Healthy Town Detroit Premiere
Last Fall, Less Cancer founder Bill Couzens asked me to go to Detroit to film a movie. Detroit? I had volunteered time to Less Cancer that summer because our message is similar. Unlike other Cancer organizations interested in funding mammagram machines, Bill’s message is about prevention and eliminating or becoming more aware of environmental causes of cancer and other disease.
But Detroit? It turns out Bill grew up there and watched his family and friends contract and sometimes die from Cancer. Years later he wanted to shine the light on the social entrepreneurs of the city who are trying to bring the city back. And I was being asked to go as the non professional on camera correspondent along with a talented wedding photographer who also related to the cause. We did not have much of a plan, but we discovered that sometimes that works best.
Arriving in Detroit in November, I stared in disbelief at the miles of burned out buildings, charred and half fallen, and when arriving at the downtown area of tall pretty office buildings, city street parking was a breeze. It turns out most of the buildings were vacant, and much like a disaster film ending, the people were mysteriously absent. Visiting Rabbi G of Kids Kicking Cancer was an alien experience; his small lean staff had huge offices and miles of space. Space is not at a premium in Detroit, and buildings lie waiting for the next wave of aggressive entrepreneurs to buy it up. One hopes.
Bill’s tireless editing of our film, removing tears of emotion on my part after speaking to some of our interviewees, and creating 20 or so minutes from days of footage, has created something that we are all proud of. See Capuchin Soup Kitchen’s organic garden springing up from a food desert, and Local Motion Green’s passionate site for cleaning up your home. Rabbi G’s program is heartfelt and emotional and the Rabbi has become a freind of mine, with a new program coming to our city, Washington DC very soon. Childrens Hosptial Detroit is world class and much needed.
The movie premiered at Sheila Johnson’s Market Salamander Tuesday evening to a standing room only crowd. See the review here
As for my on camera correspondent career? We are on to Pittsburgh next for Healthy Town Pittsburgh as soon as Bill gets funding for the project.
Care to help out and donate? See the trailer of the film? Here’s the link www.HealthyTown.org
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