[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 295 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 295
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 2, 2004
Received and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Congratulating and saluting Focus: HOPE on the occasion of its 35th
anniversary and for its remarkable commitment and contributions to
Detroit, the State of Michigan, and the United States.
Whereas Focus: HOPE began as a civil and human rights organization in 1968 in
the wake of the devastating Detroit riots, and was co-founded by the
late Father William T. Cunningham, a Roman Catholic priest, and Eleanor
M. Josaitis, a suburban housewife, who were inspired to establish Focus:
HOPE by the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.;
Whereas Focus: HOPE is committed to bringing together people of all races,
faiths, and economic backgrounds to overcome injustice and build racial
harmony, and it has grown to one of the largest nonprofit organizations
in Michigan;
Whereas the Focus: HOPE mission statement states: ``Recognizing the dignity and
beauty of every person, we pledge intelligent and practical action to
overcome racism, poverty and injustice. And to build a metropolitan
community where all people may live in freedom, harmony, trust and
affection. Black and white, yellow, brown and red from Detroit and its
suburbs of every economic status, national origin and religious
persuasion we join in this covenant.'';
Whereas one of Focus: HOPE's early efforts was to support African-American and
female employees in a seminal class action suit against AAA, resulting
in one of the finest affirmative action commitments made by any
corporation up to that time;
Whereas Focus: HOPE helped to conceive of and develop the Department of
Agriculture's Commodity Supplemental Food Program which has been
replicated in 32 states, and through this program Focus: HOPE helps to
feed 43,000 people per month throughout Southeast Michigan;
Whereas Focus: HOPE has revitalized several city blocks in central Detroit by
redeveloping obsolete industrial buildings, beautifying and landscaping
Oakman Boulevard, creating pocket parks, and rehabilitating homes in the
surrounding areas;
Whereas Focus: HOPE's Machinist Training Institute has been training individuals
from Detroit and beyond for careers in advanced manufacturing and
precision machining since 1981, and has sent forth nearly 2,500
certified graduates, providing an opportunity for primarily under-
represented minority youth, women, and others to gain access to the
financial mainstream and learn in-demand skills;
Whereas Focus: HOPE, with assistance from Michigan, the Department of Housing
and Urban Development, and other generous private and public partners,
has within the last two years invested over $10 million to complete the
renovation of the industrial building housing its Machinist Training
Institute;
Whereas Focus: HOPE has recognized that manufacturing and information
technologies are key to the economic growth and security of Michigan and
the United States, and is committed to designing programs that would
contribute to the participation of under-represented urban individuals
in these critical sectors;
Whereas, in 1982, Focus: HOPE began a for-profit subsidiary that was initiated
for community economic development purposes and is now designated with
Federal HUBZone status;
Whereas Focus: HOPE created two pioneering programs--FAST TRACK and First Step--
designed to help individuals improve their reading and math competencies
by a minimum of two grade levels in 4-7 weeks;
Whereas these programs have graduated over 7,000 individuals since their
inception, a new offsite training facility in Detroit's Empowerment Zone
in southwest Detroit has been established to reach out to individuals in
other parts of the city, and the success of the programs has inspired
Michigan (in its State-wide FAST BREAK program) and other States to
replicate the efforts of Focus: HOPE;
Whereas, in 1987, Focus: HOPE reclaimed and renovated an abandoned building and
opened it as a Center for Children, which has now served over 5,000
children of colleagues, students, and neighbors with quality child care,
including latchkey, early childhood education, and other educational
services;
Whereas Focus: HOPE, through an unprecedented co-operative agreement between the
Departments of Defense, Commerce, Education, and Labor, established a
National demonstration project--the Center for Advanced Technologies--in
which candidates earn associates and bachelors degrees in either
manufacturing engineering or technology, and engage in hands-on
manufacturing within-real world conditions, producing parts for
DaimlerChrysler, Detroit Diesel, Ford Motor Company, General Motors
Corporation, the Department of Defense, and others;
Whereas Focus: HOPE has caused over $22 million to be invested in renovating a
previously obsolete building to house the Center for Advanced
Technologies, transforming the building into a model facility for 21st
century advanced manufacturing, education, and research;
Whereas Focus: HOPE has made outstanding contributions toward increasing
diversity within the traditional homogenous science, math, engineering,
and technology fields, and 95 percent of currently enrolled degree
candidates are African-American, representing perhaps the United States'
largest producer of bachelor-degreed minority graduates in manufacturing
engineering;
Whereas Focus: HOPE's unique research and development partnership with the
Department of Defense has resulted in a nationally recognized
demonstration project, the Mobile Parts Hospital, whose Rapid
Manufacturing System has recently been deployed to Kuwait in support of
the Armed Forces' current operations in Afghanistan and Iraq;
Whereas Focus: HOPE began a community arts program in 1995, presenting
multicultural arts programming and gallery exhibitions designed to
educate and encourage area residents, while fostering integration in a
culturally diverse metropolitan community, and over 43,000 people have
viewed sponsored exhibits or participated in this program;
Whereas Focus: HOPE established an Information Technologies Center in 1999,
providing Detroit students with industry-certified training programs in
network administration, network installation, and desktop and server
administration, and has graduated nearly 475 students to date, and has
initiated, in collaboration with industry and academia, the design of a
new bachelors degree program to educate information management systems
engineers;
Whereas Focus: HOPE's initiatives and programs have been nationally recognized
for excellence and leadership by such organizations as the Government
Accounting Office, the Department of Labor, the International Standards
Organization, the National Science Foundation, the Cisco Networking
Academy Program, Fortune Magazine, Forbes Magazine, the Aspen Institute,
and many others, and former Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill
Clinton have visited Focus: HOPE's campus;
Whereas Focus: HOPE is currently led by Eleanor M. Josaitis, its co-founder and
chief executive officer, and she has received honorary degrees from 11
outstanding universities and colleges, was named one of the 100 Most
Influential Women in 2002 by Crain's Detroit Business, has been inducted
into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame, has received the Detroit NAACP
Presidential Award, the Arab-American Institute Foundation's Kahlil
Gibran Spirit of Humanity Award, as well as many other awards;
Whereas through the generous partnerships and support of individuals from all
walks of life, Federal, State, and local government, and foundations and
corporations across the United States, the vision of Focus: HOPE will
continue to grow and inspire;
Whereas Focus: HOPE has been blessed with an active board of directors and
advisory board from the senior most levels of corporate and public
America, and has benefited from an annual average of 25,000 volunteers
and countless colleagues;
Whereas Focus: HOPE has been a tremendous force for good in the City of Detroit,
the State of Michigan, and the United States for the past 35 years;
Whereas Focus: HOPE continues to strive to eliminate racism, poverty, and
injustice through the use of passion, persistence, and partnerships, and
continues to seek improvement in its quality of service and program
operations; and
Whereas Focus: HOPE and its colleagues will continue to identify ways in which
it can lead Detroit, the State of Michigan, and the United States into
the future with creative urban leadership initiatives: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) congratulates and salutes Focus: HOPE for its
remarkable commitment and contributions to Detroit, the State
of Michigan, and the United States; and
(2) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to
make available enrolled copies of this resolution to Focus:
HOPE and Ms. Eleanor M. Josaitis for appropriate display.
Passed the House of Representatives June 1, 2004.
Attest:
JEFF TRANDAHL,
Clerk.