On September 27, Working In Neighborhoods (WIN), Beekman Corridor Coalition leaders, and Mill Creek Alliance guided 42 visitors from Bellarmine Chapel on a Pilgrimage of Hope for Creation, commemorating the 10-year anniversary of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home. The tour highlighted environmental justice and community resilience in the Beekman Corridor.
Participants explored the Mill Creek’s natural environment, took a bus tour of the built environment, and visited the Lick Run Greenway, where natural and urban landscapes converge. North Fairmount resident and Mill Creek Alliance board member Darryl Franklin shared his vision for a pocket park at the Yellow Bridge, while South Cumminsville Community Council president Derrick Feagin reflected on the neighborhood disruptions caused by I-74, pollution, and disinvestment. Tour stops highlighted community achievements, including a new pocket park, WIN-built and renovated homes, restored gardens, reclaimed industrial sites, and traffic improvements—all products of resident-led advocacy.
The tour also acknowledged ongoing challenges: protecting homes from landslides, funding further traffic improvements, and expanding local food production. South Fairmount Community Council Jim Casey discussed the Lick Run Greenway’s role in preventing sewer overflows. Local chef Theresa Thomas, owner of Theresa Pantry Finds, a part of the Beekman Community Market, provided a plant-based luncheon.
Jim Brown, Chair of the Jesuit Parish’s Healthy Earth Team, described the tour as transformative, emphasizing the combination of acknowledging past injustices while celebrating community-driven hope. Attendees, including Bellarmine parishioners Kathy Riga and her granddaughter Abby, were struck by new perspectives on the neighborhood’s natural and built environment.
The pilgrimage showcased how community advocacy, supported by organizations like WIN and Mill Creek Alliance, can inspire hope and positive change in urban environments.