Hidden Gems: Meet Cindy Eggleton of Brilliant Detroit

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Cindy Eggleton.

Hi Cindy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My family had come from poverty. My mother was in a foster home until age 12. That being said, my home was always a place of love and learning. From my dedicated parents, I learned that you need grit, you need resilience. They also instilled in me that you are put on this Earth to do better. Their guidance not only motivated me to become a first-generation high school graduate but also to create Brilliant Detroit and help others achieve similar success.

Fast forward to the 2010s, I worked leading education efforts at a local foundation in Detroit. Through this role, I saw what worked and what did not work. It was clear that changing a child’s life early on could change poverty from generation to generation. I met my co-founders, Jim and Carolyn Bellinson, via my work in early childhood education. The Bellinsons were passionate about making systemic change, not just applying band-aid solutions. From the beginning, we were on the same page – we knew we needed to change the typical models. The statistics were clear: 14 percent of children in Detroit were reading at grade level, and over 30,000 kids at that time did not have any early learning options.

We saw the problem not as an absence of programs but as a lack of coordination and access in one place. The Bellinsons had the business acumen, and I had the education and impact knowledge. Brilliant Detroit was launched as a unique delivery model for early childhood development by using underutilized housing stock to create early child and family centers in neighborhoods. The approach assures that the neighborhood and families have agency.

We call that with, for, and by neighbors. In 2016, Brilliant Detroit was born to create kid-success neighborhoods. Today, in each location, neighbors come together for fellowship, activities, and learning to assure school readiness and provide needed support for families.

We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
While we have been blessed to have the support of so many – foundations, neighbors, volunteers, program partners, donors, and more – there have also been challenges along the way. The process of establishing a new site can, at times, be delayed due to a lack of suitable locations in a neighborhood.

As we have grown as an organization, we have learned what makes an ideal Brilliant Detroit site. We want space for a variety of programs as well as visibility within the community. During our 8th year, we realized that some of our current sites have outgrown their original spaces and are now looking for new locations.

Another challenge for us has been children aging out of our programming. Our mission is to support families with kids 0-8. That being said, we do not abandon our children on their 9th birthday. We have been working to partner with similar organizations whose scope complements ours.

That is to say. We are creating a network of quality partners to ensure that families are still able to access the types of programs they love and need.

We’ve been impressed with Brilliant Detroit, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart?
Brilliant Detroit exists to build kid-success families and neighborhoods where families with children 0-8 have what they need to be school-ready, healthy, and stable. We do this by providing proven programming and support year-round out of Brilliant Detroit homes in high-need neighborhoods. What sets us apart are our organizational values:

With, for, and by the community – We ask our neighbors what resources are needed most and work to provide those supports. We believe that people can best speak to their situation and what types of resources they desire rather than assuming we know best. We include the community in an ongoing way by collecting feedback after programs and via our Advisory Team, a group of neighbors that meets monthly to guide the growth of their site.

Place-based – We want all of our sites to feel like a part of the neighborhood where they are located. This means adapting to the interests of the community and meeting people where they are! Our community hubs are converted houses and are, therefore, easily accessible to neighbors. The idea is that you do not need to have a car to access our services. Another aspect of this is hiring from the neighborhoods we are in. We believe those who live there have both a leg up in terms of networking and a stronger drive and passion to serve those in that neighborhood.

Distribution System – we know that our families have many needs and that critical services can be hard to access for those with no or limited transportation options. That is why our hubs also serve as a distribution system for goods and services. In addition to services like tutoring or exercise classes, we also provide essentials like diapers, formula, and books.

Collaboration > competition – we believe in working with others who have similar missions. We work with numerous non-profit, for-profit, and community organizations for a common purpose – Kid Success. Collaboration is also the beginning of any Brilliant site.

We are always invited into a neighborhood by a group, be it a block club, church group, or just a group of community members. These community connections are our part of the community and help us connect and collaborate with those in the area.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
2024 is a landmark year for Brilliant Detroit as we begin to transition towards a national expansion and achieve our goal of committing to 24 Detroit neighborhoods.

Find us on social media or sign up for our newsletter on our website to stay current on Brilliant Detroit news.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://brilliantdetroit.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/BrilliantDetroit/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrilliantDetroit/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/83020170/admin/dashboard/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/brilliantd313
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_Tw2t0Qa1LJ3mqTAOJZAUw

Image Credits
Zak Bratto (Social Media & Brand Ambassador at Brilliant Detroit)