Life Remodeled is a Detroit nonprofit group that organizes thousands of volunteers to revitalize blighted Motown neighborhoods each year. During the first week of August, 10,700 volunteers tackled blight within more than 300 blocks of the Denby neighborhood in northeast Detroit by boarding up 300 vacant houses and outlining safe and marked pathways to area schools.
The centerpiece of this year’s project was the transformation of the underused Skinner Playfield located next to Edwin Denby High School into Skinner Park, a now state-of-the-art community gathering place featuring a performance pavilion, a putting green, basketball and volleyball courts and other attractions. The vision for the park came from a group of 2013 Denby HS graduates who envisioned and designed “a safe place to hang out” as part of a graduation assignment.
Inovateus Solar is proud to partner with Life Remodeled in its mission to “remodel lives one neighborhood at a time.” Inovateus is one of 250 companies, organizations and churches that donated materials, labor and time to the Denby project. More than 80 percent of Skinner Park’s amenities came through in-kind donations, with the rest purchased through cash given to Life Remodeled.
A 5.5 KW photovoltaic system that features 20 solar panels and an inverter donated by Inovateus has been installed on the pavilion’s rooftop. The PV system will produce enough power to offset 100 percent of the pavilion’s electrical needs. The pavilion will serve, among other things, as an outdoor concert venue.
Life Remodeled’s efforts have made a significant difference in urban Detroit. For example, in the year following Life Remodeled’s 2014 project in the Cody Rouge neighborhood on the city’s west side, crime dropped in 10 of 11 categories–including a 47 percent reduction in homicides.
“Life Remodeled has done impressive work over the last three years in Detroit, and we were eager to partner with them on this project,” said TJ Kanczuzeweski, president of Inovateus. “We are thrilled to be contributing to this wonderful cause and look forward to continuing this great relationship.”
Representatives from Inovateus will attend the ceremony celebrating the completion of the Skinner Park project on September 7.
(Photos courtesy of Brendan Ross for Life Remodeled)
Tim Powers, research and strategy, Inovateus Solar
