CINCINNATI — Some view vacant lots as an overgrown, unused eyesore.
But it could also be seen for what it could be. That’s what Cincinnati Urban Promise is working to accomplish.
“I’m passionate about it because I know our families,” Abe said. “I want what’s best for them. I want them to thrive.”
Abe and his group of volunteers are working on turning vacant lots into playgrounds, gardens and meeting spaces—all to make things better for kids growing up here.
“That they would be able to see beyond the streets that they’re growing up on,” Abe said. “For so many of them, that’s all that they know.”
Abe Brandyberry points to the area where a playground will be built (Tino Bovenzi/Spectrum News 1)
Abe looks at the empty spaces for what they could be, not for what they currently look like.
“I kind of look at these lots almost the same way I look at people,” Abe said. “We all have potential. We all have God-given talents and things that we can do with our life. I look at lots like this and some of the others that we have. I can see all the potential things that can be done that would improve our community.”
Back at their Harrison Avenue campus, Joni is helping pass out lunches for the kids in their summer enrichment program. They have about 70 kids under their care on a given day.
“Our main goal is to take a community that has been historically neglected and disinvested and reinvest by, first of all, investing in people so that kids grow up to be the leaders in their community,” Joni said. “And that by that, they’re not just transformed as individuals, but they’re transformed in their entire community. Where they live, where they work, where they sleep.”
Joni Brandyberry serves as the Director of Programming at Cincinnati Urban Promise. (Tino Bovenzi/Spectrum News 1)
To help them reach that goal, Cincinnati Urban Promise is one of seven finalists for the Impact 100 Cincinnati grant. Four winners will be selected to receive $101,000 on Sept. 20.
Since that’s not a certainty, the Brandyberrys plan to focus on their mission with help from their staff and volunteers.
“If it wasn’t more than me and my husband it wouldn’t have happened,” Joni said. “So we’re really thankful for the people who come alongside of us and work with us and especially for the support from the community because otherwise, it wouldn’t have happened.”
For more information on Cincinnati Urban Promise, visit their website.
