Co munity Issue m m TOLEDO STREET O T NEW SP APER $1 Issue 101 One Dollar suggested donation. Your donation directly benefi ts the vendor. Please only buy from badged vendors. CommUNITY Arika Michaelis and Claire McKenna of Toledo Streets combed the streets to ask the people of Toledo what does Community mean to them. Page 4 Album Brings Neighbors Alb Together chance drum g T g th A chance circle during Ohio's StayAtHome orders leads to a unique neighborly connection. Page 8 circle during Ohio's Sta orders leads to a uniqu Toledo Streets is a member of the International Network of Street Newspapers
TOLEDO STREETS NEW SP APER About the cover: Art Director Ed Conn had some fun conveying the overarching community of the Toledo Area. From the TSO to Toledo Pride to Black Lives Matter, YOU WILL DO BETTER IN TOLEDO because Toledo will do better with you. 3 4 6 7 p 7 Zoo When one succeeds, we all succeed. p 4 Community Quotes 11 8 12 p 8 Kerry Patrick Clark 14 Page 2 Puzzle Page 13 CommUNITY While there are a variety of perspectives and insights you will read in this issue, the unifying principle is that community is an essential piece of the human experience. Community Voices We asked folks around Toledo what community means to them. Here are their answers. Preserving the Core: Fostering Community in Quarantine Our old friend Steve North examines what community means in these unusual times. How to Create Shared Space for Wildlife in our Community Jeff Sailer, CEO and President of Toledo Zoo and Aquarium dives deep into relationship of animals and humans here. What a Show Album Brings Neighbors Together TSN Art Director Ed Conn shares his chance project working with folk singer Kerry Patrick Clark on his new album. Toledo Streets Reimagining Homelessness: Relational Poverty and Building Community Homelessness often gets oversimplifi ed. It’s frequently framed as a problem of fi nancial means, mental health, or addiction. Vendor of the Month: Metaphorical Trust Fall If you have ever stopped to look at photos of the TSN vendors or popped your head into a meeting, then you may have had the same thought I did when I fi rst started ... what an odd, mismatched group of people. TSN and Venmo connect to make purchasing easier
CommUNITY Toledo Streets Staff Good day! I am excited to introduce you to Issue 101 of Toledo Streets Newspaper; our theme for this issue, Community. While there are a variety of perspectives and insights you will read in this issue, the unifying principle is that community is an essential piece of the human experience. All of us strive to form and participate in communities which matter to us and where we can take part in something so necessary and paramount to being human - belonging. Each individual who wrote for Issue 101 was prompted in the same way:“Write about community from any perspective. What does community mean to you? Which communities are you a part of? You’re welcome to write from any angle as long as it somehow ties into community.” The responses come from different backgrounds. Some labels we might assign to them are teacher, bartender, musician, vendor manager, student or philanthropist; each one of them is also a part of the bigger community we call the City of Toledo. At Toledo Streets Newspaper one of our guiding visionary principles is to foster community. We do this because of our heartfelt belief that together we are stronger, wiser, healthier, and more equipped to tackle the obstacles life presents each of us. Again, I am excited to introduce you to Issue 101 and to take part in the beautiful community we call Toledo Streets Newspaper! Welcome! The Buck Starts Here Toledo Streets and its vendors are a powerful, community driven solution to the problem of homelessness. Our vendors earn their way out of their individual situations through a collaboration of journalism, local business partners and their own hard work. Use these four steps to be a part of the solution. Meet Vendors Buy a Paper Get Informed Take Action • Vendors -- the people who sell the paper -- are at the core of Toledo Streets' mission. Each year more than 70 indiviuals work as vendors with Toledo Streets. At any given time, more than 25 vendors are at work, in the rain, snow, or heat. Vendors play an active role in the management of TS, meeting regularly to discuss issues of concern and even serving on our board. • With the money made selling the newspaper, vendors are able to secure basic needs, independence and dignity, and work toward obtaining housing. Vendors buy papers for a quarter and sell them for a $1, keeping all income and tips for each sale. Toledo Streets tries to tie its editorial to three basic principals: • Inspiring Hope, Fostering Community, and Cultivating Change. We are a member of INSP, our global organization of street papers around the world which provides us with content relevent to social justice, homelessness, and street community around the world. • Donate to the organization and give vendors experiencing homelessness and poverty a hand up. It supports not only the paper but also issues throughout NW Ohio. • Volunteer your time and expertise and help the organization grow. • Share Toledo Streets with your network, and tell people about the organization. Page 3
L.E.A.P. and Community tried alone. This mind set can be applied either personally or professionally. Within a strong community the goal should always be to help each other succeed. When one succeeds, we all succeed. By: Karen McFarland, Community Member My husband, Bob and I have been on numerous mission trips over the years. Our passion is to be able to serve those in need. As amazing as the trips were, we discovered the one thing that we felt was missing. A longstanding, consistent and caring community. Our dream became to serve those in need but do so while creating a community where everyone feels loved, encouraged and accepted while providing for their basic needs (L.E.A.P). This mindset applies to those we serve and to those who choose to come alongside us to serve. We wanted to build long standing supportive relationships that can only happen within a community. That is why we began L.E.A.P Toledo, where we feed anyone who is hungry every Tuesday at 12:00 pm in downtown Toledo, right in front of the library. We have been doing this for over 2.5 years. Our community we serve has grown immensely since we fi rst started. Those we serve know we will show up every week despite the weather, with a hot lunch, a cool bottle of water, some basic needs. And most importantly this is all done in love, with a smile and absolutely no judgement. These are the relationships that help get you through the hard times or simply put a smile on your face just by being together. Page 4 Sometimes these relationships just happen naturally. You fi nd that common connection with someone and it instantly starts to build and grow. Sometimes you stumble into it and other times, it takes work. We have to build trust, create boundaries, and have a willingness to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Building these relationships takes time and effort. We as individuals are guarded, cautious to trust and protective of our time. Personally, years ago we stumbled into a community where we served with some amazing people, under fantastic leadership. The “stumbling in” was the easy part. Making the most of the stumble, that took time and courage. We had to be willing to put ourselves out there for potential rejection. We are so grateful we took the risk. This community has become our family over the past 20 years. We are all in different states now, however we still make time each week to meet up virtually. We are intentional about staying connected. Our lifelong friends were built out of a community we stumbled into. Absolutely, priceless. When we focus on building a stronger community, we create relationships where we can access connections to help one another. This in and of itself makes us more apt to succeed. When we utilize each other’s strengths, more is accomplished than if we had We were designed to live in community with each other. When we do this well, we have a greater chance of success. We need encouragement, love, support, to be held accountable and sometimes reprimanded for our actions. Alone, we will not accomplish as much as we will together. Together we are stronger, more capable of doing the impossible, than we ever will alone. By living life in community, we benefi t from one anothers’ gifts and skills. Where we lack, others succeed and vice versa. When we fall they pick us up. We do the same for them. We are safer and stronger when we are living in community with one another. The com munity we like to create is one where the doors stay open, everyone is accepted, no one is turned away. Community doesn’t run out of space, it makes space. Together we are stronger and always will be. Children Thrive in CommunityFocused Environments By Chelsea Garver, Elementary School Teacher When I think about the word community I think about the amazing opportunity I have to build a community in my classroom each year. Educators often support one another in the teacher community, people who live in neighborhoods often place themselves participate in communities because of the many aspects they enjoy, adults often place themselves in communities of friends and coworkers where they feel safest. My role as a teacher is to give my students that same experience, that same comfort, safeness, community feeling, every day. When they walk into my room, do I expect that feeling instantly? Goodness no. Building trust, relationships, and laying a foundation takes work. While the curriculum is very important, I cannot expect these children to learn anything from me when they don’t even know me or respect me yet. The fi rst two weeks, we focus on getting to know each other, we assign jobs in the classroom to help foster that togetherness, and we listen to one another. Then we create and list our community rules together, instead of me laying out the classroom rules for them. Each year may look different with the rules but the general basis is that we respect others, we show responsibility for our actions and our learning and we are kind to one another. As we begin a new school year, my heart hurts as I think about what this will look like for the students. If they are online learning, will they be able to build the relationships needed within their community? If they are hybrid and only go two days a week, will they feel loved and safe coming into the school behind their masks? Teachers, parents, and administrators have to work together full-circle to give our students the best chance of accomplishing this. During a time where we are told we can’t do a lot of things, there is still a lot we can do. We can check in with our students’ mental health daily, learning can be fun and adapted to the current state of the world, laughter can still happen and kindness can still be spread. Whatever the school year will look like, we are still one class, one family, one community. On Community By Nakia Williams, Tiffi n University Student Often when we think of community, we think of the area we live in. Is community just a place surrounding us outside of the personal bubble we create for ourselves or is community deeper than that? Does the community we live in shape who we are and the decisions we make? Community is typically defi ned as a group of people living in the same place or having characteristics in common. Fostering Community
I do not believe a community has to be where you live. Often people fi nd themselves living in a community that they do not identify with and it begins to take a toll on their life. A community to me is wherever or whoever makes you feel comfortable enough to be yourself without fear of being judged if you happen to stand out on occasion. A community is warm, thoughtful, empathic, supportive, and always there waiting for you to come back and join in. I believe the best community is the one who helps you grow into the person you have always dreamed to be. We all have this idea of the people we should hang around or the areas we should spend our time in, but is it truly what we want? I believe the best community is a place you can be free and fi nd solitude. Communities allow for a person to explore their passion in life without being judged. Individuals must have a safe place where they do not have to worry about being comfortable. A community can be your home and friends, the local diner and its patrons, your neighborhood community center, work, or even your group of friends. I believe it is essential to take away the traditional defi nition of the community and look at the relationships in your life and realize they are your community. In my personal life, my communities are those areas and people who understand not only my bad days but my good days as well. My community is my friends, my classmates, and my family who continue to support me. I fi nd peace in going out and discussing life with others who can identify with me and support me in the journey of life. Everyone needs to fi nd others that can relate to them and help them through their crying moments. My favorite quote is “ Cry Standing up”. Surround yourself with people who are willing to help you stand back up and cry with you. Build your community fi lled with things and people that allow you to be you. What Does Community Mean to Me? Gina Rieger, Tiffi n University Student What is your ideal community? What do you see, hear, or feel? My ideal community is: ...a place that provides protection. ...a place where I am accepted. ...a place where similarities and differences are respected. ...a place that challenges me to fi nd deeper personal fulfi llment. ...a place where we share each other’s lives, cultures, and traditions. ...a place where internal changes can happen in terms of attitudes and values. ...and that’s a community I want to be in. A community is a group of people residing in the same place who have common interests and attitudes. That defi nition implies acceptance, but why is it that so many people feel disconnected from their community? While many American citizens can attest to the defi nition above, it is not the reality for everyone. Individuals, families, and couples who have migrated to a different country can experience the disconnection between themselves and the community. To feel a part of the community, ethnicity, religion, and culture have been introduced by those who have migrated into their newfound homes. To further connect with their community, the migrated person may seek out others from a similar culture to connect through language, food, and music. People migrating to America may fall to cultural assimilation in that they adopt values, norms, and beliefs to fi t into a community, making no distinguishable differences between them and the current community members. To conform to their community, people migrating to America are required to change their language, values, rituals, culture, and religion. Migration can have a significant impact on local communities while providing new perspectives and ideas that can contribute to the notion of inclusiveness. However, communities can be sustained by creating diverse diverging communities to share and embrace each other’s lives. Communities can create fundamental meaning to life and cultivate change. The members in communities must develop sensitivity and an understanding of another ethnic group, and now that’s a community I want to be a part of. COVID in the City By Ben Stalets Local Musician/ TSN Volunteer COVID shocked the world by uprooting nearly every sense of normalcy we had. It has been detrimental to the economy on a large Page 5 Ben Stalets scale and absolutely devastating to local economies and more specifi - cally small businesses. As it often goes, in the face of chaos, community blooms. Being stuck in Toledo has really allowed me to zoom in on the way our small community was affected and furthermore how it came together. Local business, Ottawa Tavern, hadn’t been opened one full weekend when COVID shut down our country. Things were looking good for the owner, Zack and his employees but out of nowhere it all seemingly went to pot. Another local business, Toledo Spirits, was really hitting its stride with its bar; Bellwether and its namesake distillery. Musicians throughout the Toledo area were, as always, playing on the weekends and even some weekdays. All of it came to a halt. What was next? Not even a couple weeks later Toledo Spirits found a niche market for a good cause they could create with their distillery; hand sanitizer. Zack, Ottawa Tavern’s owner, plotted a virtual concert benefi ting his bar and employees. Musicians live-streamed shows and it was met with open arms by local concert goers. The Arts Commission provided grants for local artists - easy application and high approval rate. This optimism and hopefulness fostered community. Virtually every move and every post a small business made online was being shared hundreds of times. The community was showing up big time for these businesses. I’m hesitant to say anyone thrived during the shutdown. Perhaps they didn’t. I watched the small businesses of Toledo, from the comfort of my sweatpants and recliner, hold on to their seats. I watched Toledoans donate, buy, and support in the face of economic collapse. I’ve always loved my hometown but it was really heartening to bare witness to how we came together in the face of chaos. We’re still in the chaos and we’re still coming together.
Preserving the Core: Fostering Community in Quarantine Community – the real kind – looks out for its pieces and parts, its members. Membership in a community doesn’t require a formal process or certificate nearly as much as it simply requires participation. It’s the wild variety of species coming together in a coral reef – my favorite, if imperfect, metaphor for community – each bringing itself to the whole, and each receiving what it needs. It’s the merger of gifts and needs, causes and effects moving together in a dance of interdependent mutuality. In the end, community is fostered naturally when action and interaction are produced as a result of a genuine acknowledgment that our wellbeing is inextricably bound together. By Steve North, Founder of Lifeline Business writer Jim Collins studied a collective 3600 years of corporate history spread among 36 corporations, by pairs, in 18 different industries in an effort to identify what distinguished the greatest corporate organizations from the second greatest, the gold medal winners from the silver medal winners. Sometimes his work required him to identify the difference when there was a near photo finish. In his now-classic 1994 book, Built to Last, Collins distilled his massive research down to four marks of distinction, the third of which was that all of the gold medal winners had wildly succeeded in their determination to “preserve the core and stimulate progress.” One of the great challenges for any organization of any kind is to maintain absolute clarity on what is core, what are the absolute identifying marks of their DNA. The temptation to abandon the core in pursuit of innovation or expansion is enormous under the best of circumstances, but it is death to do so. The allure of a core paradigm shift can be particularly strong in a time like our present moment. As if the normal pressures of life and culture were not enough, add into the mix a global pandemic which changes every rule, every norm, every assumption, and the task becomes even more difficult. It is easy to shift thinking from preserving what is core to stimulating any sort of progress, innovation, or change in an effort to navigate a Page 6 particularly difficult time, and at any cost. In fact, such efforts are likely to be applauded by many. I love that Toledo Streets Newspaper has chosen this very time to re-clarify its core at this intersection of its history and our society’s challenge: To inspire hope, foster community, and cultivate change in individuals and society. It is a core that is worth preserving, and it’s worth noting that TSN has clung to it throughout the COVID-19 crisis. I’m honored to speak here to the second part of that great vision. It’s extra work to foster community during a pandemic, as all of us have seen. How do we do that when we have to stay six feet apart, hugs become ill-advised at best, masks hide smiles and other facial expressions, restaurants and bars close or greatly reduce capacity, concerts and sporting events are canceled, and we need to meet for work and school and worship on Zoom? But community – the real kind – isn’t restricted to particular practices or modes of operation. It consists of invisible bonds more than in physical proximity. It’s the thing that keeps us thinking of one another, reaching out and connecting via what we can do rather than dying because of what we can’t. Our family bonds exist across time and distance, and so do our connections that make us family by something other than blood. In fact, when we quiet the noise of change and fear, many of us have discovered that our mutual wellbeing is more intertwined than we knew, and then we get creative. One of my favorite responses to the stresses of the pandemic was carried out by Toledo Streets Newspaper in late March and through April, at the height of the shutdowns. Shelter-in-place orders meant, among other things, that social mobility was reduced to a trickle and that TSN vendors were at risk for both their physical health and the part of their livelihood that sales of the paper offered. In a move prompted by care for the vendors’ health and survival, TSN’s staff and board took the vendors off the street, barring sales of the paper, and conducted a crowdfunding campaign to see to it that every vendor could receive an amount equal to her or his average monthly income. The wider community in Toledo responded well to the campaign and together an amazing thing happened. I remember Saturday, April 18, when I ran into one of the vendors at the bus stop, and the person raved about what it felt like to receive the first half of that month’s pay just the day before. He knew that what he was a part of was a community in more than just word only. The organization thrived, too. Fostering community anytime – but especially in the time of COVID – means identifying what must be done in order for the community to not only survive, but thrive. The first question is not whether our connection can or should be maintained and nurtured, as if our mutual wellbeing is a negotiable or discretionary thing. Instead, acknowledging the central importance of our communal bonds, our question must be “How?” How will we stay connected, deepen our relationships, and flourish in a time of seeming scarcity. How will we provide nourishment to the roots of our kinship so that they will dig deep and hold fast when everything around us is saying it’s not the season for such growth. Our questions must be oriented not to “if,” but to “how,” or TSN will become a GMO. That’s what happens when the core is not preserved. The organism we were can become an altogether different kind of thing, changed at the genetic level. Some may become convinced that the times demand such changes for survival, no matter the cost in identity. But fostering community is who we are. It’s in our DNA. It’s the grain in our wood, and you can’t take that out. We can change the shape and some of the makeup of the reef, but we cannot, should not, change the fact that we are a reef. Stimulate progress through innovation and adaptation in almost every other way imaginable, but this core is worth preserving. It’s what makes TSN great.
How to create a shared space for wildlife in our world through community Jeff Sailer, President & CEO, Toledo Zoo & Aquarium The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium recently reviewed and updated its mission statement to provide greater clarity to what we do. This new statement is as follows: We inspire our guests to join us in being advocates for wildlife and conserving the natural world by providing fun, awe-inspiring, and educational experiences. By joining us, others help build a movement that cares for animals and values wildlife’s shared place in our world. A key phrase in this updated statement is “to join us.” Zoos have changed greatly over the last several decades. What were once solely cultural institutions that provided wholesome family experiences, zoos now squarely play a role on the forefront of conservation education and wildlife preservation. But to preserve a place for wildlife on a crowded planet means that we have to build and nurture a community of like-minded individuals. We are asking others to join our community to create a shared place for wildlife in our world. Without an engaged community, we at the Toledo Zoo would be hard-pressed to achieve our mission. Engaging our community and providing activities that reinforce this community are paramount. In the early 1980’s the Zoo engaged with the people of Lucas County to build a community to support the very existence of the Zoo. Through tax levies, the community of Zoo supporters saved the Zoo from closing. The Zoo’s membership has grown out of this local community into a powerful constituency supporting the Zoo’s overall mission. Over time, the Zoo has worked to engage these incredibly loyal members and the Greater Toledo region in achieving an even greater purpose, not just saving the Zoo but saving wildlife too. Through early programs like Conservation Today the Zoo brought the resources of it community to bear on many local and global conservation issues. One early success was the work done with the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly, a native of the Toledo area. This little butterfly would have been lost were in not for the interest in it by our Zoo community and the pride that community took in this little insect. Now years later, the Zoo has reduced its reliance on the tax payer through a diversified portfolio of revenue streams and has built a Zoo experience that is more participatory and engaging to our community. As the Zoo has grown, we have put a lot of thought into how to achieve greater impact for wildlife. Recently the Wild Toledo Program came into being. This program includes restoring native prairie to vacant lots, head-starting hellbender salamanders to return to the wild, rearing lake sturgeon for release, supporting native pollinators through research and native plant production, etc. This program has been especially successful in engaging our community of supporters to purchase and plant native plants, to install patches of native prairie on their personal property, and to sponsor sturgeon and monarch butterflies among other activities. This community of like-minded people, joining with the Zoo is making great inroads to saving a place for wildlife in the Greater Toledo Region. Author and researcher, Douglas Tallamy makes the case in his most recent book, Nature’s Best Hope, that many species of wildlife and wild plants will only survive if ordinary people come together to provide for them in their own backyards through planting native plants. For the Zoo and Page 7 our mission to preserve wildlife, we embrace this thinking, but also understand that only through building a community of people all interested in joining us to save wildlife will we be successful. We are well on our way to doing just that. Won’t you join us?
“What a Show” Album Brings Neighbors Together Interview with Kerry Patrick Clark Virtual CD Launch Party via Zoom. Saturday, Septe path, I now KNOW there is a LOT more behind the scenes. It was at this moment that my lips curled upward… forming a smile:-) I thought to myself… perhaps even said out loud, ’nothing has really changed!”. Then the singer/songwriter in my started dancing with the thoughts and categories. That is where the album and songs came from:-) Ed: I am new to the whole album process. What goes into it from idea to finished product? By Ed Conn, TSN Art Director This April, when the StayAtHome order for Ohio was in full effect, there was an early spring day with temps hovering around 70 degrees, sunny, and perfect for a neighborhood drum circle. We sent out a callout for all aspiring noise makers to meet down by the river at 4. One of the affirmative responders was Kerry Patrick Clark and his wife Amy. 12 of us gathered with an assortment of percussion instruments, and spent an hour socially distanced, laughing, telling stories, and pounding out the Coronavirus cobwebs from our hair. The next day, Kerry called to discuss a project. He had seen some of my art on social media and asked if I would be interested in doing some art for the album. I jumped at the opportunity to do something new and add to my portfolio. What took place over the next several months, was a virtual connection of brainstorming, gratitude shares, and human connectedness that quite frankly kept me sane through the lockdown. The album is set for a virtual Launch Party on Zoom on September 12, and we still keep our social distance. My interview with Kerry took place through text and emails. Ed: This is obviously not your first rodeo as they say, given you have launched 7 albums prior to this one. How did What a Show come Page 8 about? Tell me about the Circus theme? Kerry- I actually have 8 previous albums: A Simple Man, Build A Bridge. Choose Love, 911… Songs To Heal A Nation, On The Road To Human Being, His Story my story, In A Perfect World nd The Heart Of Christmas. I have been remembering the first song I ever wrote… Circus Town. I was 11 or 12 years old! 6th Grade! The song was about a boy who’s heart was captured by the wonder of the circus… the majesty, the wonder, the spectacle. In my mind… it was larger than life and I dreamed of running away!! LOL! I was looking back at the circus because, now as a middle-aged, midwesterner… I still resonate with things, like the circus, that capture my heart but KNOW there is work and dirt and a lot of manure to shovel… behind the scenes… when the lights go dark and the show has to be packed up and moved to the next city! The reason I have been thinking about this is because of the current ‘circus’ it FEELS like we are living in. And, one may choose from many categories:-) Politics. Religion. Black Lives Matter. Poverty. Wealth. The list really is endless. Each, in it’s own right is quite a show! Able to grab the attention and heart of that 6th grader that remembers when his dreaming was of the circus. Given the state of my life and life’s work and Kerry- a LOT of work:-) First comes the songwriting. Working through each song until it says what I want it to say… or, the truth is, the song tells me what it wants to say and when it is ready for… recording and performing:-) There is the recording process… booking studio time and musicians. Mixing and mastering (polishing the mixed tracks so they have a cohesive sound and volume). Somewhere in the midst of the recording comes the album artwork and graphic design. We live in such a visual world… having stunning art/graphics really IS important! There is a legal side of registering the songs and album with the library of congress and songwriting royalty collection agencies. Then comes the planning of the release. Press releases to media (print, radio, tv). Release concert and social media marketing. Radio promotions both in the US and overseas. YUP! It’s a LOT!!! I am sure there are things I am forgetting:-) Then, one has to look at the budget and decide what is hired and what happens in house. Ed: Tell me about some of your musical collaborators on the project? Kerry- All the songs were written by me, which, unless I record a cover song, is generally what I record and release. On this album I have Nomad Ovunc. An INCREDIBLE keyboardist who lives in Nashville. We first met at the Kerville Folk Festival. I was drawn to the INCREDIBLE music Nomad was playing around a campfire. He had this… long…. straw-like hose coming out of his mouth. He was blowing into the hose while fingering the tiny keys of an instrument called a melodica:-) Think of it as if a Portable keyboard and harmonica had a baby…. LOL! I told Nomad how incredible he was! He laughed and said, ‘you ought to hear me on a REAL piano!’. I explained I didn’t need to… ‘if you can move my heart with that little thing… I know you keyboard skills will blow me away!” And, they did! Nomad is on my last 2 recordings:-) Chad Watson is an amazing multi instrumentalist who lives in Los Angeles. I heard Chad play at the FAR West Folk Alliance Conference in 2018. It, again, was one of those moments that moved my heart and I just KNEW!!!! The rest of the instrumentation came during the writing and recording process. I hear things and am lucky enough to have the technology in front of me to bring what is in my head to a recording. Ed: I have gone through the lyrics of all the songs. Since my son and
tember 12, 7:30pm. For tickets, go to www.kerrypatrickclark.com/shows his family just moved to Austin, Texas the song “ A Fact’s a Fact” is just dang fun for me. How did this song come about? Kerry- Do you KNOW anyone from Texas? It IS a big state… but I also have an experience of folks from Texas to be larger than life… in one way or another. I was in Texas for a family wedding… the police officer stood outside the reception. I later ftold that every wedding in Texas needs a police officer on hand. I now know why… a beer bottle was thrown… the ruckus moved outside… the officer had his knee in the bottle thrower’s back (who was on the ground). She (YES! SHE!) had her hand on the officer’s private parts and was screaming she was NOT going to let go. He was on the radio calling for back up. OK… I am from the Midwest. I THINK I am a kind and mostly gentle soul:-) My mouth was on the ground! A man I didn’t see… walked up to me an said (please read with a Texan/Southern accent). “Y’all ain’t from Texas… are ye?” “No… no… no I am not…” My mouth still on the ground and face staring in disbelief at the scene in front of me. “Well…. it ain’t a Texas wedding… til someone git’s arrested…” Thus began a dialogue in my head… which became the song, A Fact’s A Fact! Ed: “Everyone is Welcome Here” really resonates with the theme of this issue of Toledo Streets. Can you share a bit about it? Kerry- I LOVE that the lyrics of this song resonate with the theme of this issue of Toledo Streets!!!! Listen. I get it! In our modern, Western-culture, headline news bold 28 point font we glance at to get the gist of what’s going on as we enter the grocery store… which is sectioned and separated by frozen food… fruits and veggies… cereal… you get the picture. I think, as humans, living in this fast-paced, social media driven world… we are SO accustomed to seeing and having everything in nice, neat packages (don’t get me wrong… this is absolutely wonderful when… grocery shopping!)… that we haven’t recognized we have categorized, labelled and sectioned the stuff that fills our hearts and minds. Things like... I live in Perrysburg or Maumee. I am a Christian. I am a Democrat. I am homeless. I am a steel worker. I am a recovering… You get the point. Each of these labels have become a way for us to perform. What I mean is this… it is WAY easier to use a label we are most comfortable using to describe ourselves to others… what comes with each label are the beliefs and ideals that, like the small print on the back of a cereal box, are assumed (because of the label- or section found in:). What the song, my music and ultimately my life and work are about is inviting us to notice! We DO have a choice in how we see something. To Choose… we each have a story to tell. If we stop long enough to read ‘more than the headline in 28 point bold font’, what we will be quick to learn is, there is an incredible story we each carry that is rich with wounds. Victories. Struggles. Loss. Al of these combine to bring us to this moment. The trick is as the song’s lyric suggests… ’the question now is how to… wide the opening of our heart’. Widening the opening of heart requires investing time and questions. Seeking first to understand than to be understood. Ed: Any other songs you care to highlight? Kerry- I LOVE the song, Silence. Probably because it was a song that I wrestled with for a LONG time. Getting the right lyrics and melody to honor and celebrate the moment that the idea was placed in me. 24 years ago this September, my wife and I stood on a beach as husband and wife. We watched the sun set… OK… now you will have to go listen to this song:-) What A Show- was the first song really written for this album. I was revisiting the 6th grader’s story I mentioned above and wondered what it would look like if I ‘ran away with the circus’ at this point in my life. There is a line that slays me when I sing it…. in the second verse… I am explaining to those ‘lining up’ what i see for this show…. “Que the spotlight and the music… oh this big top don’t leave town’! What moves me is… the business model of ’not leaving town’ does not suggest long-term success! LOL! MAN! I hope this makes sense:-) LOL! A Father’s Love- one of the proudest labels I wear… that of a father:-) You Matter- was a conversation I had with an addict who overdosed. I love this song because, like the invitation to ‘wide the opening of our hearts’ above.. this was a moment for me that was not only what I had said to the addict… but I find constantly reminds me of who I am… when I forget! Ed: What does Community mean to you? Kerry- Have you ever noticed someone who was a GREAT TEACHER? Someone who REALLY knew about something… was an expert? Do you know WHY they are an expert or gifted teacher? Because it’s what they most need to learn! That is me. I sing and celebrate community because it one of the hardest things for me to open my heart to. Don’t get me wrong! I love, honor and value community! That does not mean that it is hard for me! We were not designed to live in isolation or alone. We have modern technology that plugs us in, logs us on... we are NEVER really alone. And yet… many studies site many/most of our problems (I will let you fill in what those problems are for you:-) stem from 2 things. Loneliness and Isolation! I sing about it… hopefully really well:) Because I recognize that it is most needed… in ME! Forgive the selfish sound of that statement! It is my hope that one of my songs changes the world! I think what will really change the world is… music that opens hearts by resonating with the frequency and voice that is already present. This open and softened heart moves me/us to a place of stoping and talking to the person we are standing in line with or hold the door open for or bump into. I see the conversation that starts. The questions come…. ‘how was that for you?’ “What would I know if I REALLY knew you?” What is the best/worst thing in your life right now?” That is what community is! Breaking down the barriers of labels and categories to get to the story! Page 9
Page 10
Toledo Streets Reimagining Homelessness: Relational Poverty and Building Community less, innovative homelessness intervention programs across the country have shown that combating relational poverty is possible by making ample space for relationship-building. One of these organizations is Toledo Streets, which produced the paper you’re reading right now. Most basically, Toledo Streets helps people experiencing homelessness to earn an income by selling newspapers in town. But the organization also approached Rooster and asked if he wanted to sell tacos at the Lowrider Cafe in downtown Toledo. Coincidentally, Rooster had earned a culinary science degree during his time in prison. He started working at the Lowrider Cafe and eventually became head chef—a position he still holds. Through his work, he was fi nally able to secure stable housing. After selling more than 2500 newspapers over 850+ hours in 2019, Rooster won Toledo Street’s “Vendor of the Year” award. The designation recognized his commitment to his own personal development—but it also lauded his open embrace of community. Rooster’s passion and determination to build a new life would have meant nothing without someone to acknowledge those things and give him a hand up. Aware of this need, Toledo Streets gave Rooster a loving community of volunteers who saw his potential and an easy access point to the broader Toledo community. These resources, while immaterial, enabled him to make and eventually reap the rewards of genuine community relationships. Building an all-encompassing community Rooster’s story is just one story. But countless others have benefi ted from the community-building efforts of Toledo Streets and nonprofi t organizations embracing similar missions. The impact of this work housing insecurity. By: Remy Reya, Princeton University Student Homelessness often gets oversimplifi ed. It’s frequently framed as a problem of fi nancial means, mental health, or addiction. These factors represent important dimensions of many people’s struggles of housing insecurity—but they don’t tell the whole story. There’s one theme that rarely gets discussed, despite often making the difference in a person’s housing status. It can defi ne the line between temporary insecurity and longer-term homelessness; it can even create opportunities for people to emerge from chronic homelessness when all the standard escape hatches seem to fail. Homelessness is a crisis of fi nancial means—but it’s also a crisis of relational poverty (a lack of social capital). Reframing our conception of the housing crisis: people, property, and relationships It’s common to approach homelessness wondering what happened to a person that left them without stable housing. In asking that question, however, we fail to ask what didn’t happen for a person that may have left them acutely vulnerable to This new question recognizes an absence of some fundamental resource that might otherwise have preserved a person’s stability. Oftentimes, that missing factor is a relationship to lean on when a person is scraping by: a friend whose couch they can sleep on, a parent who can help them pay rent for an extra month, or a colleague who can research social services organizations while they work on retaining their employment. Sometimes, social capital even grants access to people who are directly engaged in the relevant work—people who know how to navigate the nonprofi t world, who are connected to offi cials in local government, or who are actually social service providers themselves. But at an even more basic level, reliable relationships provide something that all humans need, especially in times of hardship: compassion. Overcoming relational poverty, one connection at a time Personal connections can go a long way in shortening the lifespan of a person’s suffering. But relational poverty is a complex issue to tackle; after all, relationships can’t simply be regulated into existence. Nonetheprovides subtler, deeper avenues for uplift that often go overlooked. Rooster Tinch’s story exemplifi es the power of the Toledo Streets model. After growing up mostly in Dayton and spending 28 years in prison, he came to Toledo a little over a year and a half ago. A newcomer to the city, Rooster had no family or friends to turn to when he arrived. After spending some time in the Cherry Street Mission, he was put up in the Lorraine Motor Hotel by TASC of Northwest Ohio. But the program was abruptly shut down, leaving Rooster to live on the streets. He got connected to Toledo Streets and began selling newspapers while sleeping outside. He stood on street corners throughout the city for months on end, often courting customers for ten hours a day through all kinds of weather while slowly building up resources. Rooster worked hard to do his job well; his unbridled enthusiasm for his work even earned him a bit of a local celebrity status in the process. Jacob Estrada, a local restaurant owner, had seen Rooster’s grit, persistence, ambition to get the job done. In conversations with the budding salesman, he recognized Rooster’s potential. So, one day, he reaches housed community members, as well. Forging connections with unhoused community members helps us understand the challenges of homelessness in more concrete terms; investment in personal relationships ties collective action (or inaction) to real people’s lives; and stories of struggle and resilience often contradict our preconceptions about a diverse and complex group of people who are working towards a better life. Committing to relationship-building in our work to end homelessness is often less a matter of material resources and more a matter of shifting the collective mindset about the issue and the people behind it. If we envision ourselves as part of a supportive community, we can create that community. Bryan Stevenson, civil rights lawyer and author of the book Just Mercy, has said that “the opposite of poverty is justice.” I want to propose an addition: if the opposite of poverty is justice, then the solution to poverty is connection. Once we dedicate ourselves to tackling relational poverty and accept our roles as part of the collective solution to homelessness, we will move one step closer to that vision of justice that Bryan Stevenson outlined. Step by step, one connection at a time, we will create a society that we can truly be proud of. Page 11
Vendor of the MonthMetaphorical Trust Fall By Claire McKenna If you have ever stopped to look at photos of the TSN vendors or popped your head into a meeting, then you may have had the same thought I did when I first started . . . what an odd, mismatched group of people. If you didn’t know that we all belonged to Toledo Streets Newspaper, then we probably wouldn’t think that we are a community. That’s why the vendor of the month is the community that binds the TSN team. It is often unspoken and subtle, but it’s ever present and strong. When I started at Toledo Streets Newspaper, I knew part of our mission was to foster community. I really liked that aspect because I feel it is often overlooked and undervalued at other social service agencies. I can understand why most grants and government funding doesn’t reimburse organizations for genuine connections and community building. It is difficult to measure and typically in order to get financial support you must show a measurable change. Page 12 But that is the beauty of what we do with your support. We can take the time to make those connections and build community without the red tape or bureaucracy. What I didn’t know was that it is almost impossible to help foster a community without becoming absolutely ingulfed in it. And trust me I tried. My educational background stressed the importance of boundaries and limited self-disclosure. I attempted to keep vendors at an arm’s length when I started. Not because I didn’t like them or value them, but because that was my understanding of how social services was supposed to “work”. But just like with so many other things, the vendors were quick to prove me wrong. Each one found a way into my heart. Together, they roped me into the community that I had foolishly believed I was creating. This community lifts each other up, holds each other accountable, cries together, celebrates together, and most importantly values each other. It is simultaneously the most beautiful, messy, wonderful thing that I have ever experienced. I was supposed to leave Toledo Streets once I graduated in December of 2019 with my master’s degree. But quickly that became staying until April when I had my private practice up and running. It is now mid-August and I am sitting in the TSN office writing this piece about a community that has forever changed me. It is the community that makes this “job” impossible to leave. I cannot imagine my life without Toledo Streets and its community that has embraced me. TSN is powerful because of the moments of vulnerability that community creates. We meet each other without judgment, simply as humans. This is where real change is made. I think often times people think that money is the biggest barrier for someone experiencing homelessness and that is certainly a part of it. But every single time that Toledo Streets has helped someone obtain housing (14 vendors and counting) since I arrived over a year and a half ago, it is because they opened themselves up to our community. They did a metaphorical trust fall even though many had been dropped so many times before. But together, as a community we caught them and held them for as long as it took for them to find their footing again. This unseemly group of misfits has changed and improved lives. All they ask is for vulnerability and realness and that is at the essence of our little TSN community.
Don’t Have Cash? Toledo Streets Newspaper vendors now accept payment through Venmo! We are taking notes from other street papers around the globe and going cashless! The initiative could not have launched at a better time. While the world is taking precautions to remain socially distant to keep themselves and the people around them safe, we are too. Cashless payments reduce the amount of hand to hand contact, making buying a Toledo Streets Newspaper safer during this time of great uncertainty. This option also opens the door for people who don't carry cash on them often but still want to support our vendors. The process is simple, read our graphic below for more details. Page 13
PuzzlePage THEME: 1980s LYRICS ACROSS 1. Lascaux and Mammoth, e.g. 6. At the stern 9. Eyeball rudely 13. Inuit boat 14. And not 15. Sing like Sinatra 16. Manicurist’s fi le 17. Old-fashioned “before” 18. *”If you ____, I won’t cry. I won’t waste one single day” 19. *”Steve walks warily down the street with the brim pulled way ____ ____” 21. *”She’s just a girl who claims I am ____ ____” 23. “Play it, ____,” from “Casablanca” 24. Boris Godunov, e.g. 25. *”All right stop collaborate and listen, ____ is back...” 28. Between Phi and Kappa 30. Restriction limiting use of lights during air raid 35. J.D. Power awards competitors 37. *”Oh, back on the chain ____” 39. Ann Patchett’s novel “Bel ____” 40. Slightly 41. Algorithmic language 43. French “place” 44. Kind of potato masher 46. Brickowski’s brick 47. Cleopatra’s necklace 48. Canine’s coat 50. Sol or fa 52. National Institutes of Health 53. *”____ Christmas, I gave you my heart” 55. Trinitrotoluene 57. *”You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar when I ____ ____” 60. *”I wanna dance with somebody, with somebody who ____ ____” 64. Lithograph, for short 65. Holstein sound 67. Radio sign 68. Killed, like dragon 69. Commotion 70. Yiddish shrew 71. Sleep in rough accommodations 72. Gourmet mushroom 73. Cancel an edit, pl. DOWN 1. Whispered from a prompting booth 2. Shells and such 3. *”Meeting you with a ____ to a kill” 4. Brings home the bacon 5. First U.S. space station 6. Again 7. *”Hello, is it me you’re looking ____?” 8. Weight of refuse and chaff, pl. 9. Black and white cookie 10. One from Goa 11. *”And I’m never gonna make it like you do, making ____ out of nothing at all” 12. Compass reading 15. One of religious orders 20. Last letter of Greek alphabet 22. Experienced 24. Sine over cosine 25. *”I long to see the sunlight in your hair and tell you time and time again how much ____ ____” 26. Northwoods dwelling? 27. The Goldbergs sibling 29. *”Cuase I’m your ____ cool one, and I’m built to please” 31. Scotch ingredient 32. Kitchen tear-jerker 33. Wombs 34. *”Ooh, what’s the matter with the crowd I’m seeing? Don’t you know that they’re out of ____?” 36. Petals holder 38. *”Wake me up before you ____” 42. It creates instant millionaires 45. Count on, two words 49. One from Laos 51. Emissaries 54. Poison ivy or Poison oak 56. Religious doctrine 57. Venus de ____ 58. Greek Hs 59. Not that 60. Pilot’s stunt 61. Not loony 62. Catcher’s gear 63. Geological time periods 64. Psychedelic acronym 66. Lyric poem a new job, because he lost his old job because of presiding judge, Leonie Mengel, as he summed up the case after the two-day trial. Michael P. has said that he wants to fi nd attack. “I was drunk,” he admitted in the courtroom. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have done such a stupid thing.” P. seemed depressed as he described in court how he felt that his life had been slipping through his fi ngers. He has suffered for many years from a rare nerve disease: problems with walking and balance are consequences of the disease and sometimes he is unable to leave the house despite using medication. The fact that he could only calm his nerves with alcohol was confi rmed by an expert. Did the combination of alcohol and pills make him aggressive? This possibility cannot be excluded, according to the expert. However, “how [the attack] actually happened remains unclear,” said the his sentence, mainly as a result of his behaviour after the attack. While it is true that he ran away on the night of the attack, shortly afterwards he apologised to the victim in person on several occasions. And, although the victim told him that he didn’t need to go to the police, P. did so a little while later. “I wanted to take responsibility for what I did,” he said in court. Sven, his victim, did not appear in court, but later said in a conversation with Hinz&Kunzt that, “if he hadn’t contacted the police then they never would have found him, so he has my respect for that.” Michael P. only vaguely remembers the The 27-year-old got off so lightly, in terms of Seifert, the coroner, in the court proceedings that were held nearly seven months after the attack. Sven, a homeless man, had to be taken by ambulance for treatment in hospital. The sentence for the attacker was rather mild: he was sentenced to one year and three months in custody for causing grievous bodily harm and given a further two years on probation. This was just what the prosecution asked for. After he completes his sentence, Michael P. will be a free man. he could sleep deeply. It was 6.20pm when a dark fi gure suddenly appeared in front of him at the Ohlsdorf station in Hamburg, where he had settled down to sleep. Then things kicked off. “I was only just able to prop myself up,” the 45-year-old remembers. Then came the pain as a 12-centimetrelong cut was slashed across Sven’s throat. It could have been fatal. “He was incredibly lucky,” said Dragane Vendor Representative Marthia Russell Julie M. McKinnon Ken Leslie Chris Csonka Deb Morris Zobaida Falah • Kristy Lee Czyzewski• • Treasurer Lauren M. Webber Secretary • Vice-Chair Tom Kroma For Sven, the attack came out of nowhere. In the evening, he had some drinks so that By Benjamin Laufer and Jonas Füllner Ohlsdorf station in Hamburg when he was slashed across the neck in an unprovoked attack that could have cost him his life. His life-threatening injuries were infl icted on him by a 27-year-old, who admitted that he was drunk at the time of the attack and who later handed himself into police after running away from the scene of the crime. Hinz&Kunzt learns more about the attack and its repercussions. Translated from German by Hazel Alton Courtesy of Hinz&Kunzt / INSP.ngo • • • • Bryce Roberts Chair respect the space of other vendors, particularly the space of vendors who have been at a spot longer, and will position myself at least two blocks away from a working ven otherwise approved; 45-year-old Sven was sleeping outside • “I get scared by every little noise”: The aftermath of a violent attack • Board of Directors – 2018 Ma l: 913 Madison Street Toledo, OHIO 43604 CONTINUED FROM P 3TOLEDO STREETS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, CORP. OUR GLOBAL INSP COMMUNITYOur Global INSP Community Page 19 understand I am not a legal employee of Toledo Streets but a contracted worker responsible for my own well-being and income; • not buy/sell Toledo Streets under the infl uence of drugs or alcohol; agree to sell no additional goods or products when selling the paper; you have your own place, he says, “you can sleep properly again.” little noise.” Sven would most like to have his own apartment, or at least a room of his own. When been unsettled since the attack last winter. “Sleeping has changed,” he explains, “I get scared by every his illness. “I want to get my life back on track,” he said, after four months in custody. Sven’s life has agree to treat others- customers, staff and other vendors - respectfully, and I will not “hard sell”, threaten or pressure customers; only purchase the paper from Toledo Streets staff or volunteers and will not sell papers to other vendors; agree not to ask for more than a dollar or solicit donations for Toledo Streets by any other means; All vendors must agree to the following code of conduct to: The following list is our Vendor Code of Conduct, which every vendor reads through and signs before receiving a badge and papers. We request that if you discover a vendor vio tenets of the Code, please contact us and provide as many details as possible. Our paper and our vendors should positively impact the city. While Toledo Streets is a non-profi t program, and its vendors are independent contractors, we still have expectations of how vendors should conduct themselves while selling and the paper. Vendor Code of Conduct understand Toledo Streets strives to be a paper that covers homelessness and poverty issues while providing a source of income for the unhoused and underprivileged. I wil in this effort and spread the word. understand my badge is the property of Toledo Streets and will not deface it. I will present my badge when purchasing the papers and display my badge when selling paper badges cost $1 to replace when lost or damaged; always have in my possession the following when selling Toledo Streets: my Toledo Streets badge, a Toledo Streets sign, a vendor’s license waiver from the mayor, and Tol papers; agree to only use professional signs provided by Toledo Streets; 80s Lyrics Page 14 Solutions Solutions
TOLEDO STREETS NEW SP APER Mail: 913 Madison Street Toledo, OHIO 43604 TOLEDO STREETS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, CORP. Board of Directors – 2020 Chair Lauren M. Webber Vice-Chair Tom Kroma Treasurer Lauren M. Webber Secretary Kristy Lee Czyzewski Ken Leslie Michelle Issacs a new job, because he lost his old job because of presiding judge, Leonie Mengel, as he summed up the case after the two-day trial. Michael P. has said that he wants to fi nd attack. “I was drunk,” he admitted in the courtroom. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have done such a stupid thing.” P. seemed depressed as he described in court how he felt that his life had been slipping through his fi ngers. He has suffered for many years from a rare nerve disease: problems with walking and balance are consequences of the disease and sometimes he is unable to leave the house despite using medication. The fact that he could only calm his nerves with alcohol was confi rmed by an expert. Did the combination of alcohol and pills make him aggressive? This possibility cannot be excluded, according to the expert. However, “how [the attack] actually happened remains unclear,” said the his sentence, mainly as a result of his behaviour after the attack. While it is true that he ran away on the night of the attack, shortly afterwards he apologised to the victim in person on several occasions. And, although the victim told him that he didn’t need to go to the police, P. did so a little while later. “I wanted to take responsibility for what I did,” he said in court. Sven, his victim, did not appear in court, but later said in a conversation with Hinz&Kunzt that, “if he hadn’t contacted the police then they never would have found him, so he has my respect for that.” Michael P. only vaguely remembers the The 27-year-old got off so lightly, in terms of Seifert, the coroner, in the court proceedings that were held nearly seven months after the attack. Sven, a homeless man, had to be taken by ambulance for treatment in hospital. The sentence for the attacker was rather mild: he was sentenced to one year and three months in custody for causing grievous bodily harm and given a further two years on probation. This was just what the prosecution asked for. After he completes his sentence, Michael P. will be a free man. he could sleep deeply. It was 6.20pm when a dark fi gure suddenly appeared in front of him at the Ohlsdorf station in Hamburg, where he had settled down to sleep. Then things kicked off. “I was only just able to prop myself up,” the 45-year-old remembers. Then came the pain as a 12-centimetrelong cut was slashed across Sven’s throat. It could have been fatal. “He was incredibly lucky,” said Dragane Vendor Representative Marthia Russell Julie M. McKinnon Ken Leslie Chris Csonka Deb Morris Zobaida Falah • Kristy Lee Czyzewski• • Treasurer Lauren M. Webber Secretary • Vice-Chair Tom Kroma For Sven, the attack came out of nowhere. In the evening, he had some drinks so that By Benjamin Laufer and Jonas Füllner Ohlsdorf station in Hamburg when he was slashed across the neck in an unprovoked attack that could have cost him his life. His life-threatening injuries were infl icted on him by a 27-year-old, who admitted that he was drunk at the time of the attack and who later handed himself into police after running away from the scene of the crime. Hinz&Kunzt learns more about the attack and its repercussions. Translated from German by Hazel Alton Courtesy of Hinz&Kunzt / INSP.ngo • • • • Bryce Roberts Chair respect the space of other vendors, particularly the space of vendors who have been at a spot longer, and will position myself at least two blocks away from a working vendor unless otherwise approved; 45-year-old Sven was sleeping outside • “I get scared by every little noise”: The aftermath of a violent attack • Board of Directors – 2018 Ma l: 913 Madison Street Toledo, OHIO 43604 CONTINUED FROM P 3TOLEDO STREETS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, CORP. OUR GLOBAL INSP COMMUNITYOur Global INSP Community Page 19 understand I am not a legal employee of Toledo Streets but a contracted worker responsible for my own well-being and income; • not buy/sell Toledo Streets under the infl uence of drugs or alcohol; agree to sell no additional goods or products when selling the paper; you have your own place, he says, “you can sleep properly again.” little noise.” Sven would most like to have his own apartment, or at least a room of his own. When been unsettled since the attack last winter. “Sleeping has changed,” he explains, “I get scared by every his illness. “I want to get my life back on track,” he said, after four months in custody. Sven’s life has agree to treat others- customers, staff and other vendors - respectfully, and I will not “hard sell”, threaten or pressure customers; only purchase the paper from Toledo Streets staff or volunteers and will not sell papers to other vendors; agree not to ask for more than a dollar or solicit donations for Toledo Streets by any other means; All vendors must agree to the following code of conduct to: The following list is our Vendor Code of Conduct, which every vendor reads through and signs before receiving a badge and papers. We request that if you discover a vendor violating any tenets of the Code, please contact us and provide as many details as possible. Our paper and our vendors should positively impact the city. While Toledo Streets is a non-profi t program, and its vendors are independent contractors, we still have expectations of how vendors should conduct themselves while selling and representing the paper. Vendor Code of Conduct understand Toledo Streets strives to be a paper that covers homelessness and poverty issues while providing a source of income for the unhoused and underprivileged. I will try to help in this effort and spread the word. understand my badge is the property of Toledo Streets and will not deface it. I will present my badge when purchasing the papers and display my badge when selling papers. I realize badges cost $1 to replace when lost or damaged; always have in my possession the following when selling Toledo Streets: my Toledo Streets badge, a Toledo Streets sign, a vendor’s license waiver from the mayor, and Toledo Streets papers; agree to only use professional signs provided by Toledo Streets; Abby Sullivan Shannon Nowak Shawn Clark Amy Saylor LaParis Grimes Wanda Boudrie Toledo Streets is a monthly publication called a street paper. We are part of a worldwide movement of street papers that seeks to provide simple economic opportunities to homeless individuals and those experiencing poverty. Our vendors purchase each paper for $.25 and ask for a dollar donation. In exchange for their time and effort in selling the paper, they keep the difference. They are asking for a hand up, not a hand out. By purchasing the paper, you have helped someone struggling to make it. Not just in terms of money, but also in dignity of doing something for themselves. We thank you. FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER Crystal Jankowski Our Staff EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR John Keegan WRITING TEAM LEADER Jonie McIntire ART DIRECTOR Ed Conn T oledo Streets seeks to empower individuals struggling with extreme poverty to participate on a new level in the community through self-employment, job training, and contributorship. Our Mission Toledo Streets is a registered nonprofi t corporation in Ohio. While your gifts to the vendors, who are independent contractors, are not taxed deductible, any donations you make directly to our organization are deductible. These monies go to supporting programming, which includes job training and skills development. Our vendors purchase each paper for $.25 and ask for a dollar donation. In exchange for their time and effort in selling the paper, they keep the difference. They are asking for a hand up, not a hand out. By purchasing the paper, you have helped someone struggling to make it. Not just in terms of money, but also in dignity of doing something for themselves. We thank you. T oledo Streets is a monthly publication called a street paper. We are part of a worldwide movemment of street papers that seeks to provide simple economic opportunities to homeless individuals and those experiencing poverty. Toledo Streets is a registered nonprofi t corporation in Ohio. While your gifts to the vendors, who are independent contractors, are not tax deductible, any donations you make directly to our organization are deductible. These monies go to supporting programming, which includes job training and skills development. Our Mission Toledo Streets seeks to empower individuals struggling with extreme poverty to participate on a new level in the community through self-employment, job training, and contributorship. Our Staff EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Arika Michaelis VENDOR MANAGER Claire McKenna ART DIRECTOrEd Conn INTERNS John Brindley, II Julia Holder Trinity Episcopal Church Vendor Code of Conduct As a vendor representing Toledo Streets Newspaper , I: • • • • • • • • • • • • agree not to ask for more than a dollar or solicit donations for agree to treat all others—customers, staff, pressure customers. agree to stay off other private Toledo property and highway understand I am not a legal employee of for my own well-being and income. Streets Newspaper Toledo under the in luence vendors—respectfully, exit Toledo and ramps when selling Streets Newspaper agree to sell no additional goods or products when selling the paper. will not buy/sell of agree to only use professional signs provided by Streets badge, a Streets sign, and Toledo Toledo Streets understand my badge, vest, and sign are the property of them in any way. Toledo will always have in my possession the following when selling Toledo but drugs I Streets will Toledo a or Streets Newspaper. Toledo papers. Toledo understand that when you are wearing your vest you are representing inappropriate behavior while representing by any not contracted alcohol. will respect the space of other vendors and will position myself at least two blocks away from a working vendor unless otherwise approved. Streets Newspaper agree that badges and signs are $5 to replace and vests are $10 to replace. Toledo Streets Newspaper may result in Streets Newspaper : my Toledo will and Streets Newspaper, disciplinary not alter thus action any other means. “hard sell,” threaten Streets Newspaper. worker responsible or Page 15
Fresh and affordable. Local produce, meat, dairy and everyday necessities near downtown Toledo. Committed to offering affordable, healthy food; delivering nutritional education; and providing job training opportunities. Open to everyone. | WIC/SNAP accepted. 1806 Madison Ave. UpTown Toledo marketonthegreen.org Hours: Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sat. and Sun. 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. © 2019 ProMedica
1 Publizr