The Mayor's Response

Dear Dan:

Thank you for communicating your position on the Domestic Partners Registry ordinance.

The issue of a Toledo-sponsored DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP REGISTRY is controversial on the surface.

As some may know, I am a very strong Christian believer. Strong enough since an early age, that in my 20's I visited the Episcopal Seminary of Virginia seeking entrance. Though I eventually chose not to enter the seminary, my religious faith and practice is deep.

While I do not endorse alternative lifestyles, I believe in minority rights, and champion diversity. Most importantly, America is all about protecting the individual rights of each citizen.

While I champion the sanctity of the traditional American family of husband, wife and children, I also have seen the love and trust and nurturing of some non-traditional relationships. There is no magic guarantee of life-long happiness in either case.

The Domestic Partnership Registry is not about endorsing alternative lifestyles. It is about legal and insurance protection being extended to those considered the partners of any insurance covered employee. And, in this country of tolerance, progressive companies, universities, and cities are extending insurance coverage to such partners.

I respect human beings making free personal decisions regarding their friendships and relationships. That should be their call - not mine.

I believe God blesses all men and women who love Him, and seek to live a life of loving their fellow man - even when you may not agree with that fellow man.

City Council passed this legislation with a vote of 10-2, after hearing public comment on this proposal.

Calls and e-mails to my office have been evenly spilt for and against. I would encourage both sides to take a step back, take a deep breath and cherish the true meaning of Thanksgiving to all who came and come to this country seeking freedom.

Yours from Toledo - a City of the Future!

Carty Finkbeiner
Mayor

Mayor - you can't continue to have it both ways.

Dan Rogers

The Upside of Desperation

The other day I was driving to Columbus with four friends, Glen, Andy and Mary, to visit with Francis Strickland the First Lady of the State of Ohio. On the way we got to talking about why people today don't seem to care about what's going on around them whether locally, nationally or in the world.

My observation, for some time now, is that there is an upside to desperation. If necessity is the Mother of invention, then desperation is the father of necessity. Simply put; desperation creates necessity and necessity creates invention.

If we haven't come up with solutions, creative ideas or manufactured new inventive actions regarding broken families, poverty and homelessness its only because we're not discomforted or desperate enough about it. In fact I'm sure you'll agree that we as human beings don't like discomfort causing desperation, and so we avoid it at all costs - naturally. For example I don't like the discomfort of the cold and so I wear a coat ... and maybe even a sweater if I'm feeling even a little cold making it's way through the coat.

I'm not entirely sure however, in our driven state to eradicate all discomfort from our lives, we've thought much about the upside of discomfort causing desperation.

The men and women who graduate each year from our Ready For Life Program, did so because they embraced desperation and made it work through necessity and .... WOW, a new life was born. That's transformation.

Our city, and the things we don't like about it, will change just like the transformed lives of Cherry Street Mission Ministries when we as its citizens and particularly its churches, embrace just enough desperation to create something new.

Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.

Dan Rogers

Letter to Mayor Carlton S. Finkbeiner

Dear Mr. Mayor,

Thank you for reading this letter, and also for absorbing its contents.

I know well, that you are concerned about the home. The death of Detective Keith Dressel by the hands of a boy has led you to conclude that something needs to be done. And so you are actively drafting legislation that makes parents more accountable.

This week you will ignore, sign or veto a city ordinance allowing for domestic partnerships to be registered legally in our city. Because you are concerned about the family, and because there is societal temptation to sign such an ordinance, at the end of the day Mr. Mayor, how will you reconcile the difference in opinion?

I implore you to take a moment and think about the obvious lost connection that Robert Jobe has to society. Young Mr. Jobe’s problems started in the home, with his parents.

The data that Cherry Street Mission Ministries has documented over the last several years make it clear that 80% of the hundreds of men and women, who arrive at our doors each day, grew up in a broken home. This must be a clarion call for a caring community to come to the aid of the broken family.

It’s clear to me, and to other community leaders, that approval of this ordinance pulls on the string of the already unraveling home and family environment. Will you be a part of that unraveling Mr. Mayor, or will you lead the community in an honest open discussion regarding the family?

Your veto this week Mayor Finkbeiner would at the very least, allow time for the community to convene meetings for the purpose of debate and discussion.

Along with many other community leaders, I urge you to strongly consider a veto regarding the domestic partnership ordinance.

Sincerely,

Daniel J. Rogers

If you've been following this story in the Toledo Blade and local news outlets, you already know that in the afternoon of Wednesday, November 22nd Mayor Finkbeiner signed into law the ordinance that allows for the legal registration of domestic partnerships.

I personally know several leaders of the faith community who wrote this kind of letter and either mailed it or hand delivered it to the Mayor's Office the week of the 20th. We were NOT HEARD - why?? The answer I believe is simple; because we haven't used our voice in the last several years, it seems to be unrecognizable to the Mayor.

It's time we find our voice once more - and perhaps the next time the faith community speaks we'll be heard.

Mayor Finkbeiner - I won't forget this.

Dan Rogers

Where are the parents?

Recently Robert Jobe, a 15 year old who shot and killed a Toledo Police Officer, was convicted of murder and will soon be sentenced to 18 years to life.

I'm not sure much more needs to be said, except to try and answer the prevailing question of our community since that fog filled early morning when Detective Dressel's life was swiftly taken from him.

Where were the parents?

Make no mistake, parents are the head waters of our society - what flows from these headwaters and how it flows through the tributaries of our communities determine whether we have a high productive community or a high risk community.

I think there's a bigger question; Who is out there for the parent?

Dan Rogers

A moment with the "Cougar"

For the last two years, Cherry Street Mission Ministries has been one of the driving supporters of the Homeless Awareness Project called Tent City. Tent City is held the first full weekend in November, beginning Friday and ending on Sunday.

Doni Miller who is the host of the weekly Bridges show on TV channel 13 asked Ken Leslie, Richard Langford and myself, as we were being interviewed in preparation for the event; "What are you hoping to fix with Tent City?" The short answer is 'Nothing'. For those of us who serve the community in need throughout the year, we know that a weekend of awareness won't solve or fix any problems the least, last and lost experience each day.

There is a problem though that can be fixed with such an awareness project - AWARENESS. In Toledo the problems of incarceration and poverty causing homelessness are mostly ignored by the key members of government and the media. There are far too many 'drive by conversations' about the systemic causing problems that are plaguing real people and fostering a generation of disenfranchised and disconnected citizenry.

So - the once a year Tent City is designed to put both the problem and the solution visibly in the public eye. We desire for all people to slow down for a moment and realize that with just a little more effort, we can actually change as a city. We can change from being 'sad' about the problems people are facing and actually join in on the solution.

With a few (hundred) phone calls, mostly driven by Ken Leslie, John 'Cougar' Mellencamp who was in town on Friday for a concert, took a moment before the concert and came down to Tent City with his wife and son. I was happily tagged as the one who would chauffeur them to and from Tent City. Upon arriving at Tent City John and his family spent several minutes of private time talking with a few folks who have been homeless and have been restored. He then accepted the key of the City from Mayor Carty Finkbeiner, made a few remarks to all who were in attendance and then to the surprise and delight of the crowd, invited them all to the concert as his guest.

Knowing I would maybe have a total of 15 - 20 minutes 'car' time with John Mellencamp, we talked openly about his own addictions earlier in life and how he overcame them. We talked about the systemic issues of incarceration, poverty and homelessness and how his own problems started very early in his life - it was a great conversation.

By understanding the deep rooted (systemic) dynamics of our community, we can plot a different course than we've been on as a community. I know a lot of people talk this way - especially today, because it's election day here in Toledo. HOWEVER, let's not relegate our responsibility to the politicians and levies.

We've had several decades of this approach and it's not working. Rather, let's rise up as citizens, as volunteers and convene our own meetings and think tanks and produce our own solutions that will solve these problems once and for all - for all!

What do you think?

Dan Rogers

Where did September go?

The other day my assistant Maren Kurtz, who manages our web site among a host of other things, came into my office asking me; "Will you please post something on your blog soon." Of course I thought; "What? It's only been a few weeks!" A few weeks? - more like 8 weeks.

What's been going on for the last 8 weeks at Cherry Street Mission Ministries? Here's a sampling:

Monroe Street Facility

• Our Gift in Kind operations moved to the Madison Street facility to make room for additional beds for men this winter
• Last year during the winter, our high water mark for men staying over night was 167 which meant that more than 50 guys were sleeping on the floor.
• This year, we've moved some walls, bought some beds and will start the winter season with 152 beds and 40 emergency mats - our hope is that we will have enough this year.
• Plans are being made to move our administrative offices from the second floor of the Monroe Street facility some time in January so that Larry Robinson (Men's Director) can utilize all three floors.
• Welcome to Charles Allen who has taken over for Matthew Clapp as the Men's Ministries Lead Case Manager.
  
• The Northwest Ohio Dental mobile van comes once a month to our Monroe Street parking lot and offers free dental services.
  

Sparrow's Nest

• We are looking for a new Director for the Sparrow's Nest - wait a minute, what happened to Avis Files? (you might be asking)
  
• We're happy to announce that Avis has accepted a promotion to be the Program Director for Cherry Street - so the answer is; "She's still here."
  
• Kazonte Miller has become the new Lead Case Manager for the Sparrow's Nest taking over for Yolanda Bailey who has accepted a promotion to be the Director of the Community Services department.
  

Madison Street Facility

• Yvette Hall, our Food Services Director, continues to operate excellently as her team of staff and volunteers turn out more than 750 meals a day at two different locations.
• The team is gearing up for Thanksgiving where we plan on serving close to 700 wonderfully prepared and served turkey dinners.
• Dave Moore has signed on from the Men's Ministries to be our very first Information and Referral Case Manager. Dave's responsibilities are to connect our guests to community wide services.
  
• We have completely updated and remodeled the Medical Clinic at this location. The clinic now has three exam rooms and an office with nursing and chiropractic services offered three times a week.

Whew!

We've been busy. If you haven't come for a tour lately, give us a call at 419-242-5141 and ask for Yolanda Bailey at extension 241.

Dan Rogers

The Sparrow's Nest

This is the Sparrow's Nest. This is one of our 24/7 facilities where we serve women who come to us at all hours of the day for help. Avis Files is our Director of the Sparrow's Nest.

Did you know the Cherry Street Mission Ministries has a 'No Wrong Door' philosophy? What that literally means is that you'll never hear us say; "I'm sorry, you've come to the wrong place." or "I'm sorry, we don't offer that here." The reality is, we serve all who come to us, because fundamentally we believe they have been sent by God for us to serve. It's not that we claim to do everything, in fact we don't - but who can.

If someone comes to one of our seven ministry sites, and needed a particular service we don't offer, we say; "Have a seat, while we connect you with the provider that will help you." In fact, there are several services we now offer simply because we have this philosophy of service.

The Sparrow's Nest is a 54 bed facility. The first floor is primarily used in service to those who are in emergency need or are candidates for our Ready For Life (RFL) Program. The second floor is used for the women in our RFL.

As a matter of fact, if you'll go back to the home page of our web site; cherrystreetmission.org and click of "The Voice of Compassion" you'll be able to read many stories of women and men who have been served Christ in a way that has transformed their lives.

If you are a supporter of our work - thank you. These many lives are changed because of your foresight and hope that transformation of the human condition is indeed possible.

Dan Rogers