Ethnic Community Committee

City of Sterling Heights ETHNIC COMMUNITY COMMITTEE Official minutes of the Thursday, December 6, 2018 regular meeting. MEMBERS PRESENT: Sharron Allen Mohammed Alomari Abbott Basal Kozeta Elzhenni Susan Kattula Abul Patwary Carmen Williams MEMBERS ABSENT: Talil Abrhiem Willie Dechavez Iqbal Singh Shawn Taylor OFFICIALS PRESENT: Citizen Services Specialist Sue Giallombardo Community Relations Director Bridget Kozlowski 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of Agenda: MOTION by Kattula, SECONDED by Allen. Approved 7-0 4. Approval of Minutes: MOTION by Allen, SECONDED by Kattula. Approved 7-0 5. Communication from Citizens: None 6. Communications from the Sterling Heights Police Dept.-Sgt. Kevin Reese  None, Reese was absent from meeting. 7. Agenda A. Veronica Johnson, Project Manager with Issue Media Group  Giallombardo stated that Veronica Johnson was unable to attend the meeting. Giallombardo added that Issue Media Group (IMG) has been focusing on the City of Sterling Heights for the past several months and would like to work with the Ethnic Community Committee on an event that will be open to the public and that will highlight the diversity in the city. They suggested a Discussion Panel, as the committee has held in the past; they suggested that the panelists represent the millenial population.   Kattula said that if we focused on millenials, they would likely be first generation residents, likely born in the United States. Kattula added that a panel disscussion was recently held at Sterling Heights High School, and said that she could look into student prospects. It was agreed upon that students would make excellent candidates for the panel discussion.  Elzhenni suggested asking the representatives from IMG to attend the Cultural Exchange.  Members were asked to think about topics, questions and candidates for the panel.  Giallombardo stated that the event would be held mid to late February and said she will invite Ms. Johnson to the January meeting for further discussion. B. Cultural Exchange 2019  Giallombardo stated that the Cultural Exchange will be held on Friday, March 1, 2019; she distributed participation forms and said that she will be mailing out the forms to all participants of previous events, including dance groups, sponsors and other miscellaneous participants. She encouraged members to start reaching out to their friends, colleagues and co-workers.  Giallombardo reminded members that the entertainment fills up fast and will be first come, first serve. Groups are still limited to ten-minute performances.  Members can mail in forms or bring them to the next meeting along with payments for any sponsorships. 8. Receipt of Correspondence:  Giallombardo stated that she received the information for the 2019 MLK Holiday Celebration Dinner, to be held on Monday, January 21 at Dakota High School in Macomb Twp. Members agreed to participate with a full page ad and a table for 10 guests, at a cost of $500. Any members interested in attending the dinner should let Giallombardo know. Invites will be extended to Mayor, City Council and City Manager. If there are still seats open, members will be invited to bring a guest. Giallombardo will keep the group posted via email. 9. Old Business:  Giallombardo collected donations to assist a needy family for the holidays. Giallombardo will go shopping and follow up as to what was purchased. The family is a young couple, with a one-year-old son, living at the Rudgate Manor.  Giallombardo stated that she ordered magnetic clips and pens with the Ethnic Community Committee's logo on them, for give-aways at future events. 10. New Business:  Alomari spoke with City Attorney Marc Kaszubski regarding a request for a larger budget for the Committee, Kaszubski suggested that the Committee members put together a report listing the events along with the costs involved. Kozlowski and Giallombardo will put together some figures from the last several years to share with the committee for approval. 11. Adjournment. Meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m.