1 Burst results for "Cooley High School"

WJR 760

05:16 min | 2 years ago

"cooley high school" Discussed on WJR 760

"It's all about the opportunity for these nonprofits to collaborate with one another and one of the things that we've done to increase the impact of some of our great organizations who are serving youth of Children. Is we've added some common spaces in the building that could serve as incentive to bring more kids to the space so that we could help funnel the kids into the other great opportunities that exist Most recently we took an old locker room and we turned it into the best life you describe is to say it's a It's a totally free David Buster. It's this amazing arcade with all the coolest games of the kids asked for which are all from like the nineties, by the way, so I think they googled him because I don't think they grew up with street fighter NBA Jay but anyway, and we put in a sound like a Pac man. There is her. Well, there's a four player, Pac man where the Pac Man's can eat each other. Larry, you gotta come over. We could say that we can consider this work related, because absolutely at all times that of the best shit, right? Right? It does. Basically the kids can play an arcade as long as they're involved in after school programming, So it's totally free. But you got to be involved in the program and you gotta be consistent. Another thing we put in Is a totally free laundry mat, and this one was a real surprise to me. I learned a year ago that at the time the number one reason kids were turned from school in Detroit is because of lack of access to the ability to wash their clothes. And so we responded to bad thanks to some funding for the Jewish funds, and we put in our free laundry mat. We also took the swimming pool, which we tried to give away to several organizations for free, but no one wanted it because it cost a quarter billion dollars years that we build it in with concrete. Turned it into this after school tutoring space. Because the demand for tutoring and mentorship is so high even higher than what we've been able tormund it with our great tenants who are here and so we're all working collaboratively and really excited about the latest greatest that we've been able to do here to the space. Yeah, it's awesome, and I can't wait to get back there and then develop our growing relationship with first tea as well. And so I know you well enough to know that you're many things all good, by the way, and you're an entrepreneur. You have a great vision. And so what are you looking forward to is? It relates to life remodeled in the future and 2021 beyond so what's on the horizon? Well, as we talked about earlier, you've seen quite an evolution organization's strategy. Our mission has remained the same. We exist. The bridge people across device to help transform each other's last. We believe all this division were experiencing around race. Religion, politics, socio economic differences. Division is keeping us from being who were meant to be a human's. We're better together and so everything that we do is about that. Now that said, I believe after 10 years we've discovered our niche in terms of our strategy. And our programs of our six day project, our home repairs those air here to stay. And so is this program of acquiring a vacant school building Repurpose ng and turning it into this one stop shop of opportunity. And it's incredibly socially impactful in its financially self sustainable because once we pay for it with the renovations, it pays for itself through the presence of our tenants, which we charge them under market value to be here and were able to do that because of the philanthropic dollars through construction and were convinced this model needs to be replicated. This model needs to exist in several neighborhoods in the city of Detroit, and so for us, that's about a 5 to 7 year come in that per community. Right now. We're trying to figure out where we're going to go next, and we only want to go where we where we're wanted to be in a community that says we need this. We want this. We want to partner with life for model. And and then it's a mutually beneficial relationship. Right? We're learning the community. The community is gaining additional resources and opportunities, so we haven't solidified 100% where we're gonna be yet, But I will be very transparent with everyone in that our number. One candidate is Cooley High School. That's where we want to be. And we're in the process of the service discerning if that is the perfect fit. But but that's why I hope everything ends up going next. Excellent. And Cooley is, I think, just from what I know it's about three times the size of dirty that right? Let's see a 321,000 square feet compared to dirty 143,000 square feet and sitting on 18 acres compared to Dorothy's eight and it's been vacant self. It is in almost critical condition. It needs to be renovated soon or that building will be unreachable. And so is the project. We're trying to figure out over the next few months. If it's a go or no go All right. So, uh, well, I hope it's a go because I want to be involved from the Children's Foundation and several different ways. And if people haven't seen these schools there, unbelievable. Architecturally. They're like little castles. Almost and so they need to be renovated, and they need to know. I have a rebirth and you're doing that, so hopefully that'll happen. I just want to say when I tell people we rehab schools. Typically, they think about these boring, ugly jail looking buildings that we often build today. But I say the best way to look at his think about Harry Potter school. That's what these schools look like. They were built the twenties like a dirty, You pull up to the front of the building, and you think you're arriving at a state? It's so cool, so keep up the great work at life remodeled. And the Children's Foundation wants to be a long standing partner of yours, So I look forward to that. So keep us posted on where you're going Next. All right, brother. We're.