“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”~Helen Keller
Accomplishments of the Team:
Helping our Congregation and our Community
Recent Wins!!
2011 - Advocacy for restored NFP funding (see "current projects" for more information)
2011 - Action for Education (see "current projects" for more information)
Past Wins!!
Voter Registration -- helping community members register to vote so their voice could be heard
County Wide Transit -- Instrumental in creating Kalamazoo Friends of Transit
Instrumental in the creation of free dental clinic in Kalamazoo
Full Statute Authority for the Kalamazoo Housing Authority
.5% of Federal Highway Funds allocated for Job Training
At right: Signing the NFP funding petition at the 2011 ISAAC Banquet >>
2011 - Action for Education (see "current projects" for more information)
Past Wins!!
Voter Registration -- helping community members register to vote so their voice could be heard
County Wide Transit -- Instrumental in creating Kalamazoo Friends of Transit
Instrumental in the creation of free dental clinic in Kalamazoo
Full Statute Authority for the Kalamazoo Housing Authority
.5% of Federal Highway Funds allocated for Job Training
At right: Signing the NFP funding petition at the 2011 ISAAC Banquet >>
Advancing the Mission of ISAAC
The Westwood Justice Team is part of ISAAC (Interfaith Strategy for Advocacy and Action in the Community). ISAAC helps us identify needs within our community where we can take action to improve the life and health of our community.
ISAAC's Mission: ISAAC is an interfaith organizing network of congregations and strategic partners working together to build a more just community.
Click the banner below to visit the ISAAC website:
ISAAC's Mission: ISAAC is an interfaith organizing network of congregations and strategic partners working together to build a more just community.
Click the banner below to visit the ISAAC website:
What is ISAAC?
ISAAC is a faith-based community organizing group made up of congregations and organizations that united in order to accomplish what cannot be done as individuals or single congregations. Together, we focus our collective people-power on the most pressing issues of injustice in Kalamazoo County.
Every two years, hundreds of members from the congregations assemble to vote on the most pressing issues of injustice in Kalamazoo County. They form task forces that identify the root cause of and possible solutions for those injustices. The leaders engage in direct actions that call for public officials ”elected and appointed” to commit to use their powers to remedy the situation. Then, we hold the officials accountable to their commitments.
Current Task Forces include:
Early Childhood Education Task Force: With an eye towards investing in our future, we are working to end cuts to education in Michigan!
Youth Violence Prevention Task Force: Partnering with Western Michigan University to ensure they keep their promise to begin a mentorship class pairing their students with local children!
Police/Community Relations Task Force: Bringing healing to the community by engaging police officers in anti-racism training.
Transit Task Force: Keeping our buses rolling! Supporting public transit for economic and human development.
Housing Task Force: Convincing our community to stop sheltering people like animals but to begin housing them like sacred, human beings.
~Information retreived from the ISAAC website: www.isaackalamazoo.org
Every two years, hundreds of members from the congregations assemble to vote on the most pressing issues of injustice in Kalamazoo County. They form task forces that identify the root cause of and possible solutions for those injustices. The leaders engage in direct actions that call for public officials ”elected and appointed” to commit to use their powers to remedy the situation. Then, we hold the officials accountable to their commitments.
Current Task Forces include:
Early Childhood Education Task Force: With an eye towards investing in our future, we are working to end cuts to education in Michigan!
Youth Violence Prevention Task Force: Partnering with Western Michigan University to ensure they keep their promise to begin a mentorship class pairing their students with local children!
Police/Community Relations Task Force: Bringing healing to the community by engaging police officers in anti-racism training.
Transit Task Force: Keeping our buses rolling! Supporting public transit for economic and human development.
Housing Task Force: Convincing our community to stop sheltering people like animals but to begin housing them like sacred, human beings.
~Information retreived from the ISAAC website: www.isaackalamazoo.org
Banner representing ISAAC Member Congregations in 2009. Westwood is the bottom yellow puzzle piece.
Note each piece has a large, silver, uppercase letter in the name...the letters spell: "ISAAC DOING JUSTICE"
Note each piece has a large, silver, uppercase letter in the name...the letters spell: "ISAAC DOING JUSTICE"