Second annual Detroit Project scheduled for March 31

ANN ARBOR—The second annual Detroit Project Day (DP-Day) will bring more than 1,000 University of Michigan students into the city on
Students will work with community organizations and residents in the Brightmoor neighborhood in Detroit during the day.

“We’ll be doing some amazing service projects, planting trees, demolishing abandoned buildings, cleaning up parks, in addition to getting to know the local residents and working with other service organizations,” says DP-Day co-founder Sara Rowe, a junior from Grand Rapids, Mich.

Besides attracting more than three times the number of students as the last event, this year’s DP-Day is different in that “the day of service will also be a celebration of all of the service that has gone on throughout the year,” says Rowe. “Last year DP-Day was just the day of service,” but now “we offer projects throughout the entire year.”

Other volunteer opportunities that the DP offers include mentoring students at Detroit’s Murphy Middle School, tutoring and bonding with children participating in the Salvation Army‘s after-school program, and even making Lego robots at Harding Elementary School. The DP sponsors as many as 10 projects each month, says Rowe. Students can sign up for each activity online, where they can read project information and transportation details.

Volunteering with the Detroit Project is a great way for students to learn more about what a lively and historical city Detroit is, Rowe says. “I enjoy seeing and experiencing on a firsthand basis the revitalization efforts in which Detroit community members, organizations and students all play a part.”

For more information, contact Sara Rowe at (616) 247-3670 or [email protected], or Katie Foley at (734) 913-6254 or [email protected].

Detroit Project DayMurphy Middle School[email protected]