For the tenth year in a row, community members work together to revitalize a street in Saginaw.
The One Week One Street program runs June 27-30 and focuses on the beautification of Hazelwood Avenue between Hess and Webber in Saginaw.
This year’s activities include neighborhood cleanups, flower planting, painting, small repairs, landscaping and more.
The program began in 2012 when Freeland High School teacher Tamara Klida and her son went on a missionary trip to Tennessee to help a church in need. But Klida said she sees a need for the kind of work they do in the communities right next door. She says she got the idea after driving through eastern Saginaw.
“My heart is completely broken. It seemed like the city and people just left the area and no one really cared about the resources, economic development or anything like that,” Klida said. “I thought, ‘Gosh, we don’t have to go to Tennessee to help a community. We have a community here, our neighbors who could use some help.’”
Klida said the first project, in 2013, brought together nearly 200 volunteers to beautify a street in Saginaw. She says the project has significantly improved conditions in East Saginaw.
“A key objective of this project was to reduce poverty, violence and crime in the neighborhood. Michigan State Police data over the past few years confirms that crime in this neighborhood has gradually decreased by 80% since 2011.”
According to Klida, over the past nine years, One Week One Street has helped improve 245 homes, create two community gardens, clear 28 vacant lots, paint interior and two exterior murals, repair porch/steps, and Construction of such led to a communal tool shed, a park pavilion and two playgrounds.
She said last year five homes were completely repainted, two received new roofs, eight new windows were installed and 11 homes received professional tree care.
“We want people to stay in their homes, improve the physical landscape of the neighborhoods, increase property values, we want Saginaw to prosper,” Kilda said. “And we’re confident that if we can help in any way, we will.”
She says One Week One Street will provide professional tree care to 17 homes in Hazelwood this year with grants and budget increases.
“Over the years we’ve realized that some people couldn’t get home insurance because there were very large old trees with branches hanging over their house. And of course it costs a thousand dollars to cut down or prune a tree; it’s very expensive,” said Klida.
“As we’ve done this over the years, we’re getting an idea of what’s going to be most helpful to people in the neighborhood and we’re just trying to meet those needs as best we can,” she added.
She says the community involvement has been encouraging as over the past few years people from certain neighborhoods have joined the team and worked to revitalize other streets in Saginaw.
This year’s program is supported by grants from TriStar Bank, Saginaw Community Foundation, Dashano Community Foundation, Financial Plus Credit Union, Isabella Bank, Burt Watson Chevrolet, GBU Life, Home Depot in Thomas Township, Glidden Paint, Dow Chemical and others allows Jack’s tree service.
If you are interested in volunteering, joining a Midland team, or would like more information, contact Tamara Klida at oneweekonestreet@aol.com or call 989-662-4245. See One Week, One Street on Facebook for a list of tools needed (tax ID number is available), registration forms and more details.
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https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/one-week-one-street-project-beautifies-18156384.php
