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Clark Park stands as a testament to the community’s effort to preserve a local treasure that continues to provide a refuge for the youth of Southwest Detroit
Lake effect snow creates icy conditions on Lake Michigan
Meteorological authorities cautioned drivers regarding low visibility and treacherous roads resulting from a cold front and lake-effect snow affecting regions of Michigan.
It’s a common error, I often remind individuals, to seek solutions from city hall for our issues, since we possess a deeper understanding of our needs than those in political offices.
Clark Park exemplifies this principle.
In 1991, during a financial shortfall, Detroit officials proposed the closure of the extensive park in the city’s southwest. Residents and locals took swift action, remarkably seizing control of the recreation center, sports fields, and outdoor ice rink. The nonprofit Clark Park Coalition has been managing it since, with occasional support from municipal authorities.
My focus on the community over public officials is not intended to excuse government from its responsibility to enhance our lives. We require bureaucrats to collect our tax revenue and elected representatives to allocate it wisely to address the concerns we’ve highlighted. We depend on them for securing and utilizing resources. Additionally, we expect them to fulfill the commitments they made when we voted them into office.
However, those who genuinely transform lives — Ziggy Gonzales, Deb Sumner, Anthony Benavides, and Kate Brennan — are not employed in city hall. They are our comrades and neighbors. This week, for the 13th consecutive year, the people sustaining Clark Park are organizing a free celebration for us all next Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. In the evening, for the 10th consecutive year, I will actively participate by hosting and playing in outdoor charity hockey matches from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Before I explain how you can contribute to the continuation of this joyful atmosphere, I want to introduce Dionna Garcia-Martin.
Dionna’s journey is a prime example in my argument that neighbors looking out for one another is the most effective means of fostering positive change. I employ legal terminology here because Dionna, who once doubted her ability to finish high school, is now pursuing a pre-law degree at Wayne State University. I aspire for her narrative to motivate you to support Clark Park’s vibrant future.
A venue for children to enjoy childhood
Dionna and her elder sister Dilysia began their activities at Clark Park when she was around 6.
They participated in softball, at times teaming up, and other times competing against each other.
While Clark Park is well-known for its outdoor hockey rink, it also offers baseball and softball diamonds, soccer fields, and tennis courts. Throughout the years, it has provided photography courses, arts and crafts, as well as computer and nutrition initiatives. It also serves lunches to youngsters during the summer break when school is not in session.
“For many, Clark Park is a safe refuge,” Dionna explained. “Individuals can get outdoors, interact, and also partake in educational pursuits indoors.”
As time has passed, children have discovered positive adult mentors at Clark Park. Youth who have matured in the park have taken on roles as peer mentors and volunteers. Some, such as Beto Gallegos, have progressed to roles operating the Zamboni, advanced to well-compensated positions, and returned to the park. Last
On Wednesday, Beto was fastening skates for a child who arrived with friends to have fun during the complimentary afternoon open skate that occurs every school day.
“Some homes are not secure environments,” Dionna expressed. “So we offer that to them.”
While Dionna was enrolled at Western International High School situated across from Clark Park, Coach Rita informed Dilysia about a part-time position at the recreation center. Dionna and Dilysia had played softball for Rita at the park. When Dilysia became too occupied, Dionna stepped in. She was 16 and employed as a hostess at Bobcat Bonnie’s in the nearby Corktown area.
“I aimed to develop skills,” Dionna shared with me. “Being a hostess wasn’t going to provide me with abilities that I could enhance for college.”
Upon meeting Kate, the business manager of Clark Park, Dionna remarked: “I truly didn’t know anything.”
“Literally” is among the most frequently overused terms in the American vocabulary, yet Dionna — who did not even know how to address an envelope — may not be overstating the fact.
Dionna faced an even larger challenge: A deficiency in what she referred to as “academic confidence.”
As Kate began collaborating with her, Dionna’s tasks expanded. She cultivated problem-solving abilities. She gained assurance.
Kate, as Dionna informed me, “permitted me to make mistakes.”
Both Dionna and Dilysia are the first in their family to attend college. Dionna mentioned that her initial years at Wayne State University were challenging.
“Being a girl from Detroit, I viewed myself as just a girl from Detroit,” she reflected, noting that her classmates appeared to be more prepared for academia. Although she aspired to become a lawyer, some of her peers were the children of attorneys.
As Dionna implemented the skills she acquired at Clark Park, she began to perceive her assumed weaknesses as strengths.
“I gain a different outlook on life. I witness the struggles. I observe the injustices.”
Dionna is pursuing a double major in criminal justice and pre-law, with a minor in sociology.
“I genuinely wish to be a legal advocate for the community; to be someone who can support individuals within the legal system; to be a figure for justice,” she confided in me.
As Dionna anticipates her future, she also contemplates the foundation upon which her aspirations are built.
“Without Clark Park, our community would lack a vital resource: for skill development, forming connections, and creating memories,” she expressed. “Clark Park allows you to experience childhood, to discover your identity.”
Ice, Ice, Baby
I encountered Anthony Benavides around two decades ago at a coaching seminar at the Renaissance Center, but I will always remember how he acquainted us with Clark Park.
“Only in Detroit can a Mexican individual teach Black children to play hockey,” he stated, succinctly capturing how Clark Park unites diverse communities.
This phenomenon has persisted for generations. Anthony’s mentor was nicknamed “Ziggy,” due to the significant Eastern European population in southwest Detroit during his upbringing in the early- to mid-1900s, making it difficult for his peers to pronounce his original name.
From the very first moment I met Anthony, I was eager to get involved, but distractions such as coaching my daughters while reporting on the criminal activities connected to the Kwame Kilpatrick administration kept me away until 2013.
After I participated in a chili cookoff that my then-colleague Charlie LeDuff organized as a fundraiser for Detroit firefighters, I felt inspired to approach my then-supervisors at Fox 2 to see if we could aid Clark Park. They informed me that the station doesn’t orchestrate events, but could lend support instead.
Consequently, I contacted Anthony with a simple proposition: If he could provide some ice, I would organize a hockey match, charge the players, and raise some funds for the park. Anthony linked me with Kate, and we agreed to connect the charitable hockey matches to the winter carnival she had initiated a few years prior.
However, I believed we needed a strong angle.
People were still discussing what I would term a “spirited exchange” between myself and Mike Rataj in front of the federal courthouse during the latter stages of the Kilpatrick public corruption trial. Those familiar with Mike as a tough lawyer had never witnessed him play hockey. The rink might be the only environment where he demonstrates what
I’ll refer to a greater “zeal” than the fervor he exhibits in the courtroom. Mike is also a past youth hockey mentor who dedicated numerous hours assisting children in attaining their utmost capabilities.
With the rivalry theme established, Fox 2 vigorously advertised the carnival and hockey events. Throughout the last ten years, with support from kind-hearted hockey athletes such as Kurt Strehlke, Jerry Bourke, and Costa Papista, along with generous sponsors and diligent fundraisers like Jim Cassidy, we have amassed over $300,000 for the youth of southwest Detroit. Presently, there is both a women’s match and a men’s match.
If you haven’t visited Clark Park, I encourage you to come by next Saturday. From noon until 4 p.m., there will be plenty of complimentary entertainment for the entire family, featuring a petting zoo and llamas. Between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., you’ll witness some outstanding hockey players who have opened their hearts (as well as their wallets) to support the park.
If my reporting and writing doesn’t appeal to you, feel free to speak to me directly. After witnessing my skating, you’ll realize journalism isn’t my biggest shortcoming.
Even if you’re unable to attend, you’re always welcome at Clark Park. Additionally, you can support us by contributing through Patronicity.
I generally prefer to have the final word here, but I will yield to Dionna, whose few remarks convey a lot.
“I adore what I do,” she shared with me. “Kate and I often say: We do it for the kids.”
M.L. Elrick is a Pulitzer Prize- and Emmy Award-winning investigative journalist and the host of the ML’s Soul of Detroit podcast. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him on X at @elrick, Facebook at ML Elrick, and Instagram at ml_elrick.
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