Glass City Future Future Focused - Arika Michaelis This month’s theme is future focused – joining in the ritualistic tradition of reviewing the past year and looking forward to the new year. Every January people all over the world set New Year’s resolutions with real hope of pursuing their new, focused goals. There is something so inspiring in the hopefulness and drive people engage while envisioning the next twelve months of their life. This year seems unique. If 2020 taught us anything, it is that our plans can quickly be derailed and, nonetheless, time ticks on. This past year also showed us that the decisions each of us make, no matter how seemingly insignifi cant, can have an impact on all the people around us. Considering this and the many other lessons 2020 brought, it’s apparent that 2021 will be different. Looking forward to a year with so much uncertainty can feel intimidating. We are still unsure when we can enjoy the warm togetherness of friends, family and communities we haven’t seen for a while. School, work, going to the gym and dining out all look vastly different from last January and we don’t have a clue if anything will return to how it was. We can’t pretend to be sure. But we can still be future focused. 2020 has given us the ability to look beyond our normal. What can we be certain about in 2021? We have the power to shape the time we spend this year. Hopefully we’re learned that even if our plans are derailed, we can stay focused on our goals for the future. We are looking forward, moving forward, whether we like it or not. So set your intentions with lofty goals or more practical ones. Set them so that you have something to be laser-focused on while the world is ever changing in your peripheral. 2020 may have kicked our butts, but we have experienced outstanding growth as individuals and as a society. We have evolved into being able to face 2021, whatever it may hold, with determination and bravery. 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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