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DETROIT NATIVE SUN
DETROIT NATIVE SUN
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By Dr. John Telford
SUN COLUMNIST
I thank God for my not having had to pay that "early toll" but rather for having lived during my past long 89 years in the bright, egalitarian sunlight of history's greatest democracy, the leader of the free world (now gravely endangered by the Trump/Musk/Putin triumvirate), and for my having been raised by a wonderful Detroit kindergarten teacher and an indomitable Scotland-born boxer who taught me to champion all underdogs--essential learnings now in the benightedly racist Age of Trump. I've been blessed to possess an athlete's body, a loving heart, and the sensitivities of a pure poet. In my 2023 book 'Athletes, Activism, & Apple Boughs - a Detroit Poetic Epic', I recount the great runners I raced, the fair ladies I chased, and the cause I've embraced--Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Competing overseas in my U.S. Track Team uniform, I never lost at 200 and 400 meters proudly representing our great country nor in any race on this continent (see photo). For most of my life, my constant cause has been to fight for the civil rights of ALL Americans--a cause which was also my fighter father's. I was blessedly married three times--first to an Irish teacher, second to a flight attendant of African descent, and finally to a Jewish school principal. Sadly, my first and third wives have passed. Beneath those timeless "Apple Boughs" whence I celebrate them poetically, all three were breathtakingly beautiful.
God willing, I now will continue to attack the racist convicted criminal Trump in my newspaper columns and on my WCHB AM1340 show Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. and Mondays at 6:30 p.m.--and on DETipTV.com all week 24/7--until our military forces hopefully have finally arrested him for treason or his goons come to take me away.
John Telford is a former NCAA and NAAU All-American sprinter at WSU and a former superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools. Get his Detroit-oriented books at amazon.com and contact him at DrJohnTelfordEdD@aol.com or at (313) 460-8272.
PRNewswire/ -- TechTown Detroit and Comerica Bank announce the return of the Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest by TechTown, a small business competition that awards $100,000 in startup funding as well as support services to one entrepreneur seeking to open a brick-and-mortar storefront in Detroit, Hamtramck or Highland Park. The competition, first launched in 2011, bolsters small business development in Detroit and will take place over the next four months, with the winning business crowned in June.
Applications, available on HatchDetroit.com, opened March 3 and will close on Friday, April 4. Entrepreneurs with a retail concept looking to establish their first brick-and-mortar location in Detroit, Hamtramck or Highland Park are eligible to apply.
"Detroit's small business community is built on the strength of its entrepreneurs, and TechTown is proud to support these business innovators through the Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest," said Christianne Malone, Assistant Vice President for Economic Development at Wayne State University and Chief Program Officer of TechTown Detroit. "We strive to inspire and cultivate Detroit's small business development through top-notch entrepreneurial resources, financial support, and valuable partnerships."
Information sessions for interested applicants will be held the week of March 17.
The small business contest includes two rounds of public voting to determine the Top 10 and Top 4 entrepreneurs, allowing the community to vote for their favorite business.
The competition culminates June 11 with the annual Hatch Off, where the Top 4 entrepreneurs present their business plans to a panel of judges and a live audience. There, the winner will receive the $100,000 grand prize that also includes a business support package from TechTown Detroit, Wayne State University's entrepreneurship hub.
As a proven launching pad for aspiring business owners, Comerica Bank and the Comerica Charitable Foundations are increasing their commitment to TechTown's Hatch Detroit program to amplify the impact on Detroit's small business economy.
Recognizing the cost of starting and sustaining a business has increased, and to further their commitment to ensuring the success of the Hatch Detroit program, Comerica Bank and the Comerica Charitable Foundation have increased their financial support to a combined total of $200,000 this year, a $50,000 increase from the previous three years.
"Comerica Bank was founded in Detroit more than 175 years ago, and we remain dedicated to supporting the city's entrepreneurship and the development of small businesses that make up the lifeblood of this community," said Meghan Storey, Comerica Bank Senior Vice President and Michigan Director of Small Business Banking.
In addition to its financial commitment, Comerica works alongside TechTown to provide in-kind support, such as technical services for contestants, during the contest.
Since 2019, Comerica Bank has provided the $100,000 grand prize for the Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest by TechTown winner and will do so again this year. This year, Comerica Bank will also be contributing an additional $50,000, in tandem with a $50,000 grant from the Comerica Charitable Foundation, to TechTown for organizational support of the Hatch Detroit program to assist with its ongoing incubation of small businesses.
"Working closely with small businesses, we see extraordinary entrepreneurs rich in ideas and passion who have dedicated their lives to launching and growing a business but remain in need of resources and mentorship. Year after year, TechTown and Hatch Detroit has provided a platform of extensive technical services and guidance needed to help entrepreneurs succeed, creating a strong foundation for Detroit's small business ecosystem," said Storey.
Including this year's contributions and grants, Comerica Bank and the Comerica Charitable Foundation have collectively committed over $1.3 million into Hatch Detroit since first supporting the small business program in 2012.
TechTown's Commitment to Small Businesses and Hatch Detroit
Last year, TechTown celebrated 20 years serving Detroit as a vital incubator for small businesses and entrepreneurs, dedicated to revitalizing the city through sustainable growth by supporting tech startups and small businesses.
$100,000 Comerica Hatch returns
The shortened run
Through summer sun
On springing, hot-sand-quickened sole
Is swiftly, prematurely done--
So win as much as can be won.
If you should idly choose to stroll
The shaded side instead of run,
Your trip shall be a longer one--
Myself, I'll risk an early toll
For sufferance now to race the sun.
'Hot Sand' (this poem was written in 1963 as the frontispiece poem in my first book, 'The Longest Dash - A Running Commentary on the Quarter-Mile')
Telford Telescope:
I've been bountifully blessed
