By
Julia Avant
Mayor Duggan, Rev. Larry Simmons honored with Detroit community impact award
Along the Detroit River on Saturday was a celebration of positive change in Metro Detroit.
“One of the things I love about the Detroit community is that we take care of each other,” said MiSide CEO and President Sean Defour.
MiSide makes an impact by providing affordable housing, early childhood education development, behavioral health and self-sufficiency programs in four Detroit communities.
Guests from several organizations from across the area celebrated the work MiSide does, and continues to do, to make Detroit stronger, at the Celebration of Impact Gala. The event spotlighted two people who have gone the extra mile.
“Individuals who embody the spirit of one of our founders, Monsignor Clement Kern, who is a man who had incredible impact on the city, especially as a representative for those who were poor and disenfranchised,” said Defour.
Staff and board members selected Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Rev. Larry Simmons to receive the Clement Kern Award for Social Impact. Defour says they were natural choices for the award.
Duggan says tackling abandoned homes was his first priority when he took office in 2014. He says MiSide continues to improve communities while providing additional resources.
Duggan is ending his chapter as Detroit mayor with his eyes set on a role in Lansing, Michigan.
“I think I have contributed to a change in politics in the city,” said Duggan. “Us versus them, Black versus white, city versus suburbs, is gone, and I am looking at the candidates running for office this year, all of them are talking about unity, growth, including everybody, and that’s why Detroit will do well for years to come.”
Growth that will only help the founder’s mission, something Simmons knows quite well.
“I have such deep respect for Clement Kern, for what he did day after day, oftentimes with no help and with no notoriety,” said Simmons.
He serves the community through faith and, currently, as the executive director of Brightmoor Alliance, an organization made up of dozens of partners to strengthen the community with the focus on getting families on their feet and on their way to success.
While Simmons aims to follow in the footsteps of the founder, he hopes the next generation follows their calling to make positive change.
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