What’s happening: Community members and project stakeholders gathered in Northwest Detroit on Thursday, July 13, to celebrate the newly renovated Gmeiner Park. A coalition of partners helped make the $571,000-plus project possible, which first launched with community outreach and engagement programming in 2019.
What they built: Renovations of the 10-acre Gmeiner Park, located near the intersection of 7 Mile Road and Wyoming Avenue, include a quarter mile-plus walking loop, which also connects between 7 Mile and Clarita Avenue; two renovated baseball fields; a new ADA-accessible playground and playscape; newly planted trees; and new benches, picnic tables, trash bins, bike rack, and more.
How it happened: The City of Detroit, Project EverGreen, the Gilbert Family Foundation, and Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Legacy Funds of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan partnered on fundraising efforts for the project, ultimately raising more than $315,000 toward its completion. The City then contributed $256,000 to complete the renovations.
Local wisdom: Located to the north of Gmeiner Park is the Tindal Recreation Center, a once-vacant city rec center revitalized and now operated by the
Healthy Kidz Inc. nonprofit. The organization and the community it serves is credited with playing a crucial role in Gmeiner Park’s design concept and local engagement efforts.
Why it’s important: “Having a new ADA Accessible playground, new baseball diamonds, walkways, benches have been a blessing to this community,” Maria Adams-Lawton, Executive CEO/Director of Healthy Kidz Inc., says in a statement. “It is exciting watching everything transform from the ideas of a group of teenagers from Healthy Kidz Inc. who was given a challenge in the Summer of 2019 to make Gmeiner Park into a place they would bring their future children and families. This park transformation has been a game changer for Healthy Kidz Inc. and 48221 neighborhoods. I love seeing new families using the park.”
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