110 HCON 327 IH: Congratulating and saluting Focus: HOPE on U.S. House of Representatives 2008-04-15 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. CON. RES. 327 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 15, 2008 Mr. Conyers (for himself, Ms. Kilpatrick, Mr. Kildee, Mr. Upton, Mr. McCotter, Mr. Camp of Michigan, Mr. Ehlers, Mr. Dingell, Mr. Walberg, Mr. Knollenberg, Mr. Rogers of Michigan, Mr. Levin, Mr. Stupak, Mr. Hoekstra, and Mrs. Miller of Michigan) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Congratulating and saluting Focus: HOPE on its 40th 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 cofounded by the late Father William T. Cunningham, a Roman Catholic priest, and Eleanor M. Josaitis, a suburban housewife, who were inspired 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 into one of the largest nonprofit organizations in Michigan; Whereas the Focus: HOPE mission statement is 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, trust, and affection, be they 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 movement; 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 ground-breaking affirmative action commitments made by the corporation; Whereas Focus: HOPE helped to conceive and develop the Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which has been replicated in over 32 States, and through this program, Focus: HOPE helps to feed 41,000 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 in careers in advanced manufacturing and precision machining since 1981, and has sent forth nearly 2,300 certified graduates, providing an opportunity for primarily underrepresented minority youth, women, and others to gain access to the financial mainstream and learn in-demand skills; 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 underrepresented 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 the pioneering skill-enhancing program, Fast Track, designed to help individuals improve their reading and math competencies by a minimum of two grade levels in 4 to 7 weeks; Whereas all of Focus: HOPE’s training and education programs have moved more than 9,600 individuals out into the workforce since their inception, with job placement rates significantly above the national average; Whereas in 1987, Focus: HOPE reclaimed and renovated an abandoned building and opened it as a Center for Children, which now has served nearly 6,000 children of colleagues, students, and neighbors with quality child care, including latchkey, summer camp, early childhood education, and other educational services; Whereas Focus: HOPE, through an unprecedented cooperative agreement between the Departments of Defense, Commerce, Education, and Labor, established a national demonstration project, the Center for Advanced Technologies, which integrates hands-on manufacturing training and academic learning, and educates advanced manufacturing engineers and technologists at internationally competitive levels; Whereas Focus: HOPE partnered with five universities and six industry partners, formerly known as the Greenfield Coalition, to design this unique 21st century curriculum, that resulted in students receiving associate’s degrees in manufacturing technologies by Lawrence Technological University, or bachelor’s degrees in engineering technology or manufacturing engineering by Wayne State University and the University of Detroit Mercy, respectively; Whereas due to the unique educational pedagogy at Focus: HOPE’s Center for Advanced Technologies, the starting salary of its graduates is higher than the national average when compared to graduates with the same degree from other universities; Whereas Focus: HOPE has made outstanding contributions toward increasing diversity within the traditionally homogenous science, math, engineering, and technology fields, and 95 percent of currently enrolled degree candidates are African-American, with the Center for Advanced Technologies being one of the top graduators of bachelor-degreed minorities in manufacturing engineering; Whereas Focus: HOPE’s unique partnership with the Department of Defense has resulted in several research and development projects, including a nationally recognized demonstration project, the Mobile Parts Hospital, whose Rapid Manufacturing System has been deployed to Kuwait in support of the Armed Forces’ current operations in Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Iraq; Whereas Focus: HOPE began a community arts program in 1995, presenting multicultural arts programming and gallery exhibitions designated to educate and encourage area residents, while fostering integration in a culturally diverse metropolitan community, and more than 70,000 people have viewed sponsored exhibits or participated in the program; Whereas Focus: HOPE established an Informational 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 800 students to date, and initiated, in collaboration with industry and academia, the design of a new bachelor’s degree program to educate information management systems engineers; Whereas Michigan designated Focus: HOPE’s campus and the surrounding community a Cool Cities neighborhood in 2006; Whereas the Secretary of Labor presented Focus: HOPE with an Exemplary Public Interest Contribution Award in recognition of its success in opening employment opportunities for minorities and women; Whereas the Village of Oakman Manor, a 55-unit senior citizen apartment building sponsored by the Presbyterian Village of Michigan in collaboration with Focus: HOPE, opened in 2006 near the Focus: HOPE campus as the first new construction in the area in more than 50 years; Whereas Focus: HOPE’s initiatives and programs have been nationally recognized for excellence and leadership by such entities 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, and the Aspen Institute; Whereas former presidents George H.W. Bush and William Jefferson Clinton have visited Focus: HOPE’s campus; Whereas Focus: HOPE’s cofounder Eleanor M. Josaitis received honorary degrees from 13 outstanding universities and colleges, was named one of the 100 Most Influential Women in 2002 by Crain’s Detroit Business, was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame, received the Detroit NAACP Presidential Award, the Arab American Institute Foundation’s Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Award, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce Award for Distinguished Service and Leadership, and the Dr. Charles H. Wright Award for Excellence in Community Activism, the Caring Institute’s National Caring Award, the Clara Barton Ambassador Award from the American Red Cross, as well as many other awards; Whereas through the generous partnerships and support of individuals from all walks of life, the Federal, State, and local governments, and foundations and corporations across the United States, the vision of Focus: HOPE will continue to grow and inspire; Whereas Focus: HOPE has been fortunate enough to have an active board of directors and advisory board from the most senior levels of corporate and public America, and has benefited from thousands of volunteers and supporters; Whereas Focus: HOPE has been a tremendous force for good in the city of Detroit, the State of Michigan, and in the United States for the past 40 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 improvements 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

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 for appropriate display.