A new campaign encourages you to “Believe in Detroit.” More than 200 Detroit-area leaders gathered today to launch this new campaign, according to the Detroit Free Press, which aims to rally volunteers who care about the city and want to do volunteer work to make it better.
Mayor Dave Bing and Paige Curtis, a Detroit area advertising executive unveiled the $10 million effort, which can be found at www.believeindetroit.org. On the site, you can make donations to the project, or sign up to volunteer. According to the site:
“Together we’re turning vacant lots into playgrounds and urban gardens. And we are taking houses suffering from years of neglect and turning them back into homes again. We’re transforming classrooms into places where our children will be challenged and motivated. And we are making our neighborhoods safe places to live, work, play and raise a family.”
Born out of an appeal from President Obama in January 2009, the Believe in Detroit program is part of a larger initiative to encourage all Americans to “participate in our nation’s recovery and renewal by serving our communities.”
“Detroit is not unlike most major cities in the country, trying to respond to escalating needs during an economic downturn and with dwindling resources,” according to the website. “But, Detroit has a long history of rebounding in times of adversity through the strength and goodwill of its people and their associations—faith-based, grassroots, nonprofits, corporations, etc. There is no city more prepared than Detroit to answer the calls of both the President and the Mayor to address the challenges of our city through volunteer engagement.
Questions or comments about this project? Connect with the group on Facebook and Twitter. We’re curious what you think, though: Is this something Detroiters can get behind? Do you think it will be successful? Let us know in the comments section.
This post is brought to you by the good folks at Dale Carnegie Training of Michigan. We would love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter.
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I just saw an ad on TV for this “Believe in Detroit.org” campaign. The ad says you can go on to volunteer/donate. When you try to go to the site, it just looks like a way for people to buy things. A search from Google gives you nothing either. What was the 10 million dollars for ??? Not a web site it seems. I would love to see this city thrive, hopefully someone will fix this glitch – just like Detroit it needs all the attention it can get!
I am looking for suggested locations to best serve a “New” Detroit?