SMALL BUSINESS INITIATIVE
BUCKETS OF RAIN
WATER LEAK PILOT PROGRAM
ENERGY ADVOCACY
Spring is here and we can’t wait to let everyone know what we have coming up ! We are opening our Aquaponics Farm, starting a small biz initiative, and working on building our community up. #RideWithMe. Summer 2021!! #STAYSAFEHIGHLANDPARK #HP4LIFE #HIGHLANDPARKSTRONGJuan Shannon
Design, printing & fulfillment By Modern Tribe Communications, Inc. Copyright September 2020. All rights reserved. Published Monthly. Reproduction in whole or in part without express permission of the publisher is prohibited. Opinions of contributing writers do not necessarily reflect the views of Parker Village News, Modern Tribe Communications or its affiliates. We are not responsible for unsolicited material. PARKER VILLAGE NEWS
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MATERIALS DEADLINE MATERIALS DATE 4/09/21 5/07/21 6/07/21 7/09/21 8/09/21 9/10/21
STREET DATE 4/26/21 5/24/21 6/21/21 7/26/21 8/23/21 9/27/21
Publisher/Editor: Juan Shannon Operations Mgr : Monica Wilcox Graphics: Thurmond Goins @t2Squ Contributing Writers: Gracie Wooten & Angela Lugo-Thomas
HQ 181 East Buena Vista, Highland Park, Michigan 48203 www.moderntribe.us | www.ParkervillageHP.com
Stop by our #community locations in Highland Park to pick up #parkervillagenews Lanette’s Shrimp House 13548 Woodward Avenue. Crescent Beauty 14000 Woodward Avenue Cakes and Shakes 13806 Woodward Avenue, Highland Park Tire 13145 Woodward Avenue Oak Street Health 14507 Woodward Avenue If you’re a Highland Park or Boston-Edison district business and would like to host physical copies of Parker Village News, reach out to us at ParkervillageHP@gmail.com, Put newsletter in the subject bar.
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WE’RE HIRING
General Laborer: Assist with ground maintenance, Farming, food deliveries and distribution of community newsletter. • Part-time (12 hours per week to start) • $15.00 per hr. • Must have Valid Driver’s License • Must be able to pass background check Chef/General Manager: Prepare a variety of grilled foods and vegan dishes based on healthy living principles. Plan and price menu items, order supplies and maintain records and accounts. Supervise food preparation staff. • Part-time • Salary negotiable • Must have transportation • Must have a valid driver’s license Sales: • This is a commission based position to start. Looking for a few good people to expand our monthly community newsletter. Intern Editor: Interested in a student journalist or freelancer to work for extra credit by writing and editing on all things editorial, working on content-type expansions and any duties assigned by the Editor for our community newsletter. Published monthly in print and digital. Submit resumes to: Monica Wilcox/Operations Manager MWilcox. MTC@gmail.com Cheryl Sanford or HP Michigan Works 144 Manchester, HP. (313)826-0299
https://parker-village.square.site/
Community Care/Needs Assessment: Combating COVID-19 in Highland Park & Surrounding Communities) Sign up to get resources or support your community! If you need this form translated in another language please contact us. Join this Facebook group in order to read posts about and be connected to ongoing efforts/resources https://www.facebook.com/groups/646455195924175/ Thanks for joining us in mutual community care during this time. Much love, Soulardarity Staff & Board Questions? Please feel free to reach out to Jackson Koeppel, Executive Director (director@soulardarity.com) or Shimekia Nichols, Deputy Director (communications@soulardarity.com) *IF YOU ARE IN A RISK CATEGORY, PLEASE KEEP YOUR OWN SAFETY IN MIND IF OFFERING HELP*
As far back as 2012, Buckets of Rain, located on Glendale Avenue in Highland Park Michigan provided produce to the homeless shelters of the Detroit Rescue Mission and to the patients in the Say Clinic Farm to Table program. This year the location will be closing, but thanks to the Highland Park Community Crisis Coalition, the work will continue. Raised Garden beds will be going to Avalon Village for a personalised community garden program and a larger portion of raised garden beds will go to Parker Village for more commercial production of the produce that the Clinic has come to rely on. This arrangement will also provide the workings for Highland Park’s own “Farmer’s or Weekend Market”, starting hopefully in June or July. The organization will host other vendors and all are encouraged to reach out at 313-300-0577. The HPC3 was formed with the encouragement and initial funding by the Detroit 2 Nepal foundation and includes the principles of Soulardarity, Avalon Village and Parker Village as its steering committee. The organizations look forward to serving the Highland Park Community moving forward and thank Chris Skellenger, all of the donors, volunteers and supporters that sustained Buckets of Rain throughout the years.
Parker Village Launches Small Business Initiative Parker Village officially announces our small business initiative. The program will provide an outlet for small businesses to have a source or an additional source to selling their products online via Parker Village’s online store. Various items will also be featured physically in the upcoming Parker Village Garden Cafe when it opens. These featured items will be rotated monthly. The initiative targets Veterans, People of Color, Women and Highland Parker Owned products. Look for our revamped website soon at www. Parkervillagehp.com. Our first Vendor/ Partner is a Woman owned, sustainable Kitchen and Home goods Company, called NUANCE PRINTS and will be available in our webstore soon.The Eco friendly Home goods products are handcrafted. If you or someone you know fits into the 4 criteria ( woman, veteran, POC or Highland Parker) and you are interested in us supporting your business, reach out to us at ParkerVillageHP@gmail.com
MREA
SOLAR TRAINING
ACADEMY RELIABILITY AND OUTAGE
UPDATE As Texas has experienced one the worst power outages to date due to severe winter weather, Highland Park continues to be highlighted in the media stream. In a Bridge MI article; “A resident of Highland Park, which borders Detroit, Michelle Jones said she was without power for at least part of three days last July after a rainstorm in the DTE Energy territory. As she and her daughter rushed to whisk a freezer-full of groceries to another daughter’s house, they awaited word from DTE. “First they tell us it’ll be back on at 8 p.m. And it wasn't,” Jones said. “Then they said 11 p.m. It wasn’t.” By the time power was restored, she said roughly $200-worth of groceries in the fridge would be spoiled. Jones said her daughter applied for a $25 credit from DTE — a provision the state requires when normal outages surpass 16 hours — but was denied.” To check out the complete article, go to: https://www.bridgemi. com/michigan-environment-watch/michiganno-texas-it-has-grid-reliability-issues-its-own
Thanks to MREA Midwest Renewable Energy Association Soulardarity proudly kicked off it's 2021 Solar Training Academy this month. The MREA Midwest Grow Solar Partnership helps communities expand access to solar through technical assistance, solar group buy programs, and training for inspectors and installers. Through this training academy we are bringing solar to our community and growing leaders for our organization! Our class of 16 community members are taking the Solar Academy training course until spring. Participants that successfully complete the program will receive NAPSEA certification and select graduates will be brought on to install solar on 30-50 local homes taking part in the Grow Solar bulk purchase initiative as well as roof top solar installs on 2 Black-woman led grassroots non-profits in our community. As both a trainee and staff of Soulardarity I am proud and excited to work with and see so many familiar faces of from our community take part in this training. The work that brought us to this point is proving to be a worthwhile and unique opportunity to merge various corners of the black liberation and activist communities and intersect them with the Just-Transition movement with a key role in bringing energy resilience, sustainability and direct democracy to Black and Brown communities in Michigan. Look for our announcements in Spring when we are ready to break ground and bring an equitable energy future to those who would otherwise be left out. Go to: https://www.midwestrenew.org/ for more information.
HIGHLAND PARK HUMAN RIGHTS COALITION
WATER LEAK PILOT PROGRAM The Highland Park Human Rights Coalition (HPHRC) was awarded funding from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate for a Water Leak Pilot program. The goal is to enroll 100 Highland Park eligible households with high water usage. WHAT IS THE WATER LEAK PILOT PROGRAM? Residents of the City of Highland Park have among the highest home plumbing water leaks in the state. The State of Michigan is interested in establishing a statewide program to help residents reduce fix leaky pipes, remove old lead water fixtures in their homes, and lower their water bills. This project is taking place in the City of Benton Harbor too. Eligible households who enroll in this pilot project will get water leaks repaired at no cost and will learn tips to save on the cost of utilities. The eligibility requirements include: a) Households that have been identified by the Highland Park Water Department with high water bills and/or leaks; and b) Households with at least one senior age 65 or older; and/or c) Households with children under the age of 18; and/or d) Households with a person who has one or more medically diagnosed disabilities. March 15-21 is Fix a Leak Week throughout the state of Michigan. The Highland Park Human Rights Coalition plan to celebrate this event with a kick-off city canvasses in the city of Highland Park. Highland Park 11th & 12th grade students will serve as volunteer canvassers and will receive a stipend and other benefits. A Highland Park Human Rights Coalition member will drive and accompany each teen canvasser to the door steps. Each volunteer student will not only serve as a canvasser in The Fix a Leak Pilot Program but also with the distinction as an Ambassador on a mission that will help our community! Highland Park! Look Out! We The Highland Park Human Rights Coalition will be coming your way in the upcoming weeks to help with the water leaks in your home!
For Further Information, please contact Highland Park Human Rights Coalition 313 753-3886
ENERGY
ADVOCACY
UPDATE
Soulardarity remains busy at the MI Public Service Commission. As the only community-based organization focused on racial and economic equity that is a regular legal intervenor, we are constantly engaged on a number of fronts. Recently we've been taking a focus on the $30 Million that DTE Energy made in surplus profit due to COVID-19. They made that profit because residential ratepayers, who pay the highest rates, used a lot more energy staying at home. Once moratoriums were lifted, DTE stated doing 3000 to 4000 shutoffs every week of customers drowning in utility debt. We believe DTE must take that profit and invest it in energy affordability through a percentage of income payment plan. Just as Highland Park water warriors are fighting for water affordability, we are demanding that no household should pay more than 6% of income to the energy bills. Meanwhile, we are fighting hard to establish a low-income community solar program that would develop local solar projects to power and provide savings to households struggling with bills. We are supported in that fight by environmental and consumer advocates. Everyone deserves the benefits of clean energy, and DTE needs to change their programs so that not only the wealthy can profit. We will keep you updated on the fight for energy justice! Jackson Koeppel
181 East Buena Vista, Highland Park, Mi. 48203
#COMING-SOON2021 #HP4LiFE