An organized neighborhood gets more done

WMU students working in low-income neighborhoods in Kalamazoo are helping residents plan and get home improvement projects done.

The program called Building Blocks comes to Western Michigan University with the help of Dr. Kim Cummings, professor emeritus of sociology at Kalamazoo College. Cummings will offer the class to WMU as an adjunct professor in the School of Social Work.

As part of the program, students work under the guidance of supervisors selected by neighborhood associations go door-to-door recruiting residents to do the needed work. This summer, students are working in the Eastside, Fairmont, Vine and Oakwood neighborhoods. Students organize residents, who identify projects that will improve their homes, which in turn improves the appearance and value of whole streets.

Over the years of the program residents and students have worked on more than 120 sites in the Eastside, Edison, Fairmont, Northside, Oakwood, Stuart and Vine neighborhoods. During that time, 327 student organizers have helped improve neighborhoods and learned skills that will serve them in public and private life.

Cheryl Lord, of the Oakwood Neighborhood Association says Building Blocks is one of the most important programs the association is involved in because it gives people a chance to meet their neighbors, work side by side with them, and get to know them. Half of her board of directors is involved and they are networking with neighbors through the program.

"It's a grassroots organization," Lord says, "and working with Building Blocks is one of the first times people get to know who their neighbors are and we get to know who they are and what their needs are."

Writer: Kathy Jennings,
Source: Kim Cummings, Mark Schwerin, WMU