Halloween coming to Rouge Park

Halloween - Illustration by Myriam Zilles

As previously reported on this blog, Detroit’s Halloween in the D program is coming to Rouge Park. Children across Warrendale and the surrounding neighborhoods are invited to the Brennan Pools Building (22340 Plymouth Rd.).

Volunteers will be on hand to help make sure that the youngest Detroiters have a spooky good time. Trick-or-treating will happen there from 5 - 8 p.m.

This, of course, leads directly to my second announcement that is related to Halloween in the D.

The nonprofit group Friends of Rouge Park is looking for volunteers to help make this event a safe and fun time for the children of Detroit. The more people who help out, the easier this will be on everyone. There are two different times next week when they will need people to help them with the Halloween program.

Volunteers are needed to help pack bags of candy for the children on Wednesday, October 23 from noon until approximately 5 p.m. Anyone who is willing and able to help should sign up via the link below and then come to the Brennan Pools Building that day.

The group will also need lots of help on Thursday, October for Halloween itself. From noon until 6 p.m., the group is looking to help with people who can help setting up for this event and staffing it. They will also need help that day with staffing this event and then breaking everything down later at night. This will needed from 4:30 - 10 p.m.

Anyone who is willing to volunteer to make Halloween in the D a safe and fun evening for the children of Detroit is asked to sign-up by clicking this link.

For more information, please contact Erica Hill, manager of special events and programming for Detroit’s Parks and Recreation Department. She can be reached at (313) 628-4203.

Volunteers needed for Rouge Park clean up this Saturday

Volunteers are needed to clean up Rouge Park this Saturday - File photo

Rouge Park Appreciation Day, which is the largest local park clean up of the year, will happen this Saturday, May 18. This volunteer event is organized by the nonprofit Friends of Rouge Park as well as each of the other groups who utilize the park on a regular basis.

During this daylong event, volunteers will undertake multiple projects to maintain the largest park in Detroit and a valuable resource for the Warrendale neighborhood. This will include invasive species removal, picking up trash, planting, painting, and more.

All volunteers are appreciated, even if you are only able to help out for an hour or two. Anyone with questions about this event is asked to email RougePark@gmail.com. Volunteers can sign up to help by filling out this Google Form here.

On a personal note, I want to thank everyone in advance who is able to help out at this event. Your efforts truly make a huge difference in the Warrendale neighborhood as well as surrounding parts of Detroit.

Greening of Detroit seeks volunteers to plant trees

Trees in Rouge Park - Photo by Frank Nemecek

The Greening of Detroit seeks help from volunteers to plant 1,500 saplings in Rouge Park's Meyers Nursery. They are also looking for people willing to train to become Citizen Foresters to lead groups of volunteers in planting. 

To become a Citizen Forester, volunteers are required to their field training session on Saturday, April 7 at 9 am. This training session will take place at the Meyers Tree Nursery, which located on W. Outer Drive inside of Rouge Park.

The upcoming volunteer planting dates for the Greening of Detroit will be:

• Saturday, April 21;
• Friday, April 27;
• Friday, May 4; and
• Saturday, May 19.

More information the Greening of Detroit, their Citizen Forester program, an opportunity to sign up are all available on their website.  

South Warrendale Radio Patrol reflects on 2017

Warrendale Radio Patrol
Photo by Frank Nemecek

With 2017 now in the history books, the South Warrendale Radio Patrol released a few figures about their year. This group of neighborhood residents volunteered more than 2,000 hours over the past 12 months and drove 6,839 miles patrolling Detroit.

To put those numbers in perspective, the 6,839 miles that the South Warrendale Radio Patrol drove on their patrols is the equivalent of driving from Detroit, Michigan to Beijing, China - with 198 miles left over.

As if that wasn't enough, the group also issued approximately 50 You Make a Difference certificates as well as:

• 60 Halloween decoration certificates;
• 60 Christmas Decoration Certificates;
• A Halloween trophy;
• Two Christmas trophies;
• Worked hard doing multiple community cleanups/board ups;
• Installed 16 new neighborhood watch signs;
• Posted almost 200 "This house is being watched signs" on vacant houses, and
• Attended more meetings/media events and gatherings than anyone cares to count.

I am extremely proud of the work that this dedicated group of volunteers for our neighborhood as well as all of Detroit.

Volunteers needed to help Detroiters avoid foreclosure

Home in Warrendale - Photo by Frank Nemecek

Each year thousands of Detroit residents face property tax foreclosure. The United Community Housing Coalition (UCHC) will conduct door-to-door outreach for those Detroit residents facing foreclosure to direct them to resources, payment plans, and counseling services designed to save their home.

We are asking for volunteers to join UCHC and commit to five hours of door to door canvassing to help at risk Detroiters save their home. UCHC will provide all volunteers with training to be able to go out and canvas according to their own schedules.

Previous canvassing experience is preferred, but not required to volunteer. Interested candidates should email Michele Oberholtzer at moberholtzer@uchcdetroit.org by May 26 to sign up.

For more information on UCHC, please visit http://www.uchcdetroit.org/.