Citizens For Fair Ferndale Seeks Volunteers, Participants in Focus Groups and Survey
(CFF, Sept 10, 2024)
Ferndale, MI – Citizens for Fair Ferndale has a busy autumn season ahead, and they’re reaching out with three asks of the community:
Attend a 90-minute focus group or fill out a 15-minute survey on policing in Ferndale. CFF partnered with the City of Ferndale to obtain grant funding from the Southeast Michigan Community Foundation and Hudson-Webber Foundation to gather perspectives from members of marginalized communities (people of color, LGBTQI+, people with disabilities, etc.) on ways to build trust between police and community and improve law enforcement services in Ferndale. The grant includes additional funding to implement a project that will be crafted based on the input received. We have held several sessions and received very helpful input; we have a few sessions left plus the option to take an online survey for those who cannot attend. If you identify as underrepresented or marginalized, please attend one of the focus groups or fill out the survey; either way, invite those who may wish to participate. See the attached flyer or click this link for more info. Please also watch our Facebook page for posts that you can share with friends and neighbors.
We need volunteers! There are local elections coming up (school board, library board, county commission), and we usually hold our candidate forum in October. We’re also working hard to relaunch the Good Neighbors = Strong Community Awards that were put on hold in 2020. But our little team is overextended, and we need volunteers to help move these programs forward. We literally cannot move ahead with these programs without some volunteer help. We welcome skilled expertise (web design, graphic design, social media management) as well as simple assistance like reserving venues, securing snacks and drinks, and mailing correspondence. If you are interested in volunteering, please reply to this email and/or reach out to Mary Schusterbauer at maryschusterbauer@gmail.com
Care to donate? Historically, we have operated on about $1,500 per year with targeted fundraising for discreet projects. Funding typically goes toward simple things like printing/copies, rental fees for our events, food and decorations for the Good Neighbor Awards, filming services for our candidate and issue forums, website fees, materials used to promote the Good Neighbors Pledge, snacks/beverages for events, etc. Other costs are unanticipated, like when we printed hundreds of Black Lives Matter signs (of which proceeds after reimbursement for costs went to Black Lives Matter Detroit chapter) or contributed to projects for other local groups (e.g., Ferndale Inclusion Network). We currently have around $700 in unencumbered funds, which is low enough that it makes us nervous that we won’t have funds for our next Good Neighbor Awards or other projects.
You can donate via PayPal on our website or send a check to Citizens for a Fair Ferndale, c/o Amy Davisson, 2004 Hyland St., Ferndale, MI 48220.
Learn more about Citizens for Fair Ferndale at http://fairferndale.org/
