Dear Colleagues,

Oakland County’s Economic Development activities are in full swing – providing residents, communities, and businesses with tools to grow and propel our economy. A prime example of this is VTM Michigan, which we will be hosting this summer at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. This B2B Matchmaking Event will bring together innovative companies in the automotive and technology industries, giving them the opportunity to make connections and diversify their customer portfolios. Cultivating a stronger workforce is another of our priorities. For this reason, Oakland County Michigan Works! hosts weekly workshops on topics that support job seekers and employers. Next month, we are holding an employer workshop on retention strategies. We are also committed to supporting our local community leadership, so due to popular demand we will be expanding our Local Government Law Virtual Training Series with four new sessions. Finally, our department is proud to serve the county's Veterans. In 2022, our Veterans Services division hosted 10 resource fairs, engaging with over 1,900 Veterans, providing free food boxes, Meijer gift cards and access to benefits they may never have received. These Veteran Resource Fairs will continue in 2023 with two scheduled over the next couple months in Huntington Woods and Novi.

We look forward to collaborating and engaging with our partners and communities through these efforts mentioned below.

Sincerely,

Sean Carlson

Due to Popular Demand: Four More Sessions Added to Local Government Law Virtual Training Series 

SESSION 3  |  March 9, 2023 
Law Making Power of Voters, Fair Housing Act – Applications for Local Governments 

SESSION 4  |  May 11, 2023 
Background and Importance of Zoning, Non-Zoning Land Use Controls 

SESSION 5  |  July 13, 2023
Tools for Financing Local Government, Interlocal Agreements – Advantages and Cautions 

SESSION 6  |  September 14, 2023
Eminent Domain and Regulatory Takings, Meet the Court System and Local Attorney

On Friday, March 3, 2023, the RESULTS Mentoring Team will come together to celebrate their students and notable leaders, making a difference in the community. During the 13th Annual Partnership Awards Dinner, Jaspreet Singh, David Coulter, Tamara Hicks, Akhtar Azhar, and Mike Duggan will be honored for their significant contributions to the community.  

This festive event will raise much needed funding for mentoring and tutoring opportunities for students in Metropolitan Detroit.  

For more info visit: resultsmentoring.org/partnership-dinner  

Tuesday, March 14, 2023 | 1:00 PM 
Oakland County Executive Office
Building 41W | 2100 Pontiac Lake Road
Waterford, MI 

According to recent data from the Society of Human Resource Management, the average company experiences nearly 20 percent turnover each year. Employers are learning it takes more than just a competitive wage and benefits package to attract and retain their best employees in today’s tight labor market. Employees are demanding more. 

Join us in March for a free, in-person employer workshop, presented by Oakland County Michigan Works!, that will highlight how to foster a healthy, productive and engaging work environment. Learn how to incentivize your staff members to encourage them to stay on the job. 

WORKSHOP HIGHLIGHTS: 
• Importance of hiring for your unique business culture 
• Hiring and developing emotionally and socially intelligent leaders 
• Flexible thinking to adjust to a changing world 
• Creating an empathetic work environment 
• Breaking down barriers that may inhibit viable, long-term employment 

Register at: eventbrite.com/e/employer-workshop-series-employee-retention-strategies-tickets-547953512707  

Oakland County's Veterans Services division released a 2022 data sheet showing the impact of the past year's work for Oakland County Veterans. Numbers include the number of Veterans served, types of assistance provided, resource fairs data, monetary awards, and more. 

View the report here: tinyurl.com/mszuujkk

Oakland County Veterans Services is proud to host Paws for Purple Hearts (PPH) as a vendor at many of our Veterans Resources Fairs. This outstanding organization is dedicated to improving the lives of America's warriors facing mobility impairment challenges and trauma-related conditions by providing the highest quality service dogs and canine assisted therapeutic programs. These programs allow warriors themselves the opportunity to actively train service dogs for their injured comrades. 

Canine Assisted Warrior Therapy® is simple – those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and/or Military Sexual Trauma (MST) help PPH trainers with service dog training. Soothing, light-hearted contact with PPH puppies and dogs, together with caring and capable trainers, can help ease symptom severity. Canine Assisted Warrior Therapy® gently guides Veterans to learn once again how to connect with others, both dogs and humans. Over time, Veterans who participate regain that sense of purpose that comes with accomplishing an important mission – training a lifelong service companion for other comrades in need. 

Learn more at: pawsforpurplehearts.org/

Make appointment today to meet with a Veterans Services representative about Veterans Benefit Claim Assistance at CARES in Farmington Hills (27840 Independence Street, Farmington Hills, MI). A representative will be available from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM on the following dates:

• Thursday, March 9, 2023  
• Thursday, April 13, 2023  
• Thursday, May 11, 2023  
• Thursday, June 8, 2023  

A $300,000 donation from Consumers Energy to the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund (MVTF) will help potentially hundreds of military Veterans pay their heating bills in Michigan this winter. 

The gift is the largest single donation in the 76-year history of the trust fund, which operates within the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA). Over the past three years, Consumers has gifted $550,000 to the MVTF. 

This year’s donation will help Veterans who are Consumers customers pay utility bills and make emergency home repairs that fall under energy efficiency, such as furnace and roof repairs. Veterans can call 1-800-MICH-VET to inquire about eligibility or visit the MVTF webpage and fill out the emergency assistance form. 

To read more, visit: michigan.gov/mvaa/news/2022/12/28/consumers-energy-donates-to-help-michigan-veterans-pay-heating-bills  

Great Lakes was part of a land grant from the Federal Government to Terrance Fagan in 1836. Historically, the property served as farmland until it was acquired by the National Cemetery Administration in 2002. In the 20th century, the property was purchased by Bryson Horton, a Spanish-American War Veteran-turned-industrialist who invented the “Square D” electrical switch. Mr. Horton constructed a small house on the property in 1927 and reportedly entertained preeminent locals as Henry and Edsel Ford, who both hunted and fished there. 

Learn more at: cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/greatlakes.asp