Speakers

Detroit Horse Power is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2015 by former Detroit elementary school teacher David Silver. We teach Detroit students to ride and care for horses to develop critical skills that will set them up for academic, career, and life success. Our planned urban equestrian center will be built on repurposed vacant land in Detroit and serve as a community center that offers year-round youth programming.

Josh Elling is the CEO of Jefferson East, Inc., a nonprofit organization, partners with neighborhood residents and businesses to support development, greater resources, and investments 

JEI represents 5 distinct neighborhoods along the East Jefferson corridor and provides programming within a boundary area of 18.4 square miles. We represent approximately 42,200 residents.

From historic homes and modern apartment buildings, living and working along the corridor provides amazing access to Detroit's city parks, nationally renowned Belle Isle, the active RiverWalk and connections to the Dequindre Cut.

The 5 neighborhoods they represent are Lafayette/Elmwood Park, The Villages of Detroit, Rivertown, The Marina District and Jefferson Chalmers

Melanie, the executive director of Greektown Neighborhood Partnership, will share some exciting developments in downtown and Greektown, including a new $20 million streetscape project that will modernize Monroe Street. 

Rather than heading to the Village Grille for our regular meeting, join us for our (almost) quarterly fellowship dinner this evening. There will be no formal meeting during this event, but plenty of time will be available to socialize and connect with Rotarians over a meal. The location and exact timing are TBD and will be shared as soon as possible. RSVPs are required; please get in touch with Cissie Cappola to let us know you're coming.

Heidi Pfannes, President of the Albert Kahn Legacy Foundation will share  interesting facts about Albert Kahn through the ages.  She will also explain how the foundation is bringing people together to tell the stories and preserve the legacy.

We will be having a break in meetings to coincide with Spring Break for our local school districts.  Traditionally this occurs during the last week of March, but we'll verify this once the GP Schools calendar for 2024-2025 is released.

Diallo, President and COO of Life Remodeled, will discuss their new project very close to Grosse Pointe. The Anchor Detroit project will repurpose the former Dominican High School (I-94 and Whittier) into their next opportunity hub. The future of this school will create a large social impact on the east side of Detroit.

Alex Allen, President & CEO of Chandler Park Conservancy, 

The Chandler Park Conservancy is a non-profit corporation, formed in 2014 by the Chandler Park Promise Coalition, a project of the Eastside Community Network. The mission of the Conservancy is to develop exceptional educational, recreational and conservation opportunities at Chandler Park for youth, and people of all ages.

The vision of the Conservancy is a revitalized Chandler Park, which is one of only four 200-plus acre “regional parks” in the City of Detroit.  The Conservancy is working to develop a multi-facility “urban conservation campus,” the only one of its kind in the state of Michigan. 

 

The facilities will complement the existing Chandler Park Golf Course and Wayne County Family Aquatic Center.  The campus will include but not limited to: spectacular outdoor sports venues for all ages and genders, community outing venues, community gardens & wetlands, skatepark, self-contained stormwater management system, walking path, and special installations to convert Chandler Park as a “living lab” for environmental and ecology-related education for school age children, and the entire community.

Mary Howlett, marketing manager for Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, will share exciting updates since we last heard from this organization in 2020. 

Rather than heading to the Village Grille for our regular meeting, join us for our (almost) quarterly fellowship dinner this evening. There will be no formal meeting during this event, but plenty of time will be available to socialize and connect with Rotarians over a meal. The location and exact timing are TBD and will be shared as soon as possible. RSVPs are required; please get in touch with Cissie Cappola to let us know you're coming.

Jill, Vice President of Engagement and Xavier, Assistant Project Manager are joing us from Detroit based general contracting firm, Sachse Construction, to share about The Sachse Construction Academy. This is a one-day event where Detroit high school students gain hands-on experience in skilled trades at an active construction site. From using tools to learning from professionals, it's their chance to explore careers and build a future in construction. 

 

Taylor Mae is the host of Creative Mornings Detroit, our local chapter of one of the world's largest creative communities. Creative Mornings was started in 2008 in New York out of a desire for an ongoing, accessible event for their creative community. The concept is simple: breakfast and a short talk one Friday morning a month. Every event is free of charge and open to anyone. 

Our Club's Annual Passing of the Gavel Event, which will be celebrating the transition from President Neil Sroka to President Jackie Dale, will take place on Wednesday, June 25th, at the Grosse Pointe Club (The Little Club) in Grosse Pointe Farms.  Details will be forthcoming, including the exact time and how to reserve your spot (required).