Dollars for Durham by Tyler

Dollars for Durham by Tyler - May 2019 Scholarship Essay

Giving back to my community would first and foremost be an honor. And though there are many things I would change; I wouldn’t want to take away the history of the city. There are many things I’d use a $10,000 grant for to positively impact my hometown.
One thing I have noticed about living in Durham, North Carolina is that the roads are filled with potholes large enough to damage your car. This causes car rides to feel bumpy and uncomfortable. Although the city does work to fix these enormous holes, they only do simple “quick fixes”. One positive impact I would use the money for would be stripping each road and starting with a new sheet of pavement. Making the roads downtown and throughout the city easier to ride on for bikes and cars.
Another way I would utilize the $10,000 grant is to better the projects and rough communities. I see the way that the projects look, and it is something that has always bothered me, even as a child. I would revamp these small communities to make them look better and more appealing. I also would like to add more parks around the city. Most of the parks we have are located near downtown. I want to add more parks closer to housing areas and apartment complexes. I grew up in an apartment complex in Durham and though there were a lot of kids my age who also lived there, I never got the chance to play with them. If we did play it would be in the middle of the street which was obviously too dangerous. I want to provide safe, gated places for children of all ages to meet and play. Maybe even an indoor park. This would be perfect for the extreme heat of the summer.
Finally, in Durham, I’d use the $10,000 grant to fix our Durham Bulls baseball park. The park is beautiful and there are nice places to visit around it but some of the outdoor furniture is old and rotting. I would like to make this outdoor space safe and comfortable for everyone.