To the Journal Editor:

It is always a joy to return home for the Fourth of July. I had lived in Ishpeming for all of my childhood and a portion of my young adulthood. Living down in Mount Pleasant these last three years where I have served as a liturgist, musician, historian and now pulpit supply I have learned of an avenue that could assist Ishpeming to be something more than it is. I am not suggesting a way to gain more business for jobs. I am not coming in with the ultimate answer to the underlying question of what will happen? What I am proposing is that the neighborhoods set aside their differences and help one another. Way back in the William Mather days, Mather had put out a significant push for the city to clean up their homes, yards, public areas and so on so that the town could be named the cleanest city in the U.S. Ishpeming won that award. The trophy is at the Ishpeming Area Historical Society Museum.

What Mr. Mather had done was gathered, the community pushed those who could give more to help the person that could not afford it. That goes along with the foremost commandment that Jesus had given in his ministry. Love thy neighbor. I am proposing that we enter the period of helping our neighbors. “One street, One Week” in Saginaw is a good example. It is a mission project that has both the community and 40 churches go to a different street a week to help improve the lives of those who live on that given street — painting their home, trimming the hedges, mowing the lawn, fixing sidewalks, all of those things. That is loving and helping your neighbor. I challenge Ishpeming to take its Inspirational Zones further into delving more deeply into this idea of taking a different street or neighborhood a year and help those who need it. God Bless and remember God Loves you, and so do I.

JONATHAN KORPI

Ishpeming