Children thrive when they have healthy, active and fun lifestyles. We spoke to Jordan Yagiela, Director of Programming with Project Play Partner NW Goldberg Cares, about how youth sports change lives, the power of community ownership and their vision for the future of the neighborhood they serve.
What is NW Goldberg Cares, and what kind of work does it do?
JY: We’re a community development organization – basically a fancy term for a nonprofit that really cares about a particular place. For us, that place is NW Goldberg, a historic, majority-Black neighborhood in southeast Detroit. Our founder and executive director, Daniel Washington, and our programming coordinator, Victoria Washington, were both born and raised here. And I’ve lived here since 2018.
Our organization builds public spaces and designs programs to fill gaps here in our community. We operate youth and family programs – including sports programs. We also build parks, renovate homes, and do a variety of work to sustain, revitalize, and increase the economic vitality of our community.
How do your youth sports programs benefit local children and families?
JY: There aren’t enough opportunities for kids to just exist and be kids, especially in lower-income communities. We launched our PLAY NW GOLDBERG program to support youth development through active, healthy lifestyles, sports, and play in general. Our kids get to enjoy lots of different sports, and they go on all kinds of field trips, from fishing at Belle Isle to a Tigers game and even the Detroit Lions training camp. Best of all, it’s 100% free for their families.
I’ve seen firsthand the difference this program makes. When we first started, many of the girls weren’t particularly into sports. They would say things like, “I’m not getting on the basketball court or playing football. I just want to dance and make TikTok videos.” But by the time it was over, those same girls were playing flag football and charging onto the basketball court. It was incredible to watch them change their mindsets and think of themselves as athletes. And the boys went from saying, “Those girls are just over there dancing,” to encouraging them and treating them as equals. That really stuck with me.
In June, we’re holding an event called SHE GOT GAME, which focuses on uplifting women in sports. It will include a basketball clinic for 50-75 girls, and we’re reaching out to some noteworthy sports figures to come in and talk to the girls.
What impact has your organization had on the NW Goldberg community?
JY: We built Curtis Jones Park and opened it in 2023. Before then, our neighborhood hadn’t had its own basketball court in more than 15 years. Once it opened, the kids from the apartment building across the street were all out there playing. Now, some of them are leaders in our programs and at our events.
We may have built the park, but it belongs to the community. Once, our executive director was driving by and saw there was trash all over the park. When he came back to clean it up, the kids and families there asked, “Hey, Mr. Washington, can we help?” Together, they picked up all that trash in 25 minutes.
This work isn’t just about changing the built environment. It’s really about building collectively, about changing hearts and minds so the people who live in the neighborhood know this space belongs to them.
What are your plans for the future?
JY: In the short term, we want to keep our programs going. We’ve been lucky to have multiyear investments from partners like the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Fund, which makes planning a lot easier.
Looking ahead, we’re getting ready to do some unique commercial real estate projects to expand what’s available in our community. Right now, we only have two restaurants – a KFC and Michigan and Trumbull Pizza, which makes the best pizza around. We’ve got a funeral home and a flower shop, and that’s about it in terms of retail. There’s not even a grocery store. NW Goldberg Cares is working to bring more businesses and resources to the community, so local folks can have a place to go grab a cup of soup or a coffee or an ice cream cone. We also want to continue to do residential housing, helping more people and families that live in the neighborhood.
Finally, we want to keep offering robust programming and events like SHE GOT GAME or HOOPFEST, a huge, three-day event we do in July. Last year, we had Chris Webber and Jalen Rose as celebrity coaches, and we’re going to try to top that this year. We’ve got plans and a couple of tricks up our sleeve.
How can people support your work?
JY: NW Goldberg Cares has different events that people can come out and volunteer at throughout the year. We even coordinate corporate volunteer days. People can play with kids, work in parks, or live out their HGTV dreams and demo houses. And donations are always, always appreciated. It takes money to do the things that we do, to offer all these great programs and ensure that families don’t have to pay a dime.