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Opposite page: A sign welcomes native Detroiters to the 635 Mile event in New York City. Attendees included (above left) Mara Reinstein, Shari Katz Graham,

Dana Serling, Sarah Grossbart; (middle) Rachel Jacobs and Jennifer Schanes; (right) Jeremy Litt and Howard Handler.

go back, but it's still home and we still care
about it:' he said.
With a largely Jewish membership, the
goal is to create a bridge with Detroit
organizations and help channel resources
to the community to help it rebuild, Jacobs
said. And unlike other are initiatives, the
main thrust isn't to bring people back, but
to have them contribute and be involved
from wherever Detroiters are now, she
said.
"The critical thing that we're trying to
do is look at ways that the diaspora can
give back in a way that is constructive
for Michigan, that is engaging for our
members and that makes Detroit a better
place to live for the people still there and
the people who will come there in years to
come she said.
Thus far, people have been receptive to
635 Mile, which she sees as just the start
of a network of "mile clubs" that could
exist in a far-reaching network of loca-
tions."People in Chicago want to host
parties, and I was contacted by a guy who
lives out in Berkeley [Calif.], who went to
[Bloomfield Hills] Cranbrook," she said.
The group's first major event took place

May 17 in Jeremy Litt's apartment, where
former Detroiter Dan Doctoroff, presi-
dent of Bloomberg LP and former NYC
deputy mayor for economic development,
spoke to a group of nearly 100. He spoke
about the role public transportation and
immigrants could play in upping Detroit's
population and fueling growth.
Litt, 40, met Rachel through another
of the group's now-organizers, someone
he had known in high school and recon-
nected with on Facebook.
"Next thing you know, we're all talking
about how we really should do something
for Detroit. You get the sense that all of
us had always wanted to do something
but had no idea what, with the excep-
tion of Rachel, who always has an idea.
So we decided to try and put something
together:"
Even if they're not going to pack up and
head back, there are ways to get involved,
said Litt, an attorney in New York. He said
he was glad to see so many people come
out to Brick Yard for the October event to
show they were interested in helping one
way or another.
He added that he's excited about the

potential to build a relationship with
Detroit as a way to bring talent, money
and energy into the city. A big part of
working with the community will be lis-
tening to people who live there now — it's
certainly not the same Detroit he left in
1992, he says, though he still thinks of it
as home.
"In my head and my heart, I'm a
Detroiter living in New York; but in reality,
I've been living in New York a very long
time he says. "That's why I think it's so
great that we're putting together a way to
be both:'
Farmington Hills native Jared Elias,
27, signed on to 635 Mile's steering com-
mittee because he was excited about the
possibilities for the group, he said over the
din at Brick Yard, where 635 Mile held its
kickoff event mid-October.
"It provides an opportunity for that
sense of familiarity even though we're 635
miles away:' he said. "I hope we're success-
ful in making a difference'

Seeking Detroit Partners
As for future action, Jacobs said several
members of 635 Mile will be in Detroit

next week to talk to community and busi-
ness leaders about their ideas to see what
makes sense. "We don't want to come in as
a group of people that are outsiders look-
ing in," she said.
Fourteen meetings are set up over the
course of two days with business leaders,
venture capitalists, community and foun-
dation leaders, and people involved in film
and the arts. "We're still in the process of
sorting out who to partner with and how:'
she said.
By the time they leave Detroit, she said
the group hopes to have a clear under-
standing of the community's needs so it
can build services and offerings around
them. They also hope to come away with
at least two partner organizations and
wouldn't mind finding some funding, too.
Beyond exploring development mod-
els, avenues for growth and fundraising
opportunities for Detroit, 635 Mile also
looks forward to having a strong social
component that offers Detroiters a way to
connect with each other, Jacobs said.
"People from Detroit have this almost
strange, unnatural love of their home-
town:' she said.

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November 4 • 2010

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