community Judge Bruce Morrow has


dedicated his life and career to public service in the city of Detroit and Wayne County. For 18 years he brought jus- tice and fair play to Recorder’s Court and to Wayne County Circuit Court.


As a judge Bruce Morrow


has volunteered his time and energy to a dozen community civic groups. Among these are the Lions Club Interna- tional, Save Our Sons and Daughters (SOSAD), Women Arise, Wolverine Bar Associa- tion, Efficacy Detroit, and the Black United Fund. He is also very active in the greater De- troit church community. He is an active member of Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, the church where his grandfather, the late Rev. Charles Andrew Hill, was pastor for 48 years.


Morrow came to the bench


after an education that moved him through Sherrill Elem-


THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE


Judge Bruce Morrow seeks re-election


sight into the needs and inter- ests of Wayne County citizens. It gave him the experience needed to serve Detroit and Wayne County as one of its key judges.


Judge Morrow is a strong


family man. He is married and the father of two daughters and one son, ages 11 to 16. The extended Morrow family includes at least 100 relatives living and working all over Wayne County.


Judge Morrow’s commit- Judge Bruce Morrow


tary School, Hampton Junior High, Mumford High School (where he spent some time as a basketball coach), East- ern Michigan University, and finally law school at Howard University. After law school, he was a public defender in Wayne County for nearly 12 years. Serving as a public de- fender gave him special in-


ment to the greater Detroit community is also seen in his fairness in decision-making on the bench. He has shown his commitment and dedica- tion by assuring everyone a fair trial. He is known for being hard-working and dedicated.


To volunteer, call (313)


342-7259 or e-mail Reelect. JudgeBruceUMorrow@gmail. com. —ADV.


September 8-14, 2010 Page C-2


PICTURED in back row (from left) are Dave Knight, Darleen Thomas, director, and Michael Bergstrom. In front row (from left) are Floyd, India, Audrey and Chelsea, students in the Hearts & Heroes program.


Boys Hope Girls Hop of Detroit receives August Hearts & Heroes Award, donation


Boys Hope Girls Hope of Detroit receives


August Hearts & Heroes Award and donation Thornton & Grooms, a


family owned and operated business since 1937, contin- ues to help and give back to the community through their Hearts & Heroes Award, pro- viding aid to local charitable groups and organizations. The giving continued with the August Hearts & Heroes recip- ient, Boys Hope Girls Hope of Michigan.


Boys Hope Girls Hope be-


lieves in children and their ability to overcome challeng- ing circumstances. With high school dropouts costing the economy $260 billion each year, helped by the fact that 20 percent of American chil- dren age seven or younger live below the poverty line (six times more likely to drop out), it’s obvious that those less fortunate need to realize their importance and what they can accomplish.


Academic, financial and


spiritual support through col- lege is all part of the program at Boys Hope Girls Hope. By providing children with arms- around care, safe homes and


Floyd, India, Audrey and Chelsea.


environments, a first-class ed- ucation and opportunities to learn more about themselves and the world, Boys Hope Girls Hope empowers children to realize the potential that is within them.


“At Thornton & Grooms


we set high standards and we admire how Boys Hope Girls Hope encourages the same with their scholars by provid- ing everything they will need to meet those standards. In doing so, we’re making our communities, and our world, a


better place,” said Mike Berg- strom, Thornton & Grooms vice president.


To learn more about Boys


Hope Girls Hope visit www. boyshopegirlshope.org or call (313) 862.0707.


If you have a charity you’d


like to nominate for a month- ly $1,000 Hearts & Heroes Award, please visit www. ThorntonandGrooms.com and complete a nomination form or call Thornton & Grooms at (248) 644-7810.


Nationally recognized Wayne County juvenile justice program at risk


By Summer Scarborough Wayne County’s juvenile


justice program has quickly become a national model since its inception ten years ago. However, this outstand- ing initiative is now at risk as it faces a 35 percent proposed budget cut by Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano.


Ten years ago, states typi-


cally managed their own juve- nile justice systems. In 2000, Wayne County ushered in a test system for shifting man- agement of juvenile justice programs from the State of Michigan to five locally-based non-profit care management organizations (CMOs), which were delineated amongst zip code regions.


Three of the CMOs, Black


Family Development, Inc., Central CMO, Inc. and StarrV- ista, Inc., are headquartered in Detroit. Of the remaining two, Bridgeway Services, Inc. is lo- cated in Taylor and Growth- works, Inc. is in Plymouth.


The shift in management


yielded rehabilitation, rather than repeat incarceration (re- cidivism) for youth offenders, while reserving secure insti- tutions for the most high- risk offenders. Rehabilitative


services also dealt with root causes of criminal behavior, including illegal drugs and alcohol, family problems, and lack of education and job op- portunities.


According to recent data,


as a result of Wayne Coun- ty’s implementation of the CMO system, communities are safer, costs have been re- duced and recidivism rates have fallen. The community- based approach created co- hesiveness and collaboration amongst care organizations, and increased service quality while reducing costs.


Despite these positive re-


sults, Wayne County’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year would cut funding for juvenile justice services by 35 per- cent. This would be the third consecutive year that fund- ing has been reduced. The budget cut for 2008 -2009 was $15,250,254, which equates to a 13 percent reduction from the previous year.


The budget cut for 2009-


2010 was $12,489,174 which equates to a 12 percent re- duction from the previous year. The cut Mr. Ficano proposes now represents a 35 percent reduction totaling $30,880,078. This proposal


under-funds residential treat- ment programs, and elimi- nates community-based treat- ment options.


“We cannot sustain any ad-


ditional cuts in the juvenile justice budget without poten- tial risk to children, the com- munities in which they reside and the organizations that provided quality, needed ser- vices,” said Alice Thompson, CEO of Black Family Develop- ment, Inc. (BFD).


Community Impact A 15-year veteran foster


parent, Timothy Kirby has lived in Detroit for nearly 20 years. For the past decade, Kirby has worked with BFD. He notes that his foster sons’ grades went from “straight Fs to straight As.”


One son is currently attend-


ing Morehouse College. Kirby is grateful for BFD. “They are Johnny-on-the-spot for sup- port and helping.”


Foster parents like Kirby


also receive weekly support to improve family communi- cation. He’s since initiated a weekly “roundtable dis- cussion” in his household through guidance he received from BFD.


©2010 McDonald’s BLACK McDONALD’S ®


FRANCHISE OWNERS THAN SELL GOOD FOOD


“We simply have to do a better job of reaching out and embracing young people…if not, they will have no hope and turn to negative influences.”


- As an African-American entrepreneur in Detroit, McDonald’s franchise owner Wise Finley is passionate about nurturing young Black people.


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