An Open Letter to Corporate America!

This is a letter I plan to send to the CEO of every Fortune 1000 company. I'll send it as an email, customized with the CEO's name.

Dear CEO,

My name is Michael H. Fox and I am founder of a non-profit organization called Project Five-Star. Project Five-Star ultimately will help house, feed and train up to 1000 homeless men and women in the Raleigh NC area, providing them with the skills they need to find a permanent job in the area. Once they have that job, Project Five-Star will help them find permanent housing that will ensure that they are never homeless again.

But Project Five-Star needs your help. I have attached a book that I wrote, titled ‘Project Five-Star: the Five Points of Hope,’ in which I lay out the plan to build the project gradually, from helping 10 men and women at a time to helping hundreds and beyond.

One of the chapters under funding is called ‘$1000 from 1000 companies.’ This chapter describes how initial funding for the company will be obtained and this is where you come in. All I am asking, just to help this company get off the ground and on decent financial footing itself, is a donation in the name of your company of $1000. In exchange for that donation, the name and/or logo of your company gets prominently displayed on the Project Five-Star web site (which your funding will help to create).  Your company will get a very grateful mention in the Project Five-Star blog (http://www.projectfivestar.blogspot.com). All this advertising just for providing a very worthy cause with seed money to get it going.

Let’s get the training started right away! Go to http://pledgie.com/campaigns/15711 to make a credit card donation! You can also encourage your employees to make pledges on the same web site.

Project Five-Star can help thousands get out of the shelters and into careers that will help everyone, including your company. Give to our cause so that someday the people you help can give back to you!

Thank you for your time. If you have any questions, you may send an email to me at projectfivestarraleigh@gmail.com, or you may call me and leave a message at (919) 438-1392. I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Michael H. Fox

Founder, Project Five-Star

Member Responsibilities

What follows is a draft of the responsibilities that members of Project Five-Star will be required to fulfill.

Members have the responsibility to answer any question asked by staff truthfully.

Members have the responsibility to follow any rule as set by the Board of Directors.

Members have the responsibility to respect the rights of staff and other members.

Members have the responsibility to maintain their rooms in a clean and sanitary manner.

Members have the responsibility to report any problems within their room.

Members have the responsibility  to report any problems with food.

Members have the responsibility to use profanity in a limited manner.

Members have the responsibility to follow their training and work schedule as set by their Skill Director.

Members are expected to learn job etiquette skills and apply them to their daily lives.

Members have the responsibility to not allow non-members to use any facility or service within the Project without prior approval from management.

Members have the responsibility to perform their chosen skill to the best of their ability.

Members have the responsibility to look for a job with the help of the Employment Director.

Members have the responsibility to look for permanent housing with the help of the Housing Director.

Member Bill of Rights

In my book, part of the 'What needs to change' chapter suggests a 'Homeless Bill of Rights.' What follows is that suggestion turned into a reality from the Project Five-Star point of view:

Members have the right to speak and write freely as long as they are not abusive, the language is not unduly littered with profanity, and they are not invading another member’s privacy.

Members have the right to a clean room, as long as they do their share in keeping it clean and are not deliberately destructive.

Members have a right to good food, served promptly at the designated times, at a temperature that is appropriate to the food, as long as the food is consumed on the premises and not shared with non-members without prior approval.

Members have a right to privacy, from staff, and from other members, as long as they respect the same rights of staff and other members.

Members have a right to learn a skill as long as they maintain at least the minimum standards as set by their Skill Director.

Members have a right to get certified in the skill they have chosen as long as their Skill Director gives approval that their skills are adequate to pass the certification exam.

Members have a right to get help finding a job as long as they follow through with job leads as presented by the Employment  Director, dress and act appropriately for the interview and accept a job offer when proffered by an employer.

Members have a right to help when finding permanent housing as long as they follow through with the Housing Director when appropriate housing is offered.

Members have a right to appeal any decision made by the Board of Directors with regard to continued participation in Project Five-Star or continued participation in their chosen skill at the chosen level.