The Skillman Foundation

When the Foundation began its work in six neighborhoods back in 2006, one of the first steps was holding community meetings. These meetings helped the Foundation understand what the community wanted for its children, and to create a shared vision and set of goals for the $100-million, 10-year initiative known as Good Neighborhoods.

Now, a year after more closely aligning the neighborhood work with the Foundation’s mega goal on improving quality high school graduation rates across the city, it’s time to sit down with community partners once again.

The Foundation is joining neighborhood organizations to host four meetings, beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday in Cody Rouge. The meetings are free and include dinner, children’s activities, and raffles.

The meetings will serve several purposes and will look different in each neighborhood. Community leaders, residents, and youth, as well as neighborhood stakeholders will share data about their neighborhoods. Safety and schools will be likely be front and center of those discussions.

What kind of data will be shared? Things like graduation rates in each neighborhood, the number of caring adults in each neighborhood, and the number of youth development opportunities.

The Osborn neighborhood meeting is next Thursday, Sept. 25, and registration is now open. The Brightmoor community meeting is scheduled for Oct. 28, and a date is still being set for the meeting in Southwest Detroit.

If you live in one of these neighborhoods, or if you work with or care about the children in them, please consider attending. Your voice matters.