Team Service Projects
NEW
Team Members: Meredith Leep, Bethlehem Yirga, Kalie Lasiter, Shayla Nastasi, Jason Pilar, Jackie Todisco, Shefon Taylor, Brittany Shallcross, and Samantha Oppenheimer.
Team NEW (North East Wilmington) plans to engage community businesses, educational institutions, and community organizations with the purpose of opening communications and support channels to combat troubling issues such as drug sales, prostitution, loitering by promoting the importance of pride and community character. With increased open communication, which NEW will facilitate through computer training, mobilization of block captains, promoting the importance of support to civic groups, and CERT training, NEW will create sense of unity and assist the area residents and community leaders in playing active roles in promoting positive change.
Tillage People
Team Members: Chris Varacchi, Diana Lantigua, Carine Tamasang, Charlene Reed, Caitlin Dalik, Alana Iannucci, Morgan McGinnity, and Kelsey Cler.
Tillage People will concentrate their team service project on the West Side area of Wilmington. Currently, there are no community gardens in the West Side or in the neighborhoods that make up this historic community. Vacant lots and parks are fenced off due to activities and undermined the stability of the community. Tillage People will begin work to rectify this by organizing community members to volunteer their time establishing and building the gardens throughout the West Side. They will also assist community groups and members in creating a farmers market where the community can purchase fresh produce. This will create access to healthy foods while creating income for resident farmers.
Team UP
Team Members: Eric Hydeman, Chris Wierzbowski, Aisha Shabazz, Ariel Taylor, Jenna Banning, Chelsea Michael, Erin Warren, and Zoe Bachman.
Team UP (Urban Promise) will be collaborating with the Shipley Lofts, a new studio and apartment complex for the artists’ community in Wilmington for their team service project. UP will be helping their newly formed tenants’ association gain more support from their residents, become a more self-sustainable entity, and expand their contacts within the artist community as well as with the entire Wilmington population.
SYA
Team Members: Natasha Bell, Rysheema Dixon, Rachael Romond, Rachael Hotchkiss, and Daneya Wheeler.
SYA (Supporting Your Ambitions), which is Public Allies Delaware's second year Ally team service project, will be collaborating with Connecting Generations, Contact Lifeline, the Fraim Boys and Girls Club, and Media Matters to assist teens with identifying issues that affect them the most (i.e. bullying and teen pregnancy). SYA is working on creating a sustainable program and curriculum fueled by the teens themselves that mostly reside in the 19805 zip code. Through mediums such as film, art, photography, poetry, and other creative outlets SYA hopes to help them express their understanding of these issues and ultimately how to cope with them.