Support stays steady as Jackson-area churches shrink   Many churches are experiencing a trying dynamic — greater community needs in the face of fewer members, often as some members grapple with economic setbacks. "We know some members where their jobs have changed ... but the congregation has not diminished in its support of things," said the Rev. Ed Ross, senior pastor at First United Methodist Church in Jackson. The response of Fi...

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Partnership Park now has a new website!  We have the kind folks at the Lansing Give Camp to thank.  Pardon our dust as we learn to manage and maintain the new site.

  Jackson Citizen Patriot | Nick Dentamaro Wanda BeaversWanda Beavers's home in Jackson's Partnership Park neighborhood is known by many residents as the "go-to" house. She gives free sandwiches to people who are hungry. If they need a place to stay, she opens up her home to them. Beavers — more affectionately known in the neighborhood as "Mama Tu-Tu" — does these things because of her love for God and people, she said. "I'm a...

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Strong women have left their marks on Jackson since the city was founded in 1829. Lucy A. Thurman, an African-American, lectured around the nation on behalf of the local Women's Christian Temperance Union in the late 1800s. Ella Sharp supported child labor reform, and in 1912 she bequeathed property that would become the Ella Sharp Park. Today, women are still shaping the face of the community in several areas, from arts and culture to confli...

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Neighborhood Associations of Michigan's annual conference coming to Jackson The Jackson area will get some positive recognition at the Neighborhood Associations of Michigan's annual conference Friday and Saturday at Baker College. Those who attend the conference will tour Jackson and learn about successful community programs here. Also, the Partnership Park Neighborhood Association will be given a Community Asset Award.  Marian Barrera-Y...

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Celebration planned to show progress at Partnership Park  The Partnership Park improvements aren't quite done yet, but there is still plenty to celebrate. The 15-year-old neighborhood park at Mason and Williams streets in Jackson will be part of "National Night Out" festivities Tuesday.   The park has a new wrought iron fence, rubberized mulch and landscaping, much of it done by neighborhood residents. The park is also in line to...

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Dave Weatherwax | Jackson Citizen Patriot Eric Ball volunteers his time Friday to help remove the old mulch from around the playground equipment in the neighborhood park in Partnership Park. The wood mulch in the park at Mason and Williams streets will be replaced with rubberized mulch, one of the several upgrades being done to the park.  Partnership Park is getting new features that may help it draw a bigger crowd. The neighborhood park a...

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Downtown churches add life to area, offer community programs Citizen Patriot file photo The addition at St. John's United Church of Christ cost $1 million and was designed for church and community use. On a recent sunny day, laughter carried through the air downtown. Children zoomed down slides and climbed jungle gyms on a playground at Wesley and Francis streets. "I'd like to think our presence adds zest and a spirit of life to the downtow...

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The Community Action Agency in Jackson has been awarded a $225,000 state grant to acquire and rehabilitate three abandoned or foreclosed properties for resale. The proceeds from the sale of the homes would be used to develop additional units in the Jackson area. "We have to rehab (the homes) to a point where they will be sellable and livable," said Jessie Murray, spokeswoman for the Community Action Agency. "It will turn into affordable housing...

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Nick Dentamaro | Jackson Citizen Patriot Earnest Doss directs Jacob Barrett as he levels out topsoil for a garden at the Barham Neighborhood Center, 711 S. Mechanic St.   As the summer months approach, the city of Jackson hopes to encourage those with a green thumb to utilize some vacant city lots. Leaders approved an Urban Gardening program, allowing residents to enter into a lease agreement with the city to use vacant property to start ...

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A handful of Jackson residents returned from Detroit on Thursday, inspired to take action and enthusiastic about reducing area poverty. "This is to be continued. This is only the beginning," said Tamar Cain, community resource specialist with the Community Action Agency serving Jackson County, after she got off a bus Thursday night in Jackson. Cain and about 25 Jackson citizens and supporters of the Partnership Park Neighborhood Association and...

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Jerry Brown is ready to move after only four months in his Mason Street home. At night, he has to deal with people going into a nearby condemned house, where they smoke and drink. "That is nothing you want your kids to be around," he said. "I feel they should tear it down ... either fix it up or tear it down." Number of dangerous buildings in Jackson 2004 -- 54 2005 -- 73 2006 -- 67 2007 -- 37 2008 -- 29* *Through end of September Sourc...

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Trunk-or-treat events planned for Halloween  An alternative to trick or treating — trunk or treat — will be offered by several churches and organizations. Children are encouraged to wear costumes as part of the fun. Radio station K105.3 is teaming up with two area businesses for trunk or treat events this weekend. The first will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Country Market, 11301 Brooklyn Road, Brooklyn. The second is set for...

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Prizes for winning New Year's Eve run are homemade pies  When the Rev. Jay Cummings decided to revive the 5K run/walk on New Year's Eve as part of the "Eve on the Ave" downtown festivities, he didn't have to think twice about awards to the top finishers: homemade pies. "I got the idea from running the Hanover Firecracker because they always gave homemade pies to the winners," Cummings said about the Fourth of July race. "Other guys and ga...

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Fredricka Paul | Jackson Citizen Patriot The Community Action Agency is getting up to $250,000 per year for up to three years in federal funding from the Department of Health and Human Services. "It provides funding for the larger organization to assist Partnership Park in getting bigger and helping them grow and building capacity as a nonprofit," said Toby Budd, neighborhood development director for the Community Action Agency. Partnership Pa...

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The following is the Jackson Citizen Patriot's editorial for October 10: It's a reminder of the power of a good idea to see the progress in what's known as Partnership Park. The roughly 20 blocks south of downtown Jackson have benefited from much attention the last few years. Its residents and the Community Action Agency have promoted investment in an area that, aside from police patrols, was too easily ignored. Numbers speak to the improvemen...

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