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Thieves, Vandals Don’t Stop Saginaw VolunteersBy Mike ThompsonVolunteer effort always merits praise. But when somebody disrespects the good work that you do for free, the sacrifice is even more noteworthy. Saginaw City Councilwoman Amanda Kitterman-Miller and neighborhood activist Bakari McClendon both know how to keep on keepin’ on. Kitterman-Miller devoted dozens of hours last year to the Keep Saginaw Beautiful cleanup campaign, only to learn that thieves swiped 40 flower boxes that had been placed on the handrails of the city’s bridges. McClendon organized more than two dozen children and teens to plant an East Side vegetable garden near Houghton Elementary School, and then vandals tore it apart. Both have bounced back to renew their community service this spring,
and the whirlwind of activities is getting started early in May. “I just figure, if need be, we’ll outsmart them this time,” she explains, although last spring she was moved near tears at the City Council table when she reproached those who had done the nasty deed. She won election to the council in 2005 and figured she should serve in a manner that would go beyond voting on Monday nights. She decided to focus on the cleanup project, but she didn’t expect to reach a point where more than 20 grassroots groups and schools would take part. One of the participating groups was The Saginaw Flower Project, which placed the flower boxes on the bridges. Coordinator Piper Lumsden, who has since moved to Florida, said at the time, “You have to live and learn, and I’m not going to let one or two people take away the blessings of thousands of good people.” This year’s Keep Saginaw Beautiful events run from May 9 to May 16. Groups will clean locations such as the banks of the river, Ojibway Island, and downtown Morley Plaza. Flower planting also is featured once more, and Trees for Tri-Cities will plant 18 trees along Adams Boulevard. Some groups will perform yard work for senior citizens and the disabled, and the Arson Watch organization will board 100 abandoned houses that are open to entry. Members of Friends of Hoyt Park, which started last year, will work May 13, 14 and 15 to help prepare the ball diamonds for another season. Hoyt Park then will host a regional men’s softball tournament on May 16. Residents on May 9 and/or May 16 (from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) may take junk such as old lumber, tires, or excess brush to the Holland Avenue entrance at the City’s Public Works Service Center, the former recreation office south of City Hall. Disposal is free of charge, but people should show city workers a driver’s license that demonstrates proof of city residency, or other evidence that the property is based within the city limits. This activity attracted massive response during the 1990s but drew lower participation last year, due possibly to lack of publicity. It’s an alternative to the dumping on vacant lots that plagues Saginaw’s older neighborhoods. Donors have contributed $12,000 to Keep Saginaw Beautiful, including
$5,000 from Dow Chemical Co. and another $5,000 from the national
Keep America Beautiful organization. Money will purchase flowers,
trash bags, paint and other items. Groups that wish to carry out
projects may contact Amanda
Kitterman-Miller at 791-6386, or at akitterman@spsd.net. Bakari McClendon, Ceceil Reed, Clinton Winbush and other adult volunteers counseled the disappointed and disillusioned young gardeners. Then they replanted as many vegetables as possible, maintaining the spirit of the Saginaw County Youth Farm Stand Project. Encouragement came from dozens of citizens, from both inner-city and outlying areas, who called to offer sympathy and donations. “In a way, it was a blessing in disguise,” says McClendon, a young writer and poet who now is the Houghton-Jones Task Force president for 2009. “It turned out that the story actually raised awareness on the issue of food security in low-income areas, promoting the concept that residents can grow their own healthy vegetables and work directly with farmers in their area.” Students who participate do far more than spend an afternoon planting a garden. Starting on April 27, their schedule calls for a pair of weekly work sessions all the way through the fall. Demands are similar to taking a college class. The youngsters are responsible for maintenance and marketing of their products, much of which will be sold at the Downtown Saginaw Farmer’s Market during the summer and fall. Last year’s funding sources were the U.S. Department of Agriculture (in connection with the C.S. Mott Foundation) and the Saginaw Community Foundation. This year’s lead supporter is the Michigan State University Extension office in Saginaw, teaming with the Saginaw County Department of Public Health. McClendon, like Kitterman-Miller, has learned about forming partnerships. The Saginaw County Youth Leadership Initiative, coordinated through Mamie Thorns at Saginaw Valley State University, is working with United Way to participate and to raise funds. The National Gardening Project is a co-sponsor, building upon the green environmental movement. A Farm Stand Project kickoff is at 9 a.m. May 15 at the Houghton-Jones Center, 1708 Johnson. This isn’t just an issue for the inner city. McClendon says a group of Saginaw Township volunteers, educated by last summer’s Houghton-Jones scenario, is planting a community vegetable garden near the Center Courts facility on North Center near Shattuck. “It’s sort of like we’re the trail blazers,” McClendon says. He can be reached with a message at the
Houghton-Jones Neighborhood
Resource Center, 752-1660, or via bakari.mcclendon@gmail.com |
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