Project Name: Unity in the Park
ABOUT THE APPLICANT
Are you applying as a:
Neighborhood organization or association (such as a non-profit)
What is the organization’s name?
Eastside Community Action Center
What neighborhood does the organization serve?
Potter-Walsh Neighborhood, Lansing
First and last name?
Kristy Hagarty
Twitter Handle
Facebook Handle
ecaclansing
Instagram Handle
Is the organization a registered 501 (c)3 non-profit?
Yes
ABOUT THE PROJECT
What is the name of the neighborhood where the project will take place? (Please include city/village name too. Example: Mexican Town, Detroit)
Potter-Walsh Neighborhood, Lansing
Anticipated project launch date
July 15, 2023
Describe your project idea including: a) Is it a project or event? b) What will you do? c) Where will you do it? d) Who, if any, are your project partners?
‘Unity in the Park’ is an annual event held in Walsh Park. We partner with the Potter-Walsh Neighborhood Association & Faith Fellowship Baptist Church to organize a great afternoon filled with live music, food, activities, community resources, and lots of fun. We aim to highlight and showcase our neighborhood’s diversity and to bring the entire community together based on respect, trust and collaboration. It is about putting into action a “community building mindset” based on inclusion & equity.
How will you engage your community in this project?
The Potter-Walsh community look forward to this event each year. Many of the local residents volunteer their time helping to ensure things run smoothly, whether that is helping to cook and serve food, setting up a table to hand out resources to residents, or assisting in set up and dismantle. Everybody in the community is invited to participate and their feedback is vital and very important to us.
How will the project celebrate the neighborhood’s diversity? Diversity can include different ages, races, cultures, socio-economic statuses, abilities, and more.
The Potter-Walsh neighborhood is a fantastically diverse one. ‘Praise in the Park’ celebrates these diversities. We feel strongly that cross-cultural and multi-generational education and enrichment is a very important part of building social cohesion and harmony in our community. We want to move beyond tokenism and tolerance creating accessible initiatives for citizens and families, promoting the richness of the cultures and faiths that make up our neighborhood. ‘Praise in the Park’ brings to life the cultural assets that make for a richer and more abundant community.
How do you plan to spend the $1,000 microgrant? Please list and explain the items, services, fees, expertise, etc. that you plan to purchase.
Canopy tent hire for live music seating area – $600
Food supplies – $400
Will your project require special permits?
No
Are you the owner of the property where the project/event will occur?
Rachel’s Notes
Reviewed on 4.2.23. Confirmed member status. Confirmed org exists and is a non-profit; does serve a specific area and is religious. Seems to be a recurring event/neighborhood party. https://www.ecacclansing.org/about
Additional info as requested by an internal juror:
“Last year’s event welcomed over 170 of our neighbors, and we hope many more this year. ECAC has become a “safe space” for many local youths who are struggling with various challenges, as well as parents and more senior residents who have embraced and are grateful for our basic needs services, such as our food pantry and community clothing closet. They recognize the value in the services we offer and the ways we aim to inspire and empower people. We have expanded our reach in the Potter-Walsh area this year by actively knocking on doors and introducing ourselves to individuals on many more streets, informing them of our numerous programs and services. Our community is a diverse one, and it’s an amazing sight to see individuals of many races, ethnicities, faiths, abilities, genders, and sexual orientations all sitting, laughing, and talking together. We believe that our efforts in the community have played a significant role in achieving this thus far, and we look forward to continuing them.”
ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD’S NEEDS
Why does your neighborhood need this project?
The predominately low-income, minority families who live in our neighborhood know first hand how the effects of poverty can almost cripple a community. We are steadily turning that around to a place where resident’s love to live, and are seeing the impact of togetherness, compassion, and unity.
What do you hope to achieve through this project? Be as specific as possible!
We hope that ‘Unity in the Park’ helps neighborhood residents to celebrate the differences in our community, and highlights the cultural and artistic richness of these cultures. That it provides an opportunity for families in the community to learn more about these cultures and differences and to create an accessible platform for that interaction to take place. We hope that residents commit to working together for the betterment of our neighborhood and we continue to see young and old alike working in the community garden, or a young white youth helping his elderly, black neighbor by mowing their lawn.
What resources do you already have to make this project successful? Resources could include things like time, partners, expertise, donated goods/materials/space, matching funds, and more.
ECAC has a large and diverse network of organizations and individuals who love to help with projects and can spread the word of our event via many channels. We have a pool of volunteers who love to get involved and are loyal to the good work we do in the community. We have also organized this event many times before (albeit on a smaller scale.)
IMAGE UPLOADS
Image Caption 1 (if any): 2022 event – Bicycle giveaway winner
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Image Caption 2 (if any): Some of the community volunteers who helped in 2022
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Image Caption 3 (if any): Neighborhood children having fun in the bounce house 2022
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Image Caption 4 (if any): Lansing Police Department paid a visit and the children loved getting up close to a police vehicle.
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Image Caption 5 (if any): One of our under-shade live music seating areas 2021
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