Thanks for Giving Back to Flint

ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MI

The fundraising campaign to demolish 6608 Parkbelt Drive in Flint in now complete. More than 150 donors gave everything from $1 to $1,000 to help us reach our goal. In the end, we raised $11,113. It's a reminder that even people who haven't lived in Flint for years still want to do their part to help all the current residents who are doing such inspiring work in the city. Flint has a storied past, but I think this shows that it also has a future.

“The land bank is very grateful to all the generous donors who have contributed and made this campaign a success,” said Douglas Weiland, executive director of the Genesee County Land Bank. “You can rest assured that the results in this one neighborhood will not only be significant in eliminating this blighted house and the detrimental effect it has had, but it is also a great reflection on our society that people still come to the aid of others that they don’t even know. The neighborhood residents will benefit from your generosity for years to come.”

Here is the tentative schedule for the demolition of the house provided by the land bank:

September: Complete all demolition inspections, surveys, and request utility cuts.

November/December: Pending utility cuts, complete demolition, backfill lot, and complete winter grade inspection

May: Complete final grade, seed, and mulch lot. Conduct final inspection.

June: Make lot available for sale as a side lot to eligible adjacent homeowner.

Thanks again to everyone who contributed to the campaign. They are listed below using their Indiegogo username.

ketambellini

becketbessolo

mikelmower

Anonymous

momfrillici

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sondra139

Beth and John Kirkpatrick

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scott.hiteshew

dlfolsom2

daynewalling

bob19

ptmalloy

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bodrell.b

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ljlewis14

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Carl Hamilla

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jimbleicher

emily_sattler

Carlo & Cindy

perkinspatti

jwackles

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Amy Salunga

kmmRtus

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gyoung10

sarah_torri

sandybch

sarah16768

ruth.mowry

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aschroed44

jamatz

ak.kraft

MaryMcNally

erin6241

andrew.c.yost

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Sam Perkins-Harbin

jauchter

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btcoburn

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ShelleySherman3

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aseeborg

ordwayw58

fungourmet

keithlaidlaw

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stuff181

nexxydude

Earline Ahonima

flintgen1

pbkaplan3

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Joseph Dennis

calliecat52

andrew.leonard

baadejames60

boyddavidj

Ken Sayers

dennis.sanders

Peter Camilli

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zenmichigan

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stephen rodrick

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Allison Gertridge

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Kimberly Plouffe

Jennifer Russell

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mick.normington

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davepetro1965

pjoice

andrewschwab24

Michael Barillas

mollypanek

Barry Yeoman

flintgen1

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Accurate Accounting

sarah.jane

jcdaniels53

djames5

flintstonian

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kyhornsby

jim.holbel

martha26

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tringham

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Timothy Jahr

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Paulette Mayfield

Eric Willson

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artskrz

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Crystal Pepperdine

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D.J. Becker

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chittle

janworth1118

The Coyne Family

Eva Grace

Flighting Blight in Flint, Michigan

Mission accomplished! Thanks to all the generous donors who made this possible. It’s a great example of people coming together to prove that American cities like Flint have a future and not just a storied past.

And a special thanks to the residents of Flint who have not given up on the Vehicle City, especially the homeowners on Parkbelt Drive. Crystal Ashburn-Brown just texted me: “Wow, I am sooooo happy! Parkbelt Drive says thank you to all the donors.”

A bit of housekeeping…the campaign will stay open for the full 30 days as originally planned. Any donations over the $10,000 goal will also be given to the Genesee County Land Bank Authority to cover any extra costs associated with demolishing 6608 Parkbelt Drive and/or the land bank’s other work in Flint and the rest of Genesee County. Donate here.

Thanks again for all the support. It’s great to know that so many care about Flint’s past, present, and future.

Help Fight Blight and Spur Revival in Flint

Go here to donate

I’m Gordon Young and four generations of my family lived in Flint, Michigan. This is a crowdfunding campaign to help my hometown and a group of residents raise money to demolish a single abandoned, burned-out house on an otherwise healthy vibrant block.

The money you donate will enable the Genesee County treasurer and the Genesee County Land Bank Authority to tear down the burned out house at 6608 Parkbelt Drive in the North End of Flint and maintain the lot or deed it to a neighbor who will take care of it.

Obviously, this won’t solve all of Flint’s problems, but it will be a huge help to longtime, dedicated Parkbelt homeowners like Paulette Mayfield and Crystal Ashburn, who have watched the house decay, attract squatters and drug users, and ultimately catch on fire. And your donation will play a role in helping Flint transform itself into a smaller, greener, more viable city.

“One abandoned and blighted house on a well-maintained block can destabilize the whole neighborhood," said Doug Weiland, executive director of the land bank. "Demolishing this newly foreclosed house sooner rather than later will help to stem the cycle of decline and send a message to surrounding homeowners that their neighborhood is worth investing in."

Like a lot of Rust Belt cities, Flint has suffered through deindustrialization and all the problems that come with it. The birthplace of General Motors had one of the highest per capita income levels in the nation in the sixties. But after losing more than 70,000 automotive jobs, Flint has struggled with population loss, budget cuts, and unemployment. Thousands of abandoned houses attract crime, depress property values, and destabilize neighborhoods.

In order to reinvent itself, Flint has to get rid of these houses, but it doesn’t have the money to demolish the thousands of structures that are too far gone to save. What it does have are inspiring, dedicated people who call Flint home. They’ve never given up on the city and they are still working hard to make it a better place.

"When I was young, I loved the early mornings on this block," Parkbelt homeowner Paulette Mayfield said. "My mom was an early riser. She would always get up and sit in the front window and read her Bible. Then all of the kids on the block would get up, grab something to eat, and be out on the street on their bikes. It was a just a warm, friendly neighborhood. It still is and we want to keep it that way.”