Community Corner
A 72-Hour Race to Renovate
Community groups meet to renovate a local church hall in 72 hours, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
A frigid cold Monday didn’t stop several community activists from devoting their time to help refurbish the community hall at Mount Pisgah Baptist Church at 222 Tompkins Avenue in Bed-Stuy.
Members of the 500 Men Making a Difference Organization spent the late afternoon well into the night repainting the walls and windows of the Thomas Spann-Adeline Jones Fellowship Hall. Even the Brooklyn chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. gave back at the start of Monday’s portion of the project.
The ambitious project began just 72 hours earlier, at midnight on Friday, with the intention of finishing on Monday, in time for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
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“In general, Martin Luther King’s holiday is a time for service,” said Wayne Devonish, the President of the 500 Men organization. “So, we’re definitely pulling a bull by the horns by doing a 72-hour project. And we wouldn’t see it any other way. No need to go shopping, no need to do more sleeping. We need to be of service to our community, definitely honoring the vision of Dr. King.”
Around 30 members of 500 Men and four sorority members took part in the repainting, each coming and going whenever the time was right for them.
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“We got involved today because our organization is based on community service,” said Victoria Thomas, AKA first vice president-- Delta Rho Omega Chapter. “It is our duty to help the community. We were very interested in helping the 500 Men organization work on this beautiful church, so we wanted to add a little spice to it and help as well. And especially on a day where we honor Martin Luther King.”
Barbara Williams, the chairwoman of the 500 Men advisory board, was excited about the project.
“It’s a way to help uplift the community,” said Williams, one of the chairpersons for the 500 Men advisory board. “The 500 Men give so much and they’re amazed how much is given back.”
500 Men Making a Difference was started by Wayne Devonish in June 2010 to provide male residents of Bedford-Stuyvesant an opportunity to give back to their community. The organization’s goal is to build a database of at least ten thousand men who would be available for community service.
