Left: Village Summit is a located at 119 East Barnes in Lansing , MI. They focus on unity and bringing together people in their community while being inclusive of others as well. Community participation is a main objective at the Village Summit. They teach children that it may take one person to dream but it takes the entire village to make one’s dream a reality. Courtesy photo
LANSING, MI — Not yet, but the amazing and committed people at the Village Summit are diligently working on building and maintaining a garden in their neighborhood.
The Village Summit is a micro community center on East Barnes Avenue, a little south of downtown Lansing. Marcus Brown and Chitra Pulliam had a vision that led to the transformation of a previously foreclosed home into a treasured community resource center. Volunteers from the community did nearly all of the work.
There is no apparent limit to the dedication to community prosperity that happens at and around the Village Summit. For young people, there are summer lunches, tutoring, games and activities. This year the Village Summit will add youth gardens, with great help from a new AmeriCorps member. At the start of school, children get book bags filled with all the things and tools they will need. At the start of winter, the Village Summit makes sure every young person has a coat, hat, gloves and needed winter gear.
They also make sure that the children are taken care of during the holidays, they get special gifts from the neighborhood Santa’s. Inspiration and courage are hallmarks of the work done at the Village Summit.
Director, Marcus Brown says, “We at the Village Summit seek to inspire our community by offering positive influences to our children and neighborhood. We challenge our community to be courageous by promoting volunteerism.”
The Village Summit works with the Fabulous Acres Neighborhood Association on parties, picnic and holiday gatherings. Every holiday, baskets of food are distributed and garden goodies are shared during the summer and fall. You can also use the computer, fax or the copier at the center. They are also a great place to go for reading material and help.
A keystone project at the Village Summit is gardens, lots of gardens. Community gardening brings fresh vegetables and fruits to the neighborhood, where the few stores that are near sell beer, fatty snacks and lottery tickets.. The gardens bring people together to plant, tend, harvest and eat good food.
It was a Ingham County Land Bank donated garden last year. The crops included tomatoes and greens and some fruit trees were planted. A lot of the work last year was building planting boxes and installing paths. Produce is shared first among people who help grow it and also others in the neighborhood.
“It’s important that the community builds and work together,” says Mr. Brown.
He added that everyone enjoys more when they are in tune with one another eating, working and striving as one united community.
The desire to eat locally grown food is getting stronger every single day. Most people say that eating and learning about how and where their food is made is nourishing on a deeper level.
One volunteer said having a garden creates an opportunity for community members to learn what growing good food in the city is all about,
About 75 students were at the Village Summit, starting Spring cleanup in the neighborhood. On Earth Day, about 100 volunteers should be completed with getting the community gardens ready for planting. Many hands make lighter work.
Find the Village Summit on line at www.villagesummit.org or on facebook to track their success and learn how you might help.
This was printed in the April 21, 2013 – May 4, 2013 Edition
