The Brightmoor Neighborhood and Community Center

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Brightmoor Community Center

he Brightmoor Community Center, which has been a part of the Brightmoor community for 90 years, has been growing and looking toward the future in the last year.

Dennis Talbert, interim chairman of the board at Brightmoor Community Center, says they have more than 30 volunteers, and they've seen the senior citizens' program grow from less than 10 people to anywhere from 60 to 70. Last Halloween, the center put up a petting zoo, offered activities and "obviously, boatloads of candy"-plus Detroit police officers came dressed as superheroes. The event drew more than 1,000 people, Talbert notes.

Looking ahead, Talbert says he'd like to have an outdoor summer theater in the center's park, which he hopes to expand-and add benches. Plus, the center hopes to develop and expand relationships with educators to offer even more services and information to its residents.

Brightmoor-the Neighborhood

While this west-side Detroit neighborhood has its challenges, Talbert notes, "its uniqueness is its neighbors."

Talbert, who moved to Brightmoor from Southfield while working as a youth pastor at a church in the community, says his neighbor "watches over" him-and he sees that the same is true throughout the neighborhood.

"I've lived all over the city (and) metropolitan area-and I've not had the kind of relationships … that I see existing in Brightmoor. We are actually watching over each other and we're caring about each other."