Lakisha Dumas Executive Assistant Detroit Zoological Society 2019 Rose Award Lakisha Dumas, executive assistant at the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS), is a highly competent, talented, well-respected individual with years of extensive customer service experience. She effectively applies her specialized expertise, knowledge and skills to successfully do her job. Lakisha has strong relationships with DZS Board members and co-workers, SSA (the DZS concessionaire), volunteers and vendors. She interacts with people in a professional and timely manner and treats others as she would want to be treated. Lakisha performs her best and remains flexible in a changing work environment. She is always willing to help out on a project for the good of the team and the organization. Lakisha sets high personal standards for herself and makes every effort to achieve them. She is a diligent worker who looks for new ways to improve how she does business. Lakisha leads by example, providing excellent customer service in the process. Proactively involved in her own duties, she is always willing to lend a hand as needed. Among many other things Lakisha does well, she puts together attractive PowerPoint presentations, arranges and sets up meetings, and assists with making presentations. Lakisha is a pleasant, delightful person who never complains. Lakisha demonstrates pride in being part of the DZS and shows enthusiasm toward its mission and values. She looks for ways to enhance the organization’s reputation. As an effective DZS ambassador inside and outside the organization, Lakisha represents the DZS well. She genuinely cares about people. This is evident in the results she achieves and in her work ethic. Lakisha is committed to quality. She is personally active in the community, unselfishly sharing her time and abundant talent with others. As the mother of a teenage daughter, Lakisha is family oriented and a strong believer in work-life balance. In summary, Lakisha is a valuable asset to the DZS and the community, highly deserving of Rose Award recognition. She is an outstanding example of what the Rose Award is all about.
Transcript
Lakisha Dumas Executive Assistant
Detroit Zoological Society
2019 Rose Award
Lakisha Dumas, executive assistant at the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS), is a highly competent, talented, well-respected individual with years of extensive customer service experience. She effectively applies her specialized expertise, knowledge and skills to successfully do her job. Lakisha has strong relationships with DZS Board members and co-workers, SSA (the DZS concessionaire), volunteers and vendors. She interacts with people in a professional and timely manner and treats others as she would want to be treated. Lakisha performs her best and remains flexible in a changing work environment. She is always willing to help out on a project for the good of the team and the organization. Lakisha sets high personal standards for herself and makes every effort to achieve them. She is a diligent worker who looks for new ways to improve how she does business. Lakisha leads by example, providing excellent customer service in the process. Proactively involved in her own duties, she is always willing to lend a hand as needed. Among many other things Lakisha does well, she puts together attractive PowerPoint presentations, arranges and sets up meetings, and assists with making presentations. Lakisha is a pleasant, delightful person who never complains. Lakisha demonstrates pride in being part of the DZS and shows enthusiasm toward its mission and values. She looks for ways to enhance the organization’s reputation. As an effective DZS ambassador inside and outside the organization, Lakisha represents the DZS well. She genuinely cares about people. This is evident in the results she achieves and in her work ethic. Lakisha is committed to quality. She is personally active in the community, unselfishly sharing her time and abundant talent with others. As the mother of a teenage daughter, Lakisha is family oriented and a strong believer in work-life balance. In summary, Lakisha is a valuable asset to the DZS and the community, highly deserving of Rose Award recognition. She is an outstanding example of what the Rose Award is all about.
Rose Award Submission
Page 1 of 3
Examples of Lakisha’s Excellent Customer Service Skills:
1. Lakisha is Proactive:
Lakisha thinks and acts in advance regarding the needs of the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS) and her direct reports without being prompted. By Lakisha being proactive, this provides her supervisors’ confidence that things are being handled in a timely fashion without the need for them to micro-manage. She is also self-sufficient, skillful and trustworthy, making wise decisions that enable the DZS and her supervisors to be efficient and effective.
Example #1 – Lakisha independently handled organizing DZS’s auto insurance this year. Without being prompted, Lakisha understood our busy season was approaching and sent out an email to all supervisors to double check the insurance list to ensure everyone who should be added or remove from our driver’s list was taken care of. This was an important task that she did on her own, based on the need of the DZS and going beyond her normal duties.
Example #2 – Lakisha handles six (6) Committees/Task Forces here at the DZS; without being prompted by her supervisors, Lakisha organizes all the prep meetings, contacts Committee chairs via email and phone, gathers information, keeps attendance, creates presentations and documents, as well as organizes catering and takes minutes of the meetings to ensure each Committee and Task Force meeting is successful, several times throughout the year.
2. Lakisha has a skill of making processes easier for everyone:
Lakisha is a great judge of looking at a current process and suggesting ways to make it easier and more efficient for herself and her co-workers.
Example #1 - In January 2018, Lakisha took over the process of scheduling and organizing Front Desk Coverage when our receptionist needs time off. This used to be a stressful process, however, with Lakisha’s positive attitude, effective communication skills and organizational skills, she found an easy solution to allow administrative assistants to sign up for coverage, as well as a way for their supervisors to keep track. With Lakisha as the lead of this process, this took the pressure off of our receptionist and our management team. Lakisha continuously encourages the other administrative assistants to willingly sign up to help in this area by being a positive example. She provides great customer service to not only her supervisors and our guests, but to her co-workers as well.
Example #2 – Lakisha took over the process handling Statement Reviews which has helped tremendously for our Finance Department as well as our COO. Lakisha created binders for each executive that conducts this meeting to help them be more organized and prepared prior to each meeting. Each month (without prompting), Lakisha schedules meeting with nine departments, and organizing all documents to ensure each participant
Rose Award Submission
Page 2 of 3
is prepared. Lakisha doesn’t have to do this but chooses to because she understands how helpful this is to her coworkers. By Lakisha taking on a lot of the prep work for these meetings, it allows us to have what we need to have effective financial statement review meetings each month.
3. Lakisha expands beyond her role to help others:
Lakisha helps every department any way she can, even if it is not within her typical job duties:
Example # 1 -Lakisha expands beyond her role as executive assistant to her three direct reports and helps other departments and co-workers throughout the Zoo. Lakisha has walked over a half of mile, several times from our administrative building to make delivers or help with our guest services department at the front of the Zoo. When asked to complete a complicated document to getting coffee for guests, Lakisha applies the same level of dedication to any task she is asked to complete.
Example #2 - During our busiest event of the year, Sunset at the Zoo, Lakisha can be seen carrying tables and chairs, organizing and setting up table centerpieces and being a liaison to our guest valet staff, guaranteeing they have what they need to be effective and successful. During that day, Lakisha is here from 9 a.m. until at least 10 p.m., helping where she can, without complaint, to ensure this event is a success each year.
4. Lakisha has a very positive attitude (one of her most valuable skills):
Each day, Lakisha provides positivity, good energy, and smiles to all who interact with her.
Example #1 - Some of Lakisha’s favorite phrases are, “If I can be of further assistance, please don’t hesitate to let me know”, “Trust the process” and “It is never too late to press reset.” These are just a few consistent phrases she states almost daily either in emails or verbally, to keep herself and the people around her positive and focused.
Example # 2 - Lakisha is extremely adaptable and because of her positive attitude, she works great under pressure focusing on the resolution and not the issue itself; this has been displayed on numerous occasions.
Example #3 - We have received positive feedback from Zoo guests as well as representatives from outside companies that have interacted with Lakisha. Lakisha has daily communications with several other organizations and they have stated, she is very pleasant to interact with and she displays a high level of professional customer service as she resolves issues and takes care of their needs (See Support Doc #4).
Rose Award Submission
Page 3 of 3
Other Recognitions:
Previous Employer – Lakisha Dumas comes highly regarded from her previous employer, The Sam Bernstein Law Firm, as an executive assistant for Mark, Sam, and Beth Bernstein for over 7 years. The law firm continues to invite her to their events because they still considered her part of their law firm’s family due to the lasting impression she has left behind.
DZS Writing 101 – Lakisha is a published author and writes a lot for her job as an executive assistant, however when given the opportunity to take a college course writing class in addition to her normal office duties, Lakisha eagerly accepted the challenge. She was a positive example in class when others were discouraged about the class workload. She also assisted others, helping them understand their assignments and coordinating make up sessions for her peers. She completed the class successfully and is considered an ambassador and example for this program to her work peers. She is constantly attempting to improve her written and verbal communication skills by taking several classes offered through the DZS University. She understands that learning is continuous and this is another reason why she excels at her job.
Community Service Involvement:
Lakisha is driven and passionate about community involvement:
• Lakisha operates a blog and social media account called Spiritual Deposits that encourages others to deposit positivity and value to their lives daily.
• Lakisha volunteers in the Horizons-Upward Bound Leaders Who Care Program through Cranbrook Institute by mentoring students about her profession and career experiences
• Lakisha is the founder and CEO of her own non-profit, Counting Candles that have thrown free birthday parties for foster, homeless and low-income children in the tri-county Detroit area.
• Lakisha is a published author of a poem featured in The Detroit Neighborhood Guidebook, paying homage to her grandmother and her childhood as a native Detroiter.
• Lakisha is working toward graduating in October 2019 as a certified Lay Counselor through Moody Bible Institute at Triumph Church, so she can properly use her natural skills of helping and comforting others in her local community, in an effective manner.
Endorsements from Managers
Date: June 17, 2019 To: Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau From: George E. McCrary Regarding: Lakisha Dumas To whom it may concern, It is my great joy and a privilege to recommend Mrs. Lakisha Dumas. Mrs. Dumas and I have worked on projects, and assignments, her professionalism and work standard and work ethics are exemplary. Mrs. Dumas is both thorough and professional, always with a smile and a can do attitude. She approaches assignments, tasks with an awesome attitude and a professional attitude. Mrs. Dumas has accepted assignments from me often with an unrealistic time frame and completes them with exceptional ease, on time and at a very high level of standards. Above all of the fore mention, Mrs. Dumas is an excellent person. Grounded in her faith which shows in everything she does and every word she speaks. Guided be her faith allows Mrs. Dumas to show compassion to others, assist others and speak helpful words to other. Mrs. Dumas was a key individual in my on boarding at the Detroit Zoological Society. Her kind words, helpful spirit help ensure my successful transition into my role. She often made herself available to assist me in whatever I needed from finding a key document to finding the men’s room, willing to provide assistance to ensure my success, always with a smile and a willingness that is unmatched in today’s world of me first. Her willingness to help others, her kindness, her skill set makes the Detroit Zoological society a better place for all. Again, it is my privilege, my joy, and my great honor to recommend Mrs. Dumas. If I can provide further information please do not hesitate to contact me. Very warm Regards, George E. McCrary Director, Human Resources
Endorsements from Co-Workers
May 7, 2019
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing this letter of recommendation for Lakisha Dumas of the Detroit Zoological Society who has
been nominated for a Recognition of Service Excellence Award. Lakisha is the assistant for our chief
operating officer (COO) and as such has myriad responsibilities. Our COO has a significant number of
direct reports, keeps a very busy schedule and has to have inordinate reports and presentations prepared
constantly. In thinking about Lakisha’s role and her response to it I would describe her metaphorically as
“part spider” and “part juggler.”
As the “spider” she is operating as if with eight arms while she prepares board reports, committee
presentations, books meetings, handles the phones and email, and works to help each of our COO’s direct
reports. She is endlessly prioritizing his time while helping all of us meet our needs for documents that
need to be signed and meetings that need to happen. As “part juggler” she has to manage a lot of
calendars to keep him operating at maximum efficiency which has a significant impact on the entire
organization. There are days that our COO can literally have seven meeting and a before or after hours
event all of which require notes, supporting documents or presentations. You may be thinking that this is
just her job which is correct and not the special part.
Lakisha does all of this with a remarkably generous spirit. She embodies the philosophy that everyone is
her internal customer and has a smile and greeting for each of us all the time. She is kind, happy, smiling,
complimentary, thoughtful and gracious despite the stress and pressures of the job. She also does this
with an eye toward improvement. She has called to share an idea or thought for improvement in my area,
always participates in staff events and is eager to train and learn new things. She values feedback and
opportunities for growth and development as well. Never once has she shown any signs of frustration or
stress; if she even senses stress in others she takes a moment to let them know she hopes they have a
better day. Considering her responsibilities and a human’s nature to be stressful, it is remarkable.
Lakisha provides a high level of service excellence to everyone she encounters in her role: board members,
staff, guests, vendors, donors, members and more. She is a winner for our team and I hope you will
consider her a winner for our region. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions.
Good morning Lakisha, I just wanted to let you know how grateful I am to have you as a colleague. Since the day I started you have always made me feel welcomed and appreciated. You are always willing to lend a hand no matter what the request or task is. You have a positive and sincere attitude that is contagious! I admire you. Thank you for all you do and thank you for being you. I hope you have a great start to your week! Best, Debi
I just want you to know what a great colleague Lakisha has been to work with. She is kind and always
willing to give a helping hand when needed.
Best,
Eunice Graham
Events Associate, Guest Relations
June 17, 2019 To Whom It May Concern: Lakisha Dumas’s enthusiasm and dedication to the Detroit Zoological Society never stops. Her role as the Executive Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer keeps her plenty busy, yet she always manages to make the time to help others. Every June, she always somehow finds the time to not only help out with the festivities for our biggest fundraising event, but to also help out with any needs that may arise starting several days ahead of the event. Whenever I have needed her assistance, she always goes above and beyond to get me everything I need, even if she if it requires a significant amount of work on her end. One such way she has helped me is to always make sure that I have up-to-date renderings and photos of projects when she knows that they might help me in my role. I have never seen her without a smile on her face or heard her speak without genuine warmth and concern for the person(s) she is interacting with. She is a pleasure to work with, an asset to the DZS and a strong resource for anyone needing assistance internally and externally. . Sincerely, Heather Sieting-Warsh Individual Philanthropy Coordinator, Development
June 19, 2019
Dear 2019 ROSE Awards committee, It is my absolute pleasure to write this letter of recommendation in support of Lakisha Dumas’s nomination for the 2019 ROSE Award. As the Group Sales Manager for the Detroit Zoological Society, I have the privilege of working alongside Lakisha and have had the opportunity to observe her professional skills, attention to detail and interpersonal style. Lakisha exemplifies the qualities of a highly, motivated leader who possesses personal integrity, trustworthiness, talent and self-discipline. As a colleague, she is consistently pleasant and takes on all assignments with enthusiasm and dedication. By employing her talents in the exceptional execution of her job, Lakisha also projects a warm, cheerful attitude to our visitors, vendors and guests on a daily basis. I have seen her resolve conflicts and handle other difficult situations with remarkable patience and admirable tact. Along with her undeniable talent, Lakisha is a joy to work with. She is a true team player and always manages to foster positive discussions and bring the best out of her colleagues. In addition to her own duties, she still finds time to be supportive and volunteer to work on other projects at the Detroit Zoo. I can think of no one more deserving of this award. Lakisha shows a level of dedication above and beyond the scope of her job. She is the kind of colleague you dream of working with and personifies the highest level of excellence and through her example encourages you to be better. It is with my deepest convictions that I eagerly recommend that Lakisha Dumas be selected as the recipient of the 2019 ROSE Award. Jenise E. Collins Detroit Zoological Society Group Sales Manager
Date: June 15, 2019 To: The Rose Award Committee From: Jennifer Clarke, Director of Membership Services I fully support the nomination of Lakisha Dumas for the 2019 Rose Award. Lakisha is an exceptional team member of the Detroit Zoo. She is warm, positive and always has a smile to share. Her “customers” include the COO, staff members and guests of the Detroit Zoo. No matter how busy Lakisha may be, she takes the time to greet each person in her path and offer assistance. She has patience and consistently goes out of her way to exceed expectations. Every month each department head meets with the COO to review financial reports. Lakisha is responsible for setting up the meetings. For every financial statement meeting she goes above and beyond by providing back-up reports and all necessary notes. This is something that she is not required to do but she takes the extra step to provide excellent facilitation and customer service. In addition, her prompt response time to any request or question is excellent. She is very trustworthy and is true to her word. Lakisha always offers to help anyone and every department throughout the organization. She is a true team player and a joy to work with every day! I sincerely hope that you will honor Lakisha Dumas with the 2019 Rose Award. Sincerely, Jennifer Clarke
June 18, 2019 To whom it may concern,
Lakisha is the kind of coworker with whom anyone would want to work. She radiates positivity, kindness, helpfulness and warmth. People are drawn to her because this is so evident in everything she does. Her compassion shines through in so many ways; she always knows what to say and do to lift the spirits of someone who is feeling down or overwhelmed. The hugs, kind words, prayers and thoughtfulness that she so freely offers could change a coworker’s day or even whole attitude. Lakisha is organized, professional, and always prepared for any situation that might present itself.
Our office is a better place because she is a part of our team. She is the essence of a ROSE
award recipient and deserves this honor more than anyone.
Best,
Kathy Murphy Accounting Specialist Detroit Zoological Society Email: [email protected] Work: (248) 336‐5718
June 19, 2019
To whom it may concern,
Lakisha is always very prompt in responding to deadlines and documentation requests. I can always be
sure that Lakisha’s expense and credit card reports are in order and properly documented (and completed
well in advance of the deadline). If there is ever a question or more documentation needed, she doesn’t
hesitate to reach out to the vendor. Whenever there is a question as to where a document may be in the
approval flow, she will take a minute to be of immediate assistance.
She also has a wonderful personality and is great to work with. On a personal note, her uplifting
personality was really nice when my father passed away. Just having a brief conversation with her made
my day a little better. She’s always a pleasure to work with and makes a point to be more than just a
coworker.
Thanks,
Kati Vogel
Senior Accountant, Accounting
June 17, 2019 Hello Mr. George,
I want to personally say, I really enjoy working with Lakisha. She is such a sweetheart, and she always have a smile on her face. She is always willing to help out, even if it is someone else's work. Whenever you see her, she smile and greet you and want to know how your day is going even if she don't even know you.
Lakisha work ethic is positive, professional and full of sunshine. I know everyone else enjoy working with her too and being nominated for a rose award is a great way to show someone how much they are appreciated. Lakisha is a very appreciative person, who exemplifies great manners, so I know she truly appreciate this nomination and is very thankful. Good Luck Lakisha
and congratulations, you got my vote! 😊
Sincerely,
LaRonda Harper
Guest Relations Assistant Detroit Zoological Society Email: [email protected] Work: (248) 541‐5717
June 14, 2019
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
RE: Lakisha Dumas, ROSE AWARD NOMINEE,
I am writing this note to express my sincere appreciation and admiration for my fellow
colleague, Lakisha Dumas. I have known Lakisha since she began her employment at the Detroit
Zoological Society in 2015. Lakisha has been such a treasure to work with. She is consistently helpful
and always with a smile!
During the course of any given day, Lakisha is consistently professional, approachable and
genuine in all of her interactions. Lakisha has great passion and respect for the organization and for the
people she interacts with on a daily basis. She brings a positive attitude wherever she goes, and I know
that I can always count on Lakisha for anything.
Sincerely,
Linda Nichols
Administrative Assistant, Facilities
June 18, 2019
Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau
211 W. Fort Street, Suite 1000
Detroit, MI 48226
Hello-
I wanted to share my thoughts on a very special person that works at the Detroit Zoological
Society, Lakisha Dumas. I have only been working at the Zoo for a little more than a year. While that may
seem like a relatively long time, for the DZS it isn’t, as staff has great seniority here. Given that longevity
most systems run smoothly, but a new employee trying to integrate into the facility and its systems
without feeling like you are bothering people with a lot of questions, repeatedly, it can feel daunting.
Lakisha understood this and from the very beginning made me feel welcome and helped me to
learn my way through the different challenges. Not being the most computer literate, she was especially
helpful learning how to navigate through them.
Lakisha is an incredibly warm and positive person. She has a huge heart and can tell if something
is not going right for you and does what she can to help you through it. Sometimes that is just a kind
word, sometimes it’s sharing a similar story of her own, and sometimes it can be as simple as to let you
know there is a fresh pot of coffee.
I strongly recommend Lakisha to win the ROSE award because she provides service excellence
each day.
Sincerely,
Randi Meyerson, DVM, MSc
Deputy Chief Life Sciences Officer
June 14, 2019
To: Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau
Re: Lakisha Dumas, 2019 ROSE Award
There have been numerous times Lakisha has provided assistance, but one particular time stands
out the most. While preparing documents for an upcoming Committee meeting, the original file was
overridden and time was very tight to make the necessary adjustments. Lakisha remained calm and was
very professional when offering assistance. She took the information she was given and edited it in a
matter of minutes! She saved the day and the meeting was conducted without any delays.
Lakisha is always pleasant and polite and willing to go the extra mile when needed. She is a valued
member of the DZS team who exhibits excellent customer service, each and every day at work to all.
Sincerely,
Tanzalea Daniels Controller, Accounting
Phone: (248) 336‐5732
Endorsements Regarding Lasting
Impressions/Customer Service
Renee Hosley
06/20/2019
RE: Letter of Recommendation of The Rose Award
For: Lakisha Dumas
To Whom It May Concern:
Lakisha Dumas is diligent, intelligent, reliable and full of integrity. She is passionate about every
endeavor that is set before her and if she says she will complete a task anyone can definitely
count on it.
I have known Lakisha Dumas since 2006 and she has always remained the same regardless of
any obstacles, challenges that we all encounter at one point or another in all of our lives.
She is my best sister friend that’s faithfully consistently in my life and I admire the woman that
she demonstrates and displays in every area of her life.
Lakisha is a wife, a mom, a daughter, a sibling and she is a true confidant who one can trust and
with that being said, is the best person ever to receive The Rose Award. She provides service
excellence not only to her supervisors and coworkers but also to her family and friends.
June 17, 2019 Re: ROSE Award for LaKisha Dumas To Whom It May Concern: LaKisha Dumas is the epitome of excellence. I have had the pleasure to work with LaKisha in many capacities. First, as a co-worker during my tenure as Manager of Annual Giving Programs at the Detroit Zoological Society, and again as a community volunteer for the Horizons-Upward Bound Program as Cranbrook Schools. Ms. Dumas has the friendliest demeanor – she is always willing to offer a smile, a kind word, a prayer or whatever she thinks you might need in the moment. She has an uncanny ability to connect on an authentic level with people. This connection builds trust – a key component to any successful relationship. She is always helpful – sometimes knowing what you need before you even ask for it! LaKisha was a model co-worker, always a model of excellence for others to emulate. Most recently, LaKisha served as a volunteer for Horizons-Upward Bound for our Leaders Who Care Program. This program provides career exposure experiences for high school students attending the lowest-performing high schools in the city of Detroit. The Leaders Who Care program not only provides career exposure for HUB students but puts them in contact with professionals in the community and helps to develop their character. I marketed this volunteer opportunity on social media and immediately received a call from LaKisha. She was eager to share her experiences with local students and made a lasting impression on the students she encountered. One student said “I enjoyed Lakisha Dumas because she gave off an aura of confidence and she was very motivational.” I completely agree with that student! LaKisha Dumas is very deserving of this award and it is my pleasure to offer this letter in support of her nomination for the ROSE award. Sincerely,
Sommer Brock, CFRE Director of Development Horizons-Upward Bound
Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau
211 W. Fort Street, Suite 1000
Detroit, MI 48226
June 18, 2019
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter is in support of LaKisha Dumas for the Recognition of Service Excellence (ROSE) Award
regarding Counting Candles, an organization she crafted.
Counting Candles provided birthday parties for children who necessarily would not have an
acknowledgment of their birthdays due to isolation, family situations and/or lack of finances.
What we discovered is when children are acknowledged and paid attention to, it changes how they view
themselves and the people around them. Something as special as celebrating their birthday contributes
to a positive self‐view; they feel worthy of being celebrated, as all children should feel.
My role was to secure the birthday cake and decorations for the birthday parties. We partnered with a
local bakery for each personalized cake and recruited sponsorship for decorations; thus, creating a
meaningful safe haven for the birthday children and their guests.
LaKisha located children through other Detroit‐area non‐profits, such as Child Safe Michigan, to receive
free birthday parties; she raised sponsorship funds for the party venues; she made sure every detail for
each party was perfect for each birthday child, and she personally purchased gifts for each child based
on their gift wish list. I am so thankful to have assisted the Counting Candles Organization because of the
positive and lasting impact I observed it having on each child who received a free birthday party.
LaKisha Dumas embellishes service excellence; in developing human service projects to spending time
with her family and friends while impacting her community. LaKisha puts 100% effort into all activities.
Not only does she give 100% of her time and energy, LaKisha expects those involved to provide the same
level of commitment and care. LaKisha welcomes challenges and changes with positivity and a smile.
I am looking forward to the re‐establishment of Counting Candles this winter and provide, not only
birthday parties for children but positively impacting how each child view themselves. With the re‐
embellishment of Counting Candles, our plan is to grow the Counting Candles community by expanding
the service to hospitalized children and senior adults in the Detroit area.
If you would like additional information, please contact me at 313 461‐4696.
Sincerely,
Anquenetta Jones
CITYSCAPE
'Detroit Neighborhood Guideook' Chapter: 'Stevie Wonder Used To Visit My Block'
August 12, 2017, 11:17 AM
Detroit's dozens of distinctive clusters are almost like provinces or nation-states, in a sense -- disparate enclaves with individual characters and cultures.
That diversity, and the strong identity imprinted on proud residents, is celebrated in the 34 chapters of "The Detroit Neighborhood Guidebook" -- arriving Aug. 21 from Belt Publishing as its third paperback on this city. It follows "The Detroit Anthology" (2014) and "How to Live in Detroit Without Being a Jackass" (2015).
"No matter how many books are done about Detroit, it's still impossible to capture this city's ethos into a finite number of pages," editor Aaron Foley writes at the start of the 164-page new book, which has essays by him and 32 others. (As he was wrapping up the project, Foley joined the mayor's staff in March as "chief storyteller" for an upcoming website on city neighborhoods.)
"I had a goal of amplifying voices of Detroit while simultaneously sharing narratives from all across the city," he says on Facebook this week. "I think we pulled off something special here with a mix of essays, poetry and fiction."
Recollections and status reports come from the east side, west side, Southwest Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park. There's even a chapter on Tiger Stadium and one on
The cover is designed and illustrated by
Detroit artist Haley Suzanne Stone.
Steve's Place, a legendary downtown dive bar on Congress Street that gets 14 pages -- the longest selection and the only fiction piece. (Most chapters are two to four pages.)
"The vision for this guidebook was to showcase the many voices of this complicated city—as many as we possibly could," Foley's foreword says.
Those voices are shaped by the neighborhoods they know, or knew. . . .
Our neighborhoods mold us. Whether you grew up in that neighborhood, bought your first house there or had family there, it shapes you.
Part of what shapes him is "A One-Year Stand in Hamtramck," as his six-page chapter is titled. A tease:
I felt the call to Hamtramck getting louder. . . . A few acquaintances had moved here in recent years and had no complaints. And above all, it was cheap as fuck.
“I’m only going to stay here for a little bit,” I told myself. Get in, get out. Pay cheap rent, save your money, and go right back to Detroit.
Eventually, I did go back to Detroit. But the temptation to stay in Hamtown was pretty strong.
Among other prominent contributors are Marsha Music, a writer, speaker and historian; Palmer Park organizer Barbara Barefield; Detroit News reporters Ian Thibodeau and Justin Rogers; Jalopnik managing editor Erin Marquis and journalist-author Drew Philp.
The chapter below, picked by Foley for our preview, is by a Detroit Zoological society executive assistant who previously worked for seven years at the Sam Bernstein Law Firm. She's a 1999 communication graduate of Eastern Michigan University.
Her essay recalls 11 childhood years near Jefferson Avenue in what's now called East Riverside.
Lakisha Dumas: "My block was so special,
Stevie Wonder used to visit."
-- Alan Stamm
When Ruby Jones Was Here
By Lakisha Dumas
When Ruby Jones was here, Detroit was where I called home.
Recalling my elementary-school-aged self, bursting through my grandparents’ screen door to go outside each day.
That screen door that I could only run out of only a few times before Ruby revoked my outside privileges.
That screen door I am thinking of led to sunny skies, friendly neighbors, fun-filled days, life lessons and endless possibilities.
That screen door on Algonquin Street led me to becoming a neighborhood-renowned chef at the age of five, in my friend Nicole Belcher’s backyard. We would make the fanciest, most spectacular mud pies in the area and -- if I remember correctly -- the tastiest ones, too.
I learned with hard work, you could even make dirt beautiful. It is not about what you have but about what you do with what you have.
That same screen door led me to becoming a scholar at six years of age. My front porch is where Louis Jones had class and my grandfather bestowed his wisdom and knowledge to me or whomever, whenever he had the opportunity. I wish I could bottle his wisdom and sell it today. At the time I didn’t realize on that front porch, he was giving me his most valuable treasures.
My grandparents’ screen door led me to one of my greatest adventures of all times, the time me and my big cousin Nettie took a walk to the penny candy store on Jefferson and Algonquin with all of our friends. Picture it, about eight girls ranging in ages from six to twelve years old, in the middle of the street walking four blocks to one of the busiest streets in Detroit to go to one of the many ultimate penny candy stores in our neighborhood.
There appeared to be over 200 types of candy my two dollars could buy; I could have gotten one of each. I still remember Gumby playing on the 13-inch color television behind the store’s counter. I learned during the trip, the world was huge and there was so much more to see.
That screen door that was two houses away from Goethe Street, led me to becoming a death-defying stunt woman at seven years old, when I got on my red Strawberry Shortcake bike and flew for what seemed like at least ten minutes, chin-first into the sidewalk in front of Mr. Price’s house. I remember being in the air and thinking to myself, “How is this going to end?”
That moment right there, I realized I was much tougher and stronger than I ever imagined.
That gray metal screen door located at 3407 Algonquin Street led to me meeting a legendary superstar, when my uncle Louie walked me down the block for me to discover I was about to shake hands with Stevie Wonder, because he was visiting his cousin who lived on our street. My block was so special, Stevie Wonder used to visit.
I learned then life was filled with surprises and opportunities. I could be whoever I wanted to be because success was obtainable from right where little old me used to live.
As I close my eyes to reminisce, I instantly feel the warmth today from all the hearts of those who lived on Algonquin Street between Mack Avenue and Goethe Street between 1977 and 1988. My memories give me hope for the city that I once knew so well.
The street lights were my sign each night my family was about to call my name. The same anticipation I felt swinging that screen door to the left to the world outside, I felt when swinging it to the right, to the love that lived inside of Ruby’s house.
Because when Ruby Jones was here, Detroit was where I called my home.
