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News from OWOF – June 2022

June 20, 2022

OWOF Summer Get-Together

Join us on Aug 18 at Pierce Park. 6pm – ?

It’s time to actually get together in person! We can enjoy a beautiful summer evening with ice cream sundaes and let the kids run around. We’ll have a short meeting at 7 pm, share the results of the community survey in more detail, but mostly have a chance to meet like-minded friends and activists.

Strategic Planning Group for Community Policing – Apply to Help!

This is an opportunity to be part of a small group with an important mission – and to really make a difference. The Strategic Planning Group for Community Policing is forming. The initial Public Safety Task Force completed its work and provided a plan to move forward with police reform in Chelsea. That plan includes:

  1. Creating a Strategic Planning Group to begin to implement the recommendations the Task Force provided.
  2. Hiring a Subject Matter Expert to guide the Planning Group. City Council provided a budget for this SME.
  3. The Planning Group to assess and make plans to implement all the recommendations of the Task Force, particularly the creation of a Citizen’s Oversight Board and addressing the policy reforms that the Bobcat Report called high-risk.

The Planning Group will have five community members. You need to live in the City but there are no other requirements. Check out the full task force report and the strategic planning group application. Please consider joining this group! Thoughtful, caring individuals are needed!

Chelsea School District Board of Education   

Have you ever considered running for school board? Do you want to make a difference in the lives of our children? Teachers and administrators have been working hard to support our children and they need the support of community members to continue the work of the Diversity Belonging Equity & Inclusion Statement and to ensure that the needs of all students are addressed.

If you will consider running, please contact us. Many great resources are also available to help! The Michigan Association of School Boards hosts comprehensive web resources on a page called Get on Board! Their website includes a downloadable 30 page toolkit about the roles and responsibilities of board members as well as other resources like videos and virtual town hall info sessions.

The filing deadline to get on the November ballot is July 26.

July 14 – OWOF Table at Sounds & Sights  

Can you help staff the OWOF table? We can do 30 minute shifts if you want to be able to hear the music, too. The tables are near Palmer Ford. Set up is at 6pm and we’ll be there till 8:30. We’ll have brochures, our OWOF pins and a newsletter signup. This is a great opportunity for the public to see us and to ask any questions. We found at the EXPO in April that people are interested in getting more information. Please email owofchelsea@gmail.com if you can take a shift.

Recent Events

  • End Gun Violence Vigil –  The Chelsea City Council passed a resolution on May 16 to declare June 3 as Gun Violence Awareness Day. Community members wore orange, painted the rock, and gathered to read the City proclamation on June 3. Help make this an annual event and an everyday effort!
  • Chelsea Pride Parade – The June 4 parade and picnic marked the 6th annual event for our community.

  • Juneteenth – 2022 is the 2nd year for Juneteenth to be recognized as a national holiday. Ypsilanti held a festival on June 18 & 19th that OWOF helped to advertise. Turnout was great and we expect this celebration and commemoration events to increase every year!

Results of Community Focus Survey  

We recently performed a survey to find out what areas people think OWOF should focus on. Thanks to all who completed the survey! We got 98 responses, mostly from those living in Chelsea. The top 3 areas of focus selected were respectful community discourse, Chelsea affordable housing, and supporting LGBTQIA+. We look forward to sharing the full report soon and mark your calendar now for the August in person gathering (see above)!

Thank you for your time and attention.  Stay engaged!
Your OWOF Team

Chelsea One World One Family
Chelsea One World One Family️ October 28, 2025

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.

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.
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. 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. +3 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.
Chelsea One World One Family
Chelsea One World One Family️ October 17, 2025

March on Saturday and help the resistance by ordering dinner by Tuesday!

Chelsea One World One Family
Chelsea One World One Family️ October 14, 2025

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

After the rally on Saturday, come hear from Voters Not Politicians on Sunday.
Chelsea One World One Family
Chelsea One World One Family️ October 12, 2025

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.

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.
Chelsea One World One Family
Chelsea One World One Family️ October 7, 2025

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

Voter rights/voter suppression! Important conversation - 5th in our series of Making Sense of the Unprecedented. Sunday 10/19 - 3pm Council Chambers
Chelsea One World One Family
Chelsea One World One Family️ October 2, 2025

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

Sunday, Oct 5. 5pm at First United Methodist Church in Chelsea. Important work!
Chelsea One World One Family
Chelsea One World One Family️ September 24, 2025

Reminder for Thursday. Attainable housing basics. A chance to understand how solutions are crafted. Thursday, Sept 25 a 7pm in Council Chambers

Reminder for Thursday. Attainable housing basics. A chance to understand how solutions are crafted. Thursday, Sept 25 a 7pm in Council Chambers
Chelsea One World One Family
Chelsea One World One Family️ September 19, 2025

We've got alot to talk about!! Let's start with Emergency Powers and Executive Orders and go from there... Sunday, Sept 21 at 3pm at The Chelsea Depot Readings (articles & videos) available at https://owofchelsea.org/resources/community-discussion/ If you run out of time to read or watch, COME ANYWAY!

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