Sen. Tom Carper visited Wilmington’s Riverside neighborhood to highlight the success of COVID relief funds.
The REACH Riverside project began early this year, with the start of a new, revitalized community spearheaded by founder Logan Herring.
Herring’s goal is to create a community his grandfather dreamed of and helped build during the Civil Rights era.
He says sometimes he disagrees when people tell him his grandfather would be proud of him.
“I say because I have to do this work now and I think he was doing this work in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s so I wouldn’t have to — and it’s a shame we’re back to where he was doing the childcare and the senior housing, all the things that he was doing I’m now doing,” Herring said. “So my goal in life is I have a four year old son, that he doesn’t have to grow up to try to do the same work I’m doing, I wanna make a better world for him.”
Herring’s REACH Riverside project was one of many small businesses across the country that received relief funds through the Paycheck Protection Program back in April.
He says without that support, he doesn’t know what state the program would be in now.
Herring says a community healthcare initiative at Kingswood is also up and running - with permanent space for that project on the way.
“We started primary care out of Kingswood last week. So we’ll be doing primary care for all ages including pediatrics in partnership with ChristinaCare,” he said. “Part of the work that we’ve been doing is COVID screening and testing for our community out of this space we’re standing in now twice a week which has really allowed us to bring the needs and the services, or meet the needs and bring the services into the community.”
Dedicated exam and waiting rooms are under construction in part of the community center, and will hopefully be ready by the beginning of summer.
Herring says the space will be able to support people of all ages by not only providing checkups and basic healthcare, but also create a place for outreach workers to help people sign up for healthcare.
Roman Battaglia a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.
