Dearborn Teen Raising Funds to Improve Local Park

Dearborn teen Husain Bazzi is taking it upon himself to fix up his neighborhood park–and he needs the public's help.

Bazzi, who will start his senior year at in September, is raising $800 to pay for the resurfacing and improvement of the basketball courts at . He plans to lead a group of volunteers in doing the work, too, which would include resealing the asphalt, marking the courts, and replacing the nets.

"I used to play at Hemlock's courts, and I realized that the condition is deteriorating," he explained. "There are cracks across the playing court; there are no lines.

"It's playable, but it's something that could and should be restored."

Bazzi said he realized that continued cuts to Dearborn's city budget has meant that some improvements have been put off–among them, the restoration of local parks.

Bazzi has been working on the project for several months, and is ready to start working on fixing the courts–as soon as he has the funds.

"It took a while because it had to go through the legal department, but they approved my project," he said. "What I'm doing now is contacting construction companies and seeing if they'll give us a discount."

Home Depot has already agreed to give Bazzi a discount on tools.

Bazzi started fundraising on Friday. As of Monday night, he had raised $280. As an added bonus, one lucky donor will win tickets to a Detroit Tigers game, he said.

"Hopefully I can get enough by Wednesday or Thursday," he said, adding that he hopes to begin the actual work on the courts by the end of the week.

"This is something that will be funded through the community, for the community."

To donate, visit Bazzi's fundraising page through GoFundMe.com.