Mary Roemer articulates our vision beautifully

Stop the negativity and appreciate South Bend's gifts

MICHIANA POINT OF VIEW

MARY ROEMER

An e-mail from friends was sent to me recently from people who support South Bend. When I read it, I felt gratitude and relief that some people were picking up the ball and expressing appreciation for what we have in South Bend. They are meeting in groups to talk about our city, in terms of support and appreciation and pride.

Negativity is too slippery an attitude not to recognize and amend. A positive attitude is contagious. So, thanks to all of you who are participating in this current effort of promoting straight-up, healthy and positive outlooks.

My family goes back in this community to Elisha Luther, a stagecoach driver between Chicago and Detroit, who was buried in 1812 in the Hamilton Grove Cemetery. Growing up on Angela Boulevard, my five brothers and I were blessed to have wonderful parents who fostered in us a love of learning and a sense of obligation to contribute to the world in which we live. A major irritation for my mother was to hear complaints about South Bend from people who didn't give back.

Some years ago, after my children were grown, I thought it might be a good time to consider moving from South Bend. After all, I had lived most of my life here -- perhaps a change and a challenge were in order. So, I weighed the idea and set out some criteria for my choice of location: four seasons was a must; also, proximity to a major university; easy reach to either mountains or a body of water you couldn't see across; and a short route to a large metropolis. Hmm. I never left.

Quite recently, I read one of those magazine articles about The Ideal City. You know the kind. I made a list, measuring what the magazine editors considered livability and feeling of personal satisfaction existing in some cities compared with South Bend. What I discovered was not a shock, but it was a surprising affirmation of our town.

Affordable residences; lots of trees and trails; a diversity and multitude of cultural opportunities; a fine regional symphony; a mix of museums, including a world class art museum; a farmers' market providing fresh, low-cost food grown within 100 miles; good libraries and a healthy percentage of people who care about literature and learning; movie theaters featuring art films, foreign films and documentaries; community parks scattered throughout; a diversity of religions and strong religious beliefs; and a soul big enough to care for the less fortunate, the struggling and those in need. And with all of that, there is enough room for improvement and plenty of opportunity to contribute.

Unquestionably, among any good city's needs are money, visionary leadership, inspiring architecture and a sense of pizzazz. As we continue to make that happen, we can rejoice in the beginning of renewal of the downtown, in the development of the East Race Village, in the creation of the Eddy Street Commons and in the vitality of some of our neighborhoods. We need to continue to carefully assess how we might be carving thoroughfares that will slice and divide some neighborhoods, thereby making bicycle riding and children's crossing treacherous. We should work diligently as residents with the state Department of Transportation to create intersections that enhance, not injure, the surroundings. We surely will continue to nurture our namesake, the St. Joseph River and its banks.

In my office, I have a coffee cup that is inscribed with the South Bend slogan, Alive with Pride. That cup is one of my favorites.

Mary Roemer lives in South Bend

The Lighting of the Village

This event sounds like a wonderful family tradition to begin in South Bend.

Come one, come all to the Lighting of the Village

On Friday, Nov 23, the entire community is invited to the first ever Lighting of the Village.

The East Bank Village of downtown South Bend will be transformed into a magical, beautiful hamlet full of lights, carolers, and street performers including the cast from SBCT's, A Christmas Carol!

The community is welcome to begin gathering at 5pm at the Howard Park ice rink (219 S. St. Louis) to meet Santa and enjoy caroling.

5:30pm - Lighting of the Village celebration will begin!

Every church bell will ring as the Village becomes awash in beautiful lights; a breathtaking experience!

Bring bells to ring.

Enjoy dinner at one of several neighborhood restaurants and shopping at the eclectic stores, where you are sure to find the perfect, unique gift.

Email hip_pocket_southbend@yahoo.com for information.

Be the first to experience what will become a beloved family tradition in the East Bank Village of downtown South Bend.

Got yours yet?

Do you have your sticker yet???

This is the new sticker put out by Citizens for Progress. We're going to show our pride in South Bend!

If you don't have one yet, contact us at info@hopenotfear.org but you'd better hurry because they're going like hotcakes!

Apparently, there are A LOT of people in South Bend who have HOPE and PRIDE in our city!

Musical performance and film screening at the South Bend Greenhouse

ANOTHER FANTASTIC PLANET!

MONDAY NOVEMBER 12th. 7pm sharp. (Show starts early!!)
Potawatomi Greenhouse, 2105 Mishawaka Avenue, (574)-235-9442
All Ages Welcome

The Lineup:

ENUMA ELISH -- (Boston) Electro acoustic jazz rock experimentalists perform an original soundtrack to René Laloux's animated masterpiece "the Fantastic Planet" (1973). Film starts promptly at dusk. Family friendly!

The EASTERN SEABOARD -- (Brooklyn, NYC) This experimental jazz trio creates a blend of the thoughtful and instinctual, raw and refined with reeds, upright bass, and traps. The Eastern Seaboard has recordings on both the Black Saint and Tigerasylum labels. "Late '60s free jazz via mid-'80s post-punk" - Creative Loafing Atlanta

The HERMIT THRUSHES -- (Philadelphia) Spare angular pop, catchy, smart, sunny and good.

GREG MARTIN -- (South Bend) Our hometown acoustic wizard weaves his tales in the desert dome and makes the agave grow.

Film projected amongst the eaves of an antique botanical conservatory, jazz beside an indoor waterfall, opti-pop played under a date palm, folk in a desert dome-- what more could you want?

Community garden planned

Community garden planned in S.B.

Project will replace the old city florist's garden.

SUE LOWE, Tribune Staff Writer

It was about Earth Day in April when Krista Bailey started finding people interested in a community garden -- a place where people could go to grow vegetables and flowers.

She went to Bertrand Farm out on Bertrand Road just north of the state line in Niles and bought a share of the community supported agriculture operation there. But she and others dreamed of having a place in town so they didn't have to drive so far.

Somewhere in all the conversations, Gail Spitzer mentioned the area behind the Ella Morris and Muessel-Ellison Conservatories and Potawatomi Greenhouse.

The city florist used to live there and he once had a fairly large garden. But after Joe Gondocs, the last city florist, retired in 2005, the city tore down the house. And they didn't hire another city florist.

So Bailey and Spitzer went to the South Bend Parks and Recreation Board and South Bend Community Gardens was born with support from the Botanical Society of South Bend.

Bailey said the group will be able to use the garden and a greenhouse beside it.

"The greenhouse is not heated, but by February or March it will be warm enough to start seeds," she said.

Most of the old garden is now grass, but Bailey said a grape arbor and some red raspberries, a strawberry bed and a herb bed remain.

She would like to find somebody with some knowledge of grapes and how they're grown.

Volunteers have dug up an area for a children's garden where parents can turn their children loose.

Members of the group also hope to put in some raised beds they can use as an education area.

They haven't decided yet if participating families will have their own garden plots or will all just use one big garden.

They do know they'll be charging $25 for a family to participate. That's to cover the cost of water and other supplies.

A tasting area is planned so somebody passing through who wants to taste doesn't take something from a member's space.

Bailey said somebody from the chemistry department at Indiana University South Bend has taken soil samples to see if the soil needs anything added to make it a good place to grow things.

They're looking for somebody who can till the grass for them yet this fall so they can put in some compost.

After that garden is started Bailey would like to start another garden on the west side.

Annual Arts Cafe comes to South Bend

I've lived in the Near Northwest Neighborhood for many years and I have seen the progress that groups like the NNN, Inc have made in helping to restore our neighborhood and our homes.

It was wonderful to be able to tour some of their recent projects, along with the many artists that had an opportunity to show off their works of art.

For those not familiar with the NNN, Inc., their rehab projects are some of the best around. The quality of the homes they do is amazing.

Anyone interested in purchasing a home through the NNN, Inc can find information here.

From WNDU

One organization is showing how old can be new again in South Bend.
Near Northwest Neighborhood Incorporated showed off six homes during its 5th annual Arts Cafe today.

The walking tour showed the homes in different stages of the restoration process.
Also featured were the wares of neighborhood artists, the sounds of area musicians, and the tastes of local restaurants.

Karen Ainsely is with the Near Northwest Neighborhood Incorporated says, “its so so important for us to get people out to walk the streets and see the quality of housing that’s here, because once they see the quality of the architecture that’s here they understand why all of us are drawn to live here.”

The work of nearly 60 artists was showcased and last year the event attracted nearly 700 people.

South Bend is an amazing community

South Bend is an amazing community.

Ever since I moved here to go to Saint Mary's College three years ago, I have been impressed by its focus on social justice.

This semester I am volunteering at the Center for the Homeless which is a model for other homeless shelters all across the country- it's incredible. The staff and guests are wonderful people that have been an inspiration to me.

Last semester, I worked at the School-aged Mothers Program of the South Bend school district. Not many cities can boast of having such a unique and needed program.

I met beautiful young women who made the decision to stay in school even though they had a child at such a young age. It would be nearly impossible for these young women to remain in the public school system without the assistance of the School-aged Mothers Program.

Also last semester, I did an internship at Memorial Leighton Center for older adults. It was a fascinating experience because the center was researching to see if a program they created would improve memory. I was only working there for a semester, but in that time I got to see some of the incredible work that is done in this community center.

I am so thankful that I have had the privilege of living in South Bend the past three years.

I have been exposed to a few of the community programs that make our city a great one. I can only imagine the impact these services have both on individuals and on our community as a whole.

submitted by:
Justine Ray
Saint Mary's College
'08

Downtown Fun

I'm always amazed to hear someone refer to downtown South Bend as "dead."

While there is still work to be done, as a single thirty-something with single friends, downtown is the first place we head when we want to eat great food and enjoy great shows & music.

The Vine, Siam Thai, Fiddler's Hearth, NoMA, LePeep, SB Chocolate, Higher Grounds, Chicory Cafe, Carmela's/Macri's are the highlights for us, but not the limit of what downtown offers.

You have to go to Chicago or Indy to find the entertainment we get on a regular basis through the great work of the Morris & DeBartolo staffs - everything from Broadway to metal to classical & modern dance, and BB King to boot, and I don't think they get enough public recognition for the work they've done to make South Bend what it is.

And South Bend Civic Theatre, one of the best community theatres in the state!

Anyway, I could go on about the local parks and growing bike/recreation lanes, museums, the increasing number of art galleries & studios, in addition to our own art museum (whose community class offerings exceed those of the Indianapolis Art Museum), and the art & music festivals which are increasing in number.

If this is South Bend "dying" someone please tell me what was here 15 years ago?

Submitted by Jennifer

Citizens for Progress made the news!!!

Not just the news, we made the top story, compliments of Fox28. You can read the full story here (complete with video).

With so much negativity about our city lately, it was great to see Fox give people wanting to talk about South Bend in a positive way the top story.

OK. So they got our name wrong but, mistakes happen.

We believe there will come a time when everyone knows about this movement and our name will be easily recognized (and remembered, LOL).

We had a great meeting. We received an update on one idea brought up at our first meeting. Apparently, Marquette School is willing to work on a school wide project with the students, emphasizing the positives in South Bend.

That is wonderful news! Our kids need to focus on being positive people and positive action is always a good thing.

We realize that there are many more wanting to get involved and we're working to try to schedule meetings on various nights to allow even more people to get involved in this exciting grassroots movement.

Apparently, the downside to having such an alive and active city is that it can be hard to schedule meetings that don't conflict with other events.

If you couldn't make this meeting, we hope to see you at the next.

We need positive people willing to stand up and take positive action. It's the only way we will fight back this growing negativity about our city.

Remember the Chinese proverb, "The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones."

Building hope!

In case you missed it, here's a news story that shows a great example of people working to make our students more prepared for the future. Take note of how the kids respond when adults care enough to reach out to them. Our kids need to see that their lives are filled, not only with challenges, but also opportunities. Kudos to all involved in this project!


Building hope

Edison eighth-graders get hands-on feel for college at Notre Dame

by MICHAEL WANBAUGH, South Bend Tribune Staff Writer

Standing in front of 70 fresh, young minds, University of Notre Dame admissions adviser Christy Greene posed a common yet strangely complex question."What," Greene asked inside the sparkling new Jordan Hall of Science, "do you want to be when you grow up?"The audience of Edison Intermediate Center eighth-graders began to look around and smile at each other. Very soon hands were darting into the air.

"A pharmacist," one girl said.

"A pediatrician," another girl added."

A cartoonist," a boy said shyly."

Those are all great," Greene told them. "You have to study something you're passionate about. Study your passion."

This was the second year that Edison eighth-graders visited the Notre Dame campus. Last year it was just 30 students. This year it was all of them, split between two days.

But this was more than a sightseeing trip. It was more than a "you-can-be-anything" pep talk. It was a three-hour immersion into the life of a college student, what equates to a myth for so many.

John Reese, the director of student management at Edison, helped organize the visit.

"So many of our kids don't really see themselves as college-bound," Reese said. "They simply have not had the exposure to college that others have. We're trying to change that."

After meeting with Greene, the students were sent to faculty member Philip Sakimoto in Jordan Hall's Digital Visualization Theater.

"I hope that what you see might inspire you today," said Sakimoto, who spent 14 years working for NASA. "I'm going to use this theater to take you places that before you could only visit in your imaginations."

All Sakimoto did was take them on a 360-degree tour of the universe as they leaned back in the theater-style seats.

"This is so cool," one student said barely above a whisper to a friend as Sakimoto took the class from the Earth to the moon in a matter of seconds.

"Yeah," the friend answered. "This is tight."

Before they were done, the students had gone on a more than 100,000-light-year journey across the Milky Way.

"You've just been on a trip," Sakimoto said, "through our whole galaxy and beyond."

As students filed out of the DVT, there was a buzz about what they saw. There was energy in their eyes.

It's that expression and reaction that Notre Dame Director of Community Relations Jacquelyn Rucker says makes such a visit worth the time and effort.

Those Notre Dame students and faculty members who participated did so during their fall break.

"One of the biggest assets that Notre Dame has is intellectual capital," Rucker said. "If we can share that with this community, it's for the good of everybody."

After extensive space travel, the students were split into four groups. Group 1 went to the chemistry lab. Group 2 went to the biology lab. Group 3 went to the physics lab. Group 4 went to the math lab.

Professor Karen Morris took her group to the third floor, where an experiment awaited.

In goggle-wearing groups of two, the students mixed baking soda, calcium chloride and phenol red together, creating a bubbling, breathing, hot, yellow mixture.

"It's so warm," 13-year-old Kennedy McGill said, her mouth agape as she continuously squeezed the mixture inside a bag. "I can't believe how warm it is."

The groups compared their observations in the discussion room before returning to the lab for follow-up experiments. "This is what scientists do," Morris told the group. "Scientists love to talk about what they did. All of you just did what scientists do every day. You just acted like scientists."

A glaze of satisfaction settled on the faces of the group as they put their goggles away.

Before going back to their own school, students returned to the lecture hall where Notre Dame students talked to them about college, trying hard, and believing in themselves.

Lou Nanni, vice president of university relations for Notre Dame, had the last word.

"This is the time for you to start," he said confidently. "Work hard now so you leave choices for yourself down the line."

"I hope," he continued, "that your visit here today opens up what some of those possibilities can be."

On the ride back to Edison, Reese could tell the experience left an impression. It was the reaction he was after.

"They would say, 'I just took a physics course at Notre Dame and did fine,' " Reese said. "I think they understand now what we're trying to do.

"We're building hope."

"50% dropout rate" may be misleading

We've often heard that our Sout Bend schools have a 50% dropout rate but, according to the Indiana Dept of Education statistics, that might not be entirely accurate.

After hearing the often quoted dropout rate for our school, we decided to look into that. According to IN DOE stats, 2005 - 06 graduation rates for SB schools are as follows:

Clay High School -71.8%

Adams High School - 69.4%

Washington High School - 70%

Riley High School - 65.9%

We're not saying that our schools are not in need of improvement because they certainly are. Far too many kids are dropping out, leaving them ill prepared to face the challenges of the world around them.

What we don't need is an inflated statistics. Let's start with an accurate picture of where we're at and figure out how to solve this problem.

Our children deserve that and we should always be mindful that these kids are our future.

Investing in Our Children (Freshman Academy)

A new program in the South Bend high schools this year seems very promising.

You know how when you go to high school suddenly you have a different teacher for every subject and parents really have no central person to go to for information about how their student is doing? Well, thanks to a 3 million dollar grant that our South Bend Schools have gotten, high school freshmen will be provided with a more supportive learning environment… It’s called a Smaller Learning Communities Grant.

Each high school now has Freshman Academy that helps new students get connected to their high school and feel a sense of belonging. At each school, teachers of freshmen are organized into four teams, and these teams all teach the same group of students. For example, if you are in Mr. Brown’s English class then you are also in Ms. Green’s Algebra class and Mr. Moreno’s Biology class. This team of teachers meets to talk regularly, so that they know what is going on with students in different classes. This Small Learning Community is like having a smaller high school within the larger school.

The students also get special advising with one of their team’s teachers. Students meet with their own advisory teacher twice a week for 30 minutes to review how things are going… And this teacher knows about what is happening in the student’s other classes. This is a pretty powerful dynamic to create. Instead of being able to melt into the crowd of high school, these students have a set of teachers who are getting to know them very well. This is crucial during freshman year, when research shows that the first four to six weeks are crucial for students to feel connected and invested in the school. And these advisory teachers will be reaching out to parents through phone and email.

This is a great plan because adolescents really NEED their teachers to help them resist peer pressure, and motivate them to pursue their dreams. They need closer connections with teachers, and high school doesn’t always provide them. Teachers who have been teaching for years say that this program is really allowing them to get to know their students—one veteran teacher was amazed at the good relationships already forming with students in this program! No kid is anonymous… they know they are being discussed by their team of teachers. The teachers are even coordinating assignments and tests so that students don’t have too heavy workloads on certain weeks. Wish my teachers had done that!

These Freshman Academy have one major goal: Making sophomores. And that’s the first step toward making graduates. Seems pretty promising… and I hear that another small learning community called Career Academy will be developed as the students progress, so students continue to be nestled in small, well connected groups pursuing shared career goals. But that will be another blog.

Submitted by the proud parent of a SB Community student.

South Bend is a Beautiful Place to Live!

Let us be the first to share with you just how beautiful our city is. Robert Holmer, one of our very talented local photographers, has created a photo album that showcases the beauty of South Bend.

Whether you find beauty in nature, art or our historic architecture, you can find it here.

Check it out for yourself now, but be sure to check back again because he plans on adding even more.

There is simply no end to the beauty that is South Bend!

Hope wins out in Parkovash Park

Here is my story of hope working in South Bend-

My family lives in the North Shore Triangle neighborhood just north of downtown SB. For many years neighbors Bob Downs and Al "Buddy" Kirsits threw a Halloween party for the neighborhood kids. They spent weeks decorating their yards, carved over 100 pumpkins and gave away a dentists dream of candy. We all watched the neighborhood kids grow from scared participants to actors in the annual event.

Tragically, in March of 2002 Bob was killed by a disgruntled employee while working at Bertrand products in Michigan. As October loomed near Buddy knew he couldn't pull off the celebration without his brother in ghastly adventures. Though we all mourned Bob's passing, many of us realized we also mourned the loss of the special sense of community he helped create on Halloween night. We decided not to allow our neighborhood to be once again victimized by violence in the loss of a Halloween celebration.

That October several neighbors put forth the first annual Parkovash Park Halloween Party. Totally funded and run by volunteers in the neighborhood, we play games, eat food, gather around a fire as we greet old friends and meet the new.

Most of all, I think we keep the hope for our city alive and refuse to cower in fear of those who would extinguish that hope.

Judie Mengel

Our first meeting was amazing!

Last night we held our first meeting and it really was an amazing experience!

We shared stories about positive experiences we've had while living and working in South Bend. We discussed the importance of giving back to the community and how to help more people, including kids, to get involved. Someone suggested that we could have went on until midnight and I believe we could have.

We also discussed ways to promote the great things that are happening in South Bend. This blog is one of those ways we hope to, not only promote the positive things that are going on in South Bend, but it also allows us to keep an archive of these things.

Anyone with a positive story to share, be it about an event or someone who's making a difference in our community, is welcome to submit it to info@hopenotfear.org. You can include photos if you wish. After all, a pciture is worth a thousand words. We would prefer that people are willing to sign their name to their submissions but understand that not everyone is comfortable with doing that. Please let us know if you wish to remain anonymous.

Another way to promote the positives in our community is to write a letter to the South Bend Tribune's Voice of the People. The Tribune has limitations as to how much it can cover in the community but We, the People of South Bend, have the ability to express our positive experiences or appreciation for people who are doing good things. VoP will print one letter every 30 days per person. Here's the info you need to know to do to submit a VoP letter:

Mail your letters to Voice of the People, The South Bend Tribune, 225 W. Colfax Ave., South Bend, IN 46626; e-mail them to vop@sbtinfo.com or fax to (574) 236-1765. Letters may be no more than 200 words. Longer submissions will be considered for Michiana Point of View. All submissions are subject to editing. Please include your full name, which will be printed, and your street address and telephone number, which will be kept confidential but are necessary for verification purposes.

Last night was great, but it was just the beginning. It's going to get even better and so is South Bend!

How it all started

A few days ago I received this mailing. My first thoughts were complete outrage. As someone who has been active in the community for many years, this is certainly not an image I believe represents the city I know and love. I quickly discovered that I wasn't alone in being offended by this depiction of our city.

From this feeling of outrage over people attacking our city and our residents who have worked so hard and given so much, Citizens for Progress was born.

If you feel that same sense of outrage, please join us. Come together with other citizens who want to work together to resist efforts to create a negative image of South Bend .
We want to find ways to celebrate and promote South Bend--through HOPE not fear. Don't let fear dominate our city!

Join us for the first meeting of a new optimistic grassroots movement! Citizens for Progress through Hope not fear. We need you!!

Thursday, October 18th
7:00 PM
First Unitarian Church
101 East North Shore Dr South Bend IN 46617