FLINT, Michigan -- The third installment of Flintside’s neighborhood-based embedded reporting series called “On the Ground” is coming to Eastside Franklin Park.

Coverage of the neighborhood, the issues residents care about, and the people who make Eastside Franklin Park unique, will be a cornerstone of each issue of our weekly newsletter beginning May 5 and running through the end of summer. 

Jenifer Veloso, a local photojournalist and reporter, will lead our Eastside Franklin Park coverage as project editor. Veloso is the daughter of Brasilian immigrants who moved to Flint when she was young. She grew up near Chevrolet Avenue and Flushing Road and graduated from the University of Michigan-Flint. Veloso also has significant experience working in healthcare as a nurse.

Residents interested in sharing story ideas can contact Veloso directly at [email protected]. 

Eastside Franklin Park’s neighborhood boundaries are defined by Dort Highway to the east, Robert T. Longway Boulevard to the south, Franklin Avenue to the west, and Davison Road to the north. In addition to passionate longtime residents who shape Eastside Franklin Park’s character, several institutions within or just outside the neighborhood borders support residents there, including the Latinx Technology Center, Asbury Church, Franklin Avenue Mission, the Porch Project, the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, the Crim Fitness Foundation, and many more. In addition, the neighborhood has an active business corridor on Dort Highway and Davison Road. 

Flintside’s editorial team held a virtual advisory meeting with neighborhood stakeholders on April 27. Another advisory meeting will be held in early summer. Planning for that event is underway and will be announced in the next few weeks.

Flintside’s parent company, Issue Media Group, brings with it nine years of experience with similar On the Ground projects in other communities around the country. On the Ground first launched in May 2012 as a pilot program in four neighborhoods in Philadelphia and New Jersey. Since then, it has expanded into other markets such as Memphis, Detroit, Kalamazoo, and Grand Rapids. It also operates in Ypsilanti and multiple other Michigan communities. 

Flintside’s Eastside Franklin Park On the Ground is supported by the Ruth Mott Foundation and the Community Foundation of Greater Flint. The Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce serves as the project’s fiscal sponsor.