Detroit Free Press - A flame lit by Chrysler Chairman and CEO Sergio Marchionne is burning in downtown Detroit as United Way for Southeastern Michigan reignited its fund-raising campaign Friday.
The torch was lit during the kickoff of the organization's $35-million community giving campaign that runs through the end of the year.
The torch was dark for five years during the economic downturn. Now, it reflects rebounds in the region's economy and the auto industry. It also signifies a rededication to the area's poor and needy people.
The 75-foot-high metal sculpture sits on a traffic island between Larned, Jefferson and the "Spirit of Detroit." The torch was dedicated in 1969 with the words "a symbol of the concern and generosity of the people of this community."
"We are well aware that southeastern Michigan faces very many challenges," said Marchionne, chairman of the United Way campaign. "The torch lighting is all about looking forward and coming together with hope. Life is made of turning points. Our hope today is that this is one of those moments that forever changes our community and our way of looking at the future."
The campaign set a goal of making metro Detroit one of the top five places in the country to live and work by 2030, the year when children born in 2012 will graduate from high school.
Chrysler employees are targeting childhood hunger and poverty this year, donating money to the United Way and volunteering at nonprofits, Marchionne said.
"It seems natural considering how much Chrysler owes to the city and its people," he said.
From a tent set up at Hart Plaza, Mayor Dave Bing joined Marchionne and United Way President and CEO Michael Brennan in a countdown to relight the torch.
Yolanda Washington, 42, of Grosse Ile asked for donations, explaining how a call to United Way's helpline 211 at 2 a.m. helped her when she was out of work in 2008 and unable to feed her two sons, now 21 and 16.
"I was following the dream and the dream stopped for a while," said Washington, now employed at Eaton Corp. "I want to say to that single mother in West Bloomfield, Novi or Romeo who has never asked for help ... call 211 if they need help. It definitely changed my life."
The torch will remain lit during the campaign.
