Neighbors Building Brightmoor

Neighbors Building Brightmoor seeks to mobilize our neighbors to work together to equip families and individuals to improve the quality of life in our neighborhood.

May 2012
Dates to remember NBB mtg. and potluck Wednesday May 9, 6:308:30pm St. Christines Soup Kitchen 22261 Fenkell Bulk Pick-up Thursday May 10 Brightmoor Alliance Mtg. Thursday May 17, 6-8pm (meal served) Leland Baptist Church 22420 Fenkell Brightmoor May Day Parade Saturday May 19, 9-2pm Begins at Mt. Vernon Missionary Baptist Church. Kids Corner Wednesdays 4-6pm St. Christines Soup Kitchen NW Detroit Farmers Market Beginning Thursday June 7 from 4-8pm, produce from our very own Brightmoor Youth Garden will be available at this weekly market. 15000 Southfield Service Drive in the parking lot of Bushnell Church.

Spring activities have started

On April 20-21, Lamphere Street between Eaton and Lyndon got a makeover. Neighbors and 100+ Americorps volunteers secured several houses on this hard-hit block, boarding up doors and windows with colorful artwork. A new community garden, designed by the neighbors, was started and all was celebrated with a wonderful BBQ and childrens activities. June 2 Life Changers volunteer Day. On june 2nd, Bramell will receive a complete make-over when over 100 volunteers from LIFE CHANGERS will come and help residents. We will fill the dumpsters donated by Wayne County again, clean up yards and board up houses with beautiful art. Come and help and get ideas about what you would like to do with your block this summer. Spring Festival 2012 Also on June 2nd we will have our annual Spring Festival from 3-5 pm with food, fun and music for the whole family. As usual this will be held at Curtis Green Park on the corner of Beaverland and Chalfonte. We are seeking young performing artists who will entertain for the community. Sam Morykwas, our UM spring intern, will work with them to prepare for the Spring Festival. For more information please contact Katharina at 989-6692.

Special thanks to:

St. Christines and Leland Baptist Church for hosting our events. Environmental & Technology Consulting for printing our newsletter for the remainder of the year!!!! Sarah and Sandy Wiener for donating $100 Justin McKnight gardening supplies DownRiver CARES AmeriCorps volunteers Wayne State AmeriCorps volunteers Lifechangers paint MCSP paint Home Depot Foundation 32 OSB boards

NBB 2012 meeting schedule

Our NBB meetings are always on the second Wednesday of the month and are mostly held at St. Christines Soup Kitchen. They start with a potluck (bring a dish to pass) at 6:30pm and the meeting starts promptly at 7pm. We try very hard to stop at 8:30pm. Please put the following dates on your calendar and be ready to share your great ideas on neighborhood improvement. May 9 June 13 July 11..August 8...September 12 October 10...November 14...December 12

Want Volunteers?
If you wish to have volunteers work with you this summer, and you havent already attended a Volunteer Management class, come to St. Christines Thursday May 10 from 6-8pm. You will learn skills to help you plan for, organize and run successful work days and keep those volunteers begging to come back and work some more!

Want to Volunteer?
The community potato patch is hosting two upcoming work sessions. Come to the patch at Lamphere and Chalfonte to help dig rows Thursday May 3 from 1-3pm or Friday May 4 from 10am-noon. Tools will be provided. The Garden Resource Program has a Cluster 8 workday in our neighborhood: Tuesday May 8 from 5:307:30 pm at the Chatham Street Community Garden, 15014 Chatham. Meet fellow gardeners, help out a new garden, and get active in the GRP to become eligible for additional resources like tilling, soil testing, compost, tool sharing, and more! For more info, contact Tee at (313) 285-2232.

Save Lives! Low-cost Spay/Neuter Clinic

Every year, more than 100,000 homeless pets are put to death in Michigan animal shelters. Do your part to limit animal population growth by spaying or neutering your dog ($80) or cat ($40). All About Animals, a nonprofit animal rescue group, will host a mobile clinic in the parking lot North of the Rosedale Park Community House (18445 Scarsdale), Tuesday May 1Friday May 4. Low-cost vaccines, deworming, heartworm testing, and micro-chipping will also be offered. Call (586) 879-1745 to make an appointment.

Kids Corner

by Katharina Walsh

Spring is here! The days are getting warmer so our Kids Corner activities will start to move outdoors in the coming weeks. Look for us on sunny Wednesdays on the sidewalk next the St. Christine's Soup Kitchen. If it's wet or too windy we will be inside. Kids Corner has become the highlight of my week and I look forward to continuing to paint, draw and make creative fun things with you all. Since our beginning in January 2012 we have hosted over 50 children at Kids Corner! Many parents and family members have been attending as well and the word is spreading! Please invite any children and families you know in the neighborhood - all ages and all abilities welcome! We will continue to meet at St. Christines Soup Kitchen (22261 Fenkell) on WEDNESDAYS from 4-6pm. This month I'd like to acknowledge the parents and volunteers who have been a huge help and support to me over the past few months: Lakeita, Virginia, Scott, Jackie and Michelle. A big THANK YOU to Bill, Billie and Ann Mary for opening and closing St. Christines for us each week. We appreciate you all very much! If you'd like to donate to Kids Corner we are always looking for kid-friendly paints, crayons and painting paper. Please get in touch with Kat at: 989-6692.

BrightStars Early Learning Centers

Mondays
Parent Book Club (ECFRC) 10-11:30am

Tuesdays

Wednesdays

Thursdays
Lets Read Preschoolers (ECRC)11-12:30pm

Fridays
Toddler Playgroup (DCI) 10:30-noon Transportation Available Just for Fun Kids Book Club (ECRC) 1-3pm

Parent Roundtable Music & Movement (ECFRC) 10-11 am (DCI) 10:30-noon Transportation Available Storytime Discovery Time (DCI) 10:30-noon (ECFRC) 11-12:30pm Sewing for Beginners Transportation Available (EFCRC) 1-3pm Nature Explorer Music & Movement (ECFRC) 12:30-2pm (ECFRC) 11:30-12:30pm Nature Explorer (RCC) 6-7:30pm

Green Thumbs Up

Book Fair
Fun, food, music and books! Tuesday May 22 from 3:30-5:30pm (EFCRC)

Thursday May 3 & Thursday May 10 from 12:30pm (EFCRC)

Adventures in Parenting!
Greenfield Village field trip Monday May 14 from 10-1pm

Job Readiness Memorial Day

Wednesday May 23 from 6-8pm (EFCRC)

Star Power Event

For Wayne County. Outdoors Tuesday May 15 from 11-2pm (EFCRC)

Brightstars Early Learning Centers will be closed on Monday May 28 for the holiday.

Unity in the Community

Brightmoor event. Thursday May 17 from 5:308:30pm (EFCRC)

To join Early Learning Centers, contact (313) 255-0900, ext. 2109

Choose from 3 locations:

Development Centers, Inc. (DCI) (313) 255-0900 ext. 2125 17321 Telegraph Rd. (between Grand River & 6 Mile) Redford Community Center (RCC) (313) 387-2787 12121 Hemingway (west of Beech & north of Plymouth) Early Childhood Resource Center (ECRC)(Formerly DLA) (313) 766-6475 23450 Davison West (old church offices located on the DLA Campus-East parking lot)

Friends of Eliza Howell Park

May 12 June 9 7am-Noon 9-11am

2012 Nature Discovery Walks

Eliza Howell Bird Count Bird walk with Detroit Audubon Society members

All walks start in the back of the loop in Eliza Howell Park. Eliza Howell Park is located 2 blocks east of Telegraph on Fenkell/5 Mile Rd For more information contact Billie Hickey at (313) 541-2601.

Greening News
Grown in Detroit
Over 80 gardeners from Brightmoor and all across the city participate in the Grown in Detroit (GID) cooperative, where they can sell their fresh, healthy organic produce at market and take home 100% of the proceeds. Starting May 5, the GID table will be open Saturdays from 6am4pm in Shed 2 at the Eastern Market. For more info on GID, contact Carmen (313) 385-2235.

Community Corner
Yard Waste Collection Resumes DPW has begun picking up yard waste. Put out your material in paper leaf/lawn bags on your regularly scheduled trash pick up day. Branches and twigs of less than 2 inches thick can be put out in bundles not to exceed four feet in length. Place your bags or bundles at least 6 feet from your Courville container. A separate truck will pick them up (sometimes a day or two later). Plastic trash bags will not be collected. Safety Issues Need Attention Some recent events in the neighborhood have many residents concerned and interested in forming a neighborhood watch. This will be on the agenda at our May 9th NBB meeting. Call Rep. Santana to Support Legislation Against Illegal Scrapping If you didnt get a chance to sign the petition at our April meeting in favor of House Bills 5490-5494 regulating illegal scrapping, take a moment to call State Representative Harvey Santanas office and tell him that you would like his support. His number is (517) 373-6990.

NBB Block Contacts

Grayfield Riet Schumack 283-8091 Myra Jessie 808-3074 Beaverland Nicky Schumack 590-1965 Scott Unger 310-7052 Bramell Tim Miller 687-2806 Gwen Shivers 533-9455 Chatham Michelle Young 918-8945 Eaton Donna Voss 804-7540 Lamphere Bill Hickey 541-2601 Tywan Bell (248) 755-1034 Jeremy Kenward 701-2063 Jackie Adams 753-5446 Dacosta Sherry Courtney 537-8558 Dolphin Craig Reinke 778-2710 Rockdale Ilka Lapeer 532-9272 Need another block captain to help Ilka. Outer Drive Bernice Walker 926-1975 Lyndon Lyndon is in our target area. We need block captains on Lyndon. Fenkell Still need a block captain.

GRP Hot Crop Distribution

Come pick up your tomatoes, peppers and other warm weather crops at Earthworks Urban Farm (1264 Meldrum) on Thursday May 17 from 5-7pm and Saturday May 19 from 13pm.

Upcoming Urban Garden Education Series

For more info, contact Kido at (313) 285-1256. Healthy Harvest: Pest and Disease Prevention and Management Saturday May 12 from 1-3pm at Manistique Community Garden, 866 Manistique (south of Jefferson, east of Conner). Indian Cuisine Cooking Class Monday May 21 from 6-8:30pm at City Temple Church, 8816 Grand River Ave (south of Joy). Bounty from the Sky: Rain Catchment Systems Thursday May 24 from 6-8pm at Brightmoor Youth Beta Garden on Grayfield.