Community Organizer Tim Walters celebrates retirement
by Chuck Hoven

(Plain Press, October 2009) The range of issues that Tim Walters has been involved in organizing around over the past three decades was well represented by the hundred people gathered for his retirement party on September 15th St. Paul Community Church. Those present were involved with such issues as foster care, education, and various social justice issues such as the fairness of utility rates, tackling poverty, health care and the injustice of the state of Ohio budgeting process.

Walters — a founding member of the Greater Cleveland Foster Care Network, foster parent, and grandfather of eighteen, told those in attendance he wanted to spend more time with his grandchildren. Walters said, “I’m not going away. There are still many things that need to be done.” He noted that many of those who gave testimony about how they knew him were speaking of issues they organized around. “All I did was open the door,” he said.

Walters proudly introduced a group of high school students in attendance noting they took three trips to Columbus to testify on State of Ohio Budget cut to educational and youth programs.

Gail Long, Retired Executive Director of Merrick House, welcomed Walters to the club of retired community activists still toiling to gain community support for issues and pressure policy makers to make positive changes. She noted the presence of some of those retired individuals in the room such as social justice advocate Reverend George Hrbek, educational advocates Don and Norma Freeman, and long time Merrick House volunteer Molly Brudnick. Long, who was instrumental in hiring and nurturing many a community organizer in her day, predicted that Walters would continue his community involvement, just now without a paycheck.

Long shared some of Walters history with those in attendance, noting she first met him in the mid 1970s when he came to her while still a member of the corporate world making big bucks. She said Walters said he was looking for something different. According to Long, Walters asked her for advice on getting involved in the “real world.” Long said shortly after that Walters became involved with Jim Lardie of For the Children. Years later when For the Children was experiencing some financial difficulties, Walters moved on to become a community organizer for the May Dugan Center.

Gloria Aron, on the Board of the May Dugan Center when they hired Walters, noted that Tim Walters was perfect for the position. While at May Dugan over the past decade, Walters was involved in a whole array of issue organizing-- forming alliances with numerous groups and helping to create some new ones.

One of the groups formed included Consumers For Fair Utility Rates (CFFUR). Out of that group, community leaders such as Alan Foreman and Nanci McCormack emerged. Foreman has become an expert on utility issues and is still involved with CFFUR. McCormack is now an organizer for Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization.

McCormack shared a story about her first impression of Walters. Seeing him in action while attending a community meeting at St. Colman about six years ago, she was so impressed with Walters’ that she decided to emulate him and set a goal to become a community organizer.

Other groups to emerge from Walters’ efforts included United Clevelanders Against Poverty (UCAP) and Advocates for Budget Legislation Equality (ABLE). Diana King, who has been involved as a leader in those groups said Walters has been like a member of her family over the last six years. She said Walters has watched her youngest child grow up.

May Dugan Center and Merrick House often worked closely on issues generated by UCAP and ABLE members, and Merrick House initiated groups such as Community Partners for Affordable Accessible Health Care. Walters worked closely over the years with Merrick House organizers such as Amy Weahry and Nicole McGee.

Working on UCAP and ABLE issues related to the fairness of the State of Ohio Budget, has brought Walters in contact with policy experts such as George Zeller, an economic analyst and Zack Schiller of Policy Matters Ohio. Both were in attendance.

Larry Bresler of Organize! Ohio, which organizes around State of Ohio budget fairness issues and works closely with ABLE and CFUR, said of the retired Walters, “My expectation is that I can call him every day. Things are not going to change one iota.”

Bresler was also involved with Walters in organizing efforts on educational issues in organizations such as For the Children, Alliance for Children’s Education and the current Cleveland Education Committee. Those that have worked with Walters on educational issues include veteran activists Don and Norma Freeman and Ian Heisey of the Bellaire Puritas Development Corporation.

Early in his tenure at the May Dugan Center, after the events of 9/11/2001, Walters joined with St. Colman Outreach Minister Eileen Kelly and members of the Arab American Community Center for Economic and Social Services to help calm the neighborhood so as to assure the safety of Arab Americans living and working in Cleveland West Side neighborhoods.

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