Detroit Parks Coalition to start all-city tennis tournament, expand park programs

The Detroit Parks Coalition on Wednesday announced a summer programming schedule that features free events at 24 Detroit parks, more than doubling the number of parks where the coalition organized events last year.

Fueling the expansion is $685,000 in grants that the Detroit Parks Coalition (DPC) received for parks across the city. This year, the DPC will launch a new partnership with the Detroit Public Library to offer free library and literacy programs in parks, and the coalition will host two new citywide sports tournaments in partnership with the Detroit Pistons Foundation as part of the Pistons Neighbors program.

There is also a new calendar on the DCP's website for community members to track all upcoming events throughout the summer.

"We want to make sure we're covering large and small parks, parks in all the neighborhoods," said Sigal Hemy, executive director of Detroit Parks Coalition during a news conference at Rouge Park. "And we want to make sure our activities are kind of interesting and relevant and fun for people of all ages, all abilities, intergenerational, all cultures."

The coalition formed in 2010, according to its website, "to advocate for Detroit parks facing closure due to lack of city resources." The group's role has evolved into a partnership among the city and representatives from parks to boost those public spaces.

Yvette Pullom-Bass, director of programming for the DPC, the group's goal is to see a 20% increase in the coalition's summer program with the additional events.

DPC and the Detroit Public Library have teamed up to create a pilot that will offer free events inside participating libraries and outside at a nearby park, said Christine Peele, assistant director for public services for the Detroit Public Library. Another goal of the program is to encourage more residents to sign up for free library cards ― and boost outcomes for kids.

"The city has been putting more resources into the library," Pullom-Bass said. "And we know that, I would say, maybe due to COVID, that children may not be performing at their optimal or maybe at their grade level. And reading is a marker for academic achievement and success long term."

The following library branches and parks are slated to participate in the pilot program:

• Bowen Branch, located at 3648 Vernor Hwy., near Clark Park

• Campbell Branch, located at 8733 W Vernor Hwy., near Patton Park

• Chandler Park Branch, located at 12800 Harper Ave., near Chandler Park

• Duffield Branch, located at 2507 W Grand Blvd., near Curtis Jones Park

• Sherwood Forest Branch, located at 7117 W Seven Mile Road, near Palmer Park

Also on the DPC's schedule are two new citywide tournaments held in partnership with the Pistons Neighbors Program. Palmer Park will host an All-City Tennis Tournament on Saturday, Aug. 10, and will be open to children ages 6-17.

"We're looking for whatever will engage kids to participate and stay healthy and stay active," said Patrick Duggan, manager for the Pistons Foundation. "So tennis, we have found, that has been a sport that kids have really gotten into. They have great courts and great facilities in multiple places across the city in different parks."

Duggan said he hopes kids from across the city will play tennis throughout the summer and then participate in the inaugural event.

There will also be a free three-on-three basketball tournament on Saturday, Aug.17, at Cullen Plaza on the Detroit RiverWalk. The tournament will feature a skills workshop, as well as a 3-point and free throw competition.

The DPC also highlighted its Freedom Arts Festival series that will run from June 19 through Nov. 2. The events will include a techno festival Aug. 3 at Selden Courtyard, a Buffalo Soldiers and Blues event Oct. 5 at Rouge Park, and a Run of the Dead event Nov. 2 at Patton Park.

As part of the summer events announcement, the DPC highlighted $136,000 that the Kresge Foundation contributed to fund programing. The DPC awarded that money to 10 community organizations to augment their summer plans. Anthony Benavides, executive director for the Clark Park Coalition, said he wants to use the $5,000 his organization will receive for cement work in the park to renovate the park's storage unit and to offer stipends to parents who help chaperone field trips and events.

Other funders contributing to the DPC's summer programs include the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, the William Davidson Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and the Michigan Arts & Culture Council.

Eric Guzmán covers youth sports culture at the Free Press as a corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support this work at bit.ly/freepRFA.

Contact Eric Guzmán: eguzman@freepress.com; 313-222-1850. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @EricGuzman90.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Parks Coalition start all-city tennis tournament