Press Release | Office of the Mayor | Westland's Blues, Brews and BBQ Gives Back to Local Community Organizations

For Immediate Release | Official Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

36300 Warren Road | Westland, Michigan | 48185

Office 734.467.3200 | Fax 734.422.1230

WWW.CITYOFWESTLAND.COM

Westland's Blues, Brews and BBQ Gives Back to Local Community Organizations

Westland, MI (November 19, 2019) - This year, Mayor William R. Wild is pleased to announce that the 2019 Blues, Brews and BBQ will be awarding over $20,000 to 16 local community organizations. This puts the total funds raised for community organizations at nearly $250,000 to date in the nine years of the event.

The checks were presented to the volunteer organizations at Monday night's City Council meeting.

"I want to thank all of our volunteers, the participating restaurants, our sponsors and, the performers and of course, the Westland Chamber of Commerce for another remarkable event," said Mayor Wild. "This signature event attracts thousands of people from Westland and surrounding communities, but its only possible because of the help of our amazing civic group volunteers."

The 16 community organizations who will receive donations from the event include: Friends of the Library, Gateway Family Worship Center, Inspire Theater, Norwayne Community Citizens Council, Norwayne Boxing Club, St. John's Episcopal Church, Westland Civitans, Westland Democratic Club, Westland Fire Fighters Public Awareness Committee, Westland Grange, Westland Area Jaycees, Westland Lions Club, Westland Rotary, Westland Youth Assistance and the Westland Youth Athletic Association.

To receive the funds, these local organizations provided the volunteer manpower to make this year's event a great success. The volunteers these groups provided served as greeters, grounds crew, and ID checkers, among a variety of other roles in an effort to cost effectively operate the annual event.

"Being able to give back to the organizations and volunteers in the form of a check, is a wonderful feeling because we know that these funds will help the Westland civic groups do great things within the community," commented Chamber CEO, Gretchen Heinicke. "It is my pleasure to work with the volunteers and I appreciate all that they do during the event and within the Westland community."

Next year's Blues, Brews and BBQ will take place on August 7 and 8, 2020.

For more information, please contact the Mayor's Office at (734)467-3200

Westland, Michigan is the state's 10th largest municipality, with a population of over 84,000 people who exhibit a great deal of pride in their All-American City. Westland has a thriving business community along with beautiful residential areas. The citizens enjoy a wide array of amenities and a quality of life that is second to none.

In 2014, Westland was rated as one of 24/7 Wall Street's America's Best 50 Cities to Live, offering residents and visitors an ideal blend of single-family affordable homes, apartments and condominiums, great schools, and access to numerous outdoor activities. Public safety is delivered by full-service, professional law enforcement and firefighting personnel. Westland Police Department, whose motto is protect and serve, provides emergency dispatch services to four cities and over 100,000 residents; the Westland Fire Department are licensed paramedics who responded to over 9,000 calls for service last year, about 85% being medical based. They never forget their mission of preserving life and property.

Westland is well-known as the premier destination for shopping and dining in Wayne County with hundreds of shops and restaurants anchored by the Westland Shopping Center, one of the country's original four regional malls.

Infinite opportunities are available in Westland for the recreation aficionado including, more than 40 parks and 1,500 acres of trails, a 9-hole golf course, hockey arena, athletic fields, playscapes, a Farmers and Artisans Market and more. One of Michigan's most environmentally friendly cities, Westland has a progressive curbside recycling program with one of the highest participation rates in the nation and the City is raising the bar for cultural experiences with the placement of public art throughout the City.

The City is served by two public school districts; Wayne-Westland Community Schools serving 12,000 youth was recently named one of the Best School in Michigan by WXYZ-TV and is the proud recipient of 14 Golden Apple and two Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards. Livonia Public Schools, educating nearly 15,000 students, is proud of their MEAP/MME scores that exceed state averages and the District has also earned Golden Apple and Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards.

The City provides competitive incentives for those who are interested in investing in Westland, making it one of the hottest investment markets in the region. Our Fast-Track to Business Team, which consists of key decision makers who work diligently on a development plan will "cut the red tape" and expedite the approval process for new business development.