When the Neighborhood Comes Together and an Angel Steps In

When our Central house opened in 2016, a participant tearfully explained how moving it was for her to see this corner house transform from blighted vacancy to a vibrant and populated space. The transformations are not going to end any time soon, for that hope bred an ongoing vision and dedication to what this space can become. As our Central advisory began to come together, there was more and more talk about building out a beautiful playground and recreation space on the adjacent open lot. This talk gradually expanded into further renovations on the house itself to make it even more kid friendly. This took us to the next phase of the plan: partner with design-centered organizations to renovate the Central home and the adjacent lot into a flagship model that is designed around what homes should be for kids. The IFF and the Design Center at the University of Detroit Mercy were in place as partners to assist with this model, which could be utilized by home-based providers and parents throughout Detroit as part of a city-wide movement for kid success. Everyone was excited, but there was one problem: where would the money come from? Enter Quicken Loans in the Community.

Driven by stated commitments to, among other things, stabilize neighborhoods, develop transformational sites and improve education for all, Quicken approached the Brilliant Detroit team about supporting our work. This came at a perfect time and, once presented with the proposal to renovate the Central house, Quicken agreed to support the project. Their generous donation of $50,000 puts us well on the path to turning our neighbors’ dream into a reality. This donation, as well as the computers, books, bikes, food, and additional funds that Quicken has graciously offered us over the course of this partnership, have added so much to Brilliant Detroit. They are showing us what neighbors helping neighbors across zip codes can accomplish.

The Brilliant Detroit Kid Success Design Center is part of our distribution model of programming at the neighborhood level and increasing education for all. The house – designed to be replicable for other home providers – will have expanded capability for indoor and outdoor programming that meets diverse learning needs. Because we are planning to expand to four more sites this year, the house that we design at Central can be replicated at more Brilliant Detroit houses in new neighborhoods and impact countless lives. Many thanks to the Central Advisory and Quicken Loans in the Community for creating and supporting this beautiful idea.