Growing Hope Center

Just a few blocks from downtown Ypsilanti, at 922 W. Michigan Ave, the Growing Hope Center will become our permanent home!

In December 2007, Growing Hope purchased this beautiful site to put down roots for its headquarters and further show its commitment to growing and positive futures in Ypsilanti.

This Growing Hope Center will be a demonstration and training site for urban farming, sustainable gardening, and green building, and is a tangible symbol of hope as Ypsilanti moves towards economic and community revitalization in our shifting economy.

Imagine...

• high-intensity urban food production year round
• healthy cooking classes using Center-grown food
• school field trips to pick fruit
• donation garden for people in need
• a �green� space, inside and out
• revitalization in downtown Ypsilanti

...and much more!

The 1.4 acre urban lot includes a 1931 faux-tudor house, garage, and lots and lots of green space! Already we’ve begun renovating the house to be a model green office and classroom space, developed a vegetable and herb garden, and established a 30 x 96 foot hoophouse for year round food production! We envision that the site will soon be a home for our tool lending library, a colorful community gathering space, an education center (in a later phase) and opportunities for healthy learning and inspiration and hope.
Can you envision it, too?

See a slideshow overview of the Growing Hope Center! You can also download the slides from that slideshow in "handout" format-- 6 slides per page.

If you'd like to look at or share a one-page overview of Growing Hope and the Growing Hope Center, you can download it here. Interested in a few more pics? We've got some here. Like that pretty site plan illustration? It's thanks to Rebekah Vanwieren, a 2nd year Masters of Landscape Architecture student at the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources & Environment. After participating in conceptual site designs with her studio, Rebekah joined our volunteer site planning team. The third year MLA students just completed their ideas for streetscape design. You can see a slideshow of them here!

Our site planning team is made up of incredible professionals who have been contributing significant time and expertise over the last year. Nicole Chardoul, of Resource Recycling Systems Incorporated, serves as the volunteer project manager, and engineer. Brian Pille and Bob Doyle have been our volunteer landscape architects. Architect Bob Edmonds has developed plans for renovation of the house, and is designing the future education center. Others, including engineer and landscape architecture student Angie Campbell, traffic engineer Chris Wall from Midwestern Consulting, Rebekah Vanwieren, Recycle Ann Arbor's Jason Bing, U-M's Center for Sustainable System's Geoff Lewis, have participated in our team at different times. THANKS to all of our great volunteers, our site plan is about to be submitted to the City of Ypsilanti!

How can YOU help? Can you imagine the possibilities of the Growing Hope Center? Right now we need you to get involved. Please make your contribution to strong communities now by clicking on the donate now link above, or contacting us at 734-786-8401. Contributions can also be mailed to Growing Hope PO Box 980129, Ypsilanti, MI 48198. If you would like to designate your gift towards the Growing Hope Center, please note that on your check or in the notes section of the online giving form.

We look forward to your dreaming and planning and fundraising, and eventually growing with us at the Growing Hope Center! Please, get in touch about it!