News from Flint Club

From the day I was born I have been thankful for the talents and resources of the city of Flint. I was born at Hurley Hospital weighing just over 3 pounds and extremely premature. If I wasn't born in Hurley's with its leading Pediatric ICU, I would not be alive today. After leaving the care of Hurley, I lived in my parents home in Flint. This is the home that they have had 35 of their 45 years of marriage and still live in today. I have two older siblings, my brother Michael is 13 years older than myself and my sister Anne-Dee is 8 years older, so essentially I was raised an only child.

I attended Potter Elementary, Whittier, and then the Humanities Program at Central. I was lucky to have had an amazing experience in the Flint Community Schools and had extraordinary teachers. If I had to pick one thing that influenced me the most from my years in the Flint Schools, I would have to pick my participation with the Model United Nations Program. Model UN created countless memories, very useful professional skills, and most importantly a love for politics and current affairs. After graduation, I attended Michigan State University where I studied Political Science.

I went to MSU during the "Flintstone" era. Being from Flint was like being a celebrity, everyone wanted to hear "real" stories from the streets of Flint town. Today people still want to talk to a person that is really from Flint. Because of all the movies and "bad places to live" lists, I think people from other places are simply curious about our city. I love to talk about the issues of the city to anyone and I am proud that people care enough to ask.

Although proud to be a Flintstone, I was not happy about returning to live in the city of Flint in 2002. I needed to move back to be closer to my family after being diagnosed with a serious health condition. It took a couple of years, endless medical tests and doctor's visits to realize I have some unfinished work that I need to do for the city before I move on. Currently I am the Director of Membership and Special Events for Flint Club. Everyday I get to go to work with people who truly care about Flint and work tirelessly to improve conditions in our area. I love hearing stories from our members about growing up in the city or how they have taken their Flint talents and shared them with others all over the world. It has truly reminded me of what I love about the city not just what others say about it. It is unique view from inside the walls Flint Club. We sit within the Capital Theater Building; looking out our windows everyday, we see the remains of the old downtown, but more importantly we se the hard work being done to build a new Flint.

If I could take anyplace in Flint with me anywhere I went, I would take Holly Ave., My sister and her family live on Holly right across the street from my parents. They all live within 50 feet of each other and I couldn't image being anywhere in the world without them. Yes, I did say my sister bought the house across from our parents! As crazy as that sounds, it is wonderful, I see my parents, my sister and my 2 year old niece, Lillee, everyday. And every house around us live the same neighbors that were there and watched us grow up. A little bit of small town in the "big" city.