 |
 |
Craig, Thanks, these seem to be two different organisations. Both with I can't we Can, slogans, if that's the right word to use. Http://www.icantwecan.org and another "I can't we can. Inc" address: 4637 Park Heights Ave. Baltimore MD 21215 http://www.icwc.org , I find this site if I search "I can't we can" Baltimore Maryland. Looks like different organisations to me. Anyway, I have to drop this now. Anthony Slater. Director, Phoenix Haga. President, E.F.T.C. Folkenborgveien 198, 1850 Mysen, Norway. Tel: + 47 69 89 82 50. Fax: + 47 69 89 82 51. e-post: [log in to unmask] http://www.phoenixhouse.no http://www.eftc-europe.com -----Original Message----- From: Therapeutic Communities [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Craig Fees Sent: 13. februar 2006 13:13 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: I Can't, We Can http://www.icantwecan.org/ A little over a year ago - January 9, 2005 - I posted a "TCs in the News 2005/8 [outside the usual model]" note, linking an article in the Baltimore TImes about I Can't We Can. The article seems now to have expired, but I saved it to disk, and copy it in below for information. best, Craig Your Marketplace is Now Open and Serving the Needs of the Community by Patreka White Baltimore Times Originally posted 1/7/2005 A new marketplace is in town. Those that remember the Jai Medical Center on Park Heights that caught fire three years ago, should notice a newly renovated Your Marketplace, a business that Israel Cason, president and CEO of I Can't We Can, says is in place to serve the community. Your Marketplace, located at 4432 Park Heights Avenue, opened on December 25, 2004. The 10,000 square foot strip mall is host to a medley of vendors and sub-tenants which includes: Your Supermarket; Corporate Tranquility, a massage therapist holistic healing center; Yes I Can Security; and Your nutrition, a retail outlet that offers holistic alternative organic foods, just to name a few. What's unique about Your Marketplace is that it is a network of I Can't, We Can alumni. According to Cason, people come through the program and once they graduate they look for ways to maintain and sustain their lives. Space is created in the marketplace for the alumni to come in with their own businesses. "We try to open up doors so that they can maintain themselves and become entrepreneurs. People often meet with barriers once their records come up. We try to circumvent that by instructing them on how to be an entrepreneur," explained Cason. Started May 1997, I Can't We Can is a holistic, non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting a healthy lifestyle. The program offers an array of support services that range from transitional houses to detoxification and mentorship. The program offers treatment on demand for substance abusers. Its purpose is to save lives and win souls by using the therapeutic principle to help one another. The program provides an intense spiritual environment for six months to a year. "Since we are a self-supporting organization we have to find ways to sustain the therapeutic community. It is one of several business entities, utilized by the program to fund the services that are provided around the clock," said Cason. It took a year of planning and the collaborative effort of a construction and a remodeling company that is a part of I Can't We Can to renovate the space that now accommodates nine stores. The plan was to have several vendors and stores occupy the space. I Can't We Can encourages its clients to become entrepreneurs. There is also a Yes We Can employment agency located in the marketplace. Cason also said that they are in the process of opening a Dollar Store on the corner of the marketplace, within two weeks. "Your Marketplace is an entity of Yes We Can, a for-profit that is part of I Can't We Can. The vendors rent the space. The money goes back to aiding people who come into the program off the streets," said Cason, "Your Marketplace represents the people. Your Supermarket is based on a model owned by The Nation of Islam," said Cason. Imam W.D. Mohammed, son of Elijah Mohammad, founder of the Nation of Islam, from Chicago was present at the dedication and ribbon-cutting grand opening of Your Marketplace. "Your Marketplace is an asset because we offer alternative and organic food. We are trying to teach people how to eat differently," emphasized Cason. For several months I Can't We Can has given away 150 tons of food to those in need. They will continue to give food to the needy on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 4 p.m. at Your Marketplace. The marketplace will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information on Your Marketplace and I Can't We Can call 410-728-4491 or visit www.icantwecan.org.