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THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE


November 24-30, 2010 Page A-4


SAM LOGAN (left), Carol Cain, Jackie Berg and Ed Deeb.—Andre Smith photos Chronicle Political leaders like Sen.


Stabenow commended the role of the Chronicle: “It is extremely important to lift up and celebrate Detroit and the leaders in the African Ameri- can community. The Michigan Chronicle is a much needed voice. We need another 75 years.”


The event also served as


a platform to recognize key community leaders for their tireless work in bettering the diverse community of Detroit and Southeast Michigan.


Among the honorees were


Carol Goss, president and CEO of The Skillman Founda- tion, an organization on a mis- sion to improve the quality of education and community for children in Metro Detroit.


Native Detroiter Dr. Benja-


min Carson, noted physician and director of pediatric neu- rosurgery at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, received the Michigan Chronicle’s Living


Legend Award. Goss accepted the Chron-


icle’s Newsmaker of the Year award, noting, “This is a humbling experience for me. The Michigan Chronicle was always a news source my family counted on.”


R&B star Dwele, a native


Detroiter and avid reader of the Michigan Chronicle who closed out the event, said, “the Chronicle is so important. We have a paper we can turn to find out what’s really going on in the community. It’s a beau- tiful thing.”


The event, sponsored by


Bank of America, Fifth Third Bank, St. John Providence Health Systems, Real Times Media, Strategic Staffing So- lutions, Ford Motor Company and Global Automotive Alli- ance, was considered among the top networking events of the year.


Bank of America served as From page A-1


the event’s diamond sponsor, and the company’s Michigan president, Kieth Cockrell, ex- pressed his gratitude to the paper for a job well done.


“We offer the Michigan


Chronicle our sincere appre- ciation for staying the course and persevering through dif- ficult times. We’re proud to partner with the Chronicle,” he said.


On stage at the event,


Hiram Jackson, CEO of the Chronicle’s parent company, Real Times Media, quoted the forefathers of the Black press, Sam Cornish and John Russ- worm, to highlight the rele- vance of the Black press.


“’We wish to plead our own


case,” he said. “For too long others have spoken for us, “That is a sentiment still as relevant today as it was 150 years ago with the launch of the first Black paper in his- tory, The Freedom Journal.”


MONICA MORGAN, one of the evening’s honorees, addresses the audience.


DON BARDEN (left), Hiram Jackson and Dennis Archer Jr.


DR. BEN CARSON and wife Lacena. Johnson


of seeking funding to sup- port programs like fine arts and athletics, among others, at DPS. Johnson whose de- meanor shows she is not the kind of person who cherishes the media spotlight, sat down with senior editor Bankole Thompson to briefly talk about her foundation and her plans moving forward.


MICHIGAN CHRONICLE:


PAULINE LEATHERWOOD, the longest serving Michigan Chronicle employee, with O’Neil D. Swanson.


Hood Cohen said his joining the


church is reflective of Hood’s ministry.


“I had attended several


churches in the Detroit area for a while, three or four years,” Cohen said, adding that he found something very progressive about Hood’s min- isterial style that he liked.


“It seems to me that he


always addressed issues that were impacting at the time,” Cohen said. “Let’s say if there were some heinous act in the community, then, generally, he would speak to it as a part of his sermon. That really in- fluenced my making a deci- sion to join the church.”


He added that since joining


the church, he found out that Hood is compassionate and personable, with congenial aura not all ministers have.


“He’s very responsive to his


church members,” Cohen said, adding that Hood has come out and blessed the various homes, apartments and con- dominiums Cohen has lived in over the post 20 years.


He also described Hood as


always accessible, something he said doesn’t always apply to pastors at the so-called mega-churches.


“There’s rarely an opportu-


nity to interact with the senior minister (at a mega-church),” Cohen said. “But that is not the case with Rev. Hood.”


With regard to Hood’s polit-


ical involvement, Cohen said Hood has demonstrated a level of integrity one frequently doesn’t observe in politicians.


“That was one of impor-


tant characteristics I used in supporting him wholeheart- edly,” Cohen said. “He’s truly a person on whom you could rely if you needed his assis- tance.”


He also said if Hood had


moved away from Detroit as a young man, there definitely would have been a void, and that Hood would have made a good mayor.


Cohen, who served as Cass


Tech’s principal from 1993 to 2006, and previously had worked as a teacher and in other positions, said he could rely on Hood — a Cass gradu- ate — to help with anything he and the school needed.


Since 1997, Hood has urged


people to ring in the new year with “a bell not a bang” (gun- fire). Cohen said that ongoing campaign has had a positive impact on the community.


Phyllis Robinson, a co-


chair of the celebration with Cohen, said beyond encour- aging people not to shoot off guns to celebrate the new year, Hood offers an extensive pro- gram on new year’s eve night. There’s a worship service, but there’s also a family-oriented social party at the church.


Robinson also cited Hood’s


efforts to house the home- less. She said the church has a large rotating homeless shelter program that it does every February. These home- less — mostly women — are housed at the church and pro- vided with three meals. In ad- dition, the church offers such personal grooming services as providing haircuts. She said it


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helps build their self-esteem. She also cited a computer


mission that has provided over 100 new computers to inner city students; a free summer camp for inner city youth who have excelled in school; and a scholarship program that’s given more than $400,000 to college students. But not only recent high school graduates, also men and women starting (or returning to) college well into adulthood.


She said Hood focuses on


the whole person, not just preaching to them on Sunday mornings.


Cohen noted that Hood’s


ministry isn’t just local. He has participated in several missionary efforts sponsored by his church in Cote’D Ivorie, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone.


He added that Hood is


always looking for ways to minister to those who seek it.


He called Hood the epitome


of how a minister should con- duct himself.


Rev. Dr. Hood is married


to U.S District Judge Denise Page Hood and they have two sons, Nathan and Noah.


Ten a.m. worship service


will take place at the church, 600 E. Warren, Nov. 21, fol- lowed by a 12:30 p.m. recep- tion in the Thomas and Carol Goss Fellowship Hall on the lower level.


Call the church at (313)


831-2460 during business hours for more information.


CHACONA JOHNSON (second from left) is pictured with Sam Logan, publisher of the Michigan Chronicle, and Carol Weaver and Leon Glaster, both of DPS. —Eric Hobson photo


Given the current state of the district, what was at the back of your mind when you ac- cepted to lead the DPS Foun- dation?


CHACONA JOHNSON: As


a member of the Detroit com- munity, I felt strongly that it was time for me to do my part in helping to ensure that DPS students have a quality edu- cation, have the opportunity to graduate from high school, and are able to pursue educa- tional and training opportuni- ties beyond high school.


MC: What has changed


since you took over DPS Foun- dation?


CJ: The Detroit Public


Schools Foundation now has office space and professional staff. We have raised over $2.2 million from foundations, cor- porations, organizations and individuals, including two six- figure gifts from individuals. Additionally, we have expand- ed our board and are launch- ing our first public annual campaign in December.


MC: What is the most im- portant objective that you


want to see DPS Foundation achieve?


CJ: I want the foundation


to help the students of Detroit Public Schools by first build- ing trust and relationships in our community and region, and among DPS alumni. By building trust and relation- ships, we can then generate fi- nancial support to help impact learning opportunities for De- troit students.


MC: Given that the DPS


Foundation is relatively new, set up six years ago, what impact has had?


CJ: As the foundation was


not staffed until October of 2009, little progress was made in those early years, but now we have been able to secure support for DPS students and are making an impact. Through the foundation, the PNC Bank Foundation has started a three-year “Grow Up Great” pilot project in 12 DPS Pre-K classrooms in seven el- ementary schools.


We are hearing very posi-


tive results from the teachers in these classrooms. We have generated support for DPS music and athletic programs. Funding was secured from First Student and the Pick- ard Family Fund to revitalize the DPS All City High School Marching Band and local mi- nority McDonald franchise owners have provided sup- port to high school marching bands.


Last spring Yessian Music


JUDGE GREG MATHIS was honored to be recognized.


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generated support for DPS music programs and Marathon Oil gave support to the founda- tion to allow DPS students to attend programs at the Michi- gan Opera Theatre, and Bank of America provided support to the DPS Evening of Fine Arts. We are also very proud that the new CEO of General Motors, Dan Akerson, person- ally donated $10,000 to sup- port DPS athletics. And we are currently discussing an opportunity to secure support for an important math and sci- ence initiative.


MC: Do you find more


people willing to give to the DPS Foundation in light of the troubled financial history of the District?


CJ: I find people willing to


give to education, especially K-12 education, because we are experiencing a national crisis in K-12 public education throughout our country.


MC: In 2011, what goals do


you have set? CJ: Continuing to build our


image and to add value-added programs and activities for the benefit of DPS students, which will generate more fi- nancial support. Specifically, I look forward to expanding our support among the area’s philanthropic community and reaching more DPS alumni.


MC: Coming out of retire-


ment, how long do you plan to lead this foundation?


CJ: I have no plans for leav- ing the foundation.


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