Flint Block Club Receives $7,000 Grant From Chemical Bank
Funds help rehab 37 porches on Flint’s Eastside
The Eastside Improvement Association, led by Megan Heyza, received a $7,000 grant from Chemical Bank that helped rehabilitate and beautify 37 homes this summer by repairing porches, installing lighting and planting flowers at homes in Flint’s eastside since May. The grant supported the work of the Eastside Improvement Association (EIA) Front Porch Initiative and Beautification Project also known as “The Porch Project”. The intended goal of “The Porch Project” has been to use porch repairs and beautification efforts to promote “neighborliness” to help homeowners engage with other residents through increased use of their front yards.
The funds provided by Chemical Bank went directly to homeowners who live in the service area of the EIA. In total 37 homes received improvements from the program. The association serves the residents in the area between Davison Road to the north, Robert T. Longway to the south, Franklin Avenue to the east and Minnesota Avenue to the west.
“Chemical Bank is proud to be a part of the Eastside Improvement Association Front Porch Initiative and Beautification Project. Being able to bring a sense of community and pride back into neighborhoods is important to us at Chemical Bank,” said Patricia Franklin-Lindsey, AVP Regional CRA Manager at Chemical Bank. “One of our initiatives is assisting with affordable housing, rehabbing and revitalization neighborhoods one block at a time.”
“We are thankful for the financial support from Chemical Bank,” said Megan Heyza, director of the Eastside Improvement Association. “Funds went directly to improve the porches and facades of homes on the eastside. We planted flowers, painted porches, installed lighting and made structural repairs where needed. The goal has been to renew the sense of neighborhood pride. The neighborhood will become safer with more people taking an active role in the activities going on in the block.”
Visit the Eastside Improvement Association’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EIMPROVEMENTASSOCIATION
