HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. – Local 4′s Karen Drew will be spending 24 hours in Highland Park to cover stories of residents, Avalon Village, and everything in between.
Starting at 6 a.m. Monday, she will be on air and streaming on Local 4+ to share those stories and cover what’s happening in the historic community.
(Follow along live in the video player above, with reports at the top of every hour from 6 a.m. Monday to 6 a.m. Tuesday.)
Why is she doing this? We’ll let her explain.
Karen Drew: It was a couple of months ago we got the press release Mama Shu Harris was one of the finalists for a CNN Hero’s Award. Now, I have covered the accomplishments of Mama Shu and what she has done at Avalon Village for ten years -- so when that press release hit my inbox I thought, I want to tell this story but I want to tell it differently.
How about telling the story of Mama Shu through the eyes of the people who live in Highland Park and attend her summer camps, use the tutors at the homework house, play basketball on the donated court, or benefit from the solar lights that have been installed on Avalon Street?
Then I thought let’s not just do a quick visit lets spend an entire 24 hours with the families to see how their lives have changed and also highlight what else needs to be done in Highland Park. We talked to our reporting partners at the Michigan Chronicle and they loved the idea and helped branch out our idea from Avalon Village to the entire city of Highland Park. There are folks moving in, businesses opening up, residential development is growing, crime is down, and there is a new Mayor -- there is a lot of good news to share. There are also issues that need to be addressed like the water bills, and the need for more lights.
Typically you see the finished story online or on air, this time you get to see the Story Gathering -- behind the scenes as we talk to folks, shoot our video, and really get a feel and a vibe of this community. By spending 24 hours we get a better grasp of the city, then we can take those stories to develop an hour special where we can highlight the people and their concerns, and then follow that with a town hall. The Town Hall can be filled with lawmakers, residents, nonprofits willing to help and idea makers. Whatever we discover and learn from our time we can talk about and then make a plan. How can we highlight and help Highland Park and Avalon Village?
We are not sure how it will all turn out - but when have you ever had a chance to see behind the scenes like this? We are doing 24 live shots every hour for 24 hours. We have positioned live streaming cameras so you can see what is going on in the neighborhood of Avalon Village. We also took a deep dive into the History of the city (it was the birthplace of Ford’s first assembly plant) and we look forward to what is next.
There is this song Darius Rucker sings and says “When is the last time you did something for the first time.” I LOVE THAT LINE! So, this is it. I have never reported for 24 hours straight, and never taken such a deep dive into a community. I’m excited to see what we learn, what we can celebrate, and how we can help.
It all starts at 6 a.m. Monday online here and on Local 4+. We will be streaming all 24 hours. You can follow us on ClickOnDetroit.com, as well as follow the Michigan Chronicle.