Community

Midlander to join 150 from around U.S. at White House briefing

By Cheryl Wade for the Midland Daily News - February 7, 2012

A longtime leader in The Arc of Midland is set to visit the White House to hear from Obama administration representatives about how government relates to people with disabilities.

Paul White, with his wife Kim, have three biological sons and a fourth who soon will be adopted into the family. The Whites‘ son Adam, 13, has Down Syndrome and attends Northeast Middle School. White is immediate past president of The Arc Michigan, which is a resource for 33 Arcs around the state. Before serving two years as Arc Michigan president, White served on the board of the state organization and as president of The Arc Midland. When the director of The Arc Michigan asked him if he would like to attend a White House meeting set for Friday, ”my first reaction to all this was ’Wow! This is a great responsibility,‘“ White said. ”First of all, I‘m going as a representative of the Arc US, and then The Arc Michigan, and then The Arc Midland ... I‘m representing everyone who knows me.“

Read the full article at Midland Daily News

Paul White and Roth Cleaners: Inspiring our community, one book at a time

Paul White is a man who is dedicated to giving back to our community. A philanthropist, volunteer, leader and dedicated parent, Paul wants to inspire others to live generously. He has a lending library of books at all locations of his business, Roth Cleaners. Customers can learn about leadership, helping others or read an inspiring story of triumph. Paul believes each and every one of us can make our community a better place.

As seen in the e-newsletter for United Way of Midland County

The Shelterhouse 100 Men Campaign

We at Roth Cleaners are proud to support the 100 Men Campaign and Shelter House in Midland.

Hope

All of us at Roth Cleaners believe in the Great Lakes Bay Region! We know that this region is destined for great things that will serve as an example for the rest of the world to model. That can only happen if ALL of us are moving in the same positive direction together. To strengthen your belief that the dream of this area achieving greatness at lightning speed CAN and WILL happen, please watch the following video (just over two minutes with a ROI that will last a lifetime), used with permission, and be sure to watch the ENTIRE video. You'll be pleased with how quickly things can change for the better!

Telfer: Bridges offers a dream worth pursuing

By Jack Tefler, the Midland Daily News
Posted: Sunday, March 20, 2011

Helice "Sparky" Bridges wants to see people pursue their dreams. And she believes they can achieve them if supported by the community rather than being shot down.

Sparky knows all about being shot down. Her husband was a bully who made her feel like she didn't matter, despite the fact she was a successful businesswoman who became a millionaire.

But it was a dream of performing in a broadway musical that cemented her feelings about the need to encourage others to pursue their aspirations. When she shared her dream of performing, she was told she was crazy, too short (about 5 feet tall) and too old (37 at the time).

She got mad and went to New York anyway, and auditioned for a musical comedy. And guess what? She was funny, and she got the part.

That sparked a change in Sparky that she wants to see spread throughout Midland and other parts of the world.

Sparky was in Midland on Thursday thanks to the generosity of Midland-booster Paul White, owner of Roth Cleaners. She spoke to Northeast Middle School students, the Midland Noon Rotary Club and a group of community supporters at an evening program.

I was at that evening meeting and while I thought Sparky's approach was a bit hokey, her message of hope and belief in people certainly was inspiring.

Sparky believes "we can change a life in a minute or less" if we are willing to engage. Her method is to use blue ribbons with the message "Who I am makes a difference."

She shared a video of the impact the campaign can have. A teacher handed out the ribbons to her students, along with a message of encouragement to each one. Her students then handed them out to people they knew, and asked those people to pay it forward. One of the people who received a blue ribbon was a grumpy boss who decided to honor his son with the extra ribbon he received.

He apologized for being so busy with his job and often yelling at his son instead of telling him he loved him. Then he gave his son the ribbon and told him how important he was to him.

The son began sobbing uncontrollably and shared with his father he had planned to kill himself that night after his parents went to sleep.

That's a powerful testimony about the power of offering hope and encouragement to others. Even if you aren't interested in handing out blue ribbons, or if you are, you can make a difference in the lives of those you touch. You can offer support for people's dreams, instead of being a naysayer like the people surrounding Sparky when she wanted to be in the musical.

Let's face it, we all hear far more negative or critical messages than positive. And, if we are honest, we probably are part of that problem. I know I am. It is easy to dwell on the problems that need to be fixed instead of the good things that happen daily in our lives.

So here's what I would love to see. I dream of a community that is far more caring, supportive and encouraging than it is today. Care to join me?

John "Jack" Telfer is editor of the Daily News. Check out his blog, "Faith and Folly," in the blog section of ourmidland.com.

Message of hope: ’Sparky‘ encourages people to pursue their dreams

By Tony Lascari, the Midland Daily News
Posted: Friday, March 18, 2011

An energy-packed grandma brought a message of hope to Midland on Thursday as she encouraged everyone from middle school students to community leaders to pursue their dreams, end bullying and honor the people who matter to them.

Helice "Sparky" Bridges envisions a world where people stand up to do what's right.

"Few of us will take the kinds of risks to make the world a better place for fear that somebody's going to tell us it's dumb, it's stupid and so forth," she told a packed gym at Northeast Middle School. "That's not going to happen any more at this school."

Bridges has been spreading the message through a campaign of giving out blue ribbons imprinted with "Who I am Makes a Difference."

Bridges called students down to honor each other with the ribbons and to share their dreams. Students lined up to participate and cheered each other on in support. Some students admitted to bullying and asked for forgiveness, with one girl's admission gaining a standing ovation from the packed gym for her courage to tell the truth.

Alex Anganis, a sixth-grader, shared his dream of being the next Ryan Seacrest and honored eighth-grader Dayna Vasilkl with a blue ribbon for being a good friend.

"It was scary at first because you had to talk to the whole school, but then it wasn't because you got to tell your dreams and honor people," Alex said after the assembly. "It was cool."

He said Dayna has always been nice to him, which he appreciates. Dayna said it felt great to be honored by her new friend.

"I feel happy," she said. "I've never had a brother and he gets to be that brother I never had."

Northeast Principal Jeff Jaster said the students were each given a chance to give ribbons on Thursday. In one week, the students will write about their experiences as a way to reflect on the assembly. In the long term, student leaders will work to continue spreading the positive messages they heard during the event.

"I think what's important for the kids to take away from this is they see other kids really are nice kids, they can own up to the mistakes they've made and move on from that," Jaster said. "They can put the negative stuff behind them and start over fresh. Certainly the idea of acknowledging people you otherwise might just walk past in the hallway and seeing how much that really means to people was important too."

Bridges said there is no way to tell how the program will continue spreading and change the school.

"What we're all experiencing now is a nice piece of heaven," she said.

After speaking at Northeast, Bridges shared her message with the Midland Noon Rotary Club. She shared much of the same message with the adults, calling on them to break barriers and support each other in their efforts.

Bridges shared that her campaign began after finding hope herself. At 37, Bridges found herself married to a bully and depressed, looking for a way to make the world stop to let her off. That's when she had a vision of herself singing and dancing on stage. Though she had no experience, she tried out for a musical comedy and landed the role. She later left her husband and began pursuing her dreams. She started spreading the "Who I am Makes a Difference" ribbons as a way to give back and empower lives.

Bridges' visit was coordinated by Midland resident Paul White, who heard her message almost a year ago and said it changed his life. A strong believer in the power of the blue ribbon, White wanted to share Bridges' message at his son's school, Northeast, but thought Bridges herself could bring more power to the message than he could. He invited her to Midland, and they spent Thursday at the school before attending the Rotary Club meeting, taping a session that will be broadcast on MCTV and speaking to community leaders in the evening.

Paul White speaks to cleaners group

By the Midland Daily News
Posted: Sunday, February 13, 2011

Paul White, president of Roth Cleaners, recently presented a speech titled "Who I Am Makes A Difference" at the New England Sanitone Dry Cleaners Association 66th Annual Seminar in Boston, Mass. White talked about the Power of Positive Acknowledgement and Volunteering. The seminar was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston and featured nationally prominent speakers Mark Luschini, chief investment strategist for Janney Montgomery Scott, and Mary Lou Andre, corporate image consultant and author from Dressingwell.com.

February Greetings - A Message from Mary Lou Andre

At a dry cleaning industry conference last month, I met the most delightful young boy who crystallized the message I was hired to deliver.

My presentation, "The Art of Dressing Well for Yourself and Your Customers" was greatly enhanced when I eyed John who was attending the conference with his dad — a third generation drycleaner owner. The only child at the meeting, he immediately caught my attention and stood out in several wonderful ways.

First, he was impeccably dressed and groomed — impressive for any youngster these days. Second, he had exceptional manners, which I am sure paved the way for his weekend away with dad in a setting that could only further enhance his curiosity for a business that is largely family owned and passed on from generation to generation. Third, when his father introduced him to me, he shook my hand, looked me in the eye and smiled in a way that instantly communicated confidence. At only 9 years old, he possesses leadership traits that often take others years to develop.

A major theme in my talk that day was how to use a professional image to motivate and inspire others. John certainly inspired me. Here he is pictured with his dad, Paul White, owner of Roth Cleaners in Midland, Michigan.

Whether you are a business person, community leader or just someone who likes to make others feel good, this month's featured article "The Look of a Leader" is designed to make the case for why professional image standards matter — enjoy.

From all of us at Organization By Design, Inc., here's to dressing well.

Best,

Mary Lou Andre Editor, dressingwell.com
Founder & President
Organization By Design, Inc.