User:Happyharrr/sandbox

Article
The calm, deep blue paint that engulfs the clinic’s outside is greeted by the same warmness inside. Upon entering, one is welcomed kindly by the front desk. To the left, Dr. David Law, PhD, 66, is conversing with a patient about the activities of the upcoming days. The patient only nods his head in approval, as if to give a silent ‘thank you.’ Members of the Joy-Southfield community, an area of about 20,000 people on Detroit’s far west side, have access to this and more through the programs and services offered by the local community development corporation (CDC)—nonprofits which aim to improve and sustain local communities all over the world.

In the heart of the Joy-Southfield community is the Joy-Southfield Community Development Corporation and Law serves as its Executive Director. It brings something new to the area—social empowerment and security. Originating from a small community church called Second Grace in the early 2000s, the JSCDC was established in 2006 by Law and his colleagues. The CDC is successful because staff members cater to the needs of the people. JSCDC offers many programs to its community including healthcare, youth and family, business improvement, housing, and a free clinic.

“People are trying to put [on] Band-Aids instead of asking where the problem is coming from,” said Law, who has been fighting for social justice and health equalities in the Detroit area for almost 10 years. Where some see a dying city, Law sees one of the most resilient cities in the country. He says it’s about “community vitalization.” For this reason, he decided to stay, like the countless Detroiters who believe in saving Detroit.

Law is a patriot, Vietnam veteran, father to one son, and remarried after his first wife passed away in 2000. He received an undergrad degree at the University of Michigan and a PhD in biochemistry genetics from Wayne State University. He began his career in conducting Lynch Syndrome research, a DNA mutation giving high risk of many cancers, which took his father’s life when Law was only a child. Being a genetic disease, it was passed to Law, who said, “[he] shouldn’t be here” because of it. After a research grant provided to be insufficient, Law decided to make a drastic change.

Growing up in the suburbs of Detroit, Law knows of the disparities Detroiters face on a day-to-day basis, especially the low socio-economic population. Being instilled with values like justice and human rights by his mother growing up, Law realized he had the ability to improve the community. With it came a simple, but key realization: these locals are highly ambitious people who will not ask for help, only respect. And with that, the Joy-Southfield community began to see its renaissance.

Law has put his life into bettering JSCDC. “He’s a very knowledgeable person,” said Barbara Sledge, Operations Manager at JSCDC, “and focused on the vision of JS[CDC].” From traveling the country to give speeches and lectures to advocating his cause and writing grant proposals, he has made the JSCDC nationally known by associations such as the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association. Through his efforts, the JSCDC has been able to receive over $500,000 in grants for improving its programs, clinic, and infrastructure. One such improvement was adding a fifth and sixth treatment room to the clinic in hopes of serving 5,000 people, as opposed to 3,000 the year before. However, this development comes with great effort. “He’s always been so proactive,” said Trisha Hopkins, Director of Youth and Family Development at JSCDC. Law finds himself working 50 to 60 hours or more every week in order to ensure that the JSCDC can provide the best possible services. Being sometimes overworked and underpaid, he and his coworkers commit more than 100 percent.

Slowly, the Joy-Southfield community has been seeing an improvement in overall well-being. The participation and dedication of community members to the programs offered have been successful. These next few years bring a new and very important goal—sustainability. Now that they have a facility to work out of, Law and his coworkers have been focusing on making a lasting mark in Detroit. Every year they get larger and serve more people. Law has given the JSCDC a fighting chance to remove social and health inequalities in the Detroit community, and said, “as long as I am breathing, I will support Joy-Southfield.”

Reference
|Joy-Southfield Home Page