In a collaborative effort to help revitalize Detroit communities, the Mike Ilitch School of Business’ Multicultural Professional Readiness Education Program (MPREP) is partnering with Detroit-based nonprofit organization Life Remodeled and other local businesses to clean up blight in the westside community near the now-shuttered Detroit Cooley High School.
“We want to give back and show just how beautiful local Detroit neighborhoods are,” said Lauren Scott, Ph.D., diversity and inclusion program manager at the Mike Ilitch School of Business and director of MPREP.
Scheduled to run through Saturday, the six-day clean-up effort, which includes other neighborhoods across the city, too, provides landscaping and yard maintenance for homes occupied by senior citizens and individuals with limited mobility. On Oct. 7, MPREP will join in these endeavors in the Cooley area, seeking to foster connections with neighborhood businesses, organizations and the residents.
“MPREP is a learning community in the Mike Ilitch School of Business that was created to support our multicultural students,” Scott said. “One of our main pillars is community, and there is no better way to show our love for community than giving our time and our help to support Detroit. The Cooley neighborhood is also important because Mr. Mike Ilitch is an alumnus of Cooley High School.”
She added, “We hope to connect with the residents of the community, hear their stories, assist them with their needs, and find other opportunities to continue to support Life Remolded and other Detroit neighborhoods.”
Participants will meet at Cooley High School at 11 a.m. and board buses to their designated blocks. Each volunteer will receive a free T-shirt to wear the day of the event and will engage in tasks such as trimming grass and weeds; pruning bushes; collecting debris; and mowing the lawns of senior citizens, veterans, and individuals with disabilities. All necessary tools will be provided, but participants are advised to bring their own gloves and protective eyewear. After the clean-up, volunteers will be transported back to the high school by bus for refreshments, scheduled between 4 and 5 pm.
Clean-up organizers hope to encourage students and volunteers to continue supporting local businesses and by contributing to the revitalization of other Detroit neighborhoods.
“Collaborative efforts that bring people together to help make improvements to the shared community have a much bigger impact than some people may realize,” said Vanessa Blauet, an MPREP community outreach ambassador. “Taking the time to remove blight and beautify these neighborhoods restores the image of Detroit.”
Program leaders said the work will be arduous but gratifying.
“Participants can expect to work hard, collaborate with others and have a great time engaging with residents,” Scott said. “For us, the goal is to leave the neighborhood looking better, landscape-wise, than we found it. It's like the saying, ‘When you look good, you feel good.’ This is true for neighborhood pride.”
For more information on how to get involved or contribute to the neighborhood clean-up, visit events.wayne.edu/2023/10/07/mprep-and-life-remodeled-volunteer-day-97226.