Tess Tchou moved to Grandmont Rosedale in 1978 “without a clue about what kind of neighborhood we were moving into.” Tess and her husband Ray had been living in an apartment in Royal Oak, but the apartment didn’t allow babies, and Tess was pregnant with the first of two sons. Several years and two sons…
Longtime Grandmont Rosedale resident Linda Thomas had earned her retirement after working for many years in the automotive industry. That rest turned into something a little more sustained though, a maybe a little less healthy. Linda’s granddaughter noticed this, and, according to Linda, said “’You really ought to get out.’” Linda’s granddaughter told her about…
Years ago, when Asia Hamilton was in high school, she wanted to take a cosmetology class, but the class was full. She was disappointed and so, with little enthusiasm and the thought that the class would be easy, Asia reluctantly signed up for commercial photography. Once the class was over Asia knew what she wanted…
Chinyere Olumba remembers spending many childhood summer days hanging out at the Gray Branch of the Detroit Public Library which was in the Butzel Family Recreation Center on the east side. Chinyere could walk there with her four siblings and the five of them would play in the gym, take craft classes, and visit the…
Sean VandenBrink and Dexter the cat, a Glastonbury Collective resident. In 2011, Sean VandenBrink was looking for a place to create a community of artists – a place where artists would have the space and equipment to pursue their artistic goals without the anxiety of meeting a high rent. GRDC had recently acquired a…
Joél Reyes-Klann, GRDC’s intern from the University of Michigan, is no stranger to community engagement. Since last June, Joél has spent much of his time assisting GRDC’s Community Engagement Manager Kitty Yarbrough with Vacant Property Task Force meetings, and soon he will also help out with this year’s Northwest Detroit Farmers’ Market season. Joél, a…
Yoga didn’t do much for Kerrie Trahan back in 2005 when she tried her first yoga class. She sort of stumbled upon the class as she was checking out what was offered at the Boll Family YMCA downtown. Her dad had signed the whole family up at the Y because, as Kerrie remembers, “he thought…
Since 1971 the Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency has operated the Water Residential Assistance Program (WRAP) which helps low and moderate-income Wayne County residents with water bills and assists them to access other essential services such as home repairs, furniture, food, and shelter. Looking to be convenient to the communities it serves, WRAP opened an…
Grandmont Rosedale resident Robert Jones’ business card reads “Musician and Storyteller,” but, as he attests, it’s pretty hard to separate the two. Robert believes that storytelling is as important to music as music is to storytelling. His performances include large amounts of both, simultaneously. Robert seeks to teach and show people that knowing the stories…
As many people know, a well-organized, knowledgeable Administrative Assistant is vital to a well-run organization. Lucky for GRDC, we have Jocelyn Moss. A Detroiter for the last 20 years, Jocelyn comes to GRDC with experience as the Administrative Assistant for a day care and several churches. As Jocelyn says, she “helps organizations stay organized, so…