Lunch at Oakland Mediation Center on November 13th!

You're invited to lunch at Oakland Mediation Center for a one-hour, informal overview of the programs and services we offer to the community. Please join us for great food, discussion, & networking as we cover the following:   WHO stands to benefit from mediation? WHAT is mediation, exactly? WHERE does OMC's influence extend into the community? WHEN is the next opportunity for me to get involved? WHY do OMC's programs/services have such a lasting impact on businesses, schools, families, and individuals? HOW is OMC combating Michigan's current high school dropout crisis? Tuesday, November 13, 2012 12:00pm-1:00pm Oakland Mediation Center 550 Hulet Drive, Suite 102 Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302   There is no cost to attend; a light lunch will be provided. Please RSVP to Jennifer Clendening, Events Coordinator, at (248) 338-4280, ext. 217 by Tuesday, November 6, 2012.   You are welcome to extend the invitation to other interested colleagues.  There is limited seating available so reserve your spot today!  Unable to attend but still interested in learning more about the Oakland Mediation Center? Please visit our website at www.mediation-omc.org.

City Briefs

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR ANNUAL ANGELS’ NIGHT CAMPAIGN OCT. 29-31

It's once again time for the city's annual Angels' Night campaign, when volunteers work together to keep Detroit's families, residents, and neighborhoods safe October 29-31.  Please consider joining thousands of volunteers keeping a watchful eye over our city this year.  Detroiters can get involved in the Angels' Night effort in several ways:   

·        Watch Your Block

·        Patrol A Neighborhood

·        Adopt-A-House Program

·        Turn On Your Porch Light  

For more information, go to the City’s Web site at , or call (313) 224-3450, or one of the Recreation Community Affairs offices listed below:  

·        West District, Northwest Activities Center, 18100 Meyers, 870-0649

·        East District (at Butzel Family Center), 7737 Kercheval, 628-2170

·        Southwest District, Patton Recreation Center, 2301 Woodmere, 628-2180

·        Central District, 10th Precinct Mini Police Station, 8675 Rosa Parks Blvd., 224-2989 

DETROIT FIRE DEPARTMENT TO HOST FIRE PREVENTION WEEK ACTIVITIES OCT. 8-13 

The City of Detroit Fire Department will host its annual Fire Prevention Week from October 8-13.  As part of Fire Prevention Week, the Fire Department will host the following special programs:

·        Angels' Night Recruitment Walk -- The Detroit Fire Department will join other City employees conducting a door-to-door Angels' Night volunteer recruitment drive on Saturday, Oct. 6, from 10 a.m. to noon in the Evergreen and Fenkell area.

·        The Great American Fire Drill -- On Monday, October 8, at 6 p.m. the Detroit Fire Department's fleet of Fire Apparatus will participate in “The Great Escape” North American Fire Drill by sounding their sirens for 30 seconds to alert Detroit residents to practice their home escape plan.

·        49^th Annual Breakfast with the Detroit Fire Department -- Tuesday, Oct. 9, at 7 a.m. at Cobo Hall  Riverview Ballroom.  The Fire Department will emphasize the importance of adopting and maintaining an ongoing fire safety education program, and will present medals of honor for outstanding valor and bravery.

·        Smoke Alarm Installation Program -- The Fire Department will install smoke alarms in the homes of Detroit residents throughout the week and the entire month of October.

·        The Detroit Fire Department will partner with Home Depot, located at Meyers and 7 mile, on Saturday, Oct. 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to hand out fire safety information and teach residents the importance of having an evacuation plan.

For more information about Fire Prevention Week activities, please call the Detroit Fire Department Community Relations Division at (313) 596-2959.

CITY OF DETROIT BUDGET DEPARTMENT TO HOST  PUBLIC BUDGET MEETING OCTOBER 23 

The City of Detroit Budget Department will host its annual public budget meeting on Tuesday, October 23, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Northwest Activities Center, located at 18100 Meyers.  Representatives from the following departments will be present: Budget, Public Works, Fire, Health, Police, Public Lighting, and Recreation.  For more information, please call (313) 224-6260.

DETROIT RECREATION TRUST TO FUND RECREATION CENTERS

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing has announced the creation of the Detroit Recreation Trust, a funding program that will keep the City's 17 recreation centers open.

 During the past year, Mayor Bing has contacted various foundations and nonprofit organizations for help in raising $24 million to fund three years of programming. After three years, the City might be in better financial shape and no longer need the assistance. The trust has already secured pledges of $15 million from 13 public and private donors, including Lear Corporation, the Ford Foundation, General Motors, and Marathon Oil. Funds raised to date include $5 million over a 10-year period from Lear Corporation, $2 million from General Motors Foundation, and $3 million in Community Development Block Grant funds.  

DETROIT HOMELAND SECURITY OFFICE USES NEW SERVICE TO SEND EMERGENCY INFORMATION TO CELL PHONES AND EMAIL

 The City of Detroit Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management is using the Nixle Community Information Service to create and instantly publish important and emergency messages directly to residents via cell phone text message, email, or online at . 

The service is available to subscribed residents.  Messages may include community events, traffic incidents, and other relevant public safety and emergency information.  The service is secure, reliable and easy to use.  The messages can be sent specifically to residents registered within a ¼ mile radius. Subscribers can choose the way in which alerts are received.

Residents of Detroit and neighboring communities can begin receiving pertinent information via text message, email, and the Web by registering at , or texting DETROIT to 888777.  

DDOT ANNOUNCES SERVICE CHANGES BEGINNING SEPT. 29

 The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) will implement weekday schedule service changes effective Saturday, September 29, 2012.  Service changes are based on transit demands and are designed to improve the efficiency of the system for customers.  The following routes will be affected by these adjustments: 

#14 Crosstown                              #22 Greenfield 

#16 Dexter                                      #23 Hamilton

#17 Eight Mile                                #25 Jefferson/Fort

#18 Fenkell                                    #37 Michigan

#19 Fort

  

Call DDOT Customer Service Office at (313) 933-1300 to obtain more information, or go to . 

DETROIT MUNICIPAL PARKING DEPARTMENT TO BEGIN SIX-DAY ENFORCEMENT OCTOBER 1

The Detroit Municipal Parking Department will resume booting and enforcement on Mondays, beginning October 1. The department will have a six-day operation, Monday through Saturday until 10 p.m. each night.

This initiative will be accomplished through a reallocation of staff and work shifts.  Therefore, no overtime will be required. 

How Do I Start a Nonprofit? Workshop

Join us for the free Skillman Good Neighborhoods 2012 Fall Wednesday Workshop Series.

The second workshop, “How Do I Start a Nonprofit?” is: *Wednesday, October 10th* from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm at the University of Michigan Detroit Center in the South Studio conference room. 

We are located at 3663 Woodward, Detroit, Michigan, 48201. Free parking is available on Woodward, in the unmarked lot on Martin Luther King Blvd. across from the Center, and we will also validate parking if you choose to park in the Orchestra Place parking structure behind the building.

REGISTRATION:
There are two (2) ways to register for the workshop:
1) Email Lisa Gonzalez at lisaviva@umich.edu with your contact information including phone number and address, or
2) Call Rachel Williams at (313) 593-0928 and leave a message indicating you want to register for the “How Do I Start a Nonprofit?” workshop along with your contact information.
See you Wednesday, October 10th at 5:30 pm for an exciting time as you learn about starting your own nonprofit!

Visions of Our 44th President

Visions of Our 44^th President:

An Exhibition of Historic Importance

Groundbreaking art exhibit opens at The Wright Museum, to tour nationally

Visions of Our 44th President is on display NOW through August 4, 2013, and is free with museum admission, which is $8 for adults (ages 13-61), and $5 for seniors (62+) and youth (3-12). 

Admission is free for Museum members and children under 3.

The Wright Museum, located at 315 East Warren Avenue in Midtown Detroit’s Cultural Center, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 am until 5 pm, and on Sundays from 1 until 5 pm.

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History premieres the Visions of Our 44^th President, a sculptural art exhibition on display now through August 2013.  Portraying a present-day historical achievement in African American history through contemporary art, including works by Tyree Guyton, Gale Fulton Ross, Faith Ringgold, and Kadir Nelson, this groundbreaking exhibit will become The Wright Museum’s first national traveling exhibition.

Visions of Our 44th President was created to honor and celebrate the historical significance of the first African American President of the United States, Barack Obama.  Forty-four busts were created from a model that served as a blank canvas, giving forty-four contemporary artists from across the country free reign to creatively interpret this milestone in American history.

 “After close study of each of the artists’ work, one experiences so many different emotions, understanding the artists’ talent, inspiration and creativity,” said Peter Kaplan of Our World, LLC, who collaborated with the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History on the exhibit.  He continued, “Some of the painted busts are thought provoking, serious and strong, some simply lovely and sweet; all are unique and revealing.” 

 In 2008, Kaplan represented an artist that created one of the official posters for the Obama campaign.  Through that association of creativity and purpose, Visions became Kaplan’s dream. It took four years for the exhibition to come to fruition, and Kaplan says the exhibition’s “integration of art, culture and promise are my passion.”