The memo below was released by the Fresno Coalition for Digital Inclusion, of which Every Neighborhood Partnership is a member.
When was the last time you walked across Herndon or Blackstone Ave? Yes, you read that right, walked across. Quite a daunting task, wouldn’t you say, to venture across 6 lanes of high speed traffic!
The same sentiment is what activated Our Voice Project (OVP), a Neighborhood Association in Southwest Fresno, to voice concern in regard to the necessary infrastructure upgrades to the intersection, but to no avail. The local news has even done a segment highlighting the unsafe conditions of the intersection. View it here. OVP, in partnership with The Fresno County of Public Health and Every Neighborhood Partnership, applied for a state issued grant that would allow them to temporarily display the changes they deemed necessary to safely cross the streets of MLK Ave and California Ave. California Walks (CalWalks) awarded The Kit of Parts to the Fresno collaboration! On November 10th the intersection of Martin Luther King Ave & California Ave was temporarily shut down.
On November 10th, 2022, Southwest community members and organizational partners arrived at 5am to begin installing the temporary crosswalk art and setting up the half mile long protected bike lane.
At ENP, we get excited about maps and data. We believe that in order to love your neighbors and your neighborhood, you have to know them. This includes data that tells a bigger story of the trends of each neighborhood, as well as individual, personal stories that data cannot capture.
ENP has created data sheets of Fresno neighborhoods as a resource for churches and community partners who want to learn more about their neighborhoods so they can make informed decisions and take relevant action steps. We focus on neighborhoods as they are defined by elementary school zones, for a total of 92 neighborhoods in the City of Fresno.
Mary Avigliano knew when she grew up, she wanted to help others. As a child, Mary developed relationships with volunteers of local urban ministry organizations who left a life-long impact on her and her family.
“If it weren’t for a group of people who were passionate about urban ministry knocking on my family’s door when I was a kid, I wouldn’t be sitting here.”
~Mary Avigliano
In 2008, when Mary was a recent college graduate with a little extra free time, she became one of Every Neighborhood Partnership’s first volunteers.
Over the last 3+ years, ENP has been a part of a local initiative called The Fresno D.R.I.V.E. Initiative (Developing the Region’s Inclusive and Vibrant Economy). One of the central values is that together we want to create an inclusive, vibrant, and sustainable economy for residents in the greater Fresno region.
We know that Fresno lags behind in economic development and what we have learned over the years is that we are one of the least economically mobile cities in the United States. So how do we change that?
What a better way to end the year than by clarifying some important questions about ENP’s neighborhood development role in our city. For example, many have asked, please explain the DRIVE initiative to us in plain terms and in more interesting ones; what the heck is civic infrastructure?
The Fresno DRIVE Initiative is a 10-year investment plan to develop an inclusive, vibrant, and sustainable economy for residents in the greater Fresno region. It is sponsored by the Central Valley Community Foundation with support from the James Irvine Foundation.
“Tupman Park is a perfect example of why residents are so important in getting critical resources to their neighborhood.”
~Ariana Martinez-Lott, City Councilmember Miguel Arias’ Office
On November 4, 2022, families gathered at the intersection of East California Avenue and South Tupman Street to celebrate the grand opening of Tupman Park.
Playful squeals and laughter filled this Southwest Fresno neighborhood as children played on the merry-go-round, bucket swings, and slides their community advocated for during a five year, collaborative process.
Many of us long to make a difference in our communities, but we’re frozen by inaction because we don’t know where to start.
“The most valuable thing you can offer someone is your time,” says Marcel Woodruff.
Over 12 years ago, Marcel felt a call to invest in the young people of West Fresno. He says he “didn’t have much to offer,” but he knew he could volunteer for one hour once a month on a Saturday morning. On one of those Saturday mornings, Marcel met a boy who would impact his life forever.
Learn more about Every Neighborhood Partnership’s growing vision and important things taking place in our city at our Fall in Love with Fresno event on September 22.
Over the last 14 years, Every Neighborhood Partnership (ENP) has been on a growth trajectory. Yes, our staff and programs are growing, but so is our vision.
ENP began as an organization focused on helping churches connect relationally with schools in central Fresno. Over time, with God’s guidance and the support of incredible partners, we have expanded our vision to equipping and mobilizing residents to be leaders who have the tools they need to make sustainable, long-lasting change in their neighborhoods.
Communities are being changed from the inside out.
Through literacy mentoring at elementary schools, Saturday Sports camps, Latin Dance Fitness classes, women’s support groups, workshops and coaching for other nonprofit leaders, and neighborhood associations, our vision is growing… and it involves YOU too.
Join us on September 22nd to learn more and celebrate the GROWING taking place in our city at ENP’s annual Fall in Love with Fresno event! You won’t want to miss this.
“This is where I live. This is where my legacy is. This is where my children’s legacy is. It’s gonna be here when we’re not. So what footprints are we gonna leave?”
~Sharon Williams, Southwest Fresno Resident
Cracked roads and poor health conditions are prevalent in southwest Fresno, one of the highest poverty-stricken and environmentally-at-risk areas in California. In fact, the life expectancy for west Fresno residents was projected to be 69 years old, over 20 years less than those living in northeast Fresno.
In 2018, a group of Southwest Fresno residents were engaged in a project conducted by UC Berkeley and California Walks to make safety improvements along California Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. During this assessment, residents Sylvia Trujilo, Vittoria Molina, Christina Sidhu, and Sharon Williams shared their input on what projects would be most beneficial for their children and neighbors. These women’s participation in the assessment led to meaningful, positive change in a part of Fresno where people often felt hopeless, unsafe, or forgotten. But then, the California Walks project ended.
Sylvia, Vittoria, Christina, and Sharon were not ready to lose the momentum they had built. For the first time, they recognized their voices as powerful tools to create a safer, healthier neighborhood for their families. “As a group, we became the caretakers of what we had started with California Walks,” says Sylvia. “We wanted to continue to see change. At that point we were like, how do we keep that going?”
Daniel Dominguez, Every Neighborhood Partnership’s Neighborhood Development Coordinator, learned about these residents’ desire to continue advocating for positive change in their community. Daniel began facilitating a weekly meeting with these individuals. Out of these gatherings, a neighborhood association in southwest Fresno was born: Our Voice Project.
