Heroes of the Neighborhood 2022 was a SUCCESS!
On Friday, June 10th UNI hosted our annual Heroes of the Neighborhood Fundraising event at our Springdale Green Playlot. This was UNI’s first in-person Heroes’ event since the COVID-19 pandemic began and everyone was excited to be back! It was a beautiful day in the Springwells community.
Heroes of the Neighborhood is UNI’s way of honoring individuals and organizations who have had a positive impact on our community. This year, we also honored high school seniors who have been a part of UNI’s various youth programs. Each year, there are 6 categories of heroes.
This years awardees were:
Resident: Anthony Benavides;He is a resident of southwest Detroit and also serves as the Executive Director of our beloved Clark Park. He leads the conservation of the park and has exposed thousands of youths and families to new sports opportunities, including ice skating and hockey.
Educator: Magdalena Alcarez; Magdalena is our first youth educator who has been selected for the Educator Award! Magdalena is a mental health advocate. She has been working with UNI for the past year to respond to the need for more mental health resources and opportunities in the neighborhood, while also working to reduce the mental health stigma.
Super Hero: Norma Preciado; Norma has been working at the Center for Music and Performing Arts (COMPAS) for over 13 years and she has gone above and beyond to keep the program going. Norma is always bringing art and culture to the Southwest Detroit community by providing free performances by the youth students at COMPAS.
Youth: Joanna Chairez; Joanna has been an instrumental voice at UNI. She is a part of Q-Team and brings many creative ideas to the table when it comes to designing our annual report and evaluating UNI programs to ensure they are high-quality and what youth want.
Elder: Ann Bryne; Ann has been a pillar in the Springwells community and contributes an enormous amount of her time towards volunteerism, activism, and making sure the neighborhood is safe and beautiful.
Organization: Cadillac Urban Gardens; is a community garden that provides equitable access to free, fresh produce to southwest Detroit residents. Since its inception in 2012, they have been able to repurpose 331 shipping containers from GM and utilize them as raised beds to grow fresh produce the community can harvest without cost.
Denis Nordmoe Legacy Award: Teresa Zajac; served as Southwest Detroit Business Association’s (SDBA) Vice President where she helped establish the first Business Improvement District in the state of Michigan. This award is for those who have made a legacy impact and have dedicated their lives to improving the quality of life in the Springwells community. She helped raise $6.4 million dollars to replace street lighting and lighting along Vernor Highway to make sure businesses could thrive and the main thoroughfare through the neighborhood was safe.
Heroes of the Neighborhood is UNI’s way of honoring individuals and organizations who have had a positive impact on our community. This year, we also honored high school seniors who have been a part of UNI’s various youth programs. Each year, there are 6 categories of heroes.
This years awardees were:
Resident: Anthony Benavides;He is a resident of southwest Detroit and also serves as the Executive Director of our beloved Clark Park. He leads the conservation of the park and has exposed thousands of youths and families to new sports opportunities, including ice skating and hockey.
Educator: Magdalena Alcarez; Magdalena is our first youth educator who has been selected for the Educator Award! Magdalena is a mental health advocate. She has been working with UNI for the past year to respond to the need for more mental health resources and opportunities in the neighborhood, while also working to reduce the mental health stigma.
Super Hero: Norma Preciado; Norma has been working at the Center for Music and Performing Arts (COMPAS) for over 13 years and she has gone above and beyond to keep the program going. Norma is always bringing art and culture to the Southwest Detroit community by providing free performances by the youth students at COMPAS.
Youth: Joanna Chairez; Joanna has been an instrumental voice at UNI. She is a part of Q-Team and brings many creative ideas to the table when it comes to designing our annual report and evaluating UNI programs to ensure they are high-quality and what youth want.
Elder: Ann Bryne; Ann has been a pillar in the Springwells community and contributes an enormous amount of her time towards volunteerism, activism, and making sure the neighborhood is safe and beautiful.
Organization: Cadillac Urban Gardens; is a community garden that provides equitable access to free, fresh produce to southwest Detroit residents. Since its inception in 2012, they have been able to repurpose 331 shipping containers from GM and utilize them as raised beds to grow fresh produce the community can harvest without cost.
Denis Nordmoe Legacy Award: Teresa Zajac; served as Southwest Detroit Business Association’s (SDBA) Vice President where she helped establish the first Business Improvement District in the state of Michigan. This award is for those who have made a legacy impact and have dedicated their lives to improving the quality of life in the Springwells community. She helped raise $6.4 million dollars to replace street lighting and lighting along Vernor Highway to make sure businesses could thrive and the main thoroughfare through the neighborhood was safe.
Thank you to our sponsors!
Urban Neighborhood Initiatives is extremely grateful to all of our sponsors, staff and partners who helped make this event possible. We would like to thank our sponsors:
Thank you for believing in UNI's mission. Your generous contributions will help ensure vital opportunities for our youth and residents.
- The Skillman Foundation
- Michigan Hispanic Officers Association
- Operating Engineers OE 324
- Tamaleria Nuevo Leon ( 2269 Vernor Hwy.)
- Mr. Spotless Car Wash (3827 Vernor Hwy.)
- Mary & Carl
- Katy Kurz
Thank you for believing in UNI's mission. Your generous contributions will help ensure vital opportunities for our youth and residents.
Want to support UNI? We're looking for sponsorships!
Urban Neighborhood Initiatives, Inc. (UNI) is a nonprofit community organization located in the heart of Southwest Detroit. In 1997, we started our mission of working with the community to create safe and thriving environments where people want to live, work, and play at 8300 Longworth Detroit, MI 48209. Since then, we have focused on 4 areas of work that are: Education, Youth Development, Land Use, and Economic Development.
Our approach to neighborhood revitalization combines physical, social, and economic solutions in synergistic combinations that attract private investments from residents and stakeholders. Without the ongoing support of our partners, funders, donors, and residents, we would not be able to do all that we do.
You can help ensure that we are able to continue to offer vital resources and opportunities to the youth, families, and residents of our neighborhoods.
Our approach to neighborhood revitalization combines physical, social, and economic solutions in synergistic combinations that attract private investments from residents and stakeholders. Without the ongoing support of our partners, funders, donors, and residents, we would not be able to do all that we do.
You can help ensure that we are able to continue to offer vital resources and opportunities to the youth, families, and residents of our neighborhoods.