By Alexandria Leatherberry
The Truth Reporter
On Saturday, May 16, a coffee conversation was held at 2140 N. Summit with the North Toledo Coalition and community members. The purpose of the meeting was to inform and educate the broader Toledo community about some challenges as well as the successes the group of volunteers have been able to make.
The focus of the Coalition has been the empowerment of the neighborhood residents for street clean ups and active resource building. The Coalition volunteers shared in a roundtable discussion the triumphs that the neighborhood has made as one of the oldest neighborhoods in Toledo. They have persevered while taking pride in an understanding of responsibility in self-reliance that has been set by the organizer and advocate, Alfonso Narvaez.
A Toledo native and resident of the north side of Toledo for over 30 years, Narvaez took the reins in championing his community from an early age, “I knew we deserved better” stated Narvaez. Steering what once was a block watch initiative to what now is the North Toledo Coalition, was Narvaez’s direct response to hearing what his community needed.
The stigma of block watch groups limited engagement amongst the neighborhoods and led them to feel that they were under surveillance rather than being listened to. Narvaez turned that feedback into a resource initiative that better reflected the needs and culture of the community. His initiative led him to increase his representation for north Toledo by becoming a candidate for City Council to bring a voice to his community.
Despite not serving on City Council he carries the torch to ignite his neighbors to stay engaged with their local political environment by hosting guests such as City Council President Vanice Williams for conversations with the Toledo North Coalition. Narvaez reaching out to elected officials is the fruit of support that has grown from family and friends.
Narvaez’s uncle, Adam, recalled initiating the campaign for City Council and bringing together the community to ensure their safety after a city order to remove a fire station from the area prior to 2018. “That fire station is a staple so we had to fight for it.” Adam Narvaez held up that moment of solidarity as an example of the necessity to keep his community together. Therefore he did not hesitate to support his nephew in continuing to be a beacon of unity and representation for north Toledo.
Narvaez has partnered with the NORF-END Neighbors to expand the initiatives of the coalition beyond cleanups to reinvestment. The groups will be coming together to develop pocket parks, small park subdivisions for local neighbor use. The group will be hosting a day of service at the Salem church on August 22 to continue their cleanup work and raise awareness for the spot they have adopted on Lagrange and New York Avenue to be the first pocket park development.
The North Toledo Coalition plans to continue to meet weekly for smaller cleanup tasks that are open to all neighbors that can be found on their social media page.
