Wickham's World

How working with the United Way changed my view of giving

2015-10-29T07:04:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I was minding my own business, actually my employer’s business, by working on press releases, employee newsletters and other assorted tasks when one of my plant managers approached me.

“Guess what? I was asked to serve as campaign chair for the local United Way,” the plant manager stated.

“That’s nice,” I thought to myself, not wanting to come across as snarky because I did not care for the United Way.

“And I need your help,” she added, making it clear that objecting would not be an option.

“OK,” I replied but I was really thinking about how I would help a plant manager I respected support a charity I long associated with bloated salaries and misguided principles.

I later confided in my plant manager my concerns about the United Way. She, too, had concerns of her own, but they centered on a more tangible matter: The local United Way had lost millions in donations as General Motors jobs slipped away and with it the relevance it once possessed as the go-to charity in Flint.

It wasn’t long before I met the United Way of Genesee County team and was introduced to the marketing committee on which I would serve. Everyone seemed pleasant and sincere. I wasted little time telling everyone why I didn’t support the United Way. I am sure that endeared me to members of the group.

After the meeting, I shared the elevator with the United Way’s leader and he thanked me for joining the team. I was polite but challenged him to convince me that giving to the United Way was worth my time. I reasoned that if he could persuade me it would make it easier to get other people to give again.

And so began a journey that I expected to last just a year as my plant manager completed her term as campaign chair. Fast forward several years and I am still volunteering – as marketing chair – with the United Way of Genesee County, supporting a host of GM officials in their roles as campaign chairs, board members and volunteers. I am also giving my money to the charity and proudly wear a United Way shirt or pin.

What happened that changed this cynic’s view of the United Way?

It would be easy to say that the local United Way team did a great job telling their story, providing me the facts about where the money goes, how it is used and how donating to the United Way leverages even more money to help people in the community. Trust me, the United Way team did just that and much more.

What changed was how I approached giving to a charity. Like many other disenfranchised United Way supporters – I once donated during my time as a reporter – I bought into the age-old stories and urban myths about how the United Way spent donor dollars.

It didn’t help that other charities openly dissed the United Way, pressuring donors to give directly to them and not designate donations through the United Way. The United Way also didn’t do itself any favors by steadfastly staying the course as donor dollars slipped away by the millions in the Flint area.

My first couple of years working with the United Way of Genesee County were rough. Transitioning from one director to an interim leader, who had to make some tough staffing and budget cuts, made it difficult to win back donors and demonstrate that the United Way could be a relevant source of help in a community that desperately needed assistance.

I learned to be less of a cynic and more of a skeptic, dusting off my journalism skills to separate fact from fiction and understand the real story of the United Way and its role in the community. That effort was boosted when a new leader was chosen, a CEO who had energized another local charity and was tapped to reverse the downward spiral at the United Way.

Three years later, the local United Way is increasing donations, leveraging more dollars and playing a more relevant role in the community. This was accomplished by mending fences, reassuring other charities that we were not the competition and educating the public that by donating to the United Way, we could leverage their dollars and have a greater impact on the community.

As for me, I have no desire to sever my ties with an organization I once disliked. Stepping back from my own cynicism and learning the real story of the United Way has helped me become a better person. In addition to increasing my support for the United Way of Genesee County, my family and I devote more time to community service.

I continue to support other charities because of personal ties to them but I also know that the one organization in the best position to help the people of Genesee County is the United Way.

I am united with them in this cause and hope others will join our team.

Editor’s note: As the United Way of Genesee County embarks on its annual campaign the cynics are out in force, perpetuating myths about the organization. Yes, there was a time with the United Way – at a national level – was justly criticized for how it used donor dollars. And, yes, there was a time – at the local level – when the United Way stagnated and assumed that donors would keep on giving. Those days are long gone and the facts about what we do can be found here: http://www.unitedwaygenesee.org/reasons-give

About the writer: Tom Wickham is a public relations specialist, employed by General Motors and a volunteer with the United Way of Genesee County. The views expressed in this and other writings are solely his own.

What is the Real C Word?

2015-10-21T10:10:00.001-07:00

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along'," - Eleanor Roosevelt

I won’t even pretend to think it’s a novel idea to switch the C Word from Cancer to Courage. I am too pissed off right now to care about clever or unique approaches to addressing the insidious nature of cancer.

Let me get one thing straight. This post isn’t about me. I don’t have cancer and pray I never do, though, the odds aren’t necessarily in my favor. My father had prostate cancer and my mother died from brain cancer. We’ll see what fate befalls me.

Rather, this is about the countless friends – many of whom are in my age group (50ish) – who are battling cancer. Some have lost the battle, others have scored victory after victory and others are just drafting their battle plans.

What prompted me to write this was the news that someone I have known for more than 30 years was diagnosed with cancer. She is a sweet person and someone I have always admired as a writer and a kind human being.

One can only imagine the fear she is facing as she prepares to do battle with the cancer that afflicts her body. But one thing was clear when I read the news of her diagnosis on her Facebook page. This person, while fearful of the battle yet to come, also possessed a trait that I know will serve her well in the days, weeks and months to come: Courage.

First and foremost, it was the courage to go public on Facebook, not just to announce her diagnosis but to humbly request her friends to pray for her during this battle.

Courage is often interpreted as something akin to an individual’s ability to overcome incredible adversity. It can also be interpreted as an individual’s acknowledgement that they cannot wage a battle alone.

When my mother was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2008 there was a time after the tumor was removed that, as a family, we were preparing to do battle against the cancer. I studied up on treatments and prepared to help my mother in her battle. However, when my father suddenly died the dynamics changed for my mother.

Instead of courageously taking on a cancer that she had little chance of beating my mother made a courageous choice to not fight. On the surface that may sound like defeat but, knowing how stubborn and ornery my mother could be, I viewed it as a courageous move on her part. It was as though she was telling cancer: “I will die on my own terms.”

I learned then and have witnessed it many times since that courage is multi-faceted. For some of my friends it’s represented by their steely resolve to wage a seemingly unwinnable battle against cancer. Some ooze confidence that speaks “Don’t worry, I’ve got this handled.”

Other friends have taken a less strident approach to battling cancer but have been courageous nonetheless.

What matters is these people are being courageous on their own terms.

Their courage, no matter what form it takes, not only inspires me but also gives me hope that, in the end, the human spirit will overcome cancer.

I know this is an altruistic view and it diminishes the role science is playing in finding cures. This, however, is not about cures. This is about people’s courage to face cancer on their own terms, no matter what happens in the end.

Good luck and know that being courageous does not mean you have to battle cancer alone. Know that you have friends who will pray for you and stand with you during these tough times.

Of Billy Goats, Bartman and Belief

2015-10-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

I believe.

As I penned those two words I realized it’s easier to believe in an unseen deity than the Chicago Cubs winning a World Series.

After all, what can explain 107 years of futility better than a cursed goat and the infamous Bartman Incident?

A lot, actually. Curses and foul ball interfering fans aside, the Cubs did more to undermine their chances than any curse, jinx or black cat could muster. Long suffering fans of the Cubs or any other team of futility often cling to such easy, yet senseless excuses.

Not this year. For the first time since 1969, when I was a mere cub listening to Cubs games on my Dad’s radio in our Chicago apartment, there is a genuine sense of “this is the year” enveloping Cubs fans near and far.

OK, there was that time in 1984, while in college, I listened to the Cubs implode against the San Diego Padres. That was a devastating loss, as the Cubs were headed for a showdown with the Detroit Tigers, a rematch of the 1945 World Series, the last time the Cubs played for a championship. That was the year when the owner of the Billy Goat Tavern was told to leave Wrigley Field with his stinky goat, prompting him to level a curse that supposedly remains to this day.

Oh, then there were failed runs in 1989 and 1998 and the bitter disappointment in 2003, when the Cubs, five outs from going to the World Series saw their hopes apparently dashed by a loyal fan who reached for a fly ball that the Cubs Moises Alou was trying to catch. Everything went downhill after that. The Florida Marlins scored eight runs and won Game 6 and then came from behind to win Game 7.

The playoff runs in 2007 and 2008 failed to ignite any excitement, with the team getting swept in the divisional series both years.

So, what has changed? Why am I excited about the team’s prospects in 2015? Don’t I fear the curses, jinxes and other forms of bad luck that have haunted the team for decades?

No. I know that there are no guarantees the Cubs will run the proverbial table and win the World Series this year. There are plenty of good teams that remain and the Cubs, being young and naïve have a good shot at making history, just as much as they might choke, let a simple grounder scoot between their legs or miss the cutoff man, allowing a runner to score.

What has me optimistic and hopeful is the fact the Cubs are young and naïve and they have a wise coach in Joe Maddon, who is not afraid to call for two suicide squeezes in an inning against the St. Louis Cardinals or use nearly all his pitchers to win the decisive game in the divisional series.

It also doesn’t hurt that the team lacks prima donnas and malcontents. The rookies and veterans, alike, move with the confidence that they will win but not the arrogance that they are invincible.

The team reminds me a lot of sand lot, street or park pickup games I used to play in my youth. Those games were memorable for their innocence and fun, much the same way the Cubs have approached the 2015 season. To watch them play is to remember a time when baseball, in the eyes of a child, represented something pure and joyful.

No matter what happens in the playoffs, fame is sure to follow some of these Cubbies. Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year awards are possibilities for members of this team. Who knows, others might one day vie for batting, fielding and pitching titles. And if they’re really good, maybe more playoff runs.

But I am getting ahead of myself. This is not about yearning for a championship and awards and banishing those curses and jinxes once and for all. It’s about restoring faith in our national pastime by watching these youngsters live and play baseball with an unrelenting youthful passion and love for the game.

Yes, I believe.

Humility and humanity in a time of crisis

2015-10-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

The man shuffled along the sidewalk, a look of determination on his face. His pace was slow and labored.

“Sir, would you care to ride in a wheelchair?” I offered.

“Yes, please,” he responded, carefully lowering himself into the seat. He sighed and talked in a low voice, pausing to catch his breath.

“Just sit back and relax and I’ll take you in to get your water filter,” I said, wheeling him the rest of the way to the University of Michigan-Flint Recreation Center.

“Thank you,” he said.

Along the way I learned this quiet man was a U.S. Marine who served in Vietnam and now only has one lung. His face bore no bitterness but his voice summed up the feeling of thousands of other Flint residents who filed into the Rec Center on Saturday to get a free water filter.

“I just want clean water,” he added.

Clean water. For weeks, even months, Flint has been embroiled in a crisis that centers on the quality of water that is sourced from the Flint River. The issue escalated to a public health crisis after doctors and researchers found elevated levels of lead in the water.

Residents demanded answers. Elected officials, water experts, the media and community activists debated, sparred and jostled about trying to make sense of the situation or explain whether the risk was real or exaggerated.

I became a participant in this saga when a coworker called to see if we - General Motors - could do something to help the people of Flint. I thought it was a great idea and made some calls. At the same time UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada, who had been monitoring the situation in Flint, called Cathy Clegg, her GM vice president counterpart, setting in motion an internal discussion about what GM could do for the people in Flint.

It didn’t take long to come to a conclusion. With one GM executive intoning that a “humanitarian” effort was needed to get clean water to the residents, the rest of the group quickly settled on donating $50,000 through the GM Foundation.

The only condition was the money would go to the United Way of Genesee County, which had set aside $25,000 in seed money to start a water filter fund. Jamie Gaskin, the United Way CEO, moved quickly to secure additional community support from the UAW, individuals donors and the C.S. Mott Foundation, which donated $100,000, boosting the total in the fund to $250,000.

Jamie called Home Depot District Manager Don Mandeville, who used his company’s supplier connections and buying power to locate an initial batch of 4,000 filters. And the great news was Home Depot could get them at $20 each instead of the $30 retail price consumers would pay.

This was all well and good, but how would the filters be distributed? The Genesee County Health Department had an answer. Working with the UM-Flint leadership, an army of volunteers was enlisted to pass out the filters to high-risk residents, primarily nursing moms, those who are pregnant and children 5 and younger.

Walking into the Rec Center gym Saturday morning I was struck by the calm manner in which volunteers prepped their computers, packed filters in bags and organized the path residents would take to get their filters. Unassembled filter kits rested on tables, where Home Depot workers readied themselves to show how to install and use a faucet filter.

At 10 a.m., the first group walked over to volunteers who verified a person’s residency by ZIP Code. We were open for business!

It was truly an incredible sight to see so many people, a diversity of race, gender and ethnicity patiently waiting in line to get their filters. People talked, laughed and sometimes called out when they saw a friend or neighbor.

I laughed to myself each time a person I pushed in a wheelchair wanted to pause and shake hands. People were genuinely happy. Maybe it was the relief in knowing they had something - a filter - that could give them a little peace of mind.

Volunteers from the Red Cross, UM Flint, the Health Department, GM, Home Depot and many other places worked tirelessly, making sure to greet residents with a smile, answer their questions and send them off with “Have a nice day.”

Where it not for the gravity of the water crisis, I would not have pegged this as a humanitarian effort. Rather, it had the makings of a community gathering.

I found the experience humbling. The more people I met the more I came to realize these people have endured so much in recent months. If anyone had a right to rant, rave and vent to us, they deserved that opportunity more than many others.

Instead, there was dignity in their demeanor. Any anger or bitterness they possessed was suppressed. I seriously doubt it had dissipated, but I hoped their experience on Saturday would lessen some of their fears and concerns.

These were the real people of Flint. There was no entitlement mentality, where people demanded what was owed to them. These people sought a solution to a problem and listened intently to the instructions for using the filter.

And they stopped to tell the volunteers “thank you.”

Civility reigned because everyone treated each other with respect. There were no politics, protests or visible debates about lead levels. Conversations were polite and wistful at times.

As I pushed one lady out to her car, she jokingly asked if I wanted a tip.

“No,” I said. “A smile is all I need.”

She smiled and said, “Bless you.”

All told, we distributed about 3,000 filters. We know there is a lot of work to be done, such as set up a system for getting filters to people who are homebound.

There is also a need for leaders and residents to rebuild trust in the community. The filter initiative is a first step in that process.

So, in addition to graciously accepting thanks from the people who came to get their filters we should be thanking them. After all, having spent a day with this incredible group of people I am grateful for their humanity during this difficult time. They reminded everyone that a crisis should unify, not divide, a community.

I pray others in Flint will internalize that wisdom as they seek long-term solutions to the water problems.

I am truly offended

2015-09-29T05:10:00.002-07:00

I am truly offended.

I cannot believe that someone from a faraway land would email me, asking for help and then offer nothing in return if I help them secure funds that they apparently cannot access.

OK, I really am not offended, just mildly amused that I am once again targeted by a global scam that encourages kind souls to assist some helpless person whose family fortune is tied up in a bank account.

It seems that, in this case, I am the only one capable of helping poor Ms. Anthonyoho. No high-powered attorneys needed. Just me, and who am I to doubt such a compelling call for help?

My Dear.

How are you today? I am very happy to contact you because I need a help who will help me to get my late mother fund sum of $5,500,000 I need a very good man who will help me to get the fund into him bank account so that I will come to meet the helper Dear I am just only 20 years help me I don’t want to lose the fund for the bank Ok help me so that bank will post the fund to your bank and I will come and meet you my Dear love. My Dear loves pls send me your email……. Or this is my email_ (attorneyanthonyloho@yahoo.com) dear if you help me get this money out of lome_Togo My God will help you and I will not forget you in my life.

Thanks alot,

Ms.Love Anthonyoho

Upon reviewing this request, I decided to draft a response.

Dear Ms. Anthonyoho,

I have some bad news. I cannot help you. I only respond to requests from distressed princesses and widows who have the decency to offer at least a percentage of the money they wish me to secure.

Call me greedy but I expect to be compensated for all the hard work navigating the banking and legal systems here in the United States. After all, you must understand that in my country there will be bank fees, taxes and other compensation necessary to complete the transactions.

I hope you understand my position and would be willing to share in the proceeds. Please think it over and accept this gift of a Webster’s Dictionary. I am sure you will find it useful in facilitating future discussions.

Regards,

Tom

While compelled to send the note, I decided to delete the email from Ms. Anthonyoho after reporting it to the Federal Trade Commission. After all, who would be gullible enough to respond to a request like the one I just received?

Sadly, a lot of people do.

A cursory online scam came up with some startling facts.

Scamwatch, which is operated by the Australian government, has logged 1,307 reports of people receiving scam requests like this via email, the phone or through social media. Of that total, 6 percent reported losing money in the amount of more than $1 million (Australian). https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/unexpected-money/up-front-payment-advanced-fee-frauds

That sum is probably a drop in the bucket. I am sure there are many more people in Australia and other countries too embarrassed to report being scammed.

In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission logs more than $1.6 billion in fraud complaints annually. These are not all related to email scams like the one I received, but it is a disturbing fact that makes me shudder to think people actually spend their days concocting ways to part unsuspecting individuals from their money.

Hopefully, people can resist the siren call of a distressed princess and instead report the scammer.

Fraud.org, a non-profit organization created by the National Consumers League, offers tips on how to spot, avoid and report being scammed. They have a special section dedicated to what is called Nigerian Money Offers: http://www.fraud.org/scams/direct-marketing/nigerian-money-offers

Additional information is available at the Federal Trade Commission: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0002l-nigerian-email-scam

Make sure to tell family members, particularly the elderly, to never respond to requests from strangers calling or emailing for financial assistance.

As much as we want to laugh at these poorly-written requests for help, it’s not a laughing matter if a friend or family member falls victim to a scam.

Cardboard, duct tape and a little ingenuity can change the world

2015-09-27T15:52:00.000-07:00

Can a cardboard box change the world?

Unveiled in 2014, Google Cardboard was touted as a low-cost way to encourage interest in virtual reality. For years, virtual reality was a realm visited by gamers with high-end equipment and engineers with VR rooms used to interact with designs.

With the creation of Cardboard, Google put the world of VR into the hands of anyone with a smartphone and a few bucks to spare for the kit or a DIY project. Taking a page from antique stereoscopes, Cardboard and a smartphone create a 3D sensory experience that my boys dub as very cool.

I need to preface that we did not buy or make a Cardboard, a template for which Google provides to manufacturers and people who just want to tinker and create. After studying the template and wasting time to scale it properly for printing, I decided to go on my own and create my version, not out of cardboard but black foam board. Maybe I will call it the Wickham VR Viewer. No, too pretentious.

In any event, Ian, Alex, and I set about to creating our VR box to fit our iPhone 5s models. Having studied not only Cardboard but other similar VR creations I decided that our first foray into VR would be a simple design of our own.

It must be noted that no matter what design you adopt there are some items that must be followed closely or the VR experience will fail. First, it’s important to have biconvex lenses. For that I went to a toy store and bought a cheap pair of binoculars. Second, measurement – focal length and the distance between the lenses – is essential in ensuring the image being viewed is in focus. As someone who wears glasses I had trouble with the focal length and realized the box was too narrow for my glasses to fit inside. Note to self: create a wider viewing area in V2.0.

The final product was quickly glued and taped together and tested in the span of an hour. This does not include the time studying VR headsets and going to the toy store for the lenses. All told, the final cost was $7. Take that Oculus Rift.

OK, so the Wickham VR Viewer is not an Oculus Rift. It’s not even a Google Cardboard, which has its own “button” for the viewer to interface with their smartphone. Our VR viewer is a box that holds a smartphone a few inches from one’s face. Yes, there is a divider inside so each eye is focused on the appropriate image, hence the nod to stereoscopic viewers of yesteryear.

The point is one does not need hundreds of dollars to buy the latest technology. With a little time and patience families can create a lot of cool things. This is nothing new, of course, as web sites abound with children and adults posting videos and tutorials on everything from making mittens - http://www.instructables.com/id/Woodland-Cree-gauntlet-mitts/ - to creating ping pong tables - http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-make-a-folding-ping-pong-table#b.

I have no interest in making mittens but did tackle the ping pong table project a week ago. My creation was less sophisticated than the table featured in the link above but it has provided endless fun for the family. Hey, it doesn’t need to be pretty to be effective.

That’s the same approach with our first VR viewer. I will grant that final product looked like something I might casually toss in the recycling bin, so I dressed it up with colored paper.

Customization is also a side benefit of DIY projects. You can paint them, put on stickers, fancy duct tape, whatever your mind can fathom.

So, what brought on this spate of Maker-style projects? What is inspiring us to find ways to create new ways to have fun and even learn?

Economics is a key factor. In our consumer-oriented world, it’s become easy to covet the latest and greatest thing out there. I fall into the trap with technology. The decision to do a VR viewer came about because I am excited about the possibilities that VR and augmented reality – most notably Microsoft’s upcoming HoloLens – have to offer.

Like Oculus Rift and Sony’s Project Morpheus, HoloLens will be expensive and, truthfully, out of reach of most people. My wife and I know the realities of finances all too well. There are music lessons for the boys, a mortgage to pay, food to buy and repairs to be made around the house. Money does not flow freely in our household or anywhere else.

The alternative is to covet what you cannot have or go out and create something that meets your needs, be it entertaining or educational. This was drilled home earlier this spring when Ian and Alex requested duct tape of various colors so they could create Ancient Roman uniforms, including helmets and shields. Using found cardboard and Ian’s intense understanding of Ancient Rome – don’t watch Gladiator with him or he will point out all the historical flaws – they fashioned some impressive costumes.

We weren’t about to spend $40 or $50 on some cheap stuff from a costume shop. Let the kids use their imaginations to create what they need.

That brings me full circle to the question I posed: Can a cardboard box change the world?

Yes.

In its review of Google Cardboard CNET Magazine - http://www.cnet.com/products/google-cardboard/ - called the product fun and inexpensive, but so simplistic it would never compete with Oculus or other VR goggles. The takeaway, though, focused on the fact that Google Cardboard is “the ambassador that’ll make us care about virtual reality in the first place.”

That’s important to remember, as it is too easy to dismiss lofty technological achievements as something only the rich and privileged can use. Google Cardboard, along the plethora of Maker and DIY sites, make the case that anyone with a little time, usually very little money and a lot of creativity, can help change the world.

Knowing that Ian and Alex couldn’t stop commenting about the cool experience of using our makeshift VR headset reassures me that they will embrace this brave new world with open eyes.

It’s already happening. The boys have modified their Roman uniforms and are eagerly talking about improvements we can make to the Wickham VR Viewer.

I think I hear them calling for more duct tape.

Veteran's Day: A day of remembrance

2013-11-10T19:01:00.002-08:00

I never knew my grandfathers. Both died before I was born. I know little of my mother's father but the story of my father's father is well known in the family and serves a reminder why service to one's country, even service to people in other countries, is an important part of being an American.

Gordon Wickham was born on July 26, 1891, the son of Thomas R. Wickham and Lizzie Sweeney. Thomas was Canadian by birth and of English and Irish descent. Lizzie was born in Chicago and of Irish descent.

Gordon's father owned a restaurant, though, later gave up that profession to serve on the crew of the Goodrich Line steamship Alabama, the beautiful passenger ship that sailed from Chicago to Grand Haven and then to Muskegon.
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Intending to work while furthering his own education, Gordon took on work as a helmsman with the Goodrich Lines and as a salesman during other times of the year. His desire to complete college was cut short when hostilities broke out in Europe.

The United States was prepared to sit out the war, prompting Gordon to consider enlisting in the Canadian Army. There were many Americans crossing the border to do just that and others sailed to France to join the French Foreign Legion.

However, an opportunity arose for Gordon to serve his own country and in

1916 he joined the Dandy 1st of the Illinois National Guard. He soon found himself stationed in Texas with other green recruits as part of the American forces patrolling the border with Mexico, on the lookout for the feared bandit Pancho Villa.

This experience would later serve Gordon well as he and members of the Dandy 1st were sent to Europe as the United States entered the Great War. Still, he was a mere grunt once in France and his unit was assigned to a group of rough Australians, who showed little sympathy for cowards and wimps. Gordon matured rapidly during his deployment, something that is evident in the many letters he wrote home during the war.

And while Gordon toughened up during his time in the trenches he retained his sense of humor, recounting on occasions something offbeat that happened during a battle with the Germans. One such incident occurred while he was assigned to HQ and helped ferry wounded from the front line to the medics back at HQ. While watching Australian soldiers bring back wounded from both sides of the conflict Gordon spotted a German officer who was giving the Aussies grief as he was being carried to the medic. The Aussies, tired of the officer's rants, turned around, dumped the German officer back at the front line and returned with an empty stretcher.

Gordon liked to pepper his letters with wry and humorous observations but there was always a hint of loneliness as he wrote duplicate letters, one which went to his mother and the other to his father, who was sailing on the Great Lakes.

It wasn't until November 1918 that Gordon's tone changed to hopefulness as the Armistice was signed and he could finally envision a day when he could return home. Ironically, the day the Armistice was signed, Gordon was on leave in a beautiful area of France called La Bourboule.

He described how the news spread through the tiny town and the French ran into the streets to sign and dance with the American soldiers. Back in the trenches, Gordon's fellow soldiers described how the Germans dropped their weapons and ran to the Americans, smiling and eager to trade beer, coffee and food with each other.

Gordon's work in France would not end until 1919 when he could finally said for home.

I have much to learn about my grandfather, but what I have gleaned to date from his writings and what my father shared with me is that Gordon Wickham loved his country and gladly served so others could be free.

So, on this Veteran's Day I pay tribute to my grandfather and the soldiers of the Great War. May we never forget them or the deeds they did to safeguard freedom.

GM Flint Assembly and Engine plants meet EPA ENERGY STAR® Challenge

2013-08-21T12:12:00.001-07:00

FLINT, Mich. – General Motors’ Flint Assembly and Engine plants are two of 63 facilities to meet a voluntary energy-reduction challenge set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, cutting its energy intensity to meet the EPA’s ENERGY STAR^® Challenge for Industry. This is the second year in row that both Flint plants achieved this recognition for energy efficiency.

Gerald Johnson, vice president of GM North America Manufacturing

To meet the ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry, manufacturing facilities need to reduce energy used per unit of production by at least 10 percent within five years. Flint Assembly’s reduction avoided 19,354 tons of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere — the equivalent of electricity use by 2,897 U.S. homes annually. Flint Engine’s reduction avoided 16,391 tons of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere — the equivalent of electricity use by 2,454 U.S. homes annually.

“Creativity and energy management go hand-in-hand at GM,” said Tim Lee, executive vice president of Global Manufacturing. “We’ve been consistently cutting energy use and emissions each year. Environmental responsibility – and its corresponding business benefits – continues to be an everyday driver within our facilities.”

The Flint Assembly plant avoided more than $2.9 million and Flint Engine avoided more than $2.3 million in energy costs annually through their efforts. GM leads all companies worldwide in meeting the challenge. Total companywide savings in energy costs through the Challenge for Industry total $162 million.

To achieve the Energy Star recognition, Flint Assembly replaced low efficiency lighting with high efficiency, which has reduced electricity usage by 5,390 megawatt hours. Additionally, steam water heaters were exchanged for electric ones, allowing the boilers to be turned off when not needed.

At Flint Engine, engineers came up with a way to turn off the plant’s chillers remotely by scheduling the start/stop function. Essentially, the chiller would shut down based on a pre-determined time that was built into the software, enabling higher annual energy savings.

“Our employees understand the commitment it takes to be as energy efficient as possible in our day-to-day operations,” said Amy Farmer, complex director for GM’s Flint Manufacturing Operations. “Through a diligent environmental process, we have instilled a sense of responsibility to the environment that goes beyond our location in Flint.”

In March of 2013, GM received an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year-Sustained Excellence award – the program’s highest recognition for corporate energy management. Between 2005 and 2010, the company reduced energy use in its global facilities by 28 percent and has since set a goal to reduce energy intensity globally 20 percent by 2020.

For more information on GM’s environmental commitment, visit its sustainability report and environmental blog.

General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM’s brands include Chevrolet and Cadillac, as well as Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 60 products as well as new homes and commercial and industrial buildings that meet strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the EPA. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved $18 billion on their energy bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 34 million vehicles.

###

CONTACT:

Tom Wickham

Plant Communications Manager

248-707-9064

Tom.wickham

GM employees donate $28,500 to help tornado victims in Oklahoma

2013-06-04T12:40:00.001-07:00

Plant, community initiatives still underway to support “Help 4 Oklahoma” campaign

FLINT – General Motors Co. employees around the country raised approximately $28,500 in plant collections to help people in tornado ravaged Oklahoma.

In some instances, plant collections by GM and the UAW were supplemented with donations from GM retirees, contract workers, dealers and suppliers, who pitched in to provide assistance to tornado victims in the Oklahoma City region, which was hit by a series of deadly twisters in a span of less than two weeks.

The donations will go to Detroit-based Forgotten Harvest’s “Help 4 Oklahoma” campaign. “Help 4 Oklahoma” is a partnership created by Forgotten Harvest, the General Motors Foundation, Chevrolet, Art Van, WDIV Local 4, WJR News/Talk 760, the Detroit Media Partnership, Garden Fresh Gourmet, Absopure and Great Lakes Wines & Spirits.

The GM Foundation joined the effort with the lead donation of $50,000. Chevrolet joined in with a donation of a 2013 Silverado full size pickup that will be instrumental in the implementation of the effort.

“It’s important for us to be there to help our neighbors who are hurting and our support of the ‘Help 4 Oklahoma’ campaign is a great way to make a difference,” said Lori Wingerter, Vice President, GM Foundation. “Through donations and key partnerships with organizations like Forgotten Harvest, we’re able to step up and help provide immediate relief when disaster strikes.”

GM employees across the country have been pitching in to provide support for those impacted. Here are totals designated to Forgotten Harvest, to date:

· Flint Manufacturing: $8,700

· Wentzville, Mo., assembly: $4,400

· Lordstown, Ohio, complex: $4,200

· Tonawanda, N.Y. engine: $4,100

· Fairfax, Kan., assembly: $3,700

· Bowling Green, Ky., assembly: $2,500

· Baltimore, Md., transmission: $800

GM employees elsewhere found other ways to help tornado victims. In Spring Hill, Tenn., GM employees and UAW members, along with suppliers and people in the community donated more than $12,000 in gift cards and filled three, 50-foot trailers with supplies, including soup, water, dog food, diapers and other necessities. In Fairfax some assembly plant employees plan to travel to Oklahoma to assist with cleanup and rebuilding activities.

Updated flyer for the tornado fund-raiser

2013-05-30T18:32:00.000-07:00

The Banana Bricks team up with the United Way and Catholic Charities to help tornado victims in Flint and Oklahoma

2013-05-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

Randels Elementary School FIRST LEGO League team partners with the United Way of Genesee County to help tornado victims in the Flint area
United Way pledges $5,000 to local relief efforts; bottle/can drive will support both Flint and Oklahoma victims

For immediate release: May 30, 2013

FLINT Twp. – Members of a FIRST^® LEGO^® League team at Carman-Ainsworth Randels Elementary School are partnering with the United Way of Genesee County to raise funds for victims of the tornadoes that ripped through the Flint area earlier this week.

The United Way has pledged $5,000 to support the robotics team’s efforts to raise funds for disaster relief in Genesee County. The United Way funds, along with some of the funds raised this weekend by the Banana Bricks, will be channeled to the Catholic Charities of Shiawassee & Genesee Counties to directly help people who are displaced as a result of the tornadoes.

The robotics team will also use its fund-raiser this weekend to help victims of the deadly tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma, more than a week ago. Funds raised for Moore will be sent to Feed the Children, an Oklahoma City-based charity that has set up a disaster relief fund for the Oklahoma victims.

Flint residents are asked to bring any returnable bottles or cans to VG’s West Flint store, 5080 Corunna Road, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 1, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 2. People are welcome to donate bottle redemption slips or leave cans and bottles with the students and parents to redeem. Cash donations will also be accepted.

“It only makes sense that our fund-raising efforts include helping people in our own community,” said Tom Wickham, coach of the Banana Bricks robotics team. “Many people in our county are in need of basic needs and by partnering with the United Way and Catholic Charities, we can get support directly to families whose homes were destroyed or damaged.”

The United Way is partnering with the Banana Bricks to increase awareness of the need to help people Genesee County. The $5,000 that the local agency is donating comes from money people donate when filing their state tax returns, said Jamie Gaskin, CEO of the United Way of Genesee County.

Catholic Charities will use the funds donated by the United Way and the Banana Bricks to ensure tornado victims have access to the Catholic Charities Community Closet, where people can get clothes, food and personal (hygiene) products.

People wanting more information about how to support the Randels robotics students’ fund-raising efforts can contact Tom Wickham at 248-707-9064 or tom.wickham@gm.com. For disaster assistance, please visit the Catholic Charities’ Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Catholic-Charities-Flint-and-Owosso/265153556837715?fref=ts

FLL^® and Jr.FLL^® are jointly held trademarks of FIRST^® (www.usfirst.org) and The LEGO Group, neither of which is overseeing, involved with, or responsible for this activity, product, or service.

Scouting is for our boys, not for adults to wage a morality war

2013-05-23T20:02:00.002-07:00

“We are not a club or a Sunday school class, but a school of the woods.” - Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts

That quote seems fitting right now, especially as the battle lines over homosexuals in the Boy Scouts of America give way to the reality that Scouting will now allow gay youth to join.

After the vote supporting the change in the membership policy was announced, people on opposite sides of the issues either lauded the bold move or threatened to abandon Scouting over what they see as a moral breakdown. Link to CNN story on BSA membership policy change

Why then does my opinion matter in this? Well, it does for a number of reasons, the most important being the fact I am the father of two boys in Scouting - one a Boy Scout and the other a Cub Scout. To compound my interest in this topic, I am also the leader of my youngest boy's pack and I serve as vice president of marketing for the Water & Woods Field Service Council BSA in Flint, Michigan.

So, there I am, along with many other parents, leaders and volunteers, grappling with a controversial issue that some people threatened would tear apart more than a century of Scouting. But I didn't really need to grapple with it because I didn't base my decision to support the change in policy on morality. Yes, you read that correctly, I supported the change.

I chose to support the change because it is the right thing to do for Scouting and I think Baden-Powell's quote sums it up best.

Scouting is not a club because we want all boys to have the opportunity to learn, grow and mature, becoming upstanding young men, no matter their race, ethnicity or orientation.

Scouting is not a Sunday school because the best place to study and learn biblical lessons is at home or one's church. However, Scouting is a place where we encourage boys to be respectful of the many religions that exist around the world and to not judge someone because their views and beliefs are different.

Scouting is a school of the woods because that is where boys become men and I don't mean in that stereotypical macho manner some people are inclined to assume from this comment. Rather, it is the process of developing and honing skills that will help our boys at work, at home and, of course, in the woods.

At the end of the day, I did not see this issue as a moral battle. I frankly don't care if there are homosexuals in Scouting. I have worked with and continue to work with gay and lesbians and I view them no differently than my heterosexual coworkers. They are not and never will be a threat in the workplace, in society or in Scouting.

The real threat comes when we spend more time demonizing a group of people and overlooking the real issues facing young boys in society: fatherless homes, violence, drugs and peer pressure to break the law.

Shouldn't we be focused on helping nurture these boys so they can shake off negative influences in their lives and become respectful and responsible young adults?

To the Scout leaders and volunteers who are threatening to leave Scouting because of the change in membership policy I have one question. Are you doing this for you or for the boys?

Morality debates aside, Scouting is needed in our Society now more than any time in the last 100 years.

We can and will survive and thrive if we all stay focused on the fact that Scouting is for the boys. It's not about politics or religion or someone's sexual orientation. It is about watching a Tiger Cub grow and mature, becoming an Eagle Scout along the way and entering society as someone future Scouts will admire and wish to emulate.

After all, it's about being prepared for life.

Bottle & Can Drive for Disaster Relief

2013-05-23T04:54:00.002-07:00

Randels Elementary School FIRST LEGO League team to raise funds for Moore, Oklahoma, tornado victims

2013-05-22T05:17:00.000-07:00

Bottle, can drive set for June 1-2 at VG’s West Flint store on Corunna Road

For immediate release: May 22, 2013

FLINT Twp. – Members of a FIRST^® LEGO^® League team at Carman-Ainsworth Randels Elementary School will conduct a bottle drive to raise funds for the children whose schools and homes were destroyed when a tornado ripped through Moore, Oklahoma.

All donations will be given to Feed the Children, an Oklahoma City-based charity that helps feed starving children in the United States and around the world. Feed the Children has established a fund to support relief efforts in Moore. For every $50 raised, Feed the Children will be able to put together relief packages valued at $250.

“Although we are separated by more than 1,000 miles the students, teachers and staff at Randels Elementary share the grief of the people in Moore, Oklahoma,” said Bonnie Haffajee, principal of Randels Elementary School. “I am proud that our students are taking on this fund-raising effort and I encourage people in our community support this cause.”

The Randels students who are spearheading the fund-raising effort are members of the Banana Bricks, a FIRST^® LEGO^® League (FLL^®) team that is sponsored by Randels Elementary and General Motors’ Flint Manufacturing Operations.

“Our team members have been researching and learning about the devastating effect of storms, such as tornadoes,” said Banana Bricks coach and GM spokesman Tom Wickham. “It seemed only fitting that the team would raise money to help the children in Moore, Oklahoma.”

Children who participate in the FIRST^® program learn to build and program robots but also spend a considerable amount of time researching and developing solutions to a problem. Nature’s Fury is the problem designated for 4^th through 8^th graders in the FLL^® program during the 2013-14 school year.

People wanting more information about how to support the Randels Elementary School students’ fund-raising efforts can contact Tom Wickham at 248-707-9064 or tom.wickham@gm.com. Feed the Children information is available at http://feedthechildren.org.

Flower fun!

2013-05-09T19:12:00.001-07:00

Just having fun with flowers and Photoshop Elements.

Of trees, auto factories and environmental responsibility

2013-05-03T19:00:00.001-07:00

On Friday, I witnessed the passing of a $10,000 check from General Motors to the mayor of Flint to purchase trees for the phytoremediation project on the former Chevy in the Hole industrial site.

Flint Engine Operations Plant Manager Terri Burden (left)
presents a $10,000 check to Flint Mayor Dayne Walling
(center) and U.S. Representative Daniel Kildee

Granted, $10,000 won't buy a lot of trees, especially the number needed to help absorb and break down pollutants left in the soil after more than 100 years of industrial use. Still, the genesis of this gift is worth noting.

About a week ago, I was approached by Flint Mayor Dayne Walling and the organizers of the Free City art festival to see if GM would like to attend the opening of the Free City art festival that opened today (May 3) and runs through the weekend.

The request for involvement in the kickoff
came with no strings, which left me asking the plant managers of GM's manufacturing facilities in the Flint area what they would like to do

It didn't take long for the managers (Jim Scrimger, Terri Burden and Amy Farmer) to settle on donating $10,000 to purchase trees for the phytoremediation project, which has been funded to date with federal dollars.

Young trees, planted using federal funds, will help remove
contaminants from the Chevy in the Hole soil as part of the
city's phytoremediation project. GM's Flint - North American
Tool Center is in the background.

All three plant managers, who are fond of supporting local charities, quickly pulled the funds together to ensure that our presence at the Free City art festival kickoff was meaningful, even if it was just a token of support.

I know there are cynics and skeptics out there already sharpening their pens to say that $10,000 does not erase more than 100 years of industrial waste. But that was never the intent of the donation.

Rather, I see the donation as a measure of goodwill that is coupled with GM's purchase the Durant-Dort Carriage Company "Factory One". It also comes on the heels of a $215-million investment in Flint Engine Operations, bringing GM's total investment in the Flint area to more than $1 billion in the last four years.

Additionally, the GM Foundation has made available more than $400,000 in grants that these same plant managers and other GM officials in the area have doled out to charities that are feeding the poor, helping the unemployed and providing critical services to children and seniors.

Many of these grants have been for less than $10,000, but no matter the amount they help an organization reach more people, even if it's just 10, 20 or 50 souls who otherwise might go without aid and support.

I never measure or judge someone or an organization on the size or scale of what they do. I measure it on the heart and conviction of the people who scrape together what they can to help others. That's what the manufacturing plant managers did this week for the city.

So, I eagerly look forward to seeing the trees that will be purchased with the GM gift grow and help transform a barren industrial parcel into a lush landscape where families can gather for picnics, river kayaking or many other outdoor activities.

Who knows, maybe others - individuals and organizations - will step up and offer to purchase or sponsor trees. Wouldn't it be nice to walk through the park in a few years and point to your child or grandchild the tree you donated?

United Way of Genesee County reaches 2012 campaign goal of $2.9 million

2013-05-01T19:57:00.002-07:00

GM Foundation donation of $81,200 pushes total GM/UAW support near $600,000

Funded partners will receive at least an 8 percent increase in their allocations in 2013

FLINT – The United Way of Genesee County reached its 2012 campaign goal of $2.9 million, ensuring that the agency’s funded partners will receive an increase in funds to support programs for people in need.

United Way officials announced the goal was reached shortly after receiving a check for $81,200 from the GM Foundation during the agency’s annual celebration Wednesday night at the Flint Institute of Arts.

“I am honored and humbled by the support of our donors,” said Jamie Gaskin, who assumed the CEO role at the United Way of Genesee County in January. “Anytime you reach a goal it is something to be proud of, but it means even more to our team because our partners will be able to reach more people who are in need.”

Gaskin said that by reaching the $2.9 million goal, an increase from the $2.8 million donated a year ago, funded partners should receive at least an 8 percent increase in their allocations this year. United Way-funded programs currently reach more than 34,000 Genesee County residents.

“The United Way, whether in Flint, Detroit or any other part of the country, plays an important role in communities where children, adults and seniors need help,” GM North America President Mark Reuss, who is also vice chairman of the GM Foundation, said during the United Way celebration in Flint. “But the United Way can only be successful if donors, volunteers and civic leaders champion the programs and services needed in each community.”

To show support for the United Way of Genesee County, Reuss and Lori Wingerter, vice president of the GM Foundation, presented a check for $81,200 to Gaskin. With the GM Foundation check, total donations by GM and its UAW-represented workforce reached close to $600,000 for the second year in a row.

“Thanks to the GM Foundation and other donors – both named and anonymous – we are able to fulfill our pledge to support our residents,” Gaskin said. “However, the need is greater than the resources we have and we will endeavor to increase donations in the coming years.”

Gaskin said a goal for the 2013 campaign will be revealed at a later date.

“Our immediate goal is to look at how will we share the funds we raise, so we will be asking people in the community how we can better serve the residents of Genesee County,” Gaskin added. “The process begins by identifying the priorities using the United Way investment model of Education, Health, Income and Basic Needs.”

###

A Scandal in the Media (With apologies to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

2013-04-25T20:26:00.004-07:00

"I have no data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts." - Sherlock Holmes, A Scandal in Bohemia

I am a big fan of Sherlock Holmes. I should say, I am a big fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

While reading A Scandal in Bohemia last night I read the passage that serves as the opening for my missive to you, my faithful reader.

I have long admired how Sherlock Holmes uses deduction to solve a crime or perfectly vex his companion, the affable Dr. Watson.

It’s a trait I sometimes wish I had honed more as a journalist, but I won’t trifle with regrets in this article. Rather, I want to make my own observations about the state of journalism or citizen journalism, as it has been commonly referred to by purveyors of news.

First and foremost, I am sure some former college or professional newspaper colleagues will take exception to my criticisms, but I know I will find some camaraderie among some current and many former scribes and editors who hewed closely to the tenets of getting the facts first and then writing a story.

Frankly, I miss the exchanges I had with some of my favorite copy editors, whose disposition reminded me of Mad Dog Moody in the Harry Potter films. You lived in fear of these off-kilter creatures but admired their tenacity and dedication to the craft of writing.

Copy editors of old – pre Internet in my opinion – were the gatekeepers in the newsroom, guarding the readers from editors who were pre-disposed to re-write a story without actually understanding the context of the article.

I cannot recall how many times a copy editor saved me from my verbose self by growling that it was past deadline and I needed to drop the infatuation with my Page 1 story. Any bit hubris on my part was quickly dashed when a copy editor snarled that I had mixed my infinitives or – Heaven forbid – misspelled a source’s name.

Dear reader, you may think my description of copy editors as unflattering and disingenuous. The opposite is true. I have and always will consider copy editors to be the ultimate occupation to hold within a newspaper.

And while I can wax on about their abilities to turn a phrase, squeeze life out of a bland police blotter item or coax a green reporter to dig deeper into the story, I need to focus on the Holmes’ quote that got this article started.

You see, the problem, as I see it, is we have a proliferation of journalists and citizen journalists who feel they don’t need a copy editor – real or internal. (By internal, I am referring to the fact good journalists always check their facts before writing or submitting a story.)

It is a sad state when supposedly well-trained reporters and their lapdog pundits state they don’t want to speculate about a tragedy or some other news because it wouldn’t be fair to the reader, viewer or listener and then proceed to speculate about that very issue.

Maybe it’s the demands that news organizations need to fill every waking moment with something that we – the news consumer – believe is news. But at what cost?

I listened to the media coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings. At first, I was pleased to hear journalists couching their comments, acting like Holmes and gathering data before making deductions.

Sadly, though, it didn’t take too long before the speculation settled in and reports from trained journalists and citizen journalists were barely filtered before being aired.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not so far removed from my journalist days to appreciate the “live” aspects of a story unfolding. Who doesn’t remember the recording of the Hindenberg tragedy.

That bit of reporting – though decades before I was born – will rank as one of the greatest news reports ever. (A close second is WKRP in Cincinnati’s television episode about the turkeys. Search online for it and you will know what I mean.)

I have refused to watch most television news and I have taken to reading newspaper articles with greater skepticism. I find myself flitting to and fro on the Web, searching for reports on various issues and then using my best Sherlockian skills to deduce what is true and what is not.

I know I have already carried on longer than intended and probably have induced some poor readers to sleep so I will close with the following observations, based in part on an exchange between Holmes and Watson.

Upon rushing to Holmes’ flat, Watson is grilled by the great detective about the number of steps from street level to the door of Holmes’ residence. Watson is flummoxed because he cannot recall and Holmes berates him for “seeing” but not “observing”. (By the way, there are 17 steps.)

And that, my friends, is the problem and the solution all wrapped up in a neat package.

Too many journalists are pressed for time to do a complete job of reporting and writing. They “see” the facts but don’t “observe” what makes them facts. That observation would naturally lead to context and help the readers, listeners and viewers reach their own conclusions.

As for citizen journalists, they typically have a problem delineating between fact and fiction. There are no copy editors for them to learn from and guide them to craft balanced reports.

That’s not to say they cannot provide value to a news report; we just have to accept the fact they are one element that needs to be weighed against other facts and observations.

Maybe, in the end, we are seeing the demise of the Sherlockian reporter whose credibility was based on getting the facts straight and we are seeing the rise of readers, listeners and viewers who are honing their deductive skills to make sense of the purported facts being conveyed to them.

Breaking news: Crows and cars study.

2013-04-25T06:45:00.001-07:00

Editor's Note: The following was sent to me by a friend who collects cars and likes to share offbeat items from time to time. I am sure this has been circulating on the web for some time but it is definitely worth a chuckle or groan, if you are so inclined.

Photo from www.interestingtopics.net

There is a new very important government study
on just how intelligent crows are.

The state of California found about 200 dead crows on its highways, and there was concern that they may have died from Avian Flu. They had a Bird Pathologist examine the remains of
all the crows, and he confirmed the problem was definitely NOT Avian Flu, to everyone's relief.
However, he determined that 98% of the crows had been killed by impact with trucks, and only 2% were killed by car impact.

The State of California then hired an Ornithological Behaviorist to determine the disproportionate percentages for truck versus car kill. The Ornithological Behaviorist determined the cause in short order.

When crows eat road kill, they always set-up a look-out Crow in a nearby tree to warn of impending danger. His conclusion was that the lookout crow could say "Cah," but he could not say "Truck."

Just chillin'

2013-04-24T12:58:00.001-07:00

My wife, Rebecca, snapped this photo on Tuesday. The squirrel was so relaxed, probably after pigging out on bird seed that is flopped on the railing to rest.

Earth Day media event at General Motors Flint Assembly plant

2013-04-22T12:01:00.001-07:00

Earth Day media event video

GM celebrates Earth Day by increasing energy efficiency - ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MI

2013-04-22T10:18:00.001-07:00

GM celebrates Earth Day by increasing energy efficiency - ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MI

GM Flint celebrates Earth Day with positive environmental news

2013-04-22T08:18:00.002-07:00

Dan Malone, Senior VP Distribution & Customer Operations
with Consumers Energy

Green initiatives at GM Flint plants net savings, rebate from Consumers Energy

New Flint Assembly, Metal Center energy reduction efforts top $900,000 annually

Flint – New energy reduction efforts – ranging from installing more efficient lighting to eliminating steam heat – are saving General Motors Flint Assembly and Metal Center more than $900,000 a year.

As the result, each facility has been honored with the GM North America 2012 Energy Award and rebate checks totaling $183,000 from Consumers Energy.

“The Flint Assembly and Metal Center teams have demonstrated that their facilities – among the oldest in GM – can serve as leaders in the energy conservation business within GM,” said Al Hildreth, GM Company Energy Manager, during a ceremony at Flint Assembly.

Flint Assembly and Metal Center completed several new projects to reduce energy consumption in the plants:

Flint Assembly will save $620,000 a year after installing more efficient lighting, eliminating steam heat in the locker rooms and adding water booster pumps and paint department chillers

The plant received the maximum $150,000 rebate check from Consumers Energy
Since 2008, these and other energy projects have reduced the plant’s cost to assemble a truck by $55 a vehicle

Flint Metal Center will save $306,000 a year after installing more efficient lighting and eliminating steam heat

The plant received a $33,000 rebate check from Consumers Energy
Since 2008, Flint Metal Center has reduced the cost to ship a ton of metal by $35

Together, the plants have saved enough electricity to power nearly 700 homes a year and saved enough gas to heat 540 homes a year
Last year, Flint Assembly, the Flint Metal Center and Flint Engine Operations were among 54 GM facilities to meet a voluntary energy-reduction challenge set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, cutting energy intensity to meet the EPA’s ENERGY STAR^® Challenge for Industry.

“The GM Flint team recognizes the importance of being environmental stewards and we are willing to share our learnings and experiences with individuals and groups trying to reduce their carbon footprint,” said Amy Farmer, complex director for the site that includes the assembly and stamping plants.

For instance, earlier this year the GM’s Professional Managers Network at the Flint complex, installed new energy efficient lighting at the YWCA in downtown Flint. This initiative is expected to save the YWCA $9,000 in annual energy costs.

Worldwide, GM is dedicated to energy efficiency and is working toward a goal to reduce energy intensity from its facilities 20 percent by 2020. The company is the No. 1 automotive user of solar power in the United States and earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2013 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year—Sustained Excellence Award for its energy management.

General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

CONTACT:

Tom Wickham, GM Manufacturing Communications

248-707-9064

tom.wickham@gm.com

Facts about the May 7 Carman-Ainsworth millage proposals

2013-04-22T06:09:00.001-07:00

This video provides some insight into the May 7 millage proposals in the Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=497071297008483

GM Recognized by United Way for Education Efforts

2013-04-19T10:01:00.001-07:00

GM Recognized by United Way for Education Efforts