The 9th Annual ARISE Detroit! Neighborhoods Day featured thousands of volunteers and Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans, who adopted Bagley Elementary.
“Neighborhoods Day is about hope for Detroit. No one is involved in this who doesn’t have hope,” said Luther Keith, executive director of ARISE Detroit.
In years past, thousands of volunteers partook in events and neighborhood improvement projects throughout the city. This year was bigger and better than any year prior, ARISE Detroit! officials said 250 registered beautification projects took place this past weekend. An estimated 100 additional projects are expected to take place later this month.
ARISE Detroit! is a broad-based coalition of over 400 community groups, churches and block clubs focused on community volunteerism and work based projects.
“People think people in the neighborhoods don’t care,” said Keith. “You don’t do an event like this if you don’t have hope. These people started, stayed and worked when doing so in Detroit wasn’t fashionable.”
This year’s Neighborhoods Day was sponsored by a number of entities, including: Detroit Future City, Quicken Loans, The Kresge Foundation, and DTE Energy Foundation. Each sponsor offered volunteers, dollars or tools for this year’s event.
This year, most project requests included painting, planting gardens and flowers, athletic field repairs, plumbing repairs, and boarding up nearby vacant homes.
“Neighborhoods Day is part of a continued commitment by ARISE Detroit! to improve the conditions in our public schools and neighborhoods,” said Evans.
Evans helped children and volunteers in the beautification of the neighborhoods near Bagley Elementary. More than 12 of Detroit Public Schools submitted to be selected by the County Executive.
“People have realized the neighborhoods are the way back for this city,” said Keith. “You’ve got to get the neighborhoods right.”
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