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We spent an entire week (September 23-28, 2024) in Detroit—specifically in the Denby neighborhood—to help, pro bono, the non-profit Life Remodeled with executing their planned week-long project to “remodel” the surrounding neighborhood to their new “Opportunity Hub” project, “Anchor Detroit.” We were responsible for some graphic design and capturing the project photographically. Most of the graphics work was done before the ‘project week’, and most of the photography was done during the week-long ‘campaign’ in the neighborhood.
Their 2024 “Six-Day Project“ focused on clearing blight from vacant properties and beautifying many of the homes around a previous charter school. All of this happened with an army of over 5,000 volunteers (158 volunteer groups) who did the following:
– 283 City Blocks Beautified
– 1,100 Cubic Yards of Trash and 990 Cubic Yards Of Brush Cleared
(That’s about 840 pickup truckloads of debris)
– 353 Tires Recycled
(Which, stacked up on top of one another, would make them almost as tall as the Eiffel Tower!)
– 100 “Ring” Doorbells Donated By Amazon (Many installations happened during the week)
PREVIOUS TO THIS ‘PROJECT’
So, since Life Remodeled’s work in their previous project the “Durfee Innovation Society” in the Central High School neighborhood was essentially done in 2021, they started to look for another vacant school to transform into a ‘community center’. They chose Cooley High School, which had been vacant for over 10 years.
However, even after they had worked with community groups in the neighborhood for over three years—performing a Six Day Project in the area in 2022—remarkably, the DPSCD Board rejected all of Life Remodeled’s offers. Despite fervent pleas from neighbors and alumni, the DPSCD Board, without a public vote or discussion, denied their collective efforts to transform Cooley in the ways the community wished.
[ NOTE: Even after the denial from DPSCD, Life Remodeled still completed their second Six Day Project in the Cooley neighborhood in 2023 (Scroll down to “2023”): https://visualimpactsystems.com/pro-bono-work/ ]
So, after all that effort, Life Remodeled did not have a new project to start in 2024. They then had to start a new search for another opportunity in a different area of Detroit where they could ‘bring to life’ a community’s vision for their neighborhood in a way that was compatible with their expertise and abilities—and an opportunity ‘fell into their lap’ just a few months after they started their search!
They announced plans to acquire a 7.55-acre site in the Denby neighborhood on Detroit’s east side, which had been the site of the “Winans Academy of Performing Arts” (previously the home of the “Dominican High School” from 1940 to 1997).
At their on-site press conference—on July 11, 2023—Life Remodeled’s founder and CEO, Chris Lambert, said, “Denby is the ideal location for our first hub on the east side. It is a neighborhood that is engaged, invested, and close to the heart and soul of Life Remodeled. In 2016, we partnered with students and community leaders for one year to work toward revitalization together. This new hub will continue that commitment in ways that will make a broader and deeper impact for the long-term.”
The thing is, this is kind of a ‘homecoming’ since Life Remodeled partnered with the Denby community in 2016 to bring to life a vision of a park next door to the Denby High School. They worked with Denby High School students to enhance “Skinner Park,” and volunteers removed blight on 303 blocks and boarded up 362 vacant houses.
[ FYI: For more details about the original Six Day Project Life Remodeled did in the Denby neighborhood, view our previous post (Scroll down to “2016”): https://visualimpactsystems.com/pro-bono-work/ ]
‘REPLICATING’ DIS’s SUCCESS
Life Remodeled CEO Chris Lambert was asked a few years ago where he would like to put the next Opportunity Hub. Without hesitating, he mentioned the Denby neighborhood:
“Our model is limited. It only works if there is a large vacant school building already there in the community. New construction is not affordable, and there’s a bunch of vacant schools in Detroit that need to be repurposed… Many of you know we invested in this neighborhood in 2016 it is an honor it is a privilege to be back home in the Denby Yorkshire Woods communities.”
So, the new “Opportunity Hub” in the Denby neighborhood will be very similar to Life Remodeled’s DIS on the west side, offering after-school programs, community resources, and health services. However, Life Remodeled also said that they will continue the tradition of the Winans Academy by providing arts and culture programming.
Life Remodeled will raise funds via philanthropy to complete the needed work on the building and property but has not yet finalized its financial requirements. This project will create life-transforming access to educational youth programs, workforce development initiatives, health and wellness services, and more.
[ FYI: Life Remodeled Press Conference Announcing Purchase of the Marvin Winans Academy of Performing Arts (11 JUL 23):
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPE7wYA_sFA ]
At this time, Life Remodeled plans to develop the “Anchor Detroit” project for at least the next few years. While there is no ‘official’ opening date for the ‘Hub’ yet, Life Remodeled has said it plans to have the facility reach near full capacity by the end of 2025. (At least 50,000 square feet—of the building’s 87,000 square feet—is expected to be leased by nonprofit partners, who will offer afterschool youth programs, workforce development initiatives, and health and wellness resources to the community.)
AN OPPORTUNITY TO ‘REPURPOSE’
Just a month after Life Remodeled’s proposal to turn the former Cooley High School into an “Opportunity Hub” was rejected by the Detroit Public Schools Community District, the organization found another home for its project on Detroit’s east side—in the Denby High School neighborhood.
[ PHOTO: Winans Academy of Performing Arts – Logo ]
During Life Remodeled’s on-site press conference (on July 11, 2023) to announce their new multi-year project—the repurposing of the previous Winans Academy of Performing Arts—Sandra Turner-Handy, the president of the Denby Neighborhood Alliance said:
“Thank you, Life Remodeled, for coming back to support the work of transforming our community through raising the quality of life for our residents. The residents and businesses are invested in continuing the amazing work started with Life Remodeled years ago. We are honored to welcome and continue to support through actively working with Life Remodeled in planning and designing what will become a vital and much-needed resource space in our community.”
Life Remodeled’s founder and CEO, Chris Lambert, then said: “Denby is the ideal location for our first hub on the east side. It is a neighborhood that is engaged, invested, and close to the heart and soul of Life Remodeled. In 2016, we partnered with students and community leaders for one year to work toward revitalization together. This new hub will continue that commitment in ways that will make a broader and deeper impact for the long-term.”
The thing is, this is kind of a ‘homecoming’ for Life Remodeled since they partnered with the Denby community in 2016 to bring to life a vision of a park next door to the Denby High School. They worked with Denby High School students to enhance “Skinner Park,” and volunteers removed blight on 303 blocks and boarded up 362 vacant houses.
[ FYI: For more details about the original Six Day Project Life Remodeled did in the Denby neighborhood, view our previous post (Scroll down to “2016”): https://visualimpactsystems.com/pro-bono-work/ ]
Kenzie Current, a business liaison for the city’s District 4, said, during a building tour after the formal press conference ended: “This is huge for Whittier and for the Denby [Neighborhood] Alliance. It’s a lot of great things coming this way, and I’m excited to have been a part of such a passionate community and business community.”
One of the residents in attendance for the press conference was Norma Danzie, a 69-year-old member of the Denby Neighborhood Alliance who has lived in the community for the past 25 years. Danzie said she had worked with Life Remodeled in 2016 and is glad to have them back in the neighborhood: “When they were at Durfee, they remodeled and did all kinds of things with that building. The kids in this neighborhood really need a place that’s close. We don’t have a recreation center in this immediate area, and I’m hoping that there’ll be chances for them to get into different activities and keep them busy and occupied.”
Alonzo Marable, 56, who also worked with Life Remodeled in the past—volunteering with cleanup projects in Cody Rogue, Denby, Osborn, and Durfee—grew up in the neighborhood, graduated from Denby High School, and opened his business, “Ultimate Party Supply and Rental,” on Whittier Avenue. He commented, “I’ve seen the work that they’ve done, and I believe in them.” Marable hopes the new hub will bring the community back to the way it used to be when he was a child.
At the end of the conference, Lambert said that Life Remodeled will coordinate with the vision for the Denby Neighborhood Alliance and will create an Opportunity Hub that will be similar to Life Remodeled’s “Durfee Innovation Society” on the west side, offering after-school programs, community resources, and health services. Life Remodeled said that they will also continue the tradition of the Winans Academy by providing arts and culture programming in the center.
PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT
The 7.55-acre site, located at 9740 McKinney Street, has served the Denby community for decades. The space was the former home of Dominican High School and was in operation from 1940 to 1997. Marvin Winans, a pastor and gospel artist, then moved into the site in 1997 and founded his Academy of Performance Arts.
After the proposal to DPSCD for Cooley High School fell through for Life Remodeled, Winans reached out to Life Remodeled, telling them he had closed his Academy and would be interested in talking to them about repurposing the building. Both parties felt, very quickly, that this would be a great opportunity for both of them, and Life Remodeled then purchased the school.
Chris Lambert, Founder and CEO of Life Remodeled, told his team, “When Pastor Winans reached out and told me the address of this location, immediately, my heart started beating before I even saw what the building looked like because of the address, because of the Denby community.”
This new “Opportunity Hub” will be similar to Life Remodeled’s “Durfee Innovation Society” on the west side, offering after-school programs, community resources, and health services. Brandi Haggins, Vice President of Opportunity Hubs for Life Remodeled, said that they will also continue the tradition of the Winans Academy by providing arts and culture programming: “As we talk to the community, we’re reaching out to different partners to try to recruit them into the building. So, we want to make sure that we’re bringing in what the community actually wants to see.”
Haggins said while the Academy kept the building in good condition, Life Remodeled is planning to renovate, add an addition, and add its ‘style’ to the building. There is no opening date for the hub yet, but Life Remodeled plans to have the facility reach near full capacity by the end of 2025. The building is more than 87,000 square feet, and at least 50,000 square feet is expected to be leased by nonprofit partners to bring afterschool youth programs, workforce development programs, and health and wellness resources to the Denby community.
Stepha’N Quicksey, Life Remodeled’s Community Engagement Director, said, “We currently have an Opportunity Hub on the west side of Detroit—the “Durfee Innovation Society”—that we’ve been operating since 2017. We served nearly 30,000 Detroiters there, so we’re very happy to be moving to the east side of Detroit to replicate that model of an Opportunity Hub.”
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Proposed Development – Front Aerial View ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Proposed Development – Side Aerial View ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Proposed Development – Addition ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Proposed Development – Amenities ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Proposed Development – New Back Entrance ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Proposed Development – New Front Entrance ]
Sandra Turner-Handy, the president of the Denby Neighborhood Alliance, told CBS Detroit News what “Anchor Detroit” will mean for their community:
[ VIDEO: “CBS Detroit Coverage, Community to Name New Eastside Opportunity Hub” ]
‘NAMING’ NEW OPPORTUNITY HUB
So, the first thing Life Remodeled did to get the community involved—part of its commitment to inclusive community engagement—Life Remodeled established a website to allow those with a vested interest in the nearby area—anyone who lives, learns, works, or worships in the neighborhoods near the future community hub—to select its name. (Life Remodeled also invited alumni of the Winans Academy of Performing Arts and Dominican High School to participate, too.)
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled’s Campaign To Name Their New Opportunity Hub, “Name That Building” ]
After ‘sifting’ through all of the submissions, the following three had the most interest:
– “Anchor Detroit”
Inspired by the iconic anchor in the Denby Tars logo of Denby High School, Anchor Detroit represents stability, resilience, hope, and strength for the Denby neighborhood and the city of Detroit at large.
– “The Whit”
The Whit is short for Whittier Avenue, the street on which Life Remodeled’s new Opportunity Hub is located. Whittier Avenue was named after John Greenleaf Whittier, an advocate for the abolition of slavery in the United States.
– “Whittier Pointe”
Located just a few miles away from the affluent Grosse Pointe community, Whittier Pointe represents pride and hope in a thriving, prosperous future for the Denby community. It also speaks to the potential to foster a stronger relationship between the two communities and promote equity and unity.
Then, after a month, after more than 500 community ‘stakeholders’ participated in this campaign—including students, educators, residents, business owners, and faith leaders—“Anchor Detroit” was, by far, the favorite name for the new Opportunity Hub.
Brandi Haggins, Vice President of Opportunity Hubs for Life Remodeled, said, “We understand that involving the community not only fosters unity but also instills a deep sense of ownership and pride, as residents actively contribute to the positive impact that ‘Anchor Detroit’ will bring to their neighborhood in the coming years.”
So, since Life Remodeled plans the facility to reach near full capacity by the end of 2025, as with all of their previous projects, they started planning a “Six Day Project” to beautify multiple hundreds of blocks surrounding the center and to start cleaning up the building and its surrounding grounds.
“SIX DAY PROJECT”
So, to show the Denby community how ‘serious’ Life Remodeled is about transforming the neighborhood, they—as has been done in all of their previous projects—organized a “Six Day Project” to remove blight and beautify a 2-1/2 square mile area around the new building, and also to start the repurposing of the building, too.
[ GRAPHIC: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Area Map ]
Life Remodeled’s Stepha’N Quicksey said, “We’re coming together to beautify the neighborhoods so that we can contribute to everybody living in a safe, comfortable, clean neighborhood.”
The team behind Life Remodeled plans to ‘touch’ seven of the 20 neighborhoods that surround the Hub with their beautification project. Quicksey continued saying, “We’re going to be removing trees, cutting trees and bushes at vacant lots and vacant homes, as well as mowing grass at those properties.” He added that they will also be removing debris and trash throughout the area.
As Life Remodeled did in their previous Six Day Project in the Cooley High School neighborhood, their partner Amazon will install their “Ring” doorbell devices on 100 homes in the area.
Ian Conyers of Amazon Community Affairs said, “We’re installing Ring devices in honor of Anchor Detroit… to make sure the folks have the opportunity to communicate with each other… and bring the community together.”
One resident, Shirley Bradford, who lives in the area, said before Life Remodeled stepped in to help, some of the vacant properties were a problem. “Paper, debris. You name it, we had it.” But after the Six Day Project was complete, Bradford said she was proud of what the organization was doing. “They’re making it look very, very beautiful.”
So, in the third week of September 2024—for six days—Life Remodeled brought over 5,000 volunteers—from 158 ‘groups’—to the neighborhood, and they did the following:
– 283 City Blocks Beautified
– 1,100 Cubic Yards Of Trash and 990 Cubic Yards Of Brush Cleared
(That’s about 840 pickup truckloads of debris)
– 353 Tires Recycled
(Which, stacked up on top of one another, would make them almost as tall as the Eiffel Tower!)
– 100 “Ring” Doorbells Donated By Amazon (Many installations happened during the Project week.)
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Partners ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – GM Group ]
Someone got me on the bus getting ready to take a photo of the General Motors group…
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Photographer Mark Besh Taking GM Group Pic ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Volunteers Boarding Buses ]
WORK OUT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – An ‘Army’ Of Volunteers ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Cleaning Up Blight ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Cleaning Up Overgrowth ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Uncovering Sidewalks ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Cleaning Up Garbage ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Removing Dangerous Trees ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Cleaning Up Junk ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Before And After ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Before And After ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Before And After ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Before And After ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Before And After ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Before And After ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Removing Garbage ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Removing Old Tires ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Filling Many Dumpsters ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Installing “Ring” Doorbells ]
WORK AT THE BUILDING
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Auditorium Exterior ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Exterior Cleanup ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Painting Exterior ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Cleaning Up Old Trees ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Remodeling Interior ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Cleaning Hallways ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Cleaning Up Classrooms ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Removing Old Flooring ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Removing Auditorium Seats ]
‘TRANSFORMATIVE’ INITIATIVE
In the realm of urban revitalization and community development, few initiatives match the intensity and impact of Life Remodeled’s Six Day Project.
The bold and transformative program stands at the intersection of grassroots activism and systematic change, demonstrating how focused, short-term efforts can lead to long-lasting community improvements.
By mobilizing thousands of volunteers and harnessing significant resources, Life Remodeled is expanding the possibilities of community service and urban renewal.
The “Six Day Project” is Life Remodeled’s longest-running initiative designed to rejuvenate neighborhoods through an accelerated, high-impact approach in partnership with neighborhood residents. Over the course of just six days, more than 5,000 volunteers mobilize to clear blight and beautify a specific Detroit neighborhood. By tackling critical needs within the selected community, the project creates substantial physical, social, and economic improvements in a remarkably short time frame.
Key Benefits Of The Six Day Project:
– Rapid Transformation
One of the most compelling benefits of the Six Day Project is its ability to deliver rapid transformation. By concentrating efforts over six intense days, Life Remodeled and its more than 120 partners achieve what might otherwise take months or years to complete. This focused timeframe enables immediate, noticeable improvements, including the beautification of public spaces, the reduction of crime-prone areas and sites affected by illegal dumping, and the enhancement of community facilities.
– Enhanced Community Engagement
The Six Day Project fosters a profound sense of community engagement and ownership. More than 5,000 volunteers from diverse backgrounds, including neighborhood residents, come together to work on projects that directly impact their neighborhoods. This collective effort not only enhances the physical environment but also strengthens community bonds. Residents see tangible results from their neighbors’ efforts, which can inspire continued community involvement and support.
– Economic Stimulus
Beyond the immediate aesthetic and functional improvements throughout the neighborhood, the Six Day Project also stimulates local economies. The Six Day Project takes place in a community where Life Remodeled is also renovating and repurposing a vacant school building into an opportunity hub, which ultimately will serve tens of thousands of Detroiters annually through afterschool programs, workforce development, health & wellness, arts & culture, and technology. The renovation of public spaces can increase property values and attract new investments. By improving the overall environment, the project helps to make the area more appealing to potential businesses and residents, contributing to long-term economic development.
– Empowerment Through Collaboration
Life Remodeled’s approach to the Six Day Project involves extensive collaboration with local stakeholders, including residents, businesses like Masco, and civic organizations. This inclusive approach ensures the projects address the community’s specific needs and priorities. It empowers residents by involving them in the planning and execution stages, giving them a voice in the transformation process.
– Increased Visibility And Support
The concentrated nature of the Six Day Project draws significant media attention and public interest. This visibility helps raise awareness about the challenges facing the community and the potential solutions. It also attracts additional support from donors, volunteers, and partners who are inspired by the project’s results and are eager to contribute to future initiatives.
– Lasting Impact
While the Six Day Project is a short-term initiative, its impact is long-lasting. The improvements made during the project provide lasting benefits to the community, enhancing the quality of life for residents. Additionally, the sense of accomplishment and the strengthened community ties often lead to sustained efforts toward further improvements and ongoing community engagement.
Life Remodeled’s Six Day Project exemplifies how concentrated, collaborative efforts can drive significant change within communities. By mobilizing thousands of volunteers and leveraging diverse resources, this initiative delivers rapid and impactful results that extend beyond the six-day timeframe.
The project not only transforms physical spaces but also strengthens community bonds, stimulates local economies, and empowers residents to take an active role in their development.
COMMUNITY FAIR
To thank all the volunteers for their hard work and invite the community to a fun event, Life Remodeled had a “Community Fair” on the last day of the Six Day Project.
Despite the rain, more than 350 people had a great time on carnival rides, inflatables, and horse rides. There were also video games, a mobile bowling alley trailer, a balloon artist, face painting, and lots of food and music.
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Community Fair – Lots Of Food ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Community Fair – Great Music ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Community Fair – Many Rides ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Community Fair – Indoor Bowling ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Community Fair – Video Games ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Community Fair – Horse Rides ]
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Six Day Project – Community Fair – Balloon Artist ]
[ VIDEO: For more details about the Community Fair after Life Remodeled’s “Six Day Project” at their new “Anchor Detroit” Opportunity Hub, view the following news story by CBS News Detroit ]
[ VIDEO: Just a month before the Six Day Project and its Community Fair at Life Remodeled’s new Opportunity Hub, “Anchor Detroit,” they did their annual Community Fair at their first Opportunity Hub, the “Durfee Innovation Society” ]
WHAT ‘SPONSORS’ SAID
Putting on a large ‘event’ such as the Six Day Project takes a lot of support. Life Remodeled has been blessed by a variety of corporations that have come behind them and have ‘tangibly’ assisted with the successful accomplishment of the Six Day Project, as well as the renovation of the new “Anchor Detroit” building.
The following are the most ‘substantial’ sponsors for 2024:
[ VIDEO: Absopure helped all the volunteers keep hydrated for work more effectively. ]
[ VIDEO: Amazon wants to make sure that folks have the opportunity to connect with what matters: To communicate with each other and to bring the community together. ]
[ VIDEO: BASF said that this was a great opportunity for them to be a good citizen, give back, and show their appreciation to the Denby community. ]
[ VIDEO: Cummins just wants to do their part to make Detroit a little bit nicer, a little
bit cleaner and a little bit safer. ]
[ VIDEO: General Motors just wanted to be part of the Life Remodeled ‘movement’ to help the residents of Detroit and clean up the neighborhood as well. ]
[ VIDEO: L&L Products tries to live out its values by giving back to the community. ]
[ VIDEO: Masco was excited to help transform the former school into a second Community Hub. ]
[ VIDEO: Taubman said since their company is part of the community, it feels great to give back to the community. ]
Without these extraordinarily generous ‘partners’, Life Remodeled’s aspirations to help the Denby community with an Opportunity Hub would not have been realized.
‘THINGS’ ALREADY HAPPENING
As the Fox Theatre undergoes maintenance to improve its seating, its old seats have found a new home—in Life Remodeled’s new “Anchor Detroit” development. Around 800 of the Fox Theater’s seats will be installed in the ‘renovated’ auditorium.
[ PHOTO: Life Remodeled – “Anchor Detroit” Project – Old Fox Theater Seats Donated ]
Life Remodeled’s founder and CEO, Chris Lambert, said, “For this project to now include the seats from an iconic theater—the theater of theaters in Detroit—is really a huge win.” Lambert continued, saying, “New seats can cost up to $1,000. So the donation of the seats—in addition to their storied history—saved the project up to $800,000.”
The Fox Theater seats—which were removed as part of the building’s current round of renovations—were donated by the Ilitch Companies and have already been delivered. They came disassembled in boxes—some of just cushions, some of just seatbacks, and some of just chair legs. They will be professionally assembled and installed in the new space shortly.
The 10,500 square foot auditorium—which has a capacity of 698 people—will eventually house concerts, theatrical performances, graduation ceremonies, and possibly an ‘off-Broadway’ production.
Lambert added, “We’ll be partnering with arts and cultural organizations in Detroit to provide performances of all varieties—performing arts and theatrical events of all different shapes and sizes, with a focus on local Detroit talent, both for youth and adults.”
NOT JUST ‘TALK’
There is always a lot of ‘talk’—but not enough ‘walk’—when it comes to revitalizing Detroit neighborhoods. Detroiters have all the talent they need, but many do not have access to all the opportunities they deserve.
Therefore, Life Remodeled repurposes vacant school buildings into one-stop “Opportunity Hubs” for entire families to thrive. They fill these iconic buildings with the best and brightest nonprofit organizations that provide youth programs, workforce development, and human services to tens of thousands of students and community members. Life Remodeled then helps their nonprofit tenants collaborate and create far greater life transformation together than was previously possible alone. Together, they ensure more of the following:
– Detroit students perform at/above grade level in math and reading
– Families have access to essential health and wellness services
– Community members obtain higher-paying jobs and achieve economic self-sufficiency
[ NOTE: For more details about Life Remodeled and their “Opportunity Hubs,” visit their website at LifeRemodeled.org ]
MEDIA COVERAGE OF 2024 SIX-DAY PROJECT
Lastly, check out some of the media coverage that Life Remodeled received during the Six-Day Project in the Denby neighborhood around the new “Anchor Detroit” Opportunity Hub:
Lippert and MASCO started cleaning up the Winans property during the Six-Day Project in the Cooley High School neighborhood (in October 2023):
[ Six Day Project 2023 Sponsor – MASCO ]
[ WXYZ – “Channel 7 / WXYZ: 2024 Life Remodeled Six Day Project” ]
[ WXYZ – “Life Remodeled presents 6-day event for neighborhood beautification on Detroit’s east side” ]
[ CBS News Detroit – “CBS Detroit / 2024 Life Remodeled / Launch Ceremony” ]
[ FOX 2 News – “FOX 2 Detroit / 2024 Life Remodeled / Launch Ceremony” ]
[ CBS News Detroit – “Community Fair / 2024 Anchor Detroit / CBS Detroit” ]
[ Previous 2016 Project in the Denby Neighborhood ]
——————
SO, how does the previous project, the “Durfee Innovation Society” ‘measure up’? Well…
[ “Tour The DIS!” ]
[ “DIS Experience ’22” ]
[ “DIS Fall Kickoff 2024” ]
OUR DESIGN SERVICES
We did some graphic design work before the project—Facebook ads and location maps—and we were responsible for gathering all of the photographer’s photos and organize them on Life Remodeled’s Flickr Page:
MORE INFORMATION
So, if you are also interested in more information or supportingthis great non-profit, contact Mark Besh at Visual Impact Systems (248-548-7000), or click the link below to be taken to Life Remodeled’s website.
We spent an entire week (October 2-7, 2023) in Detroit—specifically in the Cooley High School area—to help, pro bono, the non-profit Life Remodeled with executing their planned week-long project to “remodel” the surrounding neighborhood. We were responsible for some graphic design and capturing the project photographically. Most of the graphics work was done before the ‘project week’, and most of the photography was done during the week-long ‘campaign’.
Their 2023 “Six-Day Project“ focused on clearing blight from vacant properties and beautifying many of the homes in almost 300 city blocks around the school. All of this happened with an army of 4,500 volunteers from businesses, churches, and other nonprofit organizations.
COOLEY HIGH SCHOOL/NEIGHBORHOOD
In December 2020, Life Remodeled publicly announced their intent to transform the Cooley High School into their next “Opportunity Hub.” After nearly two years of listening and sharing, they have heard clearly what many Cooley residents desire to be done with the High School. After that, they received invitations from hundreds of Cooley residents and alumni—indicating strong unity in the community—who are ready for Life Remodeled to join the Cooley Community in a ‘partnership’.
Life Remodeled received survey responses and petition signatures from more than 1,000 Cooley residents and alumni, and more than 30 letters of support from key Cooley community leaders and several of Detroit’s most influential civic leaders, who say they are ready for Life Remodeled to begin the repurposing Additionally, Life Remodeled has signed Letter Of Intent agreements with nine dynamic organizations who have committed to lease more than 80% of the building and deliver impactful opportunities directly requested by Cooley community members.
It was Life Remodeled’s goal to ‘transform’ Cooley High School into an “Opportunity Hub” for Detroiters of ALL ages—just as they had done at their current ‘hub’, the Durfee Innovation Society, but would adapt to the ideas, hopes, and dreams of Cooley community residents and alumni.
[ Life Remodeled’s Proposed ‘Transformation’ of Cooley High School ]
HOWEVER, ‘SADLY’ after months of discussions with the “Detroit Public School Community District” (DPSCD), on March 8, 2023, Life Remodeled’s two offers were unfortunately, and remarkably rejected, despite fervent pleas from neighbors and Cooley alumni. As a result, this formerly grand building will continue to be in a state of decay for the foreseeable future rather than becoming what the School Board’s constituents have enthusiastically stated they have wanted—for more than a decade—to become.
STILL ‘TRANSFORMING’
Even though Life Remodeled had SADLY ‘walked away’ from doing their proposed ‘Hub of Opportunity’ in the Cooley High School neighborhood, they still wanted to bless the neighborhood they had grown to love. So, they honored their commitment to the community and went ahead with the “Six Day Project” they had previously planned for the neighborhood.
So, during the first week of October 2023 (October 2-7), Life Remodeled brought together over 4,300 volunteers from businesses, churches, and other community groups to focus on removing blight on vacant properties, beautify 293 city blocks—that directly affected at least 500 neighborhood homes—and distribute 1,000 Mum plants to homes in the neighborhood.
The Six Day Project primarily focused on a two-square-mile area south of Puritan Avenue, east of Greenfield Road, west of Wyoming Road, and North of Grand River Avenue and Jeffries Service Drive. [ Note: Some volunteer groups also worked on some small ‘projects’ in the city’s Denby neighborhood, on the east side, where Life Remodeled had just announced plans—just a few weeks earlier—to repurpose its second opportunity hub in a former school building. (More about that below.) ]
Chris Lambert, CEO and founder of Life Remodeled, said that “We appreciate the support of so many business and community group volunteers from across Metro Detroit as we celebrate our relationships with neighborhoods who want to benefit from our hubs of opportunity. We are happy to be back one more time in the great Cooley neighborhood. We had hoped to create a permanent hub here and will always value the trust that residents have shown in Life Remodeled.”
The “Presenting Partner” for the project, Amazon, contributed $100,000 toward Life Remodeled’s mission, in addition to sending many volunteers. Ian Conyers, Head of Community Engagement at Amazon, said that “There is no better partner when it comes to wellness and neighborhood revitalization, and Amazon is excited to be partnering with them as the presenting sponsor of the Six Day Project and providing hundreds of volunteers who will be investing their time this week beautifying the Cooley neighborhood.”
Other major corporate support came from companies that had been supporting Life Remodeled for many years: BASF, Cummins, General Motors, Masco, L&L Products, Rocket Mortgage, and Taubman.
The following photos show a few select typical ‘activities’ that happened during Life Remodeled’s 2023 Six Day Project:
[ Life Remodeled’s Six Day Project Partners ]
[ Going Out Into The Neighborhoods ]
[ Getting Instructions ]
[ Removing Trash ]
[ Beautification ]
[ Beautification ]
[ Mowing Large Empty Lots ]
[ Mowing Lawns ]
[ Removing Dangerous Trees ]
[ Distributing Mum Plants ]
[ Detroit Police Kept Volunteers Safe ]
[ Cleaning Up All The Trash ]
[ Over 4,300 Volunteers Did A Great Job ]
[ They Caught Me Taking Pics Of A Volunteer Hydrating (Absopure supplied all the water for the Project.) ]
WILL NOT ‘GIVE UP’!
Life Remodeled’s mission to provide life-transforming opportunities to children and families in Detroit by creating one-stop-hubs of opportunity designed solely around their priorities remained a ‘focus’ after their rejected final offer for the Cooley High School property—and an opportunity ‘fell into their lap’ just a few months after that!
They announced plans to acquire a 7.55-acre site in the Denby neighborhood on Detroit’s east side, which had been the site of the “Winans Academy of Performing Arts” (previously the home of the “Dominican High School” from 1940 to 2005).
The building, located at 9740 McKinney Street, offers more than 87,000 square feet, including more than 50,000 square feet that will be leased by Life
Remodeled’s nonprofit partners to bring afterschool youth programs, workforce development initiatives and health and wellness resources to the Denby community.
FROM SADNESS TO ‘JOY’!
At their on-site press conference—on July 11, 2023—Life Remodeled’s founder and CEO, Chris Lambert said that “Denby is the ideal location for our first hub on the east side. It is a neighborhood that is engaged, invested and close to the heart and soul of Life Remodeled. In 2016, we partnered with students and community leaders for one year to work toward revitalization together. This new hub will continue that commitment in ways that will make a broader and deeper impact for the long-term.”
[ VIDEO: Life Remodeled Press Conference Announcing Purchase of the Marvin Winans Academy of Performing Arts (11 JUL 23) ]
The thing is, this is kind of a ‘homecoming’, since Life Remodeled partnered with the Denby community in 2016 to bring to life a vision of a park next door to the Denby High School. They worked with Denby High School students to enhance Skinner Park and volunteers removed blight on 303 blocks and boarded up 362 vacant houses.
Life Remodeled has said that it is eager to serve alongside the Denby community so it will thrive and benefit more Detroiters—as it has in the Durfee Innovation Society—where more than 22,000 residents take part in programs every year. Residents of Denby’s zip code, 48224, are challenged with significant poverty and lack access to opportunities related to educational attainment, job opportunities and health and wellness resources. Collaboratively, Life Remodeled and the Denby community aim to foster an environment that genuinely transforms the lives of Detroit’s children and families through this equitable and sustainable development project.
Lambert said that Life Remodeled is honored to pick up the ‘baton’ and help move the neighborhood forward just like they did in the Central High School neighborhood with the Durfee Innovation Society (DIS): “The Winans reached out to us when they found out about our model and they said, that’s the kind of legacy we want to continue with this building. And so, we were very, very honored to be invited into this incredible space.”
Lambert added that “When the Winans Academy asked us to consider repurposing their building, the Denby Neighborhood Alliance leaders told us loud and clear that they wanted to partner with us to turn this beautiful school building into a hub of opportunity similar to our Durfee Innovation Society. We are inspired and encouraged to move forward.”
The Marvin Winans Academy of Performing Arts, which closed its doors after this past school year, was a kindergarten through eighth grade public charter school with a specialized performing arts curriculum and traditional academic coursework that follows Michigan Department of Education standards. Founded in 1997 by Detroit native, Grammy Award- winning Gospel singer and actor Marvin Winans, the school offers courses in orchestral and contemporary music, voice, dance, drama and art. The school produces a yearly winter and spring concert. Students have traveled and performed nationally and internationally, winning first place at Walt Disney World and Cedar Point Music in the Park competitions. Marvin Winans Academy is located on two campuses—a kindergarten through fifth grade campus and a nearby sixth through eighth campus.
[ PHOTO: Marvin Winans Academy of Performing Arts ]
Lambert said that he is proud of the Winans Academy’s work and the building’s historic roots: “So for us to be able to fall in that tradition of two institutions that were really beacons of hope for academy, athletic and social advancement, and we carry that on now by making those opportunities available, not only for children but for residents of all ages.”
Lambert continued saying, “Our three specialties have always been youth programs, health and human services, and workforce development. And those are actually the top three things that the Denby Neighborhood Alliance said they want in this space.”
The moment was bittersweet for Pastor Marvin Winans of Perfecting Church Detroit said that “It is sad because we had plans to be here forever. We’ve been a school for over 25 years and this was a difficult decision to make, but it was necessary. But we still have Rutherford Winans Academy on the west side.”
Now, while the academy kept the building in good condition, Life Remodeled is planning to do a bit of renovation and updating. There is no opening date for the hub yet, but Life Remodeled plans to have the facility reach near full capacity by the end of 2025. The building is more than 87,000 square feet and at least 50,000 square feet is expected to be leased by nonprofit partners.
Plans for the new hub include a significant presence for arts and culture programs, to continue the tradition of the Winans Academy and also to build upon neighborhood priorities for those programs, supporting the development of the Whittier Corridor as a destination for art and technology.
Sandra Turner-Handy, the president of the Denby Neighborhood Alliance, said during the press conference, “Thank you, Life Remodeled for coming back to support the work of transforming our community through raising the quality of life for our residents. The residents and businesses are invested in continuing the amazing work started with Life Remodeled years ago. We are honored to welcome and continue to support through actively working with Life Remodeled in planning and designing what will become a vital and much-needed resource space in our community.”
Pastor Marvin Winans said that “We are happy for the acquaintance of Life Remodeled and excited for what they will add to our community with momentum and focus on children, families, and culture. We are confident the community will welcome them.”
“This is huge for Whittier and for the Denby (Neighborhood) Alliance,” Kenzie Current, a business liaison for the city’s District 4 said during a building tour after the formal press conference ended. “It’s a lot of great things coming this way and I’m excited to have been a part of such a passionate community and business community.”
One of the residents in attendance for the press conference was Norma Danzie, a 69-year-old member of the Denby alliance, who has lived in the community for the past 25 years. Danzie said she worked with Life Remodeled in 2016 and is glad to have them back in the neighborhood: “When they were at Durfee, they remodeled and did all kinds of things with that building. The kids in this neighborhood really need a place that’s close. We don’t have a recreation center in this immediate area and I’m hoping that there’ll be chances for them to get into different activities and keep them busy and occupied.”
Alonzo Marable, 56, who has also worked with Life Remodeled in the past— volunteering with cleanup projects in Cody Rogue, Denby, Osborn, and Durfee, grew up in the neighborhood and graduated from Denby High School. He commented that “I’ve seen the work that they’ve done and I believe in them.”
At the end of the conference, Lambert said that “We want to make sure we get it right, based on the continued feedback we are receiving from the community.” Life Remodeled said that they want to coordinate with the vision for the Denby Neighborhood Alliance: “Serving the community with health, human services, and workforce development.”
The neighborhood hub will be similar to Life Remodeled’s “Durfee Innovation Society” on the west side, offering after-school programs, community resources, and health services. Life Remodeled said that they will also continue the tradition of the Winans Academy by providing arts and culture programming.
Life Remodeled will raise funds via philanthropy to complete the needed work on the building and property, but has not yet finalized financial requirements. This project will create life-transforming access to educational youth programs, workforce development initiatives, health and wellness services, and more.
NOTE: Lippert and MASCO started cleaning up the Winans property during the Six-Day Project in the Cooley High School neighborhood:
MEDIA COVERAGE OF 2023 SIX-DAY PROJECT
Lastly, check out some of the media coverage that Life Remodeled received during the Six-Day Project in the Cooley neighborhood:
[ Life Remodeled 2023 Six-Day Project Kick-off Together w/ Amazon ]
[ Life Remodeled 2023 Six-Day Project / FOX 2 Detroit ]
[ Life Remodeled 2023 Six-Day Project / WXYZ Channel 7 Detroit ]
[ Six Day Project 2023 Sponsor – Amazon ]
[ Six Day Project 2023 Sponsor – GM ]
[ Six Day Project 2023 Sponsor – BASF ]
[ Six Day Project 2023 Sponsor – Cummins ]
[ Six Day Project 2023 Sponsor – L&L Products ]
[ Six Day Project 2023 – RECAP ]
RECENT NEWS
As part of their commitment to inclusive community engagement, Life Remodeled had a campaign to name the new building, and “Anchor Detroit” was the winner.
Life Remodeled is planning to double the building footprint—to 90,000 square feet—and more than 59,000 square feet of that will be leased by nonprofit partners to bring afterschool youth programs, workforce development initiatives and health and wellness resources to the community. Included in the buildout will be a 26,000 square foot new addition that will feature programming for emerging technology exposure and digital literacy, with a focus on coding and AI education for entire families. Life Remodeled’s CEO, Chris Lambert, said that “Renovating place and space inspires me, because of the thousands of students and community members whose lives will improve significantly as a result of access to transformative opportunities.”
Life Remodeled commented that the “Anchor Detroit” name represents the stability, resilience, hope, and strength for the surrounding neighborhoods, while the one-stop ‘hub of opportunity’ will allow Detroiters of all ages to grow and thrive for years to come.
[ Life Remodeled – Anchor Detroit Project – Proposed Construction ]
OUR DESIGN SERVICES
The following are a few examples of the graphic design work we provided for the last Cooley project:
PREVIOUS PROJECT (Central H.S./Durfee)
The following links are for more information about the previous project Life Remodeled just finished (Central/Durfee project in Detroit, Michigan) and continue to develop: PHOTOS NEWS and MEDIA COVERAGE FACEBOOK PAGE
Here is a video that WXYZ (Detroit) did about Life Remodeled:
Take a tour of the Durfee Innovation Society (DIS):
Paul W Smith interview with Life Remodeled CEO Chris Lambert:
CW50 feature about Life Remodeled’s”Lean on We” campaign:
Summary video of the 2021 Six-Day Project:
So, if you are also interested in more information or supporting this great non-profit, contact Mark Besh at Visual Impact Systems (248-548-7000), or click the link below to be taken to Life Remodeled’s website.
Visual Impact Systems launched their first website in June 1993—30 YEARS AGO!
The “World Wide Web” was invented by British scientist Tim Berners-Lee in 1989 while working at CERN and, without fanfare, published the first website on August 6, 1991 (https://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html). At this time, it was conceived and developed to meet the demand for automated information-sharing between scientists in universities and institutes around the world.
At the time, Visual Impact Systems was an Apple Computer “Value-Added Reseller,” and was ‘privy’ to some of what was happening “behind the scenes,” and had been developing the website for a time.
When we launched it, we had a brilliant young man as a part of our ‘virtual corporation’, “VisibleInc,”—that understood the “Assembler” language!—and he made our logo ‘rotate’ (https://www.spiritedesign.com/VISIBLE/index.htm).
We had HUNDREDS of requests about how we did it. [ We responded that we would develop a website for them with that capability in it. That was not the response they were desiring. ;^D ]
Visual Impact Systems was one of the corporations that was a part of the ‘virtual corporation’—a network of companies working together to create a full-service corporation—and we had our own ‘section’ of the website
Visual Impact Systems does not only do website development. We are a full-service advertising and marketing firm, with over 33 years of expertise in combining compelling design, a strong marketing strategy, and innovative technologies into a coordinated message—transforming communications with our proven ‘Integrated Multimedia’ approach, we call “Transformaction.”
Our website shows our expertise in the following media ‘outlets’: Internet Marketing; Web Site Design; Mobile; Video Production; Trade Shows; Print; Television’ Radio; Computers; Photography; Signage; Merchandising; and Multimedia. You can also contact us via e-mail or just call us now (248-548-7000) to determine if we can help you with your marketing needs.
We spent an entire week (October 3-8, 2022) in Detroit—specifically in the Cooley High School area—to help, pro bono, the non-profit Life Remodeled with executing their planned week-long project to “remodel” the surrounding neighborhood. We were responsible for some graphic design and capturing the project photographically. Most of the graphics work was done before the ‘build week’, and most of the photography was done during the week-long ‘campaign’.
Their 2022 “Six-Day Project“ focused on clearing blight from vacant properties and beautifying many of the homes in over 300 city blocks around the school. All of this happened with an army of 6,000 volunteers from businesses, churches, and other nonprofit organizations.
COOLEY HIGH SCHOOL/NEIGHBORHOOD
In December 2020, Life Remodeled publicly announced their intent to transform the Cooley High School into their next “Opportunity Hub.” After nearly two years of listening and sharing, they have heard clearly what many Cooley residents desire to be done with the High School. After that, they received invitations from hundreds of Cooley residents and alumni—indicating strong unity in the community—who are ready for Life Remodeled to join the Cooley Community in a ‘partnership’.
Life Remodeled received survey responses and petition signatures from more than 1,000 Cooley residents and alumni, and more than 30 letters of support from key Cooley community leaders and several of Detroit’s most influential civic leaders, who say they are ready for Life Remodeled to begin the repurposing Additionally, Life Remodeled has signed Letter Of Intent agreements with nine dynamic organizations who have committed to leasing more than 80% of the building and deliver impactful opportunities directly requested by Cooley community members.
So, on November 10, 2021, they announced their ‘official’ desire and proposed a detailed plan to develop Cooley High School with nearly 150 Cooley community members, alumni, and Life Remodeled partners from Durfee/Central, Cody, Osborn, and Denby communities present.
[ VIDEO: Public Presentation of Life Remodeled’s Plans for Cooley High School ]
Life Remodeled’s goal is to ‘TRANSFORM’ Cooley High School into an “Opportunity Hub” for Detroiters of ALL ages. It would be similar to their current Durfee Innovation Society, but would be adapted to the ideas, hopes, and dreams of Cooley community residents and alumni.
[ Life Remodeled’s Proposed ‘Transformation’ of Cooley High School ]
Additionally, Life Remodeled desires to provide five years of neighborhood beautification, blight removal and free home repairs. (As Life Remodeled has done in projects prior to Central/Durfee, the home repairs include the choice of a new roof, new windows, or new furnace.)
The thing is, Cooley High School has been sitting vacant and rotting since 2010. The windows and much of the copper have been ripped out, there was a fire that decimated the auditorium, and there are substantial active roof leaks that are on the verge of destroying the very foundation of this building beyond repair if they are not repaired soon.
Now, even though all of this—and much more—is true, the ‘legacy’ of Cooley High School does not have to be over. Life Remodeled wants to have an opportunity to put this facility to use—in ways community members want—before it IS too late!
EXHIBITING ‘EARNESTNESS’
To ‘prove’ how serious Life Remodeled is in serving the Cooley community and its residents, they had their annual “Six Day Project” in the neighborhood October 3-8, 2022. They had 6,000 volunteers—consciously limited to 1,000 per day—to help with blight removal and beautification.
In addition to the ‘normal’ activities—mowing and trimming overgrown brush and weeds on vacant properties—they provided free lawn care services for Cooley community residents. (Specifically, they mowed over 400 lawns of seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities). This greatly increased the level of interaction between community residents, Life Remodeled staff, and their volunteers who live outside the Cooley community.
To add some exciting elements to make it the most interactive Six Day Project they had ever done, they provided a limited number of homes near Cooley High School with increased services to upgrade their curb appeal, which included removing unwanted bushes, and painting house numbers on curbs.
One VERY unique thing they did—something Life Remodeled had never done before—was to put a freshly-potted mum plant on each porch of the houses in the areas where the beautifications were happening in. There were OVER 2,000 plants provided to the neighborhood and a few churches.
MUM PLANT DELIVERIES
[ Mum Pot Creation ]
[ Mums Donor ]
[ Mums Delivery Team ]
[ Mums Deliveries ]
[ Mums Deliveries ]
AMAZON DONATION
The $150,000 donation that Amazon made will support youth programming at the Durfee Innovation Society and support community programs and events for Detroit neighborhood organizations. These neighborhood organizations include:
– University District Community Association
– Calvary Community Association
– College Park Community Association
– Oakland Boulevard Community District
– Core Cities Neighborhood
– Patty Turner Community Partner
– STV 313 Neighborhood Safety
– Happy Homes Community Association
– Palmer Woods Association
Ian Conyers, Head of Community Engagement at Amazon, said that “Life Remodeled has been dedicated to strengthening our communities block by block. Amazon believes Life Remodeled has created a scalable revitalization strategy, and we are proud to support their efforts hand in hand with donations to Detroit block clubs and neighborhood-focused organizations.”
In addition to the generous donation, Amazon’s representatives will also install 100 “Ring” doorbells on residents’ houses—closest to Cooley High School—that desire to have them. (Mayor Mike Duggan stopped by the first home to get a device, the Coyle Avenue residence of Francis Rowland.)
AMAZON “RING” INSTALLATIONS
[ Amazon “Ring” Installation – Detroit Mayor Duggan With Resident ]
[ Amazon “Ring” Installation – First Home ]
Krystine Walker’s home was one of the 100 installations that happened. Walker said the majority of her neighbors on Lauder Street already have the device, so she is happy to finally have one too.
“This is cool, because I couldn’t figure out how to do it myself, so I sent it back. “I was going to get one… I couldn’t figure out the drilling, so this is awesome everyone else seems to have one.”
[ Amazon Ring Installation in Krystine Walker’s house by Katrina Jadzinski, a volunteer from Thornton & Grooms ]
[ Amazon “Ring” Installation ]
[ Amazon “Ring” Installation ]
[ Amazon “Ring” Installation ]
[ Amazon “Ring” Installation ]
The Life Remodeled team believes the donated Ring devices will help bring peace of mind and support neighborhood safety in the Cooley community.
Chris Lambert, Founder and CEO of Life Remodeled said that “Blighted vacant properties are visually depressing eyesores, and they can also contribute to unsafe pathways for students walking to school and other neighborhood safety concerns. Installing the Ring doorbells was an idea presented to us by community members, and we are glad to be able to provide this benefit to the community with Amazon’s help.”
The property development company Schostak Brothers & Company also donated a generous $100,000 in honor of their company’s 100-year anniversary. Many of their employees also were out in the neighborhood clearing blight and beautifying the area.
SUBSTANTIAL DONOR
[ Message from CEO Bobby Schostak ]
[ David Schostak and team participating in the beautification ]
Chris Lambert emphasized that “I’m convinced our 2022 Six Day Project last week was our best yet!” He gave three reasons why:
1) We received strong positive feedback from more community members than ever before.
2) Our long-term volunteers who’ve served on the Life Remodeled Six Day Project regularly since 2014 repeatedly told me the Cooley community was the most engaged and embracing Detroit community in which they’ve volunteered.
3) Ms. Frances Roland has lived in the Cooley community for more than half a century, and she used to regularly walk the Cooley High School track for exercise. Last week we cleared a massive amount of brush from the property, and on Day 2 of the project, we witnessed Ms. Roland walking around the gravel Cooley track. She proudly proclaimed this was the first time she’s graced this path in 12 years because now she finally feels safe again.
VOLUNTEER ACTION
[ I was caught out in the ‘field’ capturing the wonderful volunteers ]
MEDIA COVERAGE
Lastly, check out some of the media coverage that Life Remodeled received during the Six Day Project in the Cooley neighborhood:
[ Fox 2 News / Life Remodeled in Cooley w/ Ilitch Charities ]
[ Fox 2 News / Life Remodeled Cooley w/ Amazon Ring Doorbells ]
[ WDIV Story / Life Remodeled Cooley Community ]
[ WXYZ Channel 7 Story / Life Remodeled: Cooley Community ]
DESIGN SERVICES
The following are a few examples of the graphic design work we provided:
PREVIOUS PROJECT
The following links are for more information about the previous project Life Remodeled just finished (Central/Durfee project in Detroit, Michigan): PHOTOS NEWS and MEDIA COVERAGE FACEBOOK PAGE
Here is a video that WXYZ (Detroit) did about Life Remodeled:
Take a tour of the Durfee Innovation Society (DIS):
Paul W Smith interview with Life Remodeled CEO Chris Lambert:
CW50 feature about Life Remodeled’s”Lean on We” campaign:
Summary video of the 2021 Siv-Day Project:
If you are also interested in more information or supporting this great non-profit, contact Mark Besh at Visual Impact Systems (248-548-7000), or click the link below to be taken to Life Remodeled’s website.
We spent an entire week (October 4-9, 2021) in Detroit—specifically in the Central High School area—to help, pro bono, the non-profit Life Remodeled with executing their planned “remodeling” of the surrounding neighborhood, and “repurpose” the previous Durfee Elementary-Middle School (now the “Durfee Innovation Society“). We were responsible for a variety of graphic design and capturing the project photographically. Most of the graphics work was done before the ‘build week’, and most of the photography and filming was done during the week-long ‘campaign’.
Their 2021 “Six-Day Project“ focused on clearing blight from the front yards of vacant properties and ‘deforesting’ alleys within a specific 150 block area within the four square miles of neighborhoods surrounding the Durfee Innovation Society (next to Central High School). All of this happened with an army of 3,822 volunteers from 173 businesses, churches, and other organizations.
Detroit once housed more than 1.8 million people. However, now with only 650,000 residents, there are a lot of vacant lands—thousands of acres of overgrown brush and weeds making certain areas not only visually depressing but are also more dangerous.
The City of Detroit’s blight removal program is second to none, however, it is just not possible for vacant properties to be maintained weekly at this time in our city’s history. They need the help of volunteers to continue investing in the neighborhoods surrounding the one-stop-shop of opportunity (the “Durfee Innovation Society”) that Life Remodeled has created.
In addition to beautifying the neighborhood, the Six-Day Project brings people from all walks of life to work together, helping them better understand each other. This was verified by a survey of volunteers after last year’s (2020) Project: 99% of volunteers felt a greater sense of ‘connectedness during the Project. We are very honored to help, pro bono, this awesome nonprofit organization!
If you are interested, there are over 5,000 photos that we, and a team of photographers, took to capture all of the activities during the ‘build week’
(click here to view)
If you or your company are interested in more details about this project, visit the Life Remodeled website: http://liferemodeled.org/
To see how we have been associated with Life Remodeled (from their very beginning), click this link: Visual Impact’s Pro Bono Work
GENERAL INFORMATION
PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY
Here are some ‘creative’ pics our photographers took during the week to capture the amazing work the volunteers did.
[ 300 ‘mature’ trees (4′-5′ high) were given away to the residents in the neighborhood to plant in front of their houses by “The Greening of Detroit” the weekend before the Six-Day Project. ]
[ I was ‘caught’ out in the field capturing the fabulous volunteers ]
[ Click here to see the 5,000+ images that were taken during the Six-Day Project week. ]
If you are also interested in more information or supporting this great non-profit, contact Mark Besh at Visual Impact Systems (248-548-7000), or click the link below to be taken to Life Remodeled’s website.
We spent an entire week (October 5-10, 2020) in Detroit—specifically in the Central High School area—to help, pro bono, the non-profit Life Remodeled with executing their planned “remodeling” of the surrounding neighborhood, and “repurpose” the previous Durfee Elementary-Middle School (now the “Durfee Innovation Society). We were responsible for the design and production of promotional brochures and flyers, signage, banners, t-shirt graphics, social media channel graphics, website updates, and capturing the project photographically. Most of the graphics work was done before the ‘build week’, and most of the photography and filming were done during the week-long ‘campaign’.
In response to COVID-19, we had to change the way we organized our 2020 Six Day Project.
Life Remodeled has been organizing Six-Day Projects for 10 straight years, and every single one has been unique and powerful—and even though, because of social distancing, this project week was ALSO exception: In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to mobilize 2,021 awesome volunteers to remove the blight on 71 blocks, make improvements to the Durfee Innovation Society, and revitalize a broken-down playscape.
Ninety-nine percent of their volunteers said that their pandemic safety measures helped them feel safe from COVID-19 while volunteering. During a time in our country’s history when we are experiencing extreme polarization, 99% of their volunteers also said they felt a greater sense of connectedness with others during the project.
Not only is blight psychologically damaging to children and families who have to look at it, but it plays a significant factor in crime rates. Because the City of Detroit had to make substantial budget cuts in 2020, the blight removal effort from Life Remodeled’s passionate and hard-working volunteers was ven MORE NEEDED and much appreciated by Mayor Duggan.
Thanks to Patronicity, the MEDC, and the 43 donors who helped crowdfund this campaign, they raised $21,558 in less than 24 hours to purchase much-needed equipment and supplies to bring a playscape back to life again. A crew of amazing volunteers from FCA completed the renovation in only four days, and the Life Remodeled Community Advisory Council and students from Durfee Elementary dedicated it as the “John R. Lewis Playscape.”
If you are interested, there are over 5,600 photos that we, and a team of photographers, took to capture all of the activities during the ‘build week’
(click here to view)
If you or your company are interested in more details about this project, visit the Life Remodeled website: http://liferemodeled.org/
To see how we have been associated with Life Remodeled (from their very beginning), click this link: Visual Impact’s Pro Bono Work
DESIGN SERVICES
The following are examples of the graphic design work we provided:
PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY
Here are some ‘creative’ pics our photographers took during the week to capture the amazing work the volunteers did.
[ I was ‘caught’ out in the field capturing the fabulous volunteers ]
Here is a video that FOX 2 News (Detroit) did about the 2020 project:
[ Note: There are also other videos of the 2020 project on Life Remodeled’s YouTube Channel ]
If you are also interested in more information or supporting this great non-profit, contact Mark Besh at Visual Impact Systems (248-548-7000), or click the link below to be taken to Life Remodeled’s website.
Visual Impact Systems created a gift certificate for Eddie G’s Cookies so a person could send it to another person they wanted to thank with some GREAT cookies. We created a ‘fillable’ PDF that could be sent via e-mail as well as a ‘printable’ version that could be displayed in stores or physically sent to the giftee.
Visual Impact Systems does not only do print production. We are a full-service advertising and marketing firm, with over 30 years of expertise in combining compelling design, a strong marketing strategy, and innovative technologies into a coordinated message—transforming communications with our proven ‘Integrated Multimedia’ approach, we call “Transformaction.”
Our website shows our expertise in the following media ‘outlets’: Internet Marketing; Web Site Design; Mobile; Video Production; Trade Shows; Print; Television’ Radio; Computers; Photography; Signage; Merchandising; and Multimedia. You can also contact us via e-mail or just call us now (248-548-7000) to determine if we can help you with your marketing needs.
Visual Impact Systems produced a “bale wrap“ for TC Energy (TransCanada), which is a vinyl banner that gets ‘wrapped’ around a stack of hay bales to create a very impressive ‘sign’ viewable from a long distance, since it is over 10 feet high. It is used to advertise the “811” service to call before one digs in the area of one of TC Energy’s pipelines. We also produced some fence banners that were used closer to the actual pipeline.
[ 4′ High x 8′ Wide Banner for Fences ]
[ 10′ High x 18′ Wide – “Wrap” for Stacked Hay Bales ]
[ Example of “Wrap” for Stacked Hay Bales ]
Visual Impact Systems does not only do signage production. We are a full-service advertising and marketing firm, with over 30 years of expertise in combining compelling design, a strong marketing strategy, and innovative technologies into a coordinated message—transforming communications with our proven ‘Integrated Multimedia’ approach, we call “Transformaction.”
Our website shows our expertise in the following media ‘outlets’: Internet Marketing; Web Site Design; Mobile; Video Production; Trade Shows; Print; Television’ Radio; Computers; Photography; Signage; Merchandising; and Multimedia. You can also contact us via e-mail or just call us now (248-548-7000) to determine if we can help you with your marketing needs.
Visual Impact Systems produced four separate annual reports for the Great Lakes Conference annual meeting, summarizing what each ‘group’ did in the past year and what they plan to do in the next few years. The reports included a general report, a camping report, a planting report, and a report of the financials.
Visual Impact Systems does not only provide annual reports. We are a full-service advertising and marketing firm, with over 30 years of expertise in combining compelling design, a strong marketing strategy, and innovative technologies into a coordinated message—transforming communications with our proven ‘Integrated Multimedia’ approach, we call “Transformaction.”
Our website shows our expertise in the following media ‘outlets’: Internet Marketing; Web Site Design; Mobile; Video Production; Trade Shows; Print; Television’ Radio; Computers; Photography; Signage; Merchandising; and Multimedia. You can also contact us via e-mail or just call us now (248-548-7000) to determine if we can help you with your marketing needs.
