THANK YOU!
The ECA relies on your donations – we couldn’t do it without you!
The ECA remains committed to working together with residents like you to help the community. Here are just a few things we’ve accomplished over the course of the past year:
Public Health & Safety – The ECA disseminated information and resources via Facebook, Instagram, flyers, posters, The Access, and our Eastown eNewsletter. In addition, we liaised with City officials, the Grand Rapids Fire and Police departments, Uptown GR Inc., the Eastown Business Association, and business-owners to formulate community-led responses to issues and provide the most up-to-date information to keep you and your family safe. This produced safety improvements at Billy’s, the Ethel Parking Lot, Pizza Hut, and Smitty’s. The ECA also continued to engage in conversations with the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) and Uptown GR Inc. regarding the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) results for our community. We also worked with area businesses to determine steps that need to be taken to help maintain safety in our business district as well as the Grand Rapids Fire Department (GRFD) and other area organizations to inform neighbors of readily available resources.
Neighborhood Leadership & Civic Engagement – The ECA actively coordinated with residents, local developers, business owners, and the City Development Office to successfully secure community input on the Grand Rapids Community Master Plan (CMP). Beyond securing community input on the Community Master Plan, the ECA advocated on behalf of residents to make sure their voices were heard, and notified residents of construction projects, transportation issues, and developments in the neighborhood, including the Pride Crosswalk. With a variety of public meetings and volunteer opportunities, the ECA kept neighbors highly engaged this year. We successfully hosted our annual events, including the 50th anniversary of the always popular Streetfair. In early June we hosted our other popular annual event, Bizarre Bazaar, which the ECA has been organizing since the 1980s. In addition to Streetfair and Bizarre Bazaar, the ECA also organized the annual Dumpster Day in May with over 50 neighbors taking advantage of this free service. We also organized a Halloween Trick-or-Treat Event in the Eastown Business District in October and served hot chocolate at the Eastown Holiday Tree Lighting in early December.
If you are able, your contribution will be invaluable in helping to move Eastown forward and protecting the ECA’s legacy of working with the community for over 50 years.
We are asking you to support the ECA with whatever donation you are able, whether it be $50 a year or $5 a month, every little bit counts. you for the countless ways you are supporting the ECA, Eastown and each other— we couldn’t do it without you!