Hello from a neighbor from Windsor

Hello everyone. I've been reading this forum for quite some time now. i finally signed up so i could start participating in discussion and ask some questions.

i live in Windsor and have been fascinated with Detroit for a few years now. I feel it is the most unique urban area in the US and quite possibly the world.

I am an architectural technologist by day and photographer / artist by night. ive spent countless hours researching, photographing & exploring Detroit

If anyone has additional information you could link me to on the following topics it would be greatly appreciated.

1. Volunteering in Detroit [[neighborhood cleanups, helping seniors with housework, helping youth with schoolwork, etc) - perferably not though a religous organization but i will work with chuch groups if thats my best bet!...

2. Old photos of the neighborhoods 1930 - 1970ish [[ive seen heaps of photos of downtown, but id like to see old photos from the neighborhoods and smaller commercial areas.)

Thanks for any help.

Shane

Welcome Shane.

For photos, you may want to contact long-established historic neighborhood associations. Two that come immediately to my mind are:

http://www.historicbostonedison.org/history.shtml

http://www.indianvillagedetroit.org/

For information and pictures of the religious, cultural, residential, and business community that existed in Detroit's Cultural Center, I can't think of a more knowledgeable resource than Hilanius Phillips, a retired city planner. I don't have contact info for him, but he's closely connected to historic Bethel AME Church on East Warren.

http://bethelamechurchdetroit.com/

Good Luck!

http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/imag...vmc;page=index

Great site for old neighborhoods, Shane.

Are there no volunteering opportunities in Windsor? :confused:

Check out Blight Busters to help with the neighborhoods..

thanks for the info everyone..

Retroit. true.. there are volunteer opportunities in Windsor, but there are also alot of volunteers and getting a position in a group one is interested in may not be that easy. for instance, habitat for humanity is no longer doing builds in Windsor but is willing to accept monatary donations [[i also am not sure if i agree with habitat's strategy of grouping low income houseing into 'project' type communities, i feel this really is a set up for disaster - i think a better approach would be to fix up vacent homes within eastablisehed communities)

..also i believe detroit needs it more than windsor. students and elderly can easily find help from volunteers as all high school students are required to volunteer to graduate and there are many organizations within the school systems to help students, and social systems in place to help elderly.... thats not to say i couldnt help here but my interest in detroit draws me to voulnteer in the city. i want to learn more about the city and its residents as well as do my part to help detroit. i would like to meet some old timers and hear their stories as well as well as some of the youth struggleing. i hope to gain knowledge which will help me better understand the social & econonomic conditions in the city. With this understanding i think i will do a better job as an architect to know what conditions may benifit or harm a community, i hope to learn what a struggleing community needs to rebuild, and hopefully i will help do my part to help those struggleing within the city to build a better life.

Well, now that you put it that way, I feel like a jerk for asking. :o

I do volunteer work for some of my elderly neighbors and I've learned so much about old Detroit from them. I'd suggest you consider volunteering at a nursing home. That would probably be the safest environment.

Several DetroitYESers belong to http://www.preservationwayne.org/, which would tie in with your interest in architecture.

Shane,
You may want to check out the Georgia Street Community Collective. A great group of people. Mark may be contacted at georgiast313@yahoo.com.

Best Regards