Citizens for a Fair Ferndale

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2013 Good Neighbor Awards Celebration a Success!

Posted on | May 4, 2013 | 1 Comment

On May 1, 2013, CFF honored this year’s Good Neighbors = Strong Community Award winners at a celebration event held at Local Kitchen and Bar. Read more about the event (and watch a video!) here: Ferndale 115

Category: Ferndale 115, Good Neighbors = Strong Community Awards
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Next Civility Project Discussion to be held on May 16

Posted on | April 23, 2013 | No Comments

You may have already heard about the newest project of Citizens for a Fair Ferndale – The Civility Project – a community wide conversation to consider how we can best create and promote our own culture of civility.  Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of our community to engage in fair, honest, inclusive, and constructive conversations.

On July 10, 2012, dozens of community members attended our first Kick Off Event, but someone was missing… you! We invite you to continue the conversation and give your input into the “Ferndale way” for civility. CFF is specifically seeking participation from those who did not have the opportunity to attend on July 10 – so while we encourage you to invite others into the conversation, please help meet our goal of reaching out to new participants.

Our next event is on May 16, 2013 from 5:30 until 7:30 in the evening at the Kulick Center (registration and a light dinner begin at 5:00 p.m.). Check out our event on Facebook to learn more (search for “CFF Civility Project, Community Discussion Kick Off – Redux” and/or find our Fairferndale page and “like” us). Please RSVP through Facebook or by email at CFF48220@gmail.com. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to call Mary Schusterbauer at 248-219-9646.

Category: CFF, Civility Project
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CFF TO RECOGNIZE GOOD NEIGHBORS

Posted on | March 22, 2013 | 1 Comment

Citizens for a Fair Ferndale, 263 Vester St., Ferndale, MI 48220 www.fairferndale.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 3/22/13; Contact (248) 515-7803

Citizens For a Fair Ferndale Announces

2013 Good Neighbors = Strong Community Award Recipients

Each year, Citizens for a Fair Ferndale (CFF) recognizes members of the community who embody this mission of CFF within their everyday lives. This year’s recipients are as follows: Tim and Katrina Collins, Judy Donlin, Pastor Paul Gateman, Ginny’s Beauty Shop, Justin Hewitt, Scott Maloney (of Treat Dreams), Mozella McIntyre, Paul Saville Jr., Carrie Watkins, and Debra Wilson. The FernCare Clinic Team will also be recognized as the fifth CFF “Community Partner,” a special award that goes to a person, business, or group selected by CFF (not necessarily nominated from outside of the group) due to a particular connection with CFF itself and for their special role in the community. Dennis Hoeppner will also be recognized posthumously with a newly designated award to recognize his lifetime of volunteerism.

The Good Neighbors = Strong Community Awards event will be held on May 1 at Local Kitchen and Bar. Members of the press are invited to attend.

CFF’s mission is to foster a community that is dedicated to the fair and equal treatment of all residents and visitors regardless of sexual orientation, race, color, religion, gender, age, height, weight, familial status, national origin, physical or mental disability.

Learn more about CFF at www.fairferndale.org

Contact us for more information:
CFF48220@gmail.com or (248) 515-7803

Category: CFF, Good Neighbors = Strong Community Awards, Press Releases
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2013 Good Neighbor Award Call for Nominations Press Release

Posted on | February 4, 2013 | 3 Comments

Citizens for a Fair Ferndale 2013 Good Neighbor Awards
www.fairferndale.org


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 2/4/13; contact: 248-515-7803

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

Please join Citizens for a Fair Ferndale in celebrating the ongoing efforts of those who live, work and attend school in Ferndale who value the fair and equal treatment of others and are engaged in making this happen on a daily basis.  The Good Neighbor Awards program identifies and honors individuals, organizations and businesses in our community who are outstanding examples of “good neighbors,” who are committed to building, preserving, maintaining and improving the quality of life in their neighborhoods and our community.

Examples of previous honorees include diverse individuals, organizations and businesses which have coordinated and planned picnics, festivals, and events in the community; promoted volunteerism; created inclusive, welcoming environments in their businesses; collaborated on art projects that celebrate diversity; tutored foreign-born Americans; sheltered the homeless; creatively overcame personal challenges while striving to help others; established book club networks; spoken out against injustice in our community.

CFF is planning a special event in early May to present approximately 10 (ten) awards for 2013. Please help us identify those whom you think deserve this award by submitting a nomination by midnight on Thursday, March 7.

Nomination Forms must be received by Thursday, March 7, 2013 through online submission, or post mail to Citizens for a Fair Ferndale, 678 W. Marshall, Ferndale, MI 48220.  For questions or media inquiries contact Kat Bruner James at (248) 515-7803.

The mission of CFF is to foster a community that is dedicated to the fair and equal treatment of all residents and visitors regardless of sexual orientation, race, color, religion, gender, age, height, weight, familial status, national origin, physical or mental disability.

Category: CFF, Ferndale 115, Ferndale Schools, Good Neighbors = Strong Community Awards, Press Releases
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Links to School Board Candidate Forum

Posted on | November 1, 2012 | No Comments

Click the text below to go to YouTube links:

Category: Uncategorized

School Board Candidate Questionnaires

Posted on | October 22, 2012 | No Comments

Click the links below to open a .pdf of each candidate’s questionnaire answers (listed in order of submission to CFF):

Category: Candidate Forums, Ferndale Schools, Voter Forums
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CFF SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE FORUM

Posted on | October 12, 2012 | 3 Comments

Citizens for a Fair Ferndale, 263 Vester St., Ferndale, MI 48220 www.fairferndale.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 10/12/12; Contact (248) 515-7803

Citizens For a Fair Ferndale to Hold Candidate Forum

On Sunday, October 28, 2012, Citizens for a Fair Ferndale (CFF) will hold a School Board Candidate Forum at the Ferndale Library at 1pm. The event will also be recorded and submitted to WFRN for airing until Election Day. The public and the media is encouraged to attend.

CFF has invited all declared candidates: Amy Butters, Katrina Collins, Kevin Deegan-Krause, Raylon Leaks-May, Jim O’Donnell, Brad Parks, Jim Pfleger, and Keith Warnick.

The format is simple:

1. All declared Candidates for School Board are invited to participate.

2. Candidates are at a table in the front of the room.

3. Each Candidate will have an opportunity to give a 3 minute introduction.

4. As people come in, they are given 3 x 5 cards.  These are gathered periodically and brought to the moderator.  The moderator then poses the questions to the candidates.  Each Candidate has 2 minutes to answer each question. The order of response changes so each has a chance to be first.

5. There is a timer to help you pace answers.

6. Each Candidate will have an opportunity to give a closing statement.

CFF’s complete Forum Guidelines can be found at http://fairferndale.org/?p=516

CFF’s mission is to foster a community that is dedicated to the fair and equal treatment of all residents and visitors regardless of sexual orientation, race, color, religion, gender, age, height, weight, familial status, national origin, physical or mental disability.

Learn more about CFF at www.fairferndale.org

Contact us for more information:
CFF48220@gmail.com or (248) 515-7803

Category: Uncategorized

Revised CFF Candidate Forum Guidelines

Posted on | August 9, 2012 | No Comments

Citizens for a Fair Ferndale

Candidate Forum Policies and Procedures

Adopted 4/13/10 – Revised 8/9/2012

Citizens for a Fair Ferndale (CFF) will hold candidate and/or issues forums for any and all local (including city, county, and/or state) elections, including any and all offices and/or ballot questions, at the discretion of the CFF Forum Committee.  CFF recognizes that, due to volunteer time constraints, not all elections can be covered.  However, in an effort to provide as much information as possible to potential Ferndale voters, CFF will strive to cover a wide range of local elections, particularly those not already covered by the League of Women Voters.

To that end, CFF has promulgated the following policies and procedures, in an effort to provide clarity and uniformity in future Forums:

  • CFF Forums are not “debates.”  CFF hosts these Forums in order to educate the community so that viewers can make an informed decision.  Candidates will be provided the opportunity to state their own position on a variety of issues.  Candidates should refrain from commenting on the qualifications or positions of the other Candidates.  Personal attacks are, of course, not acceptable.
  • CFF Forums will include all elections for offices within the city of Ferndale, including uncontested races.
  • All candidates whose names will appear on the ballot for citywide elections and write-in candidates who have been properly approved by the City Clerk’s office will be invited to participate in CFF Candidate Forums.
  • CFF Forums may include local or statewide ballot questions, at the discretion of the Forum Committee.
  • When CFF holds a ballot question forum, representatives of any ballot question committees that have filed with Oakland County will be invited to participate in the Forum. In the event that no such committee has filed with the County, the CFF Forum Committee will use its discretion to invite Participants to represent the “yes” and “no” side of a ballot question.
  • The Moderator will be selected by the CFF Forum Committee.  The Committee will make every effort to choose a Moderator who does not have a deep personal interest in any Candidate.  The Moderator is not prohibited from promoting a Candidate in their free time, but should not be a member of any Candidate’s campaign, family member, or otherwise stand to personally gain by any Candidate’s election.
  • Prior to the Forums, candidates will be provided with a Questionnaire.  The Questionnaire contents will be uniform for candidates for a given office.  Candidates who provide written answers one week prior to the Forum will have their answers provided to the audience and posted on www.fairferndale.org.  Questionnaires will be accepted and distributed regardless of whether or not a Candidate attends the Forum.
  • CFF Candidate Forums will customarily be held on a Sunday afternoon 9 days prior to an election.  Date/time/location is subject to change; however, the Committee will make every effort to announce this information one month prior to the event.
  • Each Candidate is allowed to bring one piece of campaign material to distribute at the Forum – the material may not exceed one page (8 ½” x 11”).
  • Electronic devices may not be used by Candidates during a Forum.
  • Each Candidate will be allowed to make a 3-minute opening statement.
  • The Moderator will then facilitate questions from the audience, which each candidate will have 2 minutes to answer.  Questions will be offered round robin style.
  • Questions will be submitted in writing.  Questions are subject to omission at the discretion of the Forum Committee.
    • The audience will be given the following guidelines for questions: Questions must be focused on issues within the purview of the elected office (not personal or irrelevant issues).  Questions should be directed to all candidates; candidates should not be singled out.
    • Questions that do not conform with these guidelines may be omitted.
    • Questions may also be omitted or grouped according to subject matter by CFF Forum Committee Members, in order to avoid redundancy and to address related topics together, when possible.
  • If there are not enough questions from the audience to fill the allotted time, the Moderator will ask questions of their own discretion.
  • Candidates will be given 2 minutes at the end for closing remarks.

CFF welcomes participation by the community in these Forums.  Please contact us with your ideas on how CFF can better serve Ferndale through its Candidate Forums.

Category: Ballot Question Forums, Candidate Forums, Uncategorized, Voter Forums
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CFF TO HOLD “CIVILITY PROJECT” KICK OFF EVENT JULY 10 @ 6:30

Posted on | July 3, 2012 | No Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 7/3/12; Contact (248) 547-4039

Citizens For a Fair Ferndale Invites Community to Participate in the “Civility Project” Kick Off on July 10 at 6:30 pm at the Ferndale Public Library

CFF has received funding to sponsor The Civility Project – a community wide conversation to consider how we can best create and promote our own culture of civility.  Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of our community to engage in fair, honest, inclusive, and constructive conversations.

Our first event is on Tuesday, July 10 from 6:30 until 8:00 in the evening at the Ferndale Public Library (registration and refreshments begin at 6:00 p.m.). We are pleased to have Kent Roberts, founder of the National Civility Center and author of “Bring a Dish to Pass” as our guest facilitator for the evening. This event is open to the public.

See our event on Facebook to learn more (search for “CFF Civility Project, Part 1- Community Discussion Kick Off” or find our Fairferndale page). Participants should RSVP through Facebook or by email at CFF48220@gmail.com. Mary Schusterbauer is available to answer questions by the press or the public at 248-547-4039.

CFF’s mission is to foster a community that is dedicated to the fair and equal treatment of all residents and visitors regardless of sexual orientation, race, color, religion, gender, age, height, weight, familial status, national origin, physical or mental disability.

Contact us for more information:
CFF48220@gmail.com or (248) 547-4039

Category: Civility Project, Press Releases, Uncategorized
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2012 William L. Cronin Diversity Scholarship Winners

Posted on | June 1, 2012 | 2 Comments

In 2009, Richard Latimer established a scholarship in memory of his partner, William L. Cronin.  Scholarships are awarded to Ferndale High Schools students who demonstrate, through an essay submission, their understanding of diversity, how it enhances and rewards individual lives and communities, and how acceptance and embracing diversity enriches life.

In 2010, Latimer partnered with Citizens for a Fair Ferndale (CFF), which made the program eligible for matching funds by the Chevron Corporation.  This year’s scholarships were awarded to Rachel Dery and Jacob Helig.  Mr. Latimer distributed $1200 to each recipient at the end of the school year.

Click here to read Rachel Dery’s essay.

Click here to read Jacob Helig’s essay.

Category: CFF, William Cronin Diversity Scholarship
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