Getting active

 

Hazel Park group aims to motivate, activate community

 

By Audra Quinn

C & G Staff Writer

     When Hazel Park resident Roger Templeman was growing up, he says he was “a very bad child,” a product of parents that had little involvement in his life. “Most neighbors did not like me because I did bad things,” he said.

     Years later, one kind act by a neighbor turned his life around. “One day when I was about 16 years old, I was volunteering in the Hope Park Association in Brightmoor [in Detroit] and an elderly lady came up to me and said, ‘Roger!? Roger Templeman? I can’t believe that’s you. You used to be such a bad kid. It’s good to see you involved in the community,’ and she gave me a big hug,” Templeman said.

     The woman’s words touched Templeman very deeply and made him feel like he was a part of his community. “After all the bad I had done, my community had forgiveness in its heart, allowing me to feel good about myself,” he said. Today, as an adult, Templeman has started his own outreach program in Hazel Park, in an effort to help troubled teens and promote physical and mental health. The group is called Active Motivation, and has already gained strength with support from residents and city officials.

     The mission statement of Active Motivation is “Kids, teenagers and parents working together for the future of our community,” and outlines four main goals: stabilizing and revitalizing the community, providing community service, education for parents, and mentors for young people.

     On June 4, Active Motivation had its first big community event, which served as not only an awareness raiser, but also a fund-raiser for the group’s biggest project, building a skate park for kids and eventually, an active sports center for all residents to utilize.

     The event included a plant sale, face painting, clown show, barbeque, a showcase of local artwork, and a BMX bike and skateboard trick show and contest. Hazel Park resident Dane Wild won $100 in the freestyle competition. Another lucky teen received a brand new Redline BMX bike, donated and raffled off thanks to John Hall, owner of Continental Bike Shop in Hazel Park.

     Hall said he was happy to help and hopes that the bike will motivate the winner to get active. “The fitness level in this country is pretty disgusting. Bicycling is a lifelong sport for most folks,” he said noting that BMX bikes might be used predominately by young people, but riders often evolve into mountain bikers, and even use biking as a fitness and environmentally-conscience mode of transportation. “Everyone wins,” he said.

     The event raised over $1,000 for the group, and many new volunteers signed up to get involved and get active with the several other projects planned for the group’s first year. Members will do yard cleanups for seniors and handicapped people, clean up local park graffiti, start a neighborhood cleanup initiative and recycling awareness campaign, as well as launch a “senior snow blitz” in the winter months.

     Fifteen-year-old Adam Sailler was one of the founding teen members of Active Motivation. His main goal is to get a skate park in his city. “Me and a bunch of my friends wanted to get a skate park, so we talked to the mayor and we talked to the City Council, and they told us we’d have to get a committee, a non-profit group together,” he said.

     Sailler, who has been an active BMX biker for about two years, says that he thinks a skate park would greatly benefit the young people of Hazel Park. “People will stay out of trouble. I won’t get caught by the cops for riding my bike, and the kids will have somewhere to go in the summer time,” he said.

     City Manager Ed Klobucher is another supporter of the cause. “I think it’s a great organization. I’ve talked with Roger Templeman, and he has some great ideas for those kids to get involved and be a positive force in the community and I look forward to working with them to build a better Hazel Park,” he said.

     For more information about future projects, or to sign up as a volunteer, visit www.activemotivation.org or call (248) 640-9711.

     You can reach Audra Quinn at aquinn@candgnews.com