An Amazing Day for Detroit

More than 100 Events, Hundreds of Community Organizations, Thousands of People

5th ANNUAL ARISE Detroit! Neighborhoods Day

Saturday August 6, 2011

Sunup to Sundown

DETROIT, July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In an amazing display of community spirit by a city viewed by some as down and out, more than 100 events, involving hundreds of community organizations and thousands of people,  will  come together Saturday August 6, 2011, for the  5TH Annual ARISE Detroit! Neighborhoods Day.

Neighborhoods Day was established in 2007 to showcase Detroit's "Transformation Community," those groups, organizations and unsung heroes working to create a better community throughout the year.

City residents will use thousands of volunteers to build new homes, clean up neighborhoods, hold education events and health fairs,  sign up students for college scholarships,  plant community gardens and much more.

Numerous community service events and activities will be found all over the city, stretching from the Detroit Riverfront to Eight Mile Road.  Events will begin at dawn and conclude in the evening at the ARISE Detroit! Renewing the Village Celebration in Hart Plaza at the Ribs R n B Soul Fest.  This will feature music and poetry from young people followed by a Motown music concert.

ARISE Detroit! also will honor three longtime community activists who are serving as honorary chairs of Neighborhoods Day, Eleanor Josaitis, co-founder of Focus: Hope, streetscape artist Tyree Guyton,  creator of the word famous Heidelberg  Project, and the legendary Grace Lee Boggs, 96, founder of the Boggs Center, and long known as a crusader for social and human justice.

"We want the nation and the world to see this other side of Detroit, thousands of people coming together in a spectacular demonstration of community pride,"  said Luther Keith, executive director of ARISE Detroit! "Neighborhoods Day is about the real heart and soul of the city, the people who will not give up on our children and families.  They are not just true believers – they are people who believe in working for a better Detroit."

ARISE Detroit! has partnered with the Mayor's Office of the City of Detroit Catch the Spirit program  and the I'm a Believer Campaign to encourage Detroiters and others to participate and volunteer at Neighborhoods Day events.

Neighborhoods Day activities will include.

• Construction of a new home by volunteers with  Habitat for Humanity of Detroit.
• Detroit public housing events, inviting residents to participate and volunteer at activities to promote the neighborhood spirit at seven public housing complexes.
• The Gratiot Splash,  which will have a symbolic "funeral" to bury violence,  horseback rides, health screenings and entertainment for  thousands of residents near downtown Detroit.
• Garden planting and the boarding  up of vacant housing.
• Renovation of an entire city block of as many as 16 homes by Handyman Ministries and numerous volunteers.
• Numerous health fairs across the city.
• Special tours of the world famous Heidelberg Project, created by urban landscape artist Tyree Guyton.
• Art and music projects, including a music exhibition involving young people building instruments from metal and glass and then performing on them.
• A number of parades and a community service project and display by the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club of Michigan.
• Parades and back to school fairs with neighborhoods groups distributing thousands of back packs and other school supplies to students.
• A number of major festivals throughout the city, including events at Focus: Hope, the Arts  League of Michigan,  Goodwill Industries of Detroit and at Historic Fort Wayne.

Major sponsors for Neighborhoods Day include the Kresge and Skillman foundations,  Huntington  Bank, Comerica Bank, United Way of Southeastern Michigan,  LISC, AARP, WWJ Radio, Comcast Cable, the Ribs R  n B Soul Fest,  Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan, Waste Management of Michigan,  Radio One, DMC-Sinai Grace, Associated Food and Petroleum Dealers, representing  53 independent full service grocery markets in Detroit,  ATS Educational Services, Bridgewater Interiors, Hacienda Mexican Foods and the Detroit Regional News Hub.  For a complete list of all Neighborhoods Day events and activities, visit www.arisedetroit.org.

Groups will continue to register for Neighborhoods  Day at www.arisedetroit.org through July 15.

"In just five years, Neighborhoods Day has become a wonderful new tradition in the city of Detroit," Keith said. "We invite everyone to come out, get out, lend a hand, participate and just have a good time with your neighbors."

Established in 2006, and funded by the Skillman and Kresge foundations, ARISE Detroit! is a coalition of more than 400 community groups, churches, block clubs and businesses promoting volunteerism, community activism and positive media images to create a better Detroit.

For more information on Neighborhoods Day call, 313-921-1955 or visit www.arisedetroit.org.  ARISE Detroit! is located at 5830 Field Street, Suite 103, Detroit, Michigan 48213.

SOURCE ARISE Detroit!