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.

April 2012
Dates to remember
NBB mtg. and potluck April 11, 6.30-8.30. St. Christines Soup Kitchen 22261 Fenkell Friends of Eliza Howell Park April 19, 12-2p

Detroit Partnership Day a Great Success

At 10.30 am on March 31, 4 yellow school busses rolled down the Farmway and came to a halt between Lamphere and Dacosta. Close to 200 UM students armed with water bottles, gloves and lots of enthusiasm and energy descended upon our community to help our neighbors make our neighborhood even more beautiful. Under guidance of Greening of Detroit staff and many neighbors they helped plant almost 100 trees, started a a new potato patch, did spring garden preps, decorated a house, started a ultimate Frisbee field, and filled up 3 dumpsters with garbage from all over the neighborhood. A special mention has to be made to the heroic efforts of Dolphin residents Craig, Jacob and David and their 40 volunteers who cleaned up an enormous amount of trash and boarded up 5 houses on their street. The dumpster teams, consisting of Mark and Ray as crew leaders, our faithful Michigan Community Scholars crew and youth from our Brightmoor Youth Development Collaboration who volunteered their time was not to be outdone as they drove around the neighborhood collecting old couches and other bulk trash and put them in the dumpsters. This event is just the first of many for this year. On April 20-21 Lamphere between Eaton and Lyndon, will get a complete overhaul with the help of 100 Americorps volunteers and of course you our neighbors. We will celebrate on April 21 with a community BBQ at the community Garden on this block. For more info, call block captain Jackie Adams 753-5446. If you want to host and sponsor a make-over for your block, please attend our community meeting on April 11 from 6.30-8.30pm.

Scotty Simpsons Brightmoor Alliance Mtg. April 19, 6-8pm (meal served) Leland Baptist Church 22420 Fenkell GRP Cold Crop Pick-up April 12 from 5-7pm, April 14 from 1-3pm Earthworks Garden Lamphere Americorps Block clean up April 20-21 from 9-3pm Between Eaton and Lyndon DPS Spring Vacation youth activities. For more info: Riet Schumack 283 8091 Kids Corner Wednesdays 4-6pm St. Christines Soup Kitchen Eliza Howell Frog and wildFlower Walk April 24 from 6-8 pm Eliza Howell Park, back of the loop. Billie Hickey 313.541.2601

Special thanks to:

St. Christines and Leland Baptist Church for hosting our events. Volunteers from Youth Works, UM, Wayne State, MSU. Wayne County CLEAN for dumpsters. Mr. and Mrs. Morykwas for donating a lawn mower, weed wacker and other garden equipment. Mr. and Mrs . Ralph Schumack for donating $200 Greening of Detroit for 100 trees.

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 7 pm. We try very hard to stop at 8.30 pm. Please put the following dates on your calendar and plan to attend and be ready to share your great ideas on neighborhood improvement. April 11... May 9 June 13 July 11..August 8...September 12...October 10...November 14...December 12

Garden Patch

Riet Schumack

Community Potato Patch has a new location. (Bill Hickey) We'll be doing a community potato patch again this summer. It's moved to the northwest corner of Lamphere and Chalfonte. MSU will supply the seed potatoes like last year. We'll probably plant in mid-May. In the meantime, we can use some help in digging the rows and preparing them for planting. If you'd like to help dig, or if you'd like to plant a row of potatoes, contact Bill Hickey at (313) 541-2601

DP Day volunteers digging the new patch

During the Depression years, then Mayor of Detroit, Mr. Pingree gave empty lots for residents to use to grow potatoes. The city supplied potatoes and vegetable seeds and people supplemented their diet and income with home grown potatoes and veggies. Bill and Billie Hickey from Lamphere Community Garden started a potato patch in that spirit and worked with a number of families and individuals last year. Each person helped sow, maintain and water and harvested potatoes for their family at the end of the year.

Kids Corner

Katharina Walsh

Our Kid's Corner underwater world painting is up in St. Christines! We had a lot of fun in March painting watery backgrounds for the many brightly colored fish and sea creatures that we made. It was great to see everyone working together so nicely to make this a truly collaborative group art piece! We also did a lot of paint mixing and learned which colors blend well and which ones just make mud! Sarah, from the Greening of Detroit visited again and led a session to finalize the garden/art plans for the Global Youth Service Day project on Lamphere. Lots of great input and vision from our young contributors! In April we will have opportunities for kid's garden and art activities as part of the Global Youth Service Day: Friday, April 13th 12:30-3:30pm Mural painting outside in the area across from 14575 Lamphere. All ages welcome! Saturday, April 21st 2:30-4:30pm Art, garden activities and block party! in the new park across from 14575 Lamphere. All ages welcome! Kid's Corner will continue in April every Wednesday from 4-6pm at St. Christines Soup Kitchen (22261 Fenkell). It's FREE and open to EVERYONE! For more info. call Miss Kat at:

313-989-6692

BrightStars
Mondays
Parent Book Club (ECFRC) 10-11:30am Storytime (DCI) 10:30am-noon

Early Learning Centers

Thursdays
Lets Read Preschoolers (ECRC)11-12:30p Green Thimbs Up (EFCRC) 1-2:30pm Music & Movement (RCC) 6:00-7:30pm

Tuesdays

Wednesdays

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 Discovery Time Transportation Available (ECFRC) 11-12:30pm Sewing for Beginners (EFCRC) 1-3pm Music & Movement (RCC) 6:00-7:30pm Newborn to 18mo.

Nature Explorer Transportation Available (ECFCC) 12:30-2pm Nature Explorer Music & Movement (ECFRC) 11:30-12:30pm (RCC) 6:00-7:30pm

Budgeting Forum
Informative session about the importance of developing a family budget. Where: ECFRC When: Thursday, April 12, 5-7pm Light snacks will be served

Job Readiness 1 ON 1
1 on 1 sessions with Thomastine and Pat to discuss any questions you have about the job market and how to be succesfull in your job search. Where: ECFRC When Tuesday April 17, 6-7.30 pm

New ELC Incentive Plan

Effective March 1. Please make sure you have a new punch Card in order to collect stamps which can be redeemed for gifts. Cards are available at Brightstars Groups and ELC trainings. Contact Jill Harris at 313 255 0900 ext. 2109

The Art of community Art Show

When: Tuesday April 24, 4-7 pm Where: Redford Township Library Join us as we present the talents of our children and families. Open to the public and anyone interested can enter an art piece in the show. For questions contact Kristen Anderson at kanderson@develctrs.org

Choose from 3 locations:

Development Centers, Inc. (DCI) (313) 255-0900 X 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 Located at 23450 Davison West (Old Church offices located on the DLA Campus-East parking lot)

Friends of Eliza Howell Park

April 24 May 12 June 9 6-8pm 7am-Noon 9-11am

2012 Nature Discovery Walks

Spring flowers, toad and frog listen 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: Billie Hickey: 313 541 2601

GREENING NEWS
GRP: COLD CROP TRANSPLANT DISTRIBUTIONS!
On Thursday, April 12th, 5-7pm or Saturday, April 14th, 1-3pm Garden Resource Program participants can pick up Cool Weather transplants at Earthworks Urban Farm, 1264 Meldrum These transplants, started in the greenhouse, will be ready to go in the ground in the cool early season! If you missed seed pickup or are new to the GRP, you will be able to pick up seeds this day as well. Feel free to mail your application in or bring it with you to the distribution. PLEASE BRING A BOX WITH YOU FOR YOUR TRANSPLANTS! Please contact Tee Rushdan if you have any questions at 313.285.2300

Community Corner
Yard Waste Collection Begins This Month The Department of Public Works will begin picking up yard waste this month. Place your yard waste in paper leaf bags or your own plastic or metal garbage can, at least 6 feet from your Courville container, by 7:00 a.m. on the day of your normal trash pick -up. Do not place yard waste in your Courville or in plastic bags. Branches and twigs less than 2 inches thick can be put out in bundles not to exceed four feet in length. Do not tie the bundles Rosedale Recycles is Saturday, April 21st. Bring your Hazardous Waste Products! Rosedale Recycles takes place every 3rd Saturday of the month, at Christ the King Church, corner of Grand River and Burt Rd, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Rosedale Recycles will take the glass, aseptics, and styrofoam that you cant put in your curbside bluetopped trash bins. This month (April 21st), Rosedale Recycles will take your hazardous waste products, such as paints, glues, oils, solvents, chemicals, rat poison, bleach, old medications, syringes, asbestos, batteries, cleaners, computers and other electronics. UNACCEPTABLE ITEMS: Explosives, Ammunition, Radioactive, Industrial Cylinders, Known PCBs, Smoke detectors, and TVs Questions, call (313) 9232240

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 Virginia Griffin 588-2138 Dolphin Craig Reinke 778-2710 Rockdale Ilka Lapeer 532-9272 Outer Drive Bernice Walker 926-1975

FEAST IS BACK!
The Greening of Detroit is excited to kick off another season of FEAST, a series of cooking and community dinner events for high school students in the city. We're looking for a stellar crew who want to join our Youth Leadership Crew this year. Crew members meet once a month to learn about the food system, develop cooking skills, and explore justice issues in Detroit and around the world. Crew members also can earn stipends and communityservice hours for planning, organizing, and preparing delicious homecooked FEAST meal events at gardens and community centers across the city. Interested? contact Eitan Sussman at the Greening of Detroit at 313.285.2243