Huffington Post

While working on new material for Shouldn't Be Secret, my partners and I released our pilot episode of a Detroit history video blog, Digging Detroit.

I can't believe what started out as idle talk over a beer at our local watering hole has made it all the way to a mention on the Huffington Post: click here.

I just wanted to thank you all for your patience. More great community improvements are coming.

Thank you again.

--Thomas J. Reed, Jr.
Third Coast Consultants, LLC
248.561.3759
thomas.reed@me.com

Been busy

Again, I apologize for not getting a post up here as soon as I should have. I have not been fallow though.

I would like to point you to a web site I have started with a couple of high school friends of mine, Kevin Walsh and Peter Kalinski. Please take some time to check out diggingDetroit.com .

The three of us were raised in the small Detroit suburb of Clawson and all three of us have great interest in the history of the region's hub: the city of Detroit.

Kevin has spent his career as an educator; initially as a high school teacher in Royal Oak and West Bloomfield and currently at University of Phoenix teaching video production. Pete worked as an archivist at the Henry Ford for several years and currently teaches history for Oakland Community College. Me, I'm an amateur historian interested in Detroit's history that isn't cars and Motown.

We've started a history blog covering interesting stories in and around the city; stories people don't know about and wouldn't expect out of the "car capitol of the world" and the cradle of Motown music.

Check out our first episode on Tommy's Detroit Bar & Grill. A cool little establishment down at Fort and 3rd Street in the space between Fort Street Presbyterian Church and Joe Louis Arena.

I have also started a Brownie troop and launched a write-in candidacy for Clawson School Board.

Lastly, I have started an entries for Shouldn't Be Secret on Upwardly Global and Arts and Scraps. Two really cool nonprofits looking to improve our communities in radically different ways.

Please stay with me, I haven't stopped this blog, just got a little distracted.

--Thomas J. Reed, Jr.
Chief Grant Consultant
Third Coast Consultants, LLC
thomas.reed@me.com

More coming

September was a busy month and it has bled over into October.

More good news on the work of nonprofits is coming, along with a video blog I am working on with some partners. Our focus for our vlog, Digging Detroit, is historical nuggets from the fascinating 300+ year history of our fair city.

Hopefully, we will be introducing you to stories from our past that just are as well known as more celebrated historical assets like Motown and the auto industry. There's lots out there that huge swaths of the public aren't really familiar with: the cigar industry of Detroit (once known as the "Miami of the North", the stove industry, how we temporarily misplaced the remains of Hazen Pingree, etc.).

So, to recap...I am already working on a new entry for the Shouldn't Be Secret blog and will soon announce a project examining the deep and varied history of the city of Detroit.

Thanks for your patience.

--Thomas J. Reed, Jr.

Homes for Autism

It seems every few years the authorities reestimate the statistics for autism. Recently, the numbers were moved up to be one in 88 children (1 in 58 for boys) will develop some form of autism; up from one in 150 (which was scary enough). The focus of most efforts to deal with this is children, but those living with autism do not remain children; they have every chance of living as long a life expectancy as any other individual.

Homes for Autism has steps into the void that exists once an individual with autism comes of age. This organization currently supplies homes for adults with autism; their logo, above, was designed to illustrate this focus. In the future, they plan to also offer respite care.

Homes For Autism works with new families to set up new homes. This process includes working with families and County Community Mental Health organizations to find homes that meet clients’ unique needs, negotiating leases and enabling the residence to be a good neighbor to the community.

Homes for Autism provides initial home down payments to buy the home and becomes a financial partner with residential families to ensure the success of clients in this living situation. The organization also takes responsibility for the maintenance of existing homes. The goal is to establish homes that will be self-supported.

Recently, Homes for Autism entered into a partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County, which established a sixth house for adults with autism in Waterford. Homes For Autism also partnered with Christ The Redeemer church in Orion Township to renovate the house. The church had its 17th year of fund raisers for Habitat and this year its beneficiary was Homes For Autism.

The Waterford house is a 3 bedroom 1 ½ bath in a residential community. Three adults will live there with 24/7 care. Occupancy is expected in November.

Homes for Autism relies in large part on substantial contributions from from interested individuals and generous corporations to continue to provide its housing needs. A recent Oakland Press article highlighted the contribution of AT&T.

Senator Jim Marleau (from left), Bill Schramm, Lori Doughty and Senator Dave Robertson hold a $5,000 check donated by AT&T to organization Homes for Autism. Submitted by Nick DeLeeuw (from the Oakland Press article).

Currently, Homes for Autism has a paid staff of only one: the Executive Director, Anne Gerard. Volunteers are an important resource to Homes for Autism’s work helping out with residential home health care providers and the families supported by the organization.

For more information on Homes for Autism, and to learn how you can become involved and support their work, click here.

Home page: www.homesforautism.org

Homes for Autism Mission Statement:

Homes for Autism provides and maintains houses for adults with autism and developmental disabilities.

Homes for Autism exists to help people with autism achieve their best and to live and grow towards a better quality of life. We specialize in creative solutions to meet the needs of the people we serve and their families.

b.h.d.

It is an unfortunate truth that within the city of Detroit there remain many neighborhoods with too many blighted elements. Sometimes there is also a cadre of persons, many young, that do not see a reason to respect others’ property or question the impact of their action on the community at large.

In the Lindale Gardens community, in northeast Detroit near State Fair Road and I-75, a group and a concept has evolved to meet these challenges, b.h.d.: Bleeding Heart Design. b.h.d. has a goal to use “human-centered design methods to inspire people to become more altruistic by using public art, design and architecture as a conduit for social change.”

    

Images of the same storefront transformed in the Lindale Gardens neighborhood by b.h.d.

The above installation was created to influence community residents to think more altruistically; to consider others’ needs as well as their own as the go about their daily lives. It is a good example of the type of projects executed by b.h.d.

Titled: The We Need Wall, the meaning of the word “We” is left up to interpretation. Those that witness actually see the expressed needs of individuals and their community. The hope is that people who see this wall, and particularly those who interact with it, will begin to think more selflessly.

The stated purpose of b.h.d. is to evoke positive emotions and thoughts from those who live near or randomly encounter the group’s design projects. By stimulating such reactions, it is hoped that negative or malicious behaviors will be demoted and self-evaluation of an individual’s role in society will be promoted. In other words, b.h.d. exercises a design philosophy that actively advocates a “pay it forward” atmosphere in participating comunities.

    

b.h.d. created a community meeting place out of an abandoned field.    (photo by Fares Ksebati)

The organization has larger plans as well. The “Bleeding Heart Nexus” includes such concepts as a time bank and a network of individuals who are committed to common goals of community care and attention. The BHN would connect people, organizations, businesses and institutions while laying bare the interdependence between them all.

To learn more about the work of b.h.d. and the evolving plans of the BHN please visit bleedingheartdesign.org and follow @BHD_Detroit.

Preservation Detroit

In 1701, Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac and fifty-one other brave souls landed on the shores of the strait of Lake Erie. As a tip of hat to Louis XIV’s Minister of Marine, they named their new settlement Fort Ponchartrain du Détroit.

313 years have transpired; that’s a lot of history, a lot stuff built and occurred in a unique pocket of the planet along a shore of the largest freshwater inland sea in the world. It would be hard enough to keep track of all of that and hold tight to the important stuff but the current state of affairs makes it even harder to even catalog what we have and prioritize what can and should be preserved.

Luckily, in 1975 two Wayne State University (WSU) students formed a student organization, named Preservation Wayne, to fight the demolition of historic WSU buildings. Eventually Preservation Wayne evolved into Preservation Detroit and is headquartered in its first successful saved building, the David Mackenzie house.

The mission of Preservation Detroit is preserve and revitalize Detroit’s rich architectural and cultural heritage. Through education and advocacy, research and awareness, Preservation Detroit seeks to preserve the architectural elements and neighborhoods. This includes the redevelopment of Detroit through the restoration and re-use of the irreplaceable buildings and historic neighborhoods that serve as anchors for stability of residential areas and catalysts for economic investment.

“Detroit is one of the most architecturally rich cities in America, and historic preservation has been a huge part of the story of Detroit’s recent resurgence,” says Amy Elliott Bragg, president of Preservation Detroit’s board of directors. “People want to live in cities that have character, places that have stories to tell. Our job in Detroit is to protect that character and those stories.”

In the US, we don’t always have enough appreciation for the history we have here. In Europe, they still live in homes built during the reign of Louis XIV, here we too often are willing to sacrifice what was built by those who came before in deference to the new and shiny. Luckily, we have groups like Preservation Detroit that are willing to look out for those treasures and teach us their value.

To learn more about Preservation Detroit, visit their web site at perservationdetroit.org.

Finally!

I apologize for taking so long to get new information into the Shouldn't Be Secret blog. A lot of end-of-summer stuff has cropped up: I got sick, my daughter's birthday and back-to-school shopping had to be done (I can't believe school starts next week!).

I again apologize, but coming next is a short write up on a very special nonprofit: Preservation Detroit.

Please check the out and expect more regular entries from me.

--Thomas

NOT an orphan!

For those of you who have checked in on this blog that last few weeks, rest assured I have not abandoned it. It's just been an eventful few weeks for me: I have earned a certificate in grant writing; I have fought a nasty summer cold for two weeks and my daughter's seventh birthday is this week requiring some preparation on my part.

I have a couple of entries in the pipeline and I hope to be back on track next week. Thank you so much for checking back. I will have some new content up here soon.

Thanks again,

--Thomas

Pushing Forward

Just wanted to update the blog this week. Personally, I have just completed my legal paperwork and ID design for Third Coast Consultants, LLC (aka 3C2), a grant writing consultancy. Next step, create a web site. Also, this week is my final week of work to complete a certification in grant writing.

So...I apologize for not having fresh content up here as of late. I will be back on track next week, if not later this week.

In the mean time, if you have suggestions for any nonprofits that deserve some recognition, drop me a line at thomas.reed@me.com.

--Thomas J. Reed, Jr.
Chief Grant Consultant
Third Coast Consultants, LLC

US Green Building Council - Detroit Regional Chapter

Our city on the straits turned 313 years old recently. Over the course of that time innumerable buildings, big and small, distinguished and forgettable have graced the cityscape.

Unfortunately, the past several decades have seen many buildings suffer the ravages of both time and neglect. Recently, however, there has been a renewed interest in renovating and reviving both commercial and residential properties within the city.

Luckily, there is an organization that can serve as a resource for those looking to move forward in bringing the area’s real estate inventory back into functionality in the most sustainable, low-impact way: The US Green Building Council. The Detroit chapter was established in 2002; its mission is to impact the way buildings and communities are designed.

The Detroit Regional Chapter’s many individual committees focus the work of the organization. Most meet monthly, and there is one that addresses almost every issue that is pertinent to the real estate industry of Detroit.

One focus of the USGBC is LEED. The acronym stands for Leadership in Energy efficient and Environmental Design, and has become not only the organizations Standard, but an International Standard for encouraging efficient and healthy buildings.

There is LEED for New Construction, its first standard, or LEED for Homes, or LEED Neighborhood Development, or Green Schools, Commercial Real Estate or Emerging Professionals. The USGBC Detroit Chapter has members and resources that are leveraged by individuals and companies working to bring local real estate back to a high level of quality in the wisest fashion.

The local chapter brought many leaders to Detroit to show off the uncelebrated jewels of the city USGBC Midyear Meeting earlier this year. It’s Emerging Professionals Committee selected eight community partners that will work long-term with the USGBC to support their work that advances the goal of sustainability in Detroit. Ultimately, the USGBC and it’s partners seek to promote environmentally building practices employed and healthier buildings occupied.

You can check out the resources available through the USGBC on their web site. There is also a calendar of events they sponsor as well.

Talk about the work the USGBC is doing. They are helping change the direction Detroit is evolving in. Let people know; their work shouldn’t be secret.

Millman No Restrictions Golf Foundation

Over the past decade or more the ranks of disabled veterans has swelled. Many times they experience trouble reintegrating into civilian society. Some experience PTSD, others are fitted with prosthetics. All too often they retreat from the world and into their own safe spaces.

Millman NRG Foundation has worked alongside several veterans’ organizations and disabled support groups to give back to these individuals a social activity and a sport they can participate in. No Restrictions Golf (the NRG in the name) holds several events each year to share their passion for the sport and demonstrate to those who may believe they can no longer enjoy a sport how they may participate in golf while accommodating their new circumstances.

This nonprofit was founded by Scott and Teresa Millman, a couple passionate about helping others including veterans, those with disabilities and children. Scott is a USGTF Master Golf Instructor with over 25 years of teaching and playing experience and Teresa has achieved success in both the financial and nonprofit communities.

Scott explained their motivations, “Teresa & I felt a strong need to give back to our community. Starting the Millman NRG Foundation was our way of sharing our love of golf with others. Our goal is to make the game more inclusive and accessible for all. Both of us have had family in the military, we felt we needed to let all of our service men and women know that we are grateful for their sacrifices and that we are here to support not only them but their families as well.”

Scott and Teresa Millman, Co-founders of N.R.G. Foundation

If you would like to volunteer with the Millman NRG Foundation, you can visit their web page here; or donate the cause here.

The Extra Mile

Cancer is a word that has chilled most of us in one way or another. Maybe you mother, sister or wife has had to deal with the terrifying diagnosis. Or, your father, brother or husband has been through debilitating treatment.

Luckily, there are many nonprofit organizations (NPOs) out there that have as their mission the eradication or more endurable treatment of the disease. Many of them extend their networks as civic minded organizations hold fund raisers and awareness events so that the goal is not forgotten or put aside for other important issues.

There are facets of dealing with cancer that don’t always get recognized though when an event comes up that focuses on diagnosis or treatment. One of those is spending dwindling precious time with a loved one as they face a terminal prognosis. Matt Dimmer discovered that after his father underwent routine gall bladder surgery and was found to have Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer.

An LA-dwelling Detroit native, Matt and his wife had just moved to Los Angeles from Chicago when the family got the news. Fortunately for Matt, he had the means to travel home often and mark precious milestones with his father and his family as his father’s health declined. About a month before his father’s passing, Matt stepped back and recognized his advantage and was pained to think of others who were too far away and unable to afford the travel involved to share their loved one’s last holiday...or weekend...or day.

The experience led Matt to form a nonprofit that seeks to enable others without the means to travel to sick loved ones to say a precious goodbye. The Extra Mile (thextramile.org) seeks to collect American Express points, travelers’ surplus frequent flyer miles and, of course, cash to help reunite loved ones going through an experience similar to Matt’s own.

As Matt explained his mission to me, “Saying goodbye to a dying loved one  should be a human right that no one should be denied, and I intend on making that happen.”

If you would like to donate or get more involved with The Extra Mile, visit their web site at thextramile.org.

Raison d'etre

So, I've let you in on my journey moving from one business sector to another. I'm now eight or nine months into a pivot from the traditional "work for a big company and collect a steady paycheck" model and have joined the "let's strive to make the world a better place and be a 'job creator' yourself" movement.

In the course of this pivot, I have met with many nonprofit professionals in the greater Detroit area. Professionals from the Detroit Zoological Society, Southwest Solutions the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan (and so many others that I don't mean to slight, but there isn't room or audience attention span enough to list them all here) have been very generous to me and given me a good bit of their time to discuss my efforts and the state of the nonprofit environment today.

Many epiphanic ideas have come my way along the way. My instructor in WC3D's grant writing certification program offered me one of my most eye-opening realizations: nonprofit organizations (NPOs) are businesses.

They may not generate revenue in the traditional "buy low/sell high" paradigm, but they still need to afford rent, utilities, supplies and professional services like any other business. It's just that instead of sales being the lifeblood of the business, it's donations and grant funding that keep the doors open and the machinery humming.

Also, instead of creating widgets for sale, the NPOs product is community impact; sometimes improving early childhood reading scores, sometimes job placement for returning veterans, but some improvement for some identified constituency is the NPO output.

Which brings me to...wait for it...this blog's NEW raison d'etre: giving exposure to NPOs tackling issues with unique approaches or outcomes. I have also learned over the past few months that there are several NPOs out there that are getting great work done in the greater Detroit area, but never seem to get any press.

I would like to broadcast their good work here. So, while I continue to look for stories to tell on my own, I am also inviting you, dear reader, to tip me off to NPOs that are approaching issues in never before tried ways and/or achieving great things that others aren't. I am sure you are aware of, or are involved in organizations who really need their stories told and I am looking to do some storytelling.

Give me a hand, and let's help great groups get exposure.

--Thomas