RESOURCES:
Friends In Deed on X (Twitter)
TRANSCRIPTION:
David Fair: If you happen to be around the Eastern Michigan University campus on August 17th, you may want to plan a stop. There's going to be some people voluntarily and gleefully leaving the perfectly good roof of Hill Hall in a journey to the ground. Why? Well, I'm glad you asked. I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR station. It's 89 one WEMU! And what I'm talking about is the "Over the Edge" fundraiser for the Ypsilanti-based nonprofit, Friends In Deed. A group of volunteers will be rappelling Hill Hall to raise money for the important poverty reduction work conducted by Friends In Deed. I'm joined today by two people involved in the effort. Tania James is the executive director of Friends In Deed. And thank you so much for coming in today, Tania! I appreciate it!
Tania James: Thank you so much for having me today!
David Fair: And we're also joined by a voice that is familiar to all too many of you. Ken Fischer is President Emeritus of UMS and is serving as co-chair of this event and will be among those rappelling Hill Hall on the 17th. Always glad to have you here, Ken!
Ken Fischer: David, it's always great to be here! Thank you!
David Fair: Tania, you took over as executive director in April of this year. But you have plenty of experience in service-oriented, nonprofit work. Were there any surprises for you regarding how much need there is in Washtenaw County?
Tania James: Yes! I was very surprised by the need in Washtenaw County, especially those who are experiencing poverty. I was really surprised by that.
David Fair: Friends In Deed has been working in the county for 40 years, and the stated mission is, "Helping people in need and building community to end poverty." Four decades of work, and I don't know if we're any closer to ending poverty than we were back then. In the relatively short time you've led the organization, what are the most in-demand services that the organization is providing to the community?
Tania James: Yes. So, one of the in-demand services that we see is emergency assistance. We're getting a number of calls for help with utility shutoffs, water shutoff, rent arrears, just a number of emergency requests. And that number has increased in the last few months since I've been there.
David Fair: And, Ken, I know that you only get involved in things you truly believe in. And you've been truly impressed with a program called "Circles" that Friends In Deed offers. How did you come to this organization and decide to lend your efforts?
Ken Fischer: Well, it was a while back when Dave Sigland, who's known to many people here, was involved in a golf tournament and they were raising money each year. But then, the idea came, "How can we raise even more money?" And so, this notion of "over the edge," getting people to voluntarily rappel. But in order to do so, you have to raise a thousand bucks to have that privilege of rapelling. But in the earlier days, we would meet at nights on Dexter at a big round table. And when I was invited there by Dave to come and meet some of the folks to get involved beyond the golf tournament, I just found the people there irresistible. They were wonderful people with a service orientation. And the more I learned about the group, I just had to get involved. And the next thing I know, I found myself co-chairing the event of jumping off the roof. At that time, it was the campus, and now it's EMU's Hill Hall. But you mentioned Circles program, and I want Tania to explain it in greater detail. But what impresses me here is that there are leaders. These are people that see themselves in poverty, and they want to get out. And they team up for 18 months with folks who want to meet with them and help them as they figure out budgets, as they figure out childcare. Tania, jump in here and talk about the success of this program because it's truly life-changing.
Tania James: Sure! Absolutely! Yes, as Ken mentioned, Circles is an amazing program. The program is a relationship-based program. And individuals who participate in the program, whom we call "leaders," are matched with professionals in the community--experienced professionals who are their allies. And as Ken mentioned, it's an 18-month-long program. And the leaders and the allies meet weekly, at least weekly, to gather together to work on goals, whether that be budgeting, career development, whatever it is that the leader wants to work on to help them get their families out of poverty. And it's an amazing program that also involves the children. There's a curriculum also for the children. And so, it's just an amazing program that individuals can access the resources that are available in the community and do it alongside someone who's there to support them.
David Fair: It sounds as though it's taking next steps in that you provide emergency assistance and you help people in their moment of need. But this sounds like it's trying to create a foundation and stability for future financial successes that will bring an end to familial and generational poverty.
Tania James: Absolutely! You're absolutely correct with that! And that is our goal!
David Fair: This is 89 one WEMU. And we're talking with Friends In Deed executive director Tania James and volunteer Ken Fischer. He's serving as co-chair of the organization's upcoming "Over the Edge" fundraiser on August 17th. Now, I know, Ken, three years ago, you did rappel a building. And this year, it's Hill Hall on the Eastern Michigan University campus. But I'm going to ask you a question that perhaps your dear wife, Penny, may have asked. Are you nuts?
Ken Fischer: Well, you know, Dave, I'm going to be 80 later this year. And, man, I don't feel it. People say I don't look it.
David Fair: You do not.
Ken Fischer: I don't act like it. And how do you prove that to yourself? You do something that, well, first and foremost, that's going to be helpful to people. And then, it's a little bit of a risk, but I can tell you the people that run "Over the Edge," they're seasoned professionals. They know what they're doing. And, certainly, we would encourage people who would like to have this opportunity. Just go to friendsindeedmi.org. You're going to find information about the organization, but you'll also see a little segment there that can tell you how to repel, how to sign up or, if you want to contribute to folks like me who are already committed to doing that, you can just go to friendsindeedmi.org and find out more about this. And it's at Hill Hall on the 17th, and we'll hope to see a lot of folks out there. And don't hesitate to be in touch and see what you might be able to do.
David Fair: Okay. And I would have never brought up your age, but since you did, you're using it as a benchmark. You're turning 80 in December, and you personally have made it a goal to raise $80,000. I come back to my original question. Are you nuts?
Ken Fischer: Well, absolutely! But you know, Dave, last time I raised $57,000 myself, and we raised $137,000. But with the need so much greater right now, why not go for it? Why not have something symbolic to challenge me? Why don't we try $80-grand? But then, with Arlene Barnes, who is my co-chair, we've set $150,000 with our friends at Friends In Deed. And we'll do our best to get there, but with a lot of help from people in this community and beyond. I mean, I just got a nice check from a buddy of mine in Washington, D.C. Because he said, "Fish? Are you crazy? Of course I'll give you some money! I want photos! I want a video!" But it's a lot of fun. And it has been very successful for Friends In Deed, as it has been for other organizations. It sounds crazy, but it really works! It really works!
David Fair: Well, this is a lot of fun, and it is going to be an exciting event. And it's going to raise needed money. But, Tania, I'm curious as to what the annual budget for Friends In Deed is, because the work that is being done in combating poverty in the community is really what's important here.
Tania James: Yeah. So, the annual budget, is over $800,000, and the need, again, is very great. So, we rely heavily on fundraisers, such as "Over the Edge," to support the work that we do.
David Fair: Once again, our conversation with Tania James and Ken Fischer continues on 89 one WEMU. Tania is the executive director of Friends In Deed, and Ken is a volunteer fundraiser and co-chair of the "Over the Edge" event for the organization. Tania, how much money and resources is Friends In Deed investing in community members each year?
Tania James: As far as investing in community members, as I mentioned what our budget was, we are we're getting funding from foundations that support the individuals that we serve under that $800,000 budget. That's how we do that.
David Fair: And how much of that goes to emergency assistance? And how much is invested in programs that aim to end generational poverty?
Tania James: Over 50% of the budget goes towards programs.
David Fair: Well, again, this is an event that's going to take place on August 17th. Ken, any idea of how many others are going to be hanging off the side of Hill Hall with you?
Ken Fischer: Well, you know, one of the reasons we come on the air like this is to recruit folks.
David Fair: Sure.
Ken Fischer: But I know we hadwell over 50 or 60 people last time, and we'd love to top that this time. So, get in touch with us, and we'll hope that you can see yourself leaping off the top of a building to help our neighbors in need.
David Fair: And, Tania, outside of the fundraiser, like "Over the Edge" and the others that happened throughout the course of the year, where do the financial resources for the organization come from?
Tania James: They come from individuals--individual contributions. We work closely with congregations who are long-time supporters. We receive funding from foundations and in-kind donations as well.
David Fair: Well, I'd like to thank you both for being here today! I appreciate the conversation! I appreciate the information! And I wish you both well!
Ken Fischer: Thank you, David!
Tania James: Thank you very much!
Ken Fischer: It's always a treat to be here at WEMU!
David Fair: That is Friends In Deed executive director Tania James and UMS president emeritus Ken Fischer. He is serving as co-chair of the "Over the Edge" event, and he will be among those rappelling Hill Hall on the EMU campus Saturday, August 17th, raising money for the Ypsilanti-based organization's ongoing efforts to reduce poverty and help those who fall through the cracks. To find out more about Friends In Deed and the Over the Edge fundraiser, simply pay a visit to our website at wemu.org, and we'll get you linked up everywhere you need to go. I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR station, 89 one WEMU FM, Ypsilanti.
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