Last week, a few of my colleagues and I were assigned to distribute flyers throughout the neighborhood of Parkside Village. The Flyers consisted of the many exciting activities Friends of Parkside will be hosting throughout the summer. While placing flyers on the doors of residents’ homes, there were a few neighbors outside sitting on their porch enjoying the weather. This gave me a chance to interact and briefly talk to some of the residents of Parkside. However, I watched the many children who were outside happily playing on the sidewalks. I noted to myself that it was only the second week of June and school was still in session. Curious about this observation, I mentioned it to my supervisor who went on to explain the setbacks and limitations of children going to school within this demographic location.
Within the next two weeks, the Friends of Parkside Summer Program will be open for children who are residents of Villages of Parkside. My supervisor expounded on the uneven ratio of children who are residents of Parkside and the total number of children who take advantage of the free summer resources that are tailored to them. Services such as free breakfast and lunch, sports activities, and computer lab hours are available to the children. In the near future, it is my desire to find a way parents and children are encouraged to enroll their kids in the free and beneficial resources Friends of Parkside provides.
This past Tuesday, my colleagues from the DCBRP and I visited Good Cakes and Bakes located on the west side of Detroit. Driving past this bakery all the time on Livernois to go home, I was truly surprised by the uniqueness and individuality of this cute and quaint bakery. While taking in the aroma of fresh-basked goods, we had the chance to meet and listen to the dynamic Marketing and Communications Director of FoodLab Detroit, Devita Davison. What compelled me the most about Davison’s speech was her openly telling us about her journey to FoodLab. Her circumstances only elevated her to bigger and better opportunities within a city she called home. I also observed Davison’s confidence though her stance and her eloquent delivery in speaking to us. Her expressing the next generations’ responsibility to advocate for the various organizations and agencies who are bettering the communities of Detroit made me reflect on the rest of my time at Friends of Parkside and how I can extend their longevity as an organization.
So far so good, I can’t wait for the next weeks to come!
Hi Cescily, I agree completely with what you said about hearing from Devita! She was so inspiring and a lot of it had to do with how she spoke and her confidence. I also think it’s really cool that you’re learning about the obstacles that directly impact the community you are working with, because it reduces people’s ability to generalize about what people are going through and having to work with. It seems like you’re doing great work; I look forward to hearing more!