Focus: HOPE

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Focus: HOPE is a Detroit-based non-profit whose aim is to overcome racism and poverty by providing education and training for underrepresented minorities and others.

Focus: HOPE, Center For Advanced Technologies
Focus: HOPE, Center For Advanced Technologies

Contents

[edit] Founders and Origins

Focus: HOPE was co-founded by Father William T. Cunningham, with Father Jerome Fraser and Eleanor Josaitis in 1968 after the 12th Street Riot. Their objective was to create a harmonious community where diverse people live and work together. Focus: HOPE started out in the basement of Catholic Church of Madonna, where Father Cunningham was pastor. It grew to encompass a 40 acre campus along Oakman Boulevard in Detroit.

The Focus: HOPE logo represents brotherhood and racial cooperation. It depicts two hands, one black and one white, reaching out for one another with the hope that one day they will touch. Through its endeavor, Focus: HOPE helps struggling families by providing resources that communities could not afford otherwise.

Focus: HOPE's first major program was the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, a federal program to fight malnutrion in infants and young chuildren. The co-founders revived the program in the 1970s and later led the effort to include low income senior citizens. It now assists 500,000 people nationwide and 42,000 in metropolitan Detroit with monthly distributions of food. Education and training began in 1981 with the machinist training program, which broke the race and gender barriers in the machinist trades. The programs now include a college degree program in engineering, information technology certification training, an information technology college degree program, and skill enhancement programs in math, reading and communication.

The organization also has extensive community and economic development programs as well as community arts programs targeted to high school students from the city and suburbs.

"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."
--Focus Hope Mission Statement

[edit] Machinist Training Institute

Focus: HOPE, Machinist Training Institute
Focus: HOPE, Machinist Training Institute

The co-founders developed the Machinist Training Institute to help unemployed Detroiters gain skill sets that were in high demand in the manufacturing field. The program also had the goal of helping the machinist field become more diverse and end job discrimination based on gender or race.

The Machinist Training Institute (MTI) opened in 1981. MTI trains students to become a certified machinist. MTI is an eight-month program that focuses on skills that employers demand. MTI trains students in manual operation and computer numerical control operation of lathes, mills, and grinders. Students also learn other aspects of the machinist field which include: Math and blueprint reading, technical drafting, Computer Aided Design (CAD), Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM), Computer Numerical Control (CNC), manufacturing theory, computer literacy, communications, geometric dimensioning and tolerances. After MTI the student decide whether to go out into the manufacturing field or to continue their education towards an associates or bachelor's degree in engineering at the Center for Advanced Technologies.

[edit] Fast Track

Fast Track enables students to improve math, reading, and computer skills. Students can improve by as much as two grade levels in four weeks. Students study fractions, geometry, computer literacy, reading comprehension, spelling, and typing.

The classes are geared toward students who want to enroll in the machinist or information technology program but do not score high enough on the entrance exam.This was another move to support the civil rights in the public educational field. Since the low level of public education due to the financial positions of the city this support program were very helpful for qualifying students. All these programs are finance from government, Companies and private funding. This shows how supported this innovative program were.

[edit] Commodity Supplemental Food Program

The Commodity Supplemental Food Program is administered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is targeted to pregnant and postpartum mothers, infants, children up to age 6, and low-income senior citizens. Participants receive nutritional packaged food each month. They can make their own selections of food at Focus: HOPE's four food centers. Homebound senior citizens can have the food delivered to them.

[edit] Walk for Diversity

Each year Focus: HOPE hosts an annual WALK to bring together people of all races and cultures, from the city and suburbs. Through sponsors and donations, Focus: HOPE raises funds to support scholarships for students in all its education programs. The WALK route varies from year to year. Entertainment, freshly grilled food, and children's activities are featured.

[edit] Center for Advance Technology(CAT)

In 1989; after lobbying on the Congressional level for three years Focus: HOPE establish Center for Advanced Technologies. The federal departments of Commerce, Defense, Education and Labor developed programs to train workers in the multidisciplinary skills for modern manufacturing. The Greenfield Coalition (of universities and companies) set an educational program that provided a curriculum that center on cutting-edge manufacturing and engineering skills. The CAT program teaches contemporary manufacturing, while studying related academics. General Motors was essential in his participation in seeing this program off the ground. The 220,000 square foot, award-winning CAT facility, was dedicated in 1993.

[edit] The Information Technologies Center (ITC)

Later Focus: HOPE established the Information Technologies Center in January 1999; ITC department provides several certified training programs of industry. This program covers network administration, network installation, and desktop and server administration for qualified students. These curriculums consist of classroom and lab assignments in 14-45 week long programs. The ITC is providing minorities and women, in particular, access to high paying careers while addressing a critical nationwide worker shortage. (Focus: HOPE PART IV Page 14 Program Report Fiscal Year Michigan.gov/documents/Focus_HOPE_2003)

[edit] Focus: HOPE Center for Children

Center for Children (CFC): Started in 1987, the Focus HOPE Center for Children provides infant and toddler care also Montessori and early childhood preschool education (age 3 through kindergarten). This department helps the approach too early Childhood education and stresses the needs and basic development of the young children socially and intellectually, by enhancing self-confidence and independence with love and respect.

[edit] References

[edit] External links