Dear Friends,
I love living in metro Detroit. It definitely beats my sleepy hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana in the days when I grew up there. We didn’t have a symphony, an opera house, a zoo or a Community House. We had a dying downtown tiny downtown, three movie theatres and a couple of strip malls.
Consequently, when I hear people beat up on Detroit as a good place for young adults, my hackles go up. Reading the Detroit Free Press Sunday, February 25 had that effect. Editor Ron Dzwonkowski’s column was titled “Choosing to Move.” In it, he described a young couple, the Trestlers, who have made the decision to move to Chicago for “quality of life issues.” Dzwonkowski stated that nothing bad has happened to them in Detroit, but, noting that Detroit is awash in bad economic news, he concluded, “Were I 30 years younger, I have to admit, I’d probably be following the Trestlers toward a more promising future.”
Ironically, on February 19, I read an article in Crain’s Detroit Business by G. Scott Aikens titled “Other Voices: Civic engagement starts close to home.” In that article, Mr. Aikens stated that he returned to Michigan at the age of 40 to find a region that seems to be in an “economic depression, culturally challenged and losing human capital.” However, instead of throwing up his hands, Mr. Aikens proposed that leaders create a new civic infrastructure through an e-democracy strategy that will serve as a long-term source for collaboration, creative energy, youthful entrepreneurship and regional renewal.
Fortunately, for me, my son, a college freshman, was home for spring break last week, and I got to see our area from his perspective. It was refreshing to hear him and his friends talk about how much they love Detroit and the metro area. They love the sports, the music, the restaurants, Campus Martius, Royal Oak and Birmingham. They have a favorite website that shows all the new and promising developments in Detroit. They want to return here to live and to make it better.
While he was home, my son spent some time at The Community House. He volunteered to help sell TigerTown sponsorships and came by to pick up materials. After listening to my phone calls and several impromptu staff meetings in my office, he said, “I love your job—it’s the greatest.”
I think that he feels that way because he knows that The Community House staff and volunteers are dedicated to making our community a good one. We are constantly striving to meet community needs, and I hope that we are meeting yours.
This spring, in an effort to promote awareness of global environmental issues, we are presenting a class titled, “What We Can Do About Global Warming.” In this class, you will learn that global problems are breaking us away from certain old ways of living that will not work in the future and that those willing to incur voluntary positive and highly planned change will be able to increase the quality of life in spite of being forced to let go of many of our old ways. You will see the film showing Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth—A Global Warning.” You owe it to yourself and your family to become expertly informed.
Recognizing that technology is very definitely part of the future, The Community House has embraced it. Please provide us with your email addresses to assist in our effort to keep the community more informed about programs and special events. Send it to debbies@communityhouse.com.
On a lighter note, we have added a new overnight trip for the spontaneous traveler that will not be in our spring catalog. Join us on April 27-28 when we travel to Cleveland for the Princess Di viewing of 150 items including her wedding gown and for the Monet show at the Cleveland Museum. For more information email our travel director, Zelma Gottlieb, at zelmag@communityhouse.com or call her at 248.554.6583.
Sincerely,
Shelley Roberts
President and CEO