Friends of the Alley – Revitalizing Flint

Living in Flint and its surrounding areas all my life, I have grown very attached to the city. Before my job at Yeo & Yeo, I worked downtown serving and bartending, and my husband grew up playing music at many local venues.

This past January, I was drawn to join the board of Friends of the Alley (FOTA), a nonprofit in Flint, to help beautify the main two alleys in which many businesses are located. The board meets monthly to coordinate three events per year. Our largest event, Alley Fest, is an all-day festival that invites 15 artists to play on two stages in one of the alleys. In previous years, the event brought the Flint community together with food and entertainment.

Along with planning events, FOTA organizes at least two cleanups throughout the year, where we clear the alleys from litter and broken glass and make them safer for people to walk down and enjoy.
We also hung string lights down the entirety of Buckham and Brush Alleys to make them more inviting and safer at night. The work we do helps unify the community and draws attention to the great features Flint has to offer. I am proud to be part of this organization and to work to help revitalize my hometown.

I give back because I want to help revitalize Flint and showcase the great things the city offers.