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
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