Rebuilding Hope in the Motor City
I woke up this morning with a wide grin on my face, and instead of the typical morning yawn and stretch routine I let out a laugh. My mind was still immersed in the beautiful moments of last night, when over 100 of us gathered for a singular purpose in joyful celebration: music, dance and delicious soul food only fitting for soulful northwest Detroit.
Our purpose was simple: reclaim an abandoned Detroit school for the community. Rebuild hope in the midst of chaos and disillusionment. For a moment, I felt like I was back in the Motor City of the motown music era: one part struggle and two parts funk. Hopeful. Limitless. Powerful.
Today, Detroit struggles to reinvent itself. Boundless optimism lives awkwardly in the corporate boardroom, while in the neighborhoods young brothers and sisters stand on street corners hungry for opportunities, for justice, for dignity, and for jobs that don’t come. Schools close down. Bills come due with no means to pay.
Last night was about celebration, though, and not without cause. We had officially launched the campaign, and already donations were streaming in to purchase the old school building and transform it into a community center. We collected another $1200 or so at the door, which will propel us towards the $100,000 we need to raise in 30 days to make our dream a reality.
Will you be a part of rebuilding hope in the Motor City?
I know there are so many crowdfunding campaigns out there these days, but I promise this one is worth 5 minutes of your time today (and a few coins from your pocket if you’ve got ’em…) That’s because we are on the front lines of fighting poverty in Detroit, and my team and I won’t let up the fight until we’ve won. We’re invested in this 100% – and we need your support!
Let me know what you think of the campaign and come out and visit our future home at 23700 Clarita Street in northwest Detroit. We’ll give you a tour of our new office, listen to some motown music and talk about the future. Let’s do this.
Here’s some photos from our launch party last night:
