Woman Transforms a Neglected Street into a Thriving Community Hub.

Shamayim began the community-building project after the tragic loss of her 2-year-old son following a hit-and-run accident in 2007.

“I needed to … change grief into glory, pain into power,” she said.

As a minister with a background in education administration, she had valuable contacts who could help bring her vision to life. The Highland Park suburb of Detroit held deep meaning for her as the place where she was born and raised.

As an adult, she lived on a street in the suburb that had suffered neglect for years. Shamayim not only wanted to beautify the street, but make it more functional, healthy and secure for residents.

“The block looked really unloved,” she said.

The city's school district struggled with financial issues, enrollment decline and the closure of its high school. Shamayim saw a great need for change, and she wanted to boost morale – especially among the student-age population.

“I wanted to do something productive in the city, being a citizen, just wanted to make things better in my neighborhood.”

Shamayim routinely walked past an abandoned, dilapidated house in her neighborhood and dreamed of transforming it into a community center. A place where youth and adults could congregate, connect and find needed resources.

In 2016, she created the Avalon Village, a non-profit organization with the mission of creating a safe and nurturing space for the entire Highland Park community. She purchased the abandoned house she had dreamed about and transformed it into an after-school hub for children. The Homework House now serves as a secure place where children and their parents go after school for free tutoring, meals, life skills coaching and community resources.

In addition, she worked to launch a marketplace where local women entrepreneurs could sell their products. Nearby, a community garden produces fresh vegetables and herbs during summer months, and it serves as an outdoor classroom in warmer months.

Shamayim holds meetings with community leaders on her porch, which overlooks Avalon Village. From that vantage point, she can also see the park that bears the name of her late son.

“My overall vision for Avalon Village is to have all four blocks of Avalon Street here in Highland Park totally transformed from blight to beauty,” she said. “For it to be an example of a neighborhood that was once beautiful and that fell; that can also be beautiful again; that it can rise like a phoenix.”

Shamayim hopes that Avalon Village will inspire residents in other neglected neighborhoods to make a difference in their own.

“You can transform your own space, where you are, where you live,” she said.

Today, Avalon Village encompasses 45 lots of land that span three blocks. This year, the organization plans to add stadium bleachers and fencing for the basketball court. Over the next decade, Shamayim and Avalon Village leaders envision blocks filled with homes, playgrounds and urban gardens surrounding a downtown Avalon Village.

The Foundation for a Better Life and PassItOn believe that Shamayim Harris is a hero. She has turned tragedy into a mission to transform her neighborhood into a vibrant, community hub. Her action is a great example of making a difference. Please help us honor her by sharing her inspiring story.

Uplift family and friends by sharing Shamayim's inspiring story.