Our meeting today was called to order by President Joyce Hunter followed by Jody Tull leading us in our patriotic song. Today’s inspirational message was provided by Shelly McMillan and aligning with today’s speaker’s topic of poverty, Shelly offered several quotes by some of our country’s greatest leaders: Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter and others. Beautiful and inspiring!
Joanne Pierson – and her back-up singers! – provided today’s musical selection, “Put a little love in your heart”. Jody Tull provided piano accompaniment. Although your reporter was joining the meeting on Zoom today, I was singing along, too!
Our club was honored today to welcome many visitors today and President Joyce asked all to stand and be acknowledged. We then wished three members Happy Birthday and thanked today’s set up team: Rob Shiff, Mark Foster, Bev Seiford, Soo Kim Eaker, Nishta Bhatia, Norman Herbert, Don Deatrick, Steve Kesler, Pattie Katcher and Agnes Reading.
Barbara Eichmuller announced that we had six new members to welcome today! These included Roger Frasier who is being reinstated; Christopher Lemon , Brandy Merrit, and Shannon Polk who were all introduced by Joyce Hunter; Jake Phillips, introduced by Kate VanHorn; and Max Wisgerhof, introduced by Mary Avrakotos.
Our club’s Environmental Action Group (EAG) reminded us that February is recycling month – bring your batteries, plastic bags or printer cartridges to a meeting this month and place it in the recycling bin. The EAG also presented a recycling quiz today to test our knowledge of these topics: A2 Material Recovery Facility, don’t put your shredding in recycling bins, single-use plastics, aluminum (deposit) cans can be recycled, and yes, your used medical equipment can be recycled in Ann Arbor via agencies such as Kiwanis, Share House, etc.
Working to alleviate poverty
Dennis Powers introduced today’s speaker, Luke Shaefer, Professor at UM’s Ford School of Public Policy. His topic was Uncovering the Legacy of Poverty in America.
Professor Shaefer began by speaking of his experiences from his current sabbatical, during which he’s visited South Korea and Brazil to learn about different countries’ approaches to addressing child poverty. He emphasized the importance of being open to new ideas and perspectives, and the need to challenge preconceptions when working to alleviate poverty.
Did you know that Michigan has the highest auto insurance rates in the US? Luke discussed the high cost of auto insurance in Michigan, particularly in Detroit, which can be up to 20% of the annual income of Detroiters. He highlighted the dilemma faced by single mothers who need to work but cannot afford high insurance rates, as well as the structural cycle of poverty, where policies like auto insurance were never built to help low-income families. While the Child Tax Credit of 2021 led to historic lows in child poverty, when it was not renewed, poverty and hardship rates have increased. Luke emphasized that simple policies can have a significant impact on low and middle-income families.
Professor Shaeffer discussed a research project to identify the poorest communities in the US. Using poverty data, life expectancy and social mobility data, they were able to rank all counties and cities in the country. The project found that many of the most disadvantaged places were rural communities and that such communities faced similar challenges such as affordable housing and violences as urban areas. After interviewing community members and leaders, the research team found that the persistence of unequal education was a significant issue and also that the concept of the American dream was alive and well in some rural communities.
Professor Shaeffer spoke about the importance of social infrastructure in preventing drug addition, particularly in Appalachia which is struggling with an opioid crisis. He cited research showing that as the number of community-based organizations declined, opioid deaths increased. He also shared examples of how social connections can be as effective as drugs in stimulating the brain, using the analogy of lab rats and American soldiers in Vietnam. Luke suggests that investing in social infrastructure could be a more effective approach to tackling drug addiction than traditional methods. On example he gave was of a local playground, Fuller Park, which provides space for social connections and fun, potentially preventing drug use. He concluded by strongly promoting the idea that actions by a community to build social infrastructures could save lives and families from drug-related issues.
Our meeting ended with us reciting the 4-Way Test:
Of the things we think, say or do…
- Is it the truth
- Is it fair to all concerned
- Will it build goodwill and better friendships
- Is it Beneficial to all concerned.
