Ethnic Community Committee

City of Sterling Heights ETHNIC COMMUNITY COMMITTEE Unofficial minutes of the Thursday, April 11, 2019 regular meeting. MEMBERS PRESENT: Sharron Allen Mohammed Alomari Willie Dechavez Kozeta Elzhenni Abul Patwary Iqbal Singh Carmen Williams MEMBERS ABSENT: Talil Abrhiem Abbott Basal Susan Kattula Shawn Taylor OFFICIALS PRESENT: Citizen Services Specialist Sue Giallombardo 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of Agenda: MOTION by Dechavez to approve agenda as amended with moving Item C, SECONDED by Alomari. Approved 7-0 4. Approval of Minutes: MOTION by Allen, SECONDED by Patwary. Approved 7-0 5. Communication from Citizens:  Stacy Williams was in attendance as a resident and an observer. 6. Communications from the Sterling Heights Police Dept.-Sgt. Kevin Reese  Reese stated that the police department is continuing recruitment efforts in the city and recently held an event at the Chaldean Community Foundation, in an effort to recruit diverse candidates.  Reese said that the Command Officers Unit assisted several needy families over the holidays, working with Dodge Park Coney Island and Dream Market.  Reese shared that a retired police office, Sgt. Darryl Brown was hit and killed by a driver recently.  Kattula stated that there was a large fire at an apartment complex on Christmas Day that displaced 60 families. She added that nobody was seriously injured and she was very impressed with the way that everyone worked together, not only with the fire by with the placementand needs of the families. 7. Agenda A. Veronica Johnson, Project Manager with Issue Media Group  Veronica Johnson and Chrishelle Griffin were in attendance to discuss their partnership with the City. 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. Johnson stated that they recently hosted a Women in Engineering panel discussion, targeted toward young students with an interest in the engineering field. They event will be held on Thursday, Feb. 7 at the Velocity Collaboration Center on 18 Mile.  Reese suggested "Public Safety" as a topic, as many of the new residents are unaware of what to do in a variety of situations. Reese added that key members of the city could serve as panelists.  Kattula said that there are several programs available to assist with the ESL residents, similar to "Language Line" that is used for the school districts.  Kozlowski stated that the city has hosted informational workshops in the past for adult ESL students, and the panel discussion could mirror the workshops.  Suggestions for panelists included representatives from ACCESS, Welcoming Michigan, Chaldean Community Foundation, WCS, UCS, Police, Fire and Library. Giallombardo will reach out to all groups and ask for participation, and send out flyers to churches and other organizations to seek attendees.  Members agreed on the topic and it was decided that there would not be a regular February meeting due to this event.  Giallombardo encouraged members to attend this event and said she will send further details as they come in. 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 mailed out the forms to all participants of previous events, including dance groups, sponsors and other miscellaneous participants. She encouraged members to continue reaching out to their friends, colleagues and co-workers since there are still spaces open for table participants and entertainers, but spots will fill up quickly.  Giallombardo reminded members that the entertainment fills up fast and will be first come, first serve. Groups are still limited to ten-minute performances.  Please turn in any artwork and payments to Giallombardo as soon as possible. She stated that she would be finalizing the program the week of February 18th.  Giallombardo will give status reports on the event via email throughout February. C. 2019 Summer Event  Alomari stated that the City of Detroit hosts ethnic festivals at Hart Plaza during the summer and other cities do the same, and he would like the committee to consider hosting a summer festival.  Giallombardo reminded everyone of the Sterlingfest Art & Music Fair that takes up much of summer for the Community Relations staff. She added that the Committee hosts the Naturalization Ceremony that takes place on the Friday of Sterlingfest and all members are encouraged to attend.   Allen stated that there used to be ethnic entertainment at Sterlingfest and perhaps this idea could be explored further.  Taylor suggested hosting a soccer tournament; adding that there is a new soccer field at Dodge Park.  Kozlowski reiterrated the amount of time spent planning Sterlingfest, and suggested that the committee consider possibly having a table at a Farmers Market. There are different events happening each week.  Giallombardo stated that members should attend the Sterlingfest and sit at the Ethnic Community Committee table to help promote the Committee and the other events that we host. 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 purchased and delivered presents and a gift card to a couple with a one-year-old son, living at the Rudgate Manor. She thanked the members that contributed to the gifts.  Giallombardo distributed magnetic clips and pens with the Ethnic Community Committee's logo on them, for give-aways at future events.  Allen asked about the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Dinner and asked who the guest speaker was. Giallombardo wasn’t sure as the speaker wasn't listed on the invite. Giallombardo placed an ad and secured at table of 10 for $500. The dinner will be held on Monday, Jan. 21st. Anyone interested in attending should let Giallombardo know as soon as possible. She will extend an invite the City Manager Mark Vanderpool, the Mayor and City Council members as well. 10. New Business:  Kozlowski stated that Henry Yanez is the new City Councilman as Nate Shannon won his campaign for State Representative. 11. Adjournment. Meeting adjourned at 7:05 p.m.