Does it trouble Josaitis to know that so many well-off people -- disillusioned by decades of failed social policy -- seem reluctant to support a campaign to rebuild urban centers? Absolutely not. "I believe with everything in me that there are many people of goodwill who are waiting to be invited to do something," she says. "If I ask you to deliver food to a senior citizen and you don't find that intimidating, then I can say to you, 'By the way, describe the neighborhood for me when you get back, would you? Tell me how many shopping centers you saw.' You're likely to come back and say, 'My God, I didn't find a supermarket anywhere.' Then I can ask you, 'How do we get a supermarket in there?' I want your imagination and your creativity, and if I can bring those things out by asking you to do something that's not intimidating to you, then you can become part of the solution."

So far, 51,000 volunteers -- including some of the most high-profile people in Detroit -- have accepted Josaitis's invitation to become part of the solution at Focus:Hope. Lloyd Reuss, 62, is one of those people. Six years ago, he was ousted from one of the biggest jobs in the world -- the presidency of General Motors. Now he's executive dean of the Center for Advanced Technology. "He's breaking the barrier," Josaitis remarks. "His economic status is entirely different from mine, but he takes what he's learned, along with his passion, and shares it with the people he meets in his social surroundings. He breaks perceptions. He brings people here."

And Focus:Hope brings people to Detroit. In 1997 alone, 60,000 people visited the organization. Looking for ideas, role models, and sources of inspiration, they came from as far away as South Africa and China. In fact, to accommodate the flow of visitors, Focus:Hope is building its own residential learning center, called the Tech Villa. "I want people to come here and stay as long as they want," Josaitis says. "We will share everything we know -- about what's worked and what hasn't. And we hope that they will take that knowledge back to their communities."

Sidebar: Shaping Steel, Shaping Lives

Six years ago, Lloyd Reuss was ousted from one of the most powerful jobs in the world -- president of General Motors -- after he and GM's chairman, Robert Stempel, failed to reverse the automaker's decline. Reuss's setback was hardly a devastating financial blow: He was set for life. But how could he, at 56, stay in the game? How could he continue to make a contribution?

He found the answer at Focus:Hope, where he is executive dean of the Center for Advanced Technologies (CAT). "For 38 years, I worked at shaping steel," Reuss says. "Now I'm shaping lives." Reuss talked with Fast Company about how Focus:Hope has shaped his ideas about teaching and learning.

Teach business, not just technology. We refer to our candidates as "renaissance engineers." They not only understand the fundamentals of engineering, but they're also very strong communicators. They can feel comfortable in various disciplines, including marketing, finance, and sales. And they feel comfortable working with a diverse group of people. They come away from here with an engineering degree, but by the time they leave, they're also excellent businesspeople.

Play for real stakes. Our candidates actually produce parts for industry. When we meet with companies about product problems, the candidates are on the firing line. They're the ones who conduct the meetings and make the reports.

For example, we're machining a part for the Northstar engine, which is used by Cadillac. The candidate who's leading that project works with engineers at GM, he works with engineers at the casting supplier, and he works with purchasing people. Sure, you can study project management at a university. But this is the real world, so our candidates have to deal with real problems.

Banish your biases. The suburban stereotype of inner-city youth -- they're lazy, they don't want to study -- is not grounded in reality. Inner-city kids are entrepreneurs. So many people here have worked to overcome tremendous odds. Many of these young people really blossom once they get any kind of opportunity.

Curtis Sittenfeld (csittenfeld@fastcompany.com) is a Fast Company staff writer. You can learn more about Focus:Hope on the Web (www.focushope.edu).