It's Great 'n Dayton

Thanks to everyone for following the site for the last couple years. As recent visitors have probably noticed, I haven't been posting regularly. I love Dayton and remain a loyal advocate but this will be my last post from this site. For Dayton entertainment and lifestyle news visit www.daytonmostmetro.com and for perspectives from Dayton's resident watchdog check out www.esrati.com .

Look for future posts from me to come from www.matthewdunn.us and to be more broad in scope than just talking about Dayton topics!

Congratulations to Brother Ray Fitz

Some people are natural-born leaders. Some are gifted with the ability to live for something larger than themselves and to live a life of service for the greater good. Brother Ray Fitz is all the above.

Today I had the privilege to witness Bro. Ray and 35 other priests and brothers celebrate 70, 60, 50 and 25 years of religious life in the Society of Mary (Marianists). Brother Ray celebrated 50 years as a brother!

Just as a married couple celebrates anniversaries, and renews its vows, these men renewed their commitment to bring Christ into the world. For those not familiar with the Marianists, they live their lives inspired by Mary, the mother of God, who said “yes” to God’s call to bring Christ into the world.

What a truly blessed moment to see and hear these holy men, who for decades have been role models for all they’ve come in contact with, renew the vows they made decades earlier by committing to follow Christ in his saving mission. They further asked for forgiveness for their failings and for grace to do God’s will. Wow! What a humbling and inspiring moment.

It amazes me when couples celebrate milestone anniversaries. They’re almost unheard of anymore. But to watch these men re-commit to a life where one day you’re in a parish, or a university, or a high school and the next day in a non-profit agency or a third-world country working with the poor, you realize there is good in the world and that there are people among us who are so selfless that we experience a piece of the Kingdom of God.

We all have a responsibility to make the world a better place but it’s nice to know there are people leading the way!

Thanks Brother Ray and thanks to all those who were celebrated today.

I named Bro. Ray because many of my readers are in Dayton or are affiliated with UD. I have been touched by the work of many Marianists and I’m grateful to all of them even though I didn’t mention them by name. Their work and their lives are an inspiration and offers hope for the Church and the world!

 

Saying 'No' to Panhandlers

I recently included a couple sentences about panhandlers at highway ramps in a post. I've had conversations with friends who are all convinced that these panhandlers are more a nuisance than anything else and that they actually aren't even homeless. Knowing enough about the social services in our community I'd say that's true.

The following article in Governing magazine pretty much says the same thing!

Saying 'No' to Panhandlers

Dayton requires panhandlers to be registered. I'm curious to know if the registration includes details about employment and residency. And the Dayton program doesn't include the rest of the county. So what can be said about those other highway ramps?

Maybe there's nothing to say. At least educate yourself and your friends (and maybe someone should educate the public). And then what you can say is "No" to panhandlers and give to legitimate homeless shelters and social service agencies.

The Non-Profit Chase for Funds

AKA Popularity Contest vs. Need... or ... Charity vs. Marketing

 

If you’re reading this and you are also on Facebook you have probably seen the promotional links for Kohl’s Cares and Chase Community Giving - so I’m deliberately not providing them here.

 

I’m writing because I’ve always been a believer in the underdog and I’m writing because there is so much good happening - and work that is necessary - that doesn’t find a home on Facebook (or on the internet at all).

 

Non-profits are facing some of their most challenging times. With the economy in the toilet many non-profits are seeing demand for their services at an all-time high. At the same time they are realizing dwindling resources, most notably the absence of corporate contributions and board members with clout, particularly in communities like Dayton.

 

Dayton is plagued by the loss of major corporations. It is also a small satellite community for financial institutions and corporations that recognize Dayton not as a market but just another community within a region whose center is elsewhere (sometimes in another state).

 

Communities know what they need. Community leaders know what they need. I think the Kohl’s Cares program and Chase Community Giving program are great social enterprises but I think they are misdirected. These programs might as well be popularity contests. Funders who once maintained a strong presence in some communities have withdrawn. Where they used to have local grant-makers and employees who were community volunteers who knew their communities large organizations have offices that aren’t engaged at all in local communities except to take our money. And then they turn around and promote a charitable giving program where people get to vote on who gets a portion of money allotted for a particular region or community. And because they look good for doing it people just might want to do business with them!

 

Where foundations (and formerly corporations) demand accountability, outcomes, impact and outreach corporations want to look good for giving to something that’s popular. And they do it without even knowing anything about true need.

 

Consider a hypothetical situation.

 

A community center on the west side has a computer lab. They even have internet access but not a website. The computers aren’t networked. They have old software because they can’t afford licenses. The hardware could be 5-6 years old or more. One computer has internet access, not all of them. The users don’t have computers at home. They have family members who can barely read and write. They can’t pay instructors because they don’t have the funds.

 

And then there’s the high school in the suburb. Best test scores in the state. Best computer labs at school. Multiple computers in households. Internet accounts. Facebook accounts. The students and families in this community barely know the other community exists. And what they do know, they are afraid of.

 

Corporations then promote opportunities for online users to say where the corporate money should go. This is different than an affinity program like that at Dorothy Lane Market where buyers have a say in where a % of their money goes locally. Which organizations are going to get the most votes and subsequently be awarded funds they may or may not need (particularly when compared to other worthy organizations)?

 

Think about it. Please give your money to agencies who truly serve a purpose and satisfy a need in the community.

 

As an aside, many people question the purpose of United Way or the Human Services Levy. The same principles apply. There are many needs in our community and many agencies that address those needs. Most of the time such agencies are on shoe-string budgets. They don’t have marketing campaigns or development offices to raise money. They are too busy doing the work they need to do. The Human Services levy is tax supported and it funds agencies that provide a wide variety of service for the disabled, seniors, those looking for jobs, those needing healthcare, those with addictions, and more. The United Way is a united campaign on behalf of all the partner agencies, particularly those who lack resources for their own campaigns.. A gift to United Way can be designated to an agency of your choice or it can go into a community fund that is distributed by community volunteers and leaders who have assessed where the greatest needs are in the community. I intend to write more about both of these campaigns at a later date because they are greatly resented and misunderstood.

 

Suffice it to say Dayton has needs. Don’t let large corporations make you feel good because you voted for them to give away money because they marketed to you to convert you to like them.

 

If anything, stand up for what you believe in and support organizations yourself through individual contributions to a charity of your choice or by writing one check to an organization like United Way and designating how they can split it up!

 

Finally, don’t do business with a business just because you think they did something good.

 

Thanks Judge Merz for a life of service!

At a time when some public employees are scrutinized because they retire only to be rehired and collect a paycheck and a pension, US Chief Magistrate Judge Michael Merz has announced his retirement and his desire to continue to work...for free!

Judge Merz is a great civil servant and his desire to continue to be of service truly speaks to his character.

Thanks Judge Merz for the life of service and for the great example!

When is Enough Enough

So I'm not ready to throw in the towel just yet but I've been surprised and discouraged to witness some things hit close to home.

One friend who thought Dayton already had a nail in the coffin but placed alot of hope in a new mayor can't wait to get out of the nicer neighborhood of Belmont because there was a shooting a couple blocks from his house. I suppose it's possible that the demographics of his neighborhood could be changing but I'm also aware that in most violent crimes like that the parties involved know each other. I'd say it wasn't a random shooting. It doesn't matter to him however and it also doesn't matter to him that some neighborhoods have shootings as a regular occurrence. Even the "come-back" neighborhood of South Park has had it's share of crime.

I was even more surprised when I heard the N word used to describe the black man who broke into another friend's car in broad daylight in another part of town. The crime surprised me and so did the fact that it just seems like reasonable people are reaching a breaking point and are likely to tolerate less.

Unrelated to crime, I recently learned that the house across the street from mine - which has been vacant almost a year - will go to sheriff's sale with an appraised value of $30,000. It last sold in 2007 for $53,000.

Many people feel downtown is unsafe yet statistically it's been the safest place in Dayton for years. What does that say about the rest of Dayton? Perhaps schools aren't our only problem. My friends don't even have kids and don't want to live in Dayton. Why would families want to live here?

Of course suburbs aren't immune to crime. Jewelry stores in Beavercreek and Washington Township have recently been broken into. The Kettering/Moraine Walmart has seen it's share of crime. Beggars don't just stand at highway ramps in Dayton. They are also in Centerville (and Cincinnati, and Columbus, and yes, Hawaii where I just returned from).

So what is perception and what is reality? What are the cold, hard facts? How much of Dayton's problem is an image problem and how much is because there really are problems? How much of the current problems are symptomatic of the economy? What will it take to reverse the trends? Money? Jobs? Better education? Better parenting? Active and attentive neighbors? How do we save our neighborhoods from crime and how do we save our own property values in light of vacant and abandoned houses? How do we turn around the decline before we just give up and say enough is enough?

Provide Input on City Priorities

Every 5 years cities, counties and states are required to submit to HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) what is called a Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development that identifies how the communities will spend funds that are awarded them to address certain needs.

HUD's distribution of funds is typically targeted for use to improve the quality of life for low income persons, provide affordable housing opportunities, eliminate slum/blight, and address emergency situations.

In Dayton funds have been used for code enforcement, nuisance abatement (housing demolition), rental rehab programs, support of Rebuilding Together Dayton, and support of other agencies doing things for teens, foreclosure prevention, support of Red Cross, etc.

Infrastructure projects are also eligible uses and street/alley resurfacing is a common use. Expenses associated with neighborhood development (ie. the running of the Priority Boards and distributing small neighborhood grants) can be covered by these funds.

Additional funds are available to communities to specifically use for housing and homelessness. Dayton's shelters are funded with these funds. Dayton has also used funds to offer downpayment assistance, rental rehabilitation, to do the Phoenix project, to invest in senior housing (Twin Towers), etc.

As you can see many good things happen in our community because of funds we receive from the federal government.

If you would like to learn more or would like to share your ideas and provide input the City of Dayton is holding a public forum on Saturday April 17 from 9 am- noon at the Dayton Convention Center. If you would like to attend, please call 333-3670.

By the way, HUD uses Census data to award much of the funding. Make sure you fill out your census form and return it!

City of Dayton Employee Appreciation

This week is City of Dayton employee appreciation week. For those who don't know, the City was settled on April 1st, 1796 and so this was chosen as an appropriate week to show our appreciation for the hard work our city employees do. Take a moment to wave at a city worker or stop and shake their hand and let them know that you appreciate what they do.

And to any naysayers out there, we all know there are stereotypes about government employees. And some employees might actually fit those stereotypes. But there are alot of hard working civil servants that take great pride in their work...from elected officials to administrators, to trash haulers and the men and women who keep us safe.

Celebrate Dayton! Make someone's day by saying thanks!

One Cover Charge Allows Entrance into multiple OD Bars

Bars in the Oregon District are trying an experiment to address suggestions made by patrons who complain that every bar has its own cover charge. Actually I say experiment but maybe it's on-going.

Anyway, starting Friday April 2 (coindidentally First Friday), the Dublin Pub, Trolley Stop, Blind Bob's, Tumbleweed and soon-to-be Sidebar will charge cover charges and distribute wrist bands that wave the charge if presented at one of the other participating establishments.

Make a night of it! Visit multiple places for the price of one! Check it out!

For a full story go to ActiveDayton.Com.

Neighborhood Grants Available

The City of Dayton is accepting applications for projects taking place in neighborhoods.

This is a big relief for neighborhood leaders who thought they would see the funding go away when the city started slashing neighborhood and festival budgets as part of its budget cuts.

Projects should be oriented toward community improvement. In addition to impact, leveraging of additional funds/support, community involvement/partnerships, capacity building and collaboration, additional points will be awarded to projects that promote sustainability, pedestrian/bicycle connectivity, and issues dealing with vacant land/lots.

For eligibility requirments and other criteria, visit http://www.cityofdayton.org/Documents/Mini-Grants%202010.pdf

Be sure to pay attention to such details as attendance at mandatory workshops (applications will only be made available to attendees), contacting staff about physical improvement projects and different deadlines for different types of projects.

The City doesn't have to award this money but Dayton has always believed in and supported neighborhood organizing. Along with applying for funds make sure you THANK the commission and mayor for making such funds available.