—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—
Charles Pugh, Detroit City Council President-Elect,
Shares Neighborhood Agenda with Community Leaders at CDAD Luncheon
DETROIT, MI – December 18, 2009 – On Wednesday, December 16, 2009, Detroit City Council President-Elect addressed over 130 community leaders at the 2009 Luncheon Celebration of Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD)—Detroit’s trade association of community development organizations.
Speaking before a jubilant crowd, Mr. Pugh shared his thoughts on what the city must do to improve the quality of life in neighborhoods. “The city of Detroit needs a clearer vision as to where we’re going in our city. We need to pack in and create more density where there is density, and decide what happens with the areas where there is lower density. We have to put out a vision for how we are going to reshape this city,” Mr. Pugh told the crowd.
The City Council President-Elect also spoke to the state of the current Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG). “It’s time we focus how we give these dollars out—they’re too spread out.” Mr. Pugh further stated that he believes CDBG dollars should target crime-fighting and education-related activities. He shared that he thinks that initiatives like Angel’s Night should be expanded upon. “Angel’s Night activities cannot just happen once a year. We need a year-round effort,” Mr. Pugh indicated.
The CDAD luncheon celebration included a review of CDAD’s accomplishments for the year by Anita Lane, CDAD’s Director of Programs, as well as highlights from CDAD’s Community Development Futures Task Force and Public Policy Committee. The program concluded with a graduation ceremony for thirty participants in CDAD’s inaugural class of the ADVANCE Executive-Level CDC Training Program, and remarks by Jacqueline Wiggins, Senior Vice President and Director of Public Affairs for Charter One Bank—a funder for the program.
Richard Trice of Alkebu-lan Village CDC is a graduate of the ADVANCE Training Program. He spoke on behalf of the class and expressed thanks to the funders, CDAD and program staff for the training program. Trice stated, “The ADVANCE Training Program experience has been incredible.” He credited the program with helping his organization to “move from village keepers to village builders.”
The CDAD 2009 luncheon celebration took place from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at St. Maron Banquet Center at 11466 Kercheval Avenue in Detroit.
Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD) is a nonprofit organization created in 1997, and serves as the citywide collaborative of over 97 community development organizations(CDO’s) and supporters who share a common commitment to community-based sustainable development in Detroit’s neighborhoods.
For more information about CDAD call 313.964.2888 or visit www.DetroitCommunityDevelopment.org.
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