and recommendations in improving education in the city of Detroit.

“It has been a distinct privilege and pleasure having such an esteemed group of young people such as the White House Fellows here at the foundation to share their experiences, but most importantly to hear ours surrounding education and the hope and belief of Detroit’s renaissance,” Goss said.

Several of the White House Fellows commented on the openness and frankness surrounding the dialogue at each and every table.

“We are excited by the conversation here tonight and we will take this information to heart and utilize in our on-going discussions and recommendations for improving cities and education in America,” said Cindy Moelis, director of the fellows.

At the closing of the reception, Goss thanked Skillman Foundation Officer Henry McClendon for orchestrating the event, and the fellows presented Goss with a presidential writing pen, signed by President Barack Obama. Immediately after the reception the White House Fellows boarded their private shuttle bus and headed to Corktown to Slows Bar B Q, a must-visit eatery and an emblem of Detroit’s return to greatness.

-- Lonie Haynes, a native of Atlanta, is a Communications Fellow at the Foundation, and a member of the National Urban Fellow class of 2012.

I recently had the pleasure of attending a special event celebrating “Heroes of the Neighborhood.” This event recognized some ordinary individuals and employers who had performed in some extraordinary ways to help others and to make their neighborhood a better place to live and work. It reminded me of some of the most important lessons I had ever learned in this work: take the time to recognize others, to lift up good work and to give flowers for the living.

The event was held by Urban Neighborhood Initiatives (UNI), which is located in Southwest Detroit and led by Dennis Nordmoe. Dedicated to a community of Southwest Detroit called Springwells Village, UNI has been working hard with the residents and stakeholders to revitalize their area and to connect it to the larger area of greater Southwest Detroit.

On this evening, UNI and Dennis took the time to recognize several organizations and individuals who have helped to make Springwells Village a much better place to live over the last five years. These “Heroes of the Neighborhood” included:

They also recognized a volunteer of the year, Kim Huston; youth program graduates Alejandra Gomez, Edgar Gomez and Katie Tenan; and supporter of the year, Kris Kalen.

Congratulations to all of these HEROES and to UNI for its brilliant work to recognize them. Thank you also for the lesson that we must do more to lift up the great work of others. Every neighborhood, particularly every good neighborhood, should celebrate its Heroes of the Neighborhood.

 -- Ed Egnatios is the Foundation's Program Director for Neighborhoods

Nov. 29, 2011, will probably come and go without much notoriety. The same was not the case 14 years ago. The inevitable became reality, and most of Detroit’s media outlets led with the breaking news story, “The death of former Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young.” After a long bout with emphysema, the charismatic man who held the distinction as Detroit’s first black and longest-serving mayor was gone. 

I met Sen. Young the weekend before the 1973 primary election for mayor. I was 12 years old. I went along with my dad to the “Young for Mayor” campaign office at Six Mile and Manor to pick up some signs and bumper stickers. I volunteered as many days as possible for the rest of the summer and on the weekends after school started. 

Former Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young

I will never forget Nov. 6, 1973, the night of the general election. We were all at the hotel waiting for the final results. The city was filled with anticipation much like the nation was on the night Sen. Obama was declared president-elect. At one point during the evening, I observed people sharing with Mr. Young how they would like to be part of his administration to help move Detroit forward. I figured I wanted to be part of the change as well, so I walked up to the senator with all the seriousness I could muster and said, “Mr. Young, if you get elected, I want a job!” The senator laughed and said, “You do? Well, you worked hard so, I tell you what: you go to school, get a good education and we will find you a job.” I couldn’t believe it. I would get the chance to work for the first black mayor of Detroit!

Well, the mayor kept his promise. I may still hold the record as the youngest city intern. I was 14 when he hired me as a summer intern in his office. He later appointed me as the parks and recreation commissioner for Area 5. He said, “How ‘ya gonna have a parks and recreation department and not have some kids involved in the planning?” He hired me again in 1987 after I graduated from college where I served as an executive assistant on his staff for the last seven years of his administration. 

Mayor Young cared about giving young people opportunities. I know because I was one of many beneficiaries. In fact, the mayor would often say that he hoped of all the things he did, that the Foundation he established would be his most enduring legacy.

The Coleman A. Young Foundation (CAYF) provides college scholarships to talented Detroit youth with limited resources. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than $4 million to more than 400 Detroit students. It is a Foundation that can proudly boast of its 85%-90% retention rate.

CAYF is a Skillman grantee that has demonstrated its proven belief of giving back to this generation of children, and allowing young people to experience opportunities far greater than they normally would. Skillman and CAYF have partnered in an initiative, the 50 Promising Youth Legacy Awards, where $500,000 will be awarded to deserving, talented youth to assist with furthering their education. This is what Coleman A. Young was about.

Thank you Mr. Mayor, for the memories and opportunities from one mentee who will never forget!

Please visit the CAY Foundation website to learn more. Learn more about Mr. Young here.

-- Henry McClendon is a program officer with The Skillman Foundation.

Last month, PNC Bank announced the continuation of its award-winning Grow Up Great initiative, a comprehensive community-based approach to kindergarten readiness. The financial services group with branches all over metro Detroit launched the program seven years ago with a financial commitment of $100 million over 10 years to improve the lives of children and families in the geographic areas they serve.

I had the privilege of attending an event with PNC in Washington, D.C., where the bank not only renewed its commitment to kindergarten readiness, but it more than doubled its financial investments, promising $250 million over the next 10 years. Remarkable.

Grow Up Great works with high-quality early education programs like Head Start and deeply embedded community partners to give parents and caregivers the tools they need to prepare their children for success in kindergarten. But that is not all. Every PNC employee is given up to 40 hours a year in paid volunteer time. That’s right, actual people in neighborhoods and early childhood programs reading to kids, assembling playgrounds and offering a helping hand. And every PNC branch has activity kits for preschoolers that will help prepare them for school. More than two million of those kits have been distributed nationwide and across Detroit.

It seems that we only hear negative stories about corporate America right now, but every day in Detroit you can witness many large corporations standing up for children. PNC is a bank but it is also a champion for Detroit’s kids. Others stand with them, such as General Motors and DTE Energy. It is no secret that we have a long way to go if we are going to get every Detroit student college-ready by the time they graduate high school, but champions like PNC are reasons for hope that we are on the right path.

-- Kristen McDonald is the Foundation’s Program Director for Education.

Nearly two years ago, Angela Glover Blackwell, the president of PolicyLink, an organization that marries innovative local practices with stellar national policy, said "All roads lead to Detroit."

The intent behind her statement was simply that everyone in the country is looking to Detroit to better understand what is happening in urban centers, where there's been significant disinvestment. They are also looking to Detroit to discover what strategies and what investments can make a difference in turning around a city in the midst of generations of decline. Detroit serves as a moral calling and economic imperative to many in the country, including President Obama and his administration.

Essentially, Detroit is on the national and international stage; the world is looking at us. The lights on this stage are bright and unrelenting as they reveal our flaws publicly; the very worst about our city has been showcased for the world to see through the media. The stage also provides us an opportunity to spotlight our best assets: the work that inspires us and the people who never give up. The stage also serves as a place where our talents prevail and where the world will witness our comeback.

This week the stage is being set even more as Angela Glover Blackwell, true to her word, brings the world to see our very best. Her organization, PolicyLink, is hosting its Equity Summit in Detroit, bringing thousands of people to our fair city. As noted, the various and disparate roads bring them here, and now it is our responsibility to ensure that those roads lead to a better destination for the city of Detroit.

-- Tonya Allen is the Foundation's Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Program.

This week, Detroit has hosted some of the nation’s most powerful philanthropic leaders. On Wednesday, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation held its trustee meeting here, which included panel discussions and a community tour. On Thursday, Living Cities, an innovative collaborative of 22 of the world’s largest foundations and financial institutions, also held its board meeting in Detroit. I was able to participate on two panels to introduce these leaders to the culture, strengths, challenges and grit of Detroit. On the first panel, I moderated a session on the health conditions and health care options available in Detroit, especially as it relates to diverse and vulnerable communities, such as children, women, the indigent, Spanish and Arabic speakers, and Muslims. On the second panel, I along with steadfast community leaders like Sue Mosely and Laura Trudeau discussed how Detroiters are working differently to transform the Woodward Corridor, which includes downtown, Midtown and Northend neighborhoods, into a place where socio-economic diversity, racial equity and economic prosperity collide and co-exist.

Visitors often remind us to dust our furniture and shine our floors. They also remind us to tell our story, the good and bad. It forces us to reshape our own narrative and clarify it. So often, we allow others to tell our stories or we focus on our losses that we forget to share our strengths, like our determination and grit, or our assets, like our people and institutions. Detroiters, let's tell our own story, but let’s not focus on the past, let’s focus on our future.

-- Tonya Allen is the Foundation's Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Program.

Filmmakers of the documentary "Gaining Ground" wanted perspective while making the final edits for their production. In Detroit, they found just that.
 
Detroit residents from community groups and foundations to education and business sectors attended a screening and participated in a focus group for the documentary Oct. 18, hosted by The Skillman Foundation in association with Midtown Detroit.
 
"Detroit is an excellent microcosm for us to screen this film," said Dina de Veer of The Active Voice, a San Francisco public relations firm that held the screening on behalf of the film company, Vital Pictures.
 
The subject of the documentary is the Dudley Street Neighborhood in Boston, which filmmakers Mark Lippman and Leah Mahan previously explored in the early 1990s documentary, "Holding Ground." This award-winning film followed residents of the inner-city neighborhood Dudley Street/Roxbury as they struggled to rebuild their community in the midst of crime, abandoned homes and gentrification.
 
Now the filmmakers, working with grants from the Ford and MacArthur foundations, are revisiting the community. This time, the film examines the neighborhood's community land trust, which is an incorporated, non-profit group that acquires and manages land on behalf of residents in a community. In doing so, the trust can prohibit foreclosures and preserve affordability on houses sitting on that land.
 
"Detroit is a unique city, in that it is a city that is attempting to rise from a severe economic downturn and many of its neighborhoods are struggling to maintain their existence," said de Veer when explaining why Detroit was selected as one of two screening locations. "There are also a great deal of non-profit and community organizations in the city, coupled with a whole host of foundations who are all trying to help the city return to what it once was."
 
Two focus groups participated in the Oct. 18 screening in Midtown and provided feedback through critiques, suggestions and in a question and answer session. Filmmakers plan to use this feedback, in addition to the responses from a New Orleans screening, as they make final adjustments to the film. "Gaining Ground" is slated for release in the spring of 2012.

• Watch John F. Barros, executive director of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, deliver the keynote speech at the Kids Matter Here Neighborhood Summit in January 2008.

-- Lonie Haynes, a native of Atlanta, is a Communications Fellow at the Foundation, and a member of the National Urban Fellow class of 2012.

Along with our friends at WDIV-TV and City Connect, the Foundation is participating in an important telethon today that will raise much-needed money for Detroit schoolchildren.

“Rescue 4 Schools” is an all-day fundraiser that will help 12 schools – two each in the six Good Neighborhoods where the Foundation has been working intensely over the past five years – share proceeds to buy basic school supplies for classrooms and students.

Donations will go to our longtime partner City Connect, which will work with representatives from the 12 schools to get them the donated funds. The Skillman Foundation is making a lead gift of $10,000 to help encourage others to give.

Staff from the Foundation and City Connect will appear on Local 4 throughout the day to talk about the telethon and encourage pledges.

“We’re delighted that management at Local 4 approached us about getting involved in this effort to help Detroit schoolchildren,” Skillman Foundation President & CEO Carol Goss said. “Getting kids the basic classroom tools they need to be successful is important,” Goss added. “Our modest gift, we hope, will encourage others to get involved. Strong neighborhoods and successful neighborhood schools are key components of turning Detroit around.”

Watch a promotional video here.

Donate online here

Schools that will benefit from donations are:

Osborn neighborhood

Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts
 Pulaski Elementary-Middle School 

Brightmoor neighborhood

Gompers Elementary School 
 Detroit YMCA Leadership Academy 

Cody Rouge neighborhood

Dixon Educational Learning Academy
 Mann Elementary School

Chadsey Condon neighborhood

Academy of the Americas 
 Priest Elementary-Middle School

Southwest Detroit Neighborhoods

Clippert Academy
 Detroit Cristo Rey High School

Northend Central Woodward neighborhood

Loving Elementary School 
 Detroit International Academy for Young Women

 Welcome to our new website and the Foundation’s first-ever blog, A Rose for Detroit.

The Skillman Foundation celebrated its 50^th anniversary earlier this year (officially, we turned 50 in December 2010), and as homage to our founder, Rose Skillman, we have added bright red roses to all our logos and imagery.

This blog, A Rose for Detroit, gets its name from a Robert Frost poem, The Rose Family – “The rose is a rose, And was always a rose. …” – which we believe captures the essence of Mrs. Skillman, who was always a rose for Detroit.

The new website is full of interactive features about the Foundation, our grantees and partners, and the children we serve. The stories, photos and multimedia found on these pages reflect the commitment of our leadership, staff, and members of our community to improve the lives of the most vulnerable among us.

New features include a sophisticated new grants mapping tool that is the result of a partnership with the New York City-based Foundation Center; extensive photo galleries and video libraries; an array of improved tools for grantees and grant-seekers; and more ways to connect with us and follow us online.

We welcome your input. Tell us what you think about the new site and this blog. We must change the odds for every child in Detroit. That is our goal and our mission. So use this forum to give us your thoughts and to get involved in this most urgent of tasks.

At the Skillman Foundation we are proud of what we’ve accomplished over the past 50 years. But 50 years is not enough. In fighting for a better future for Detroit’s children, the most important year is this year. The most relevant day is today. And the most vital moment is now.

Join our movement for Detroit kids. Rose Skillman was always a rose for Detroit. You can be too.

Watch 50^th anniversary video here