Detroit (February 20, 2012) - WDET-FM, in partnership with Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh, will convene two meetings to mobilize citizen action in support of a stable metro Detroit.
"It is critical for Detroit's future that we all roll up our sleeves and get involved in the community in ways that will have a measurable impact," Pugh says. "Even the smallest commitment can make a change in the way we treat and view our city."
"A Call To Action" will take place on two days. The first is Feb 22, from 5-8 p.m. in Community Arts Auditorium on Wayne State University's campus. The event is intended to bring together diverse constituencies -- including members of Detroit's NGO, neighborhood activist and urban revitalization communities - to inspire collaborative, positive action on behalf of metro Detroit.
More significantly, "A Call To Action" is the official launch event for a 30-day drive to generate 10,000 new volunteer hours for neighborhood-based not-for-profits. WDET-FM host Craig Fahle and Pugh will unveil a data visualization tool that will assemble the region's largest web-based collection of volunteer opportunities - a catalyst for connecting volunteers with more than 200 not-for-profit institutions and groups.
The Feb 23 event, to be held from 5-8 p.m. in the Community House in Birmingham, will be equally ambitious. WDET and Pugh want to engage Oakland County residents n this important conversation about the future of metro Detroit. The goal is to gather feedback from suburban communities and bring those insights back to the Detroit City Council.
"We're doing this because we're watching two unrelated situations develop," says J. Mikel Ellcessor, WDET-FM general manager. "One, a great deal of the region's energy and support is going to new business creation and entrepreneurship. Two, people still struggle with the city/ suburb divide. We felt it was time to provide some balance by creating opportunities and occasions that draw people into committed, civil conversations and purposeful, effective civic action."
To attend one or both events, please register at calltoaction@wdet.org.