Downtown Auburn Hills Community Partnerships – From Crawling to Prowling

Last month the City’s Downtown Development Authority (AHDDA) hosted their annual fundraiser and tasting event, Downtown Sips & Sounds (formally SeptemBEERfest). This festival sees patrons on their own mini bar crawl as they sip small amounts of various alcoholic beverages, eating delicious dinner with dessert, and rocking out to local music groups. Proceeds of the event go to Neighborhood House, a local non-profit, that dedicates all donated funds from the event to Auburn Hills residents in need. Through a rebranding shift, the event saw its attendance significantly increase, making it our most successful event yet. Downtown Sips & Sounds raised over $12,000 for Neighborhood House to use as winter sets in and the holidays arrive.

Buzzing right along, the AHDDA recently partnered with the Avondale Adult Transition (AAT) Panthers. This program serves residents of the district with developmental or cognitive disabilities who are 18-26 by teaching various life skills. This program is housed right Downtown at the Avondale Learning Center (the former Boys & Girls Club). Each annual City event has print materials that are passed out to each of the businesses Downtown on foot. This last week, AAT students prowled the Downtown distributing posters to promote our Spooktaular event. Not only did DDA staff receive assistance with a task, but the students had the opportunity to practice their communication skills when entering each business and overall situational awareness by navigating the Downtown with its busy foot and vehicular traffic. This was just the start of a budding relationship between the AHDDA and these amazing students/staff members.

Check out Downtown Auburn Hills and all the ways we are On the Rise as a fixture in the community.

Eveonne Roberts, Downtown Engagement Specialist