Starbucks Community Service : Discussion List - Blight Busters Deconstruction and Urban Farming Project

VIDEO - AMoS event - ACT Award for John George

communityservice@starbucks.com — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:35:55 GMT

Yesterday during a luncheon at WXYZ TV channel 7, our local ABC affiliate, John George from Motor City Blight Busters was honored as the winner of the ACT award for Detroit2020 an organization working to highlight leaders and progress within our city. The video in the link provided includes some great footage from our AMoS event last week.

http://detroit2020.com/2012/04/19/detroit-2020-awards-presented-today/ - News story and additional videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ6qw_vzs38&feature=player_embedded - Video from our Event

Congratulations & Thank YOU!

communityservice@starbucks.com — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 21:28:54 GMT

Midwest Leadership Team,

I'm so proud of the work you did to be part of Detroit's urban reclamation. It was HARD work and you made a HUGE difference. I know this was only one of many community projects planned for this month by you and your partners, and I'm so grateful I got to see this one. I'm incredibly proud that you came together as leaders to model the involvement that defines our partners and our company. Thank you for your leadership - I'm so proud to be your partner.

Clarice

What an amazing event

communityservice@starbucks.com — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 23:18:27 GMT

This event will truly stay with me a long time....just as the impact that Blight Busters is having in the community. It was amazing to see so many partners come together and make their contribution. I can't wait to stay connected with the progress made towards John's vision.

Link to photos in Detroit News

communityservice@starbucks.com — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:43:46 GMT

http://apps.detnews.com/apps/multimedia/gallery.php?id=14081

Check out the photo gallery on the detroit news website!! 12 great photos

Link to story in Detroit News

communityservice@starbucks.com — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:18:46 GMT

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120411/METRO/204110357/Blight-fighters-start-transform-Detroit-block?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs

Thank You

communityservice@starbucks.com — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 23:22:27 GMT

Thank you - to each and every partner that was responsible for helping today. From the volunteers to the community team to our DM Summit group. Each and every partner helped to bring this special day together and I could not thank you enough.

Community service is near and dear to my heart - I hope that this project has inspired you to make a change in your neighborhood - no matter how small..

Again, thank you to all partners, customers, friends, family - your involvement in this project was truly fantastic. I look forward to seeing you at another event soon!

Tami Ford

Taford@starbucks.com

WOW

communityservice@starbucks.com — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:16:51 GMT

WOW!!!

What a day!!! I am moved and inspired by what I witnessed yesterday (and a little sore from all the hard work)!!! Motor City Blight Busters is such a fantastic organization and has inspired me to be a more active member of my own community. Thank you to Tami Ford for all of her inspiring work!!! It is amazing to see what we can accomplish when our hearts are in the right place and we are organized to make a difference!!

About Motor City Blight Busters

communityservice@starbucks.com — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 19:36:14 GMT

About Blight Busters

The Motor City Blight Buster Volunteer Network Gets The Job Done

In its remarkable 18 year history, Motor City Blight Busters in conjunction with its coalition of community partners can proudly claim 120,000 volunteers, who have contributed more than 658,000 volunteer hours to paint 684 homes, board up and secure 379 abandoned buildings, renovate 176 houses and build 114 new ones to make suitable housing for 1,160 people. In the process, they used 21,000 gallons of paint, 15,500 pounds of nails and 15,470 sheets of plywood. They demolished 113 houses with sledgehammers and people power and undertook 3,850 neighborhood clean-ups, that resulted in 1,550 dumpsters of trash and 70,000 garbage bags.

Over the years, 3,900 neighborhood residents have participated in Angel’s Night patrols from the Motor City Blightbusters headquarters. City officials have expanded the program and last year it attracted more than 65,000 volunteers city-wide. Blight Busters fed 350 people at its first annual Thanksgiving dinner, provided space for 300 students to learn building trades and culinary arts at ACCOSS Training Center in the Motor City Resource Center and offered free health screening to 500 citizens.

Always working to bridge the gap between groups, Motor City Blightbusters has hosted more than 500 suburban teens over the last two years who volunteered for inner city projects through the “Summer in the City” program, brought together 150 people in the JACOB (the Jewish and Chaldean Opportunity Builders) to assist in projects and helped 20 urban teen-age girls find fun and healthy activities in another Motor City Blight Busters program, Girlfriendz.

Motor City Blight Busters Founder, John J. George, has been awarded the “Points of Light” award by President Clinton. This award honors people who have done outstanding volunteer work