Heritage Works (@HeritageWorks) & The Pepsi Refresh Project
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Community Involvement
Last month I had the honor of joining the board of Heritage Works, a Detroit-based nonprofit with a focus on cultural arts. This community-based organization is both inspiring and making an impact on the lives of children and adults. Founded in December of 2000 as African Dance Works, Heritage Works “celebrates the beauty and humanity of African people through music, movement and folklore.” What inspires me the most about this organization is its commitment to preserving cultural heritage and tradition while empowering both individuals and the wider community to achieve its potential through artistic excellence.
I’m excited about serving with this board. I understand the power of sharing cultural traditions and its potential for breaking down ethnic and racial barriers. I believe this small organization has a lot of potential to do big things!
This month Heritage Works is participating in the online Pepsi Refresh Project. Voting began Monday and it extends through the end of the month. In short, if Heritage Works can land in the top ten vote-getters then it will receive $50,000 in financial support from Pepsi.
If you believe in the power of the arts, then I urge you to help support Heritage Works. Please log on daily throughout the month of March and vote for Heritage Works!
Vote for Heritage Works!
Tags: Community Involvement
Coming Together to Teach Kids to Read in Detroit
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Community Involvement
What do 3,639 people have in common? The answer is an interest in teaching the children of Detroit how to read. Back in December the Detroit Free Press, in partnership with Detroit Public Schools, made a call for citizens to volunteer 100,000 hours collectively to tutor reading in the DPS. The public has responded.
Yesterday marked the beginning of something powerful. Approximately 2,500 volunteers attended a rally and training at Detroit Renaissance High School for the newly established Detroit Reading Corps. So far 3,639 people have signed up to volunteer 434,187 hours of their time over five years to tutor prekindergarten students. The ultimate goal is to have every student reading at grade level or above by third grade, by 2015. It’s an audacious but achievable goal.
The three-hour rally and training was filled with excitement. It was great seeing such a diverse group of people come together for a common interest. It’s not something one sees often in our region. I can’t help but wonder if this bold endeavor will have several other positive effects on SE Michigan and beyond.
The rally was filled with inspiring speeches from Charles Pugh, Detroit City Council President; Yvette Bing, Detroit’s First Lady; and Robert Bobb, Detroit Public Schools Emergency Financial Manager. Several musical performances from school children got the larger crowd clapping and smiling.
The training was rather short, but sweet. Volunteers were given a series of tools including a handbook, session plans and other tools to meet the goals of each lesson.
At this point volunteers are waiting on the results of a background check and their placement at a particular school. Personally, I’m really looking forward to receiving my assignment and I hope to make a small impact on some child’s life.
Some facts about the program:
- Volunteers are being asked to tutor at least one hour a week in a school, working with a prekindergarten student.
- Volunteers will have to undergo a criminal background check, which will be conducted at no charge to volunteers.
- Volunteers will be required to show a photo identification card, which will be provided by DPS, whenever they come to a school site.
- Volunteers are asked to commit at least one year; however, all are encouraged to continue to work with their designated children through subsequent grades.
Volunteer with the Detroit Reading Corps.
Read more at the Detroit Free Press.
Robert Bobb addresses volunteers at the Detroit Reading Corps rally.
- Devon Akmon
Tags: Community Involvement
My Response To The Ann Arbor Chronicle Article
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Community Involvement
I’m a big fan of the Ann Arbor Chronicle. Having worked a short stint as a photojournalist at some of Michigan’s biggest papers, I have a high respect for both journalism and citizen journalism. The Ann Arbor Chronilce is a great local resource.
An article was posted earlier today on Project Grow’s annual meeting, which took place last Thursday. Up until that point I had served on the board for the past two years (the last year as Board Chair). Due to various reasons, I withdrew my name at the annual meeting from being re-elected to another two year appointment. This article does a good job of summarizing why I chose to depart the organization. Also, you can read my response to the article here, or here:
Thanks, Dave, for this excellent summary of the night’s events. Sadly, I have learned that two additional board members have resigned, largely due to what is felt as mistreatment of staff and divisiveness amongst the board. This is sad, given that all individuals involved truly want the best for the organization. Further, Melissa’s leadership and presence as Executive Director will be missed.
I trust the board will work to advance Project Grow in a positive direction. As a community-based organization, I hope they will provide a big tent for all to get involved (this includes partnerships with other area organizations; something Melissa did an excellent job of expanding). Right now organic gardening and local food issues are among the many popular civic topics working in favor of Project Grow. There are many wonderful people with past affiliations to Project Grow who are doing great things in the community (e.g. Jeff McCabe at FM@SELMA and Amanda Edmonds at Growing Hope). I hope an open hand will be extended to them as well. By working together the community will only become more connected and vibrant.
Lastly, I hope the current board listens to the suggestions of the community leaders who provided advice to Project Grow. They have great experience and important recommendations that should be explored. For one, I truly hope the bylaws are reviewed and updated. Currently, any person can show up and simply pay $10 to have a say in how the organization operates. While I am a strong supporter of community-based organizations – I work for a very large and effective one in Dearborn – I am troubled by this flaw in the bylaws (and, I feel this is only one of many). At the annual meeting, there were two people who made donations that very day and had a voice in determining the night’s vote and future direction of the organization. These individuals were not gardeners and have little knowledge of the board’s recent activities. It’s sad to think that people with limited knowledge of Project Grow’s governance and day-to-day operations can have such a major impact on the organization. It would be very easy for a malicious group of outsiders to have a major impact on the future of the organization (yes, a worse case scenario, yet a possibility given the current structure of the bylaws).
I have too many thoughts to discuss in this limited space, but I do wish the best for Project Grow, and I hope it will continue to have a positive impact on the community.
I hold no hard feelings and do like many of the current board members. In fact, I wish the organization well and I will continue to be a supporter in the future.
- Devon Akmon
Tags: Community Involvement
