Community Foundation For Southeast Michigan Launches Advocacy, Resource Hub
DETROIT -- The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan has launched the first phase of its dedicated online news, advocacy and resource hub, 'Mode Shift: Move Together,' at http://wearemodeshift.org.
The site, which is jointly funded by the Knight Foundation's Community Information Challenge, offers news and information on topics ranging from urban planning and public health to biking safety, social equality and transportation legislation.
Mode Shift is populated with stories written by its own team of journalists and local bloggers. Its mission is to engage, grow and empower a community of healthy lifestyle advocates in southeast Michigan and foster community connectedness.
The site also provides users with a channel to interact directly with each other through polls, interest groups, commenting on stories and a community calendar.
"Each story on Mode Shift includes a call to action," said Mariam Noland, president of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. "It is our hope that visitors to the site will take these stories to heart and help facilitate the changes needed in their communities to impact their own quality of life, as well as that of their neighbors."
Added Mode Shift manager Jessica Soulliere: "We want to encourage site visitors to pay attention to the world around them. It's about connecting communities and building a sense of place."
The second phase of the site, which is in the process of being developed, will include an interactive biking and walking resource map that will include greenways, bike lanes, bike-friendly businesses, and more.
The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan is a permanent community endowment built by gifts from thousands of individuals and organizations committed to the future of southeast Michigan. Since its inception, the Foundation has distributed more than $540 million through nearly 42,000 grants to nonprofit organizations throughout Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Washtenaw, St. Clair and Livingston counties. For more information, please visit www.cfsem.org.
