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    • Introducing the partnership with the Race and Justice reporting Initiative
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    DCFC Community Benefits Process Kicks Off in Mexicantown

    DCFC Community Benefits Process Kicks Off in Mexicantown

    Trump’s downfall: Fascist capitalism will do him in

    Trump’s downfall: Fascist capitalism will do him in

    Mayan Kaqchikel

    Mayan Kaqchikel

    “SWFest” to Showcase Local Sound for Fifth Year at Senate Theater

    “SWFest” to Showcase Local Sound for Fifth Year at Senate Theater

    Senator Slotkin Delivers Federal Honor to CHASS as Funding Fights Loom

    Senator Slotkin Delivers Federal Honor to CHASS as Funding Fights Loom

    Why Trump will fail

    Why Trump will fail

    Pueblo Yumano

    Pueblo Yumano

    A Forever Home for Detroit City FC

    A Forever Home for Detroit City FC

    Centros de ayuda parroquiales enfrentan mayores costos por recortes federales a bancos de alimentos

    Centros de ayuda parroquiales enfrentan mayores costos por recortes federales a bancos de alimentos

  • Community
    DCFC Community Benefits Process Kicks Off in Mexicantown

    DCFC Community Benefits Process Kicks Off in Mexicantown

    Metro Detroit Youth Find Their Voice in Summer Writing and Photography Camp

    Metro Detroit Youth Find Their Voice in Summer Writing and Photography Camp

    UNI Launches Youth Development Practitioner Apprenticeship

    UNI Launches Youth Development Practitioner Apprenticeship

    Ballot drive to end utility political contributions clears state canvassers

    Ballot drive to end utility political contributions clears state canvassers

    Detroit’s EasyPay Payment Plan Enrolls More than 30,000 residents protected from service interruption

    Detroit’s EasyPay Payment Plan Enrolls More than 30,000 residents protected from service interruption

    “SWFest” to Showcase Local Sound for Fifth Year at Senate Theater

    “SWFest” to Showcase Local Sound for Fifth Year at Senate Theater

    Senator Slotkin Delivers Federal Honor to CHASS as Funding Fights Loom

    Senator Slotkin Delivers Federal Honor to CHASS as Funding Fights Loom

    Movies Under the Stars Season Concludes Friday in Detroit at Historic Fort Wayne

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    LIBRE–Michigan Hosted A Back-to-School Giveaway to Empower Latino Families

    LIBRE–Michigan Hosted A Back-to-School Giveaway to Empower Latino Families

  • Featured
    DCFC Community Benefits Process Kicks Off in Mexicantown

    DCFC Community Benefits Process Kicks Off in Mexicantown

    “SWFest” to Showcase Local Sound for Fifth Year at Senate Theater

    “SWFest” to Showcase Local Sound for Fifth Year at Senate Theater

    Senator Slotkin Delivers Federal Honor to CHASS as Funding Fights Loom

    Senator Slotkin Delivers Federal Honor to CHASS as Funding Fights Loom

    A Forever Home for Detroit City FC

    A Forever Home for Detroit City FC

    CHASS Center Honored with Spirit of Detroit Award in Honor of 55 Years of Community Health, Dignity, and Hope

    CHASS Center Honored with Spirit of Detroit Award in Honor of 55 Years of Community Health, Dignity, and Hope

    Gutierrez and cousin Jacob Lozano

    Donut Villa Expands to Second Location Near Ford Rouge Plant

    Candidates Face the People: Southwest Detroit Hosts Powerful Mayoral Forum on Community Priorities

    Candidates Face the People: Southwest Detroit Hosts Powerful Mayoral Forum on Community Priorities

    Fr. David Buersmeyer y Mrs. Judith Brooks de Strangers No Longer / hablan a los participantes de la procesión frente a la oficina de campo de ICE en Detroit / address procession participants in front of the field office of ICE in Detroit. Foto de/Photo by Valaurian Waller | Detroit Catholic

    Detroit Catholics Walk in Solidarity with Immigrants, Demand Humane Treatment

    Linzie and Jesse Venegas of Ideal Group Recognized as Entrepreneurs Of The Year 2025

    Linzie and Jesse Venegas of Ideal Group Recognized as Entrepreneurs Of The Year 2025

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    Festivalgoers enjoying the photobooth.

    SWFest: Celebrating Five Years of Creativity and Community

    Mayan Kaqchikel

    Mayan Kaqchikel

    “SWFest” to Showcase Local Sound for Fifth Year at Senate Theater

    “SWFest” to Showcase Local Sound for Fifth Year at Senate Theater

    Pages Bookshop to Host Book Launch and Community Roundtable

    Pages Bookshop to Host Book Launch and Community Roundtable

    Pueblo Yumano

    Pueblo Yumano

    Learning about Art from a Master

    Learning about Art from a Master

    Huastecos Téenek

    Huastecos Téenek

    2025 Kresge Fellows from left-right: Elise Marie Martin, Taurus Burns, Louis Aguilar, Maya Davis, Kimberly LaVonne, Slumdog Visionaire, Marwa Helal, Donald Calloway, Brittany Rogers, Beenish Ahmed, Ivan Montoya, April Anue Shipp, Allana Clarke, Malak Cherri, Anetria Cole. Photo credit: JennyRisher

    Latino Creatives Shine as 2025 Kresge Fellows, Honoring Heritage and Artistic Power

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Faith and Sustainability: A Rain Garden on Sacred Ground

EL CENTRAL by EL CENTRAL
June 19, 2025
in Community
Reading Time: 7 mins read
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  • Estefania Arellano-Bermudez
  • Alejandro Ugalde Sandoval
  • June 12, 2025

Rich, dark soil winds around the front of Grace in Action’s building, peppered with bright green plants stretching out toward the sun. Residents line the walkway to take home small pots of Ohio spiderwort, New England aster, golden Alexander, and more. The anise hyssop, in particular, has a fragrant licorice aroma that sticks to your fingertips.

Pastor John Cummings of Grace in Action – and residents – gathered last Thursday, June 5 to officially cut the ribbon to the rain garden, which had been planted in the fall of 2024. Pastor Cummings passed around plant springs dipped in holy water so the attendees could bless the rain garden.

Grace in Action on Lawndale is the latest activation site in a series of projects that aims to use green infrastructure to cut stormwater costs. Led by the National Wildlife Foundation and partnering with Sierra Club and Friends of the Rouge, the Sacred Ground initiative began in 2018 after a restructuring of Detroit drainage fees was enacted. This restructuring called for a fee for every acre of impervious surface, meaning a church with a parking lot could see an increase in stormwater costs.

“In Detroit you get a discount off of your drainage fee if you have certain kinds of green infrastructure that limits the amount of water that’s going into the stormwater system. Rain gardens are a great way to do that,” Erin Johnson said. She is the Community Organizer for the Sierra Club of Michigan.

Because the native plants chosen for these sites hold more water than grass, they are the best choice for absorbing water runoff. As a bonus, they provide food and habitats for pollinators. Access to nature is also an important benefit. Rain gardens provide green spaces for residents, like the ones tucked in close to the Grace in Action building.

“These rain gardens are a co-benefit type of project that not only attracts pollinators, but also helps with stormwater that is coming off the roofs, the parking lots, any type of non-pervious surface from entering into our combined sewage overflow,” Tiffany Jones, Education and Engagement Manager at the National Wildlife Federation, said at the ribbon cutting of the rain garden. “We also know that these are places of enjoyment for young children to access nature.”

Pastor Cummings was approached with the idea for the Grace in Action rain garden around 2022, Jones said.

“I was excited,” said Pastor Cummings. “It’s just really cool to see people learning about the native plants, how to care for them, help them to flourish, how it benefits the greater ecosystem, the cycle of life.”

Detroit Resident Leticia Gonzalez, whose children attend guitar lessons and programming at Grace in Action, was in attendance on Thursday. She was also part of the community meetings regarding bringing the rain garden to the church.

“[Pastor] John asked for our opinion and the community said it was a good opportunity.”

Sacred Grounds includes 20 Detroit sites such as Detroit Hope, Christ the King, Marygrove, and Gesu. There are 120 sites scattered throughout four cities – Detroit, Cleveland, Toledo, and Grand Rapids. Maintenance efforts and community education are supported as part of the program.

The financial backing comes from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

“This project represents resilience, it represents joy, it represents beauty and so much more. So I’m just pleased and honored to make this a Sacred Ground site,” said Johnson.

To learn more about Nonresidential Drainage Credits and how a rain garden could help offset stormwater costs, visit https://bit.ly/DetroitDrainageGuidelines.

This article and photos were made possible thanks to a generous grant to EL CENTRAL Hispanic News by Press Forward, the national movement to strengthen communities by reinvigorating local news.  Learn more at www.pressforward.news.

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