Commentary: We're grateful for your help

Without them we would not have been able to bring you stories about the Flint Cultural Center - continuing attempts to destroy the old English houses on Manning Street to build a parking lot.

We also would not have been able to bring you stories about the North End Soup Kitchen, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Kettering University - radio station, the Traveling Museum of Afrikan Ancestry and Research Center, Wireless Genesee, Genesee County Humane Society, the UM-Flint Green Arts Project, the Resource Center, Motherly Intercession, Atwood Stadium, Crossover Outreach Ministry, the Genesee Historical Society, the Mr. Rogers Say No Program, What - Up Downtown tours, an ordinance to help renters, MTA attempts to offset fuel costs and reduce pollution, attempts to revitalize downtown, the overcrowded jail, the problems with 911 systems, the five-year plan for Flint Parks, the UM-Flint mosaic sculpture, a study of downtown traffic patterns, the Third Avenue corridor, the rebuilding of the Kearsley Park gateways, new UM-Flint housing and many other stories in the magazine and on the web that directly affected you.

We could not have done our regular coverage of city groups like the Flint Planning Commission, the Zoning Board of Appeals or the Historic District Commission.

You would not have gotten stories about what neighborhood groups like the College Cultural Neighborhood Association, the Eastside Business Association, the Grand Traverse District Neighborhood Association, the Westside Crime Watch, the Potter Crime Watch, the Downtown Small Business Association, the Carriage Town Historic Neighborhood Association or the Fairfield Neighborhood Association are doing.

We also could not have brought you the pictures by Edwin Custer or the "Good books, old friends" column by Kara Kvasnicka we ran in each issue and on the web site each month.

Also, they made the web site, eastvillagemagazine.org, possible. On it are many stories we did not have room for in the magazine, thousands of press release with information directly from nonprofit organizations, thousands of pictures and thousands of archived articles from the magazine published since 1992 which you can find by simply putting in keywords.

All of this was possible in our 31st year because of the support of the people listed below. They deserve your thanks. If you are not a contributor, consider becoming one. We are an all-volunteer group " every penny you contribute goes directly to support the magazine and web site.They are
Josephine Allen, Chalmers Street; Duncan and Dana Beagle, Fenton; Jane Bingham, Kensington Avenue; Charles Birney, Old Farm Road; William and Bernice Blamer, Calumet Avenue; Tim and Vera Bograkos, Maxine Avenue; Stuart Bombel, Denver, Colo.; Bessie Brown, Crapo Street; and Ralph Brown, East Second Street.

Archie Campbell, East Fifth Avenue; Helen Chazick, Cleveland Avenue; College Cultural Neighborhood Association, Maxine Street; William and Mary Crawford, Woodside Drive; Lois Cunningham, Mt. Morris; and Edwin Custer, Crapo Street.

John and Silva Doyle, Woodlawn Park Drive; Ryan Eashoo, West Fourth Avenue; Elie Ghattas, Beard Street; Timothy Grant, East Second Street; Grant Hamady, East Court Street, Burton; Donna Hamm, Montclair Avenue; Richard and Irene Hanson, Pierce Street; Samuel Hardin, Pierce Street; Earl Hilton, Midlothian, Va.; Judith Hinman, East Second Street; and Denise Holaly, East Court Street.

Sylvia Kaake, Tuscola Avenue; Michael Keeler, Flushing; Watson Kenworthy, Commonwealth Avenue; Jacqueline Kramer, East Kearsley Street; Deanna Law, Grand Blanc; and Nola Lipford, Jonesboro, Ark.

Marianne Mair, Windemere Avenue; David Marshke, Franklin Avenue; Susan Millhouse, San Francisco, Calif.; Jack Minore, Commonwealth Avenue; Mike Neithercut, East Second Street; and Margaret Noone, Fenton.

John Park and Madeline Kingston-Park, Blanchard Avenue; Peter and Margaret Paul, Brookside Drive; Jeanne Pepper, Beard Street; Leonid and Helen Radcenko, Ridgelawn Avenue; Bea Reed, Swartz Creek; Donald and Janice Richards, Gaines; and Dorothy Ringlein, South Lynch Avenue.

Jerry Scholten, Pierce Street; Suzanne Selig, Linwood Avenue, Jean Shipley, Davison; Paul Stirling, South Franklin Avenue; and Bernhard and Mary Stroh, Woodside Drive.

W. G. and M. L. Terry, Brookwood Avenue; Dayne and Carrie Walling, Kensington Avenue; and Donald and Cookie Wascha, Woodlawn Park Drive.

We are grateful for your continuing support.

G.P.C.