About

OWOF stands for One World One Family.

Our official name is The Chelsea Area One World One Family Task Force, Inc.

Mission Statement

Adopted 11/13/20

One World One Family is committed to justice and equity for all*. We work to be anti-racist and to oppose discrimination in any form. We engage and empower people to have an impact and change systems to ensure everyone can participate fully in a diverse society.

* all / “ahl” / Noun 1.The whole human family, regardless of actual or perceived age, color, disability, familial status, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, disability status, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, source of income, veteran status, or weight. Are you represented?

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One World One Family is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. We follow all Federal and State guidelines governing charitable organizations. We have a 9-member Board of Directors that serve one-year terms. We generally meet once a month. Meeting dates and locations are posted on our Facebook page or please email us.

Our History

For many years, different groups of Chelsea residents had quietly discussed the (unfortunate) fact that Chelsea has a fairly homogeneous population, that racist attitudes were evident, and that our children were growing up without the tools to live in a diverse world. This all seemed symbolized by the fact that Chelsea had never acknowledged Martin Luther King Jr. Day even though it had been a Federal holiday since 1983.

In November 2001, a group of citizens were finally motivated to action. They organized Chelsea’s first Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration in January 2002. To everyone’s surprise and joy, over 500 people turned out.

From this beginning, OWOF has continued to grow. We have organized MLKJr. Day celebrations each year since. In 2003, we began an essay contest which we hope to continue. We have sponsored, along with the District Library, Chelsea’s Community Reads. The first year, the book was Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Patillo Beals, who is one of the Little Rock Nine.

Joanne Ladio, President
Jane Pacheco, Vice-President
Carolyn Stilwell, Secretary
Sandra Vadlamudi, Treasurer
Mark VanDeWege
Christa Williams
Rene Heberle
Debbie Osborne

Board Capture 10-12-21

See full newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/52178873b8ca/owof-october-2025-newsletter-17717631

The OWOF version of "2025 Wrapped" just dropped!!!! Check out our December newsletter in your email or click through here: https://mailchi.mp/52178873b8ca/owof-october-2025-newsletter-17717631 Early in 2025, our Board of Directors chose to focus attention on the important issues of Housing Affordability and Immigration. Throughout the year we hosted a number of educational community discussions, collaborated with local groups like the City of Chelsea Human Rights Commission, MIRA, Jackson 4Immigrants, Grassroots Action, and Equality Chelsea, as well as several different groups to train and distribute Know Your Rights information to businesses in our communities. In addition, there was tabling at the Expo, Farmers Market, and Sounds & Sights. We could not do this work without help from you. OWOF is a purely volunteer non-profit and we rely on donations to help pay for expenses to bring you a monthly newsletter and countless opportunities to learn and grown. If you are interested in Board membership, getting more involved as a volunteer, attending our programs, or making a donation -Thank You! We need you!! There are no membership dues, but we will be planning an all member meeting in January or February where we will be fleshing out of our program year. Our Board meetings are via zoom, held once per month and all are welcome to sit in. Donations can be make online (at owofchelsea.org) or mailed to PO Box 31, Chelsea, MI 48118. Thank you again for all that you do to support social justice issues. We hope you have a Happy Holiday season and we’ll see you in the New Year! - The OWOF Executive Committee (Joanne, Jane, Sandra, and Carolyn)

The Tamale Dinner Fund-Raiser for Jackson County for Immigrants Coalition was a huge success. $1800 was raised through a combination of dinner sales, a 50/50 raffle, and cash/ check donations. Pilar's Tamale's in Ann Arbor kindly provided 189 tamale dinners. Customers could "dine-in" or "take out". A traditional Mexican playlist accompanied dinner. Kitchen volunteers worked tirelessly to get meals plated. A Jackson group member brought along a Mexican vendor cart with authentic Mexican candy to sample for a suggested donation. OWOF Board Member, Christa Williams MD, thanked and welcomed guests, and introduced Gayla Ignacio and Amador Ybarra, two of the representatives from Jackson County for Immigrants Coalition. They spoke about their group and its efforts to support and protect immigrants in Jackson County during the heightened, warrantless, ICE arrests of community members and the effect this is having on community members, local businesses and families. A question and answer-session followed, allowing for further discussion of how their group is responding to the situation, and how concerned Chelsea residents may be able to assist. The generosity and caring community spirit of Chelsea was evident throughout the evening. Many excellent conversations were had. More than one OWOF member heard "I hope you will be doing this again". And at the end of the evening, when volunteers were pitching in to clean up, we drew the winning 50/50 raffle ticket, which had just one word on it: "donate". OWOF definitely looks forward to doing a similar fundraiser in the future.

After the rally on Saturday, come hear from Voters Not Politicians on Sunday.

Great event coming! Pilar’s famous tamales to support Jackson Immigrant Rights activities. They are doing good work with very few resources. Get your orders in now before 10-21.

Voter rights/voter suppression! Important conversation - 5th in our series of Making Sense of the Unprecedented. Sunday 10/19 - 3pm Council Chambers

Sunday, Oct 5. 5pm at First United Methodist Church in Chelsea. Important work!

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