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HONORING THE PAST
At Avalon Village, we honor those who have come before us by instilling community-based values in our programs, efforts, and events.
SHINING IN THE PRESENT
Avalon Village strives to be THE example of sustainable living in urban neighborhoods. We want to be infectious, inspiring others to build their neighborhoods from "Blight to Beauty"™.
BUILDING THE FUTURE
We want to create community spaces and initiatives that continue to grow and live on for years to come. We want to teach and inspire the children of the community to lead by example and continue to build up their neighborhoods, one block at a time.
Turning Pain into Power!
"You can live with a broken heart,
but it doesn't have to break your spirit."
-Mama Shu
The motivation and inspiration to build Avalon Village came from more than just wanting better for our community, it came from a place of pain turned into power.
In 2007, Jakobi RA, Mama Shu's youngest son was killed in a hit-and-run accident. This tragedy hit hard, but Mama Shu was determined not to let grief alter the course of her life. "I thought losing Jakobi RA was something I couldn't survive. My friends and I would have conversations about how losing a child was the worst thing- it was something I feared. When I woke up the next morning [after the accident], I knew that I was invincible because my worst fear had been realized and I was still here."
Mama Shu channeled her pain into power, grief into glory, and her loss into love. The memory of Jakobi RA lives on in Jakobi RA Park and in our Reggae in the Hood Birthday Celebration event hosted annually on Jakobi's Birthday, August 17th.
While Mama Shu and her team continued to build Avalon Village, tragedy struck again with the murder of her son Chinyelu- he was 23. Chinyelu was Mama Shu's right hand and worked alongside her to help grow the Avalon Village vision. Chinyelu was the protector of the Village. He enjoyed volunteering for programs like Hood Camp and helped with the construction of many of the Village spaces.
Chinyelu's memory is honored with a Garden Shrine named Invincible Gardens and the annual "NO FAKIN" fundraiser.
