The East End is Rising
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| Members of the East End Community Association. Photo: Urban News |
By Sarah Williams
For a number of years, the East End Association was a moribund organization, but it has been newly energized by enthusiastic neighbors who wanted to “get the community cranked again.”
The original two residents came together and decided to send a flier to their neighbors to gauge public interest; the city’s community liaison, Marsha Stickford, helped them get the fliers out to the community. Now the East End Association has begun meeting again.
The first meeting, on January 21, 2010, was a huge success. On that cloudy day the people of East End came together, and a steering committee emerged, charged with the task of planning what would happen at future meetings. The group decided to ask Marianna & Bill Bailey to lead visioning sessions, and they agreed to do it.
The visioning sessions began July 8 and continued every other Tuesday;
all four sessions were held at St. James AME Church. Out of those
meetings emerged four major teams: the East End Neighborhood team, the
MLK Park team, East End Land Use team, and Historical Preservation team.
Participants in the sessions volunteered to serve on at least one team.
Resident Paul Kern made a much-appreciated “East End Association”
sandwich board sign, which serves to remind East Enders when meetings
will be held. Before each meeting the sign will continue to be placed
prominently on the lawn of St. James Church.
After all the visioning sessions were held, the Association chose
officers: President – Renee White; Vice President – Mandy Broderick;
Secretary – Carmen Ramos-Kennedy; Treasurer – Father Jim Abbott. The
East End Association plans to move forward with ideas such as a
community garden, City Council advocacy, getting to know each other in
the neighborhood, projects for keeping the community clean, and
activities for the community’s children.
The next big event, cosponsored by Stephens-Lee Community Center and the
East End Association will be a community-wide Fall Festival November
18, 2010.
East End/Valley Street Neighborhood Association
October 14 & 28 – The East End/Valley Street Neighborhood Association meets the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of St. James AME Church, 44 Hildebrand at Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive.
