Welcome to Voices of the Community, I’m Lloyd Jackson and today we are speaking with Sandra White, organizer and volunteer coordinator for Hope Village Revitalization. We’ll hear how she works to bring resources to residents of the neighborhood and why she looks at herself as a “volunteer innovator."
As always, I kicked it off with the lightening round of quick questions just so the listeners can get to know Sandra a little bit better. I asked some questions and Sandra gave me the first answers that came to mind starting with her first car which was not actually a car but a van, I asked if she was a dog or cat person and Sandra prefers dogs, as far a any hidden talents Sandra says being assertive would be it and as far as any mistakes she’s made that she’s learned from, Sandra says judging a person before she gets to know their character. And Sandra’s favorite Detroit food is French fries.
As we got started with the nuts and bolts of the interview, I asked Sandra where exactly was the Hope Village Community is located in Detroit and she said it’s in the Linwood/Oakman area on the city’s west side. It’s bounded by Linwood and Hamilton and Davison and the I-96 freeway.
Sandra has been in Detroit all of her life and her mother went to Focus Hope which is an innovative facility in that neighborhood of Hope Village where many people learned skilled trades.
Sandra said Hope Village Revitalization started inside of Focus Hope but became it’s own entity last November to create innovative energy efficient housing for low income persons or families. Sandra adds in that area there is low income residents and senior living facilities.
Sandra’s title is volunteer coordinator, but she calls herself a “volunteer Innovator” because she thinks outside the box. She wants the volunteering to be fun and interactive.
Hope Village Revitalization works with several community organizations and she says they are a force to be reckoned. They also work closely with the city of Detroit on projects.
One of the programs of the Hope Village Revitalization is placemaking and community arts and culture and Sandra says that program entails acquiring city spaces that have not been used and transforming them into an area where community can congregate.
Sandra is deeply passionate about another program of the Hope Village Revitalization and that is the urban Farming and gardening program. Sandra said she grew her own food for a while but then got involved with Hope Village Revitalization and really loved bringing the community together through gardening and farming and working to let the community know that good food grows from the ground and not McDonalds and Burger King.
Sandra said many of their community partners have helped with getting the neighborhood connected with internet access and with many of the kids doing virtual learning from home that is more important now than ever.
Sandra says she likes bringing the community together letting them know what services are available to them that they may not have known about.
Sandra has been in the Hope Village Community in Detroit all of her life, but she said she did leave for a while but found out Detroit is where she needed to build her life.
As Detroit continues to grow Sandra wants the community to get back to talking to one another in person. technology is fine but one on one conversation is what she would like to see in Detroit’s future which she thinks could also bring more unity because of the personal interaction with others.
Sandra says if she could take a visitor to Detroit to just one place in the city, she would take them the urban farming and gardening areas of Detroit and connect with real people in real neighborhoods.
When it comes to the biggest misconception about Detroit, Sandra says it’s a misconception that black men in Detroit are not involved. She says the spotlight is always on the negative one, but it never is shined upon those doing the right thing.
Sandra White, is the volunteer coordinator/ volunteer innovator for Hope Village Revitalization, a community development corporation serving Detroit’s Hope village community. I also want to let the listeners know that Sandra was be one of 7 women honored during the Power of one Dedicated women virtual awards that was held on Sept 22nd sponsored by the organization “Michigan Community Resources”.
You can find out more about the awards and the women that were honored by going the Michigan Community Resources Facebook page or their website www.mi-community.org
If there is a voice in your community that needs to be heard drop me an email at voicesofthecommunity@wwjnewsradio.com.
I’m lloyd jackson and thanks for listening to Voices of the Community.