Our Team – Life Remodeled Detroit 2020

Monday October 5th 2020 our club volunteered in Life Remodeled 2020 a project to help remove blight and clean up blocks in Detroit around the old Durfee High school facility.

Our team:

Leader and coordinator extraordinaire – Lee Harrison

Don “Weed Wacker” Wakefield

Jim ” Mower Man” Jabara

John “Cut ’em down” Filios

Paul “Pick ’em up” Penney

and non Kiwanian and all round good guy – Jim Burt

This is from the Life Remodeled website:

“Volunteers participated in the Six Day Project, beautifying 316 city blocks surrounding the Durfee Innovation Society, boarding up 396 houses, clearing 102 alleyways, planting more than 700 trees, shrubs and perennials, building 6 community gardens, installing 20 little free libraries along Safe Routes, designating the safest routes to Durfee and Central schools with artwork, installing 3 new bus shelters, 5 grills and picnic tables at neighborhood parks and adding neighborhood signage.

Life Remodeled began tracking the long-term impact of its work in Detroit’s communities. Findings showed that one year following a previous Six Day Project, neighborhood crime decreased in 10 out of 11 categories.”

House #1

This house was heavily over grown with weeds and heavy growth in the front. We cut down and trimmed much over the overgrowth and mowed and cleaned the undergrowth.

House #2 & 3

These 2 houses were side by side and the one on the left had vines all over the front porch, Heavy overgrowth on the left side and the tree and undergrowth and the lot line made it dangerous for people to walk safely.

We cut and removed all debris and heavy overgrowth, mowed the front and sides and cleaned a clear path on the side walk for safe passage.

The house on the right had over growth and heavy grass at the front. We cleared all of it and cut the grass.

House #4

This house was just down the block from our previous houses and although it didn’t have the heavy overgrowth that the other places did the front and side grass was very high. Jim “Mower man” Jabara and Jim Burt made short work of that. Don “Weed Wacker” Wakefield and his expertise was invaluable to clear the overgrowth in front of the house.

House #5

By the time we got to house 5 we were all a little beat and we knew we were on the home stretch for the day. Luckily our skill sets were acutely honed by this time and we were able to make short work of the grass vines and overgrowth in front of this house to have a great end result. Well done Team Plymouth Kiwanis!!!