So far, I have seen just how diverse the services are that Focus: HOPE has to offer. It’s truly baffling how a community organization in the middle of Detroit can have a multi-building campus and employ 250 people. Their programs are flexible and change with the times and they impact hundreds, if not thousands, of people every year. However, they only recently realized that the area surrounding their campus has not been impacted as profoundly, if only at all by their physical presence. The Hope Village Initiative is designed to address those issues of the surrounding neighborhood and hopefully that will get going.
Tomorrow, I will be helping to lead a volunteer day with over 100 volunteers to clean and beautify curbs and sidewalks along 14th St. I think it’s interesting but also pretty cool that something as small as painting and cleaning curbs can have an impact on the mentality of residents and also and feeling of the area. For this volunteer day, and others in the future, I will also be in charge of recording information regarding the tasks that we completed so that we can document the progress that has been made over this year and years to come. This has been a struggle at Focus: HOPE over the years and it seems as though coordination can at times still be a problem, just as with any other organization.
This is the picture from 14th st. where we will be cleaning and painting curbs!
Good luck with leading your volunteer day! 100 volunteers will keep your day busy and fun.
Sounds like you’re getting to do great stuff with your community!