Say Hello to the CommunityCare Stewards! Posted on October 20, 2017 by wpengine Share this post Meet the residents stewarding community greenspace through GTECH’s new pilot program, CommunityCare. Our CommunityCare Pilot Program started in September and is now in full swing! GTECH is working closely with 11 CommunityCare Stewards that are maintaining and improving vacant land in the Homewood community. Our stewards are proud Homewood residents and passionate community members! They will dedicate 3 to 10 hours per month from now until May 2018 maintaining green and open spaces. In return, the stewards receive incentives of their choice to recognize their hard work and dedication. During the winter months, the CommuntiyCare stewards will participate in training with Greenspace Alliance partners to increase their capacity to address community greenspace challenges. Throughout this program, we hope to inspire community members to make a positive impact on their neighborhood through long-term stewardship! To learn more about the program in depth visit the CommunityCare project page. Beverly Howell: Better known as “Grandma” to the children in the Homewood community, Beverly Howell is a passionate Homewood resident. Beverly has been sprucing up the neighborhood for years now and encourages the children in the neighborhood to clean up too! Beverly is an artist and has beautiful murals throughout her home. Why is community greenspace important to you? “I’d like to make it nice for the young kids to see where I live in Homewood and to see what [high quality] greenspace would look like.” Jerome Jackson: Jerome brings a strong skillset to our CommunityCare cohort and is excited to maintain spaces in the Homewood neighborhood. What makes Homewood special? “They are building new homes and trying to make the community look better and bringing the community together.” Why is community greenspace important to you? “It makes the environment better, makes it look better, and then we can get more natural things from the Earth.” Charmaine McDonald: Charmaine plays an active role in the Homewood community. She is passionate about keeping the neighborhood litter-free! Why is community greenspace important to you? “Because where there is trash, there cannot be beauty!” Michelle Jackson: Michelle has been active in the Homewood Cluster Planning process among other neighborhood development initiatives. She interested in maintaining street trees as well as vacant lots. What makes Homewood special? “Good neighbors, strong, basic institutions such as the YMCA, YWCA, CCAC, Homewood Library, and park.” Why is community greenspace important to you? “It’s good for the morale of the community to turn vacant lots into attractive spaces.” LaVarr Peters: LaVarr brings a great deal of experience to our CommunityCare Steward Cohort. He is a father and community member who is excited to start working on improving the community he lives in from the ground up. Donnell Pearl: Donnell is a proud Homewood resident who wants to see the community improve through green space work. Donnell has a strong interest in maintaining (and possibly even purchasing) vacant lots in the Homewood neighborhood! Nafi P. Lyman: Nafi has been doing greenspace work for many years and is a passionate member of the Homewood community! Nafi has transformed her home in Homewood into a beautiful, welcoming environment with tons of greenspace. What makes Homewood special? “The beautiful old houses. They are just like the houses in Shadyside. People in Homewood see the beauty in these old girls and show them some love. Also, the land is flat but you can still get a good view! “ Yvonne Terry: Yvonne has strong connections in the Homewood community and believes that vacant properties are one of the highest priorities that need to be addressed. Why is the community greenspace important to you? “It helps the air quality!” We are thrilled to introduce to you a handful of our CommunityCare Stewards who are doing great work in their community! Keep an eye out for future posts as the program progresses! Not pictured: Khadijah Bey, Nena Harrell, Maryanne Spurling