Neighborhoods Day to bring out 125 community organizations who want a better Detroit

Art fairs, picnics, community cleanups and school supply giveaways are a few of the events planned for the ARISE Detroit! Neighborhoods Day taking place on Saturday, throughout Detroit.

This year, a total of 125 groups have signed up to participate in the annual event, said ARISE Detroit! Executive Director Luther Keith.

“This is such a statement of love for this community,” Keith said. “Love for Detroit, love for people in the neighborhood of Detroit.” 

The Belle Isle Art Fair will feature 100 artists and partner with six organizations to host art activities that people can do on-site for free.

“This is an art fair that’s based on savoring the beauty of Belle Isle,” said Mark Loeb, event coordinator of the Belle Isle Art Fair. 

The Belle Isle Art Fair has participated in Neighborhoods Day for almost 10 years, but will feature its first-ever Secret Garden this year, Loeb said. 

The Secret Garden will introduce members of the Belle Isle Conservancy to talk about gardening in the city. They will also have free gifts on hand, such as seeds and plants, and garden art. 

“If you go back 20, 30 years, or even not that far, the focus of Detroit was always on downtown and Midtown and what’s happening there, when the real energy and vibrancy of the city can be found in the neighborhoods,” Loeb said. 

Graced to Grow is hosting a Back-to-School Fun Day, to give away free school supplies and hygiene products for children.

The organization, which offers mentoring and coaching, plans to give away 600 bags at an event on Detroit's east side, Graced to Grow founder Kelley Duren-Jones said. This is the group's second year participating in Neighborhoods Day.

“I want to provide a safe space for the families to come to receive the free school supplies or hygiene bags as well as see people who look like them who are entrepreneurs that have resources that care,” Duren-Jones said. 

Bridging the Gap Bringing Communities Together will host a 10K, 5K and 1-mile walk/run starting at 6:30 a.m. along the Detroit RiverWalk near the carousel at East Atwater and Rivard Street. Lynn Young, Bridging the Gap Bringing Communities Together race director and founder, came up with the idea for the walk/run, which is the only event of its kind during Neighborhoods Day. Young has been a runner since she was 15.

“We have parallel ideas,” Young said about her and Keith's vision for Neighborhoods Day. “I wanted to bring runners together, he wanted to bring people together, so we are definitely partners.”

Bridging the Gap Bringing Communities Together is partnering with Sanctum House, a residential recovery program for adult female survivors of human trafficking.

For the full list of groups holding events on Neighborhoods Day go to arisedetroit.org.

Melinda Mei, a Free Press apprentice, will be a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall.