One Week, One Street is a community cleanup event in Saginaw where every day for a week, hundreds of people paint houses, trim trees, mow lawns, and more.
I asked Pastor Roy Baldwin, "What would you say to people who look at this event and say, 'This isn't your job, the city should be doing this'?
His answer is...just the best.
"There was a song, 'That's Why I Created You'. It talks about looking around at all of the problems going on, and God spoke to him and said, 'That's why I created you.' That is our job.
I believe that God gives us all gifts and He gives us the desire to help one another—and there's nothing greater than showing love to our neighbors. That's why we were created: to help one another.
Some of the people in this neighborhood are downtrodden and beat down to where they can't help themselves. If we're a position where we can help somebody, it's not the city, the government, or the President's job. It's up to us in the community to help another and build one another up.
That's why we were created."
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One Saginaw neighborhood is seeing improved and painted houses, repaired porches and trimmed trees this week.
That is what the volunteers of the annual One Week, One Street event have been working on to help the community.
Tamara Klida, the event organizer, said around 150 volunteers each day, Monday through Friday, came to Collingwood Street in the east side of Saginaw to repair 23 homes.
“We’re not just (in the world) for ourselves. We’re here to help others, we’re here to work together,” Klida said. “I feel really blessed to just be able to see all these people come who are willing to give up their days. Some people take work off to come and help others. It’s really inspiring for me.”
Klida said this is the 11th year of One Week, One Street, which always takes place in the last full week of June as volunteers gather from churches and organizations across the region to improve houses on a certain street in the city.
Pastors Roy and Evelyn Baldwin
Tamara Kilda, and her husband
Click the links below to learn more about One Week, One Street!
One Week, One Street effort is a yearly local mission project in east Saginaw providing an opportunity for area churches, businesses, and non-profit organizations to respond to the call to "love our neighbors as ourselves." This is accomplished by painting homes, clearing brush, landscaping yards, repairing porches, and other minor exterior home repairs.
Adults and youth groups, or individuals, are encouraged to volunteer and demonstrate love for our neighbor.
