Hidden Gems: Meet Kenyetta CAMPBELL of Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenyetta CAMPBELL.

Hi Kenyetta, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My name is Kenyetta M Campbell, and I’ve dedicated my life to neighborhood stabilization, community engagement, and youth development. I was born and raised in Detroit, and from a young age, I understood the importance of leadership development and the impact that opportunity can have on someone’s path.

I started working with young people and families more than two decades ago, often in spaces that lacked resources but overflowed with potential. That’s what fueled me. I didn’t wait for perfect conditions. I built programs, cultivated leaders, and helped grow grassroots ideas into citywide movements.

Over time, I became known not only as a connector but as someone who gets things done. Today, I serve as a nonprofit founder and CEO, leading initiatives that create economic mobility, housing stability, youth leadership, educational access, and safe public spaces. My approach is rooted in community voice and real collaboration, not just planning for people but planning with them.

This journey hasn’t been easy, but it’s been purposeful. And every young person I’ve mentored, every home repaired, every job created, those are the real milestones in my story.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but it’s been a meaningful one.

There were times when funding was uncertain, when we had to stretch every dollar just to keep a program running. I’ve faced moments of burnout, frustration, and the constant challenge of navigating systems that weren’t designed to serve the communities I care about.

Early on, I often found myself being the youngest in the room, pushing for ideas that others weren’t ready to hear. I had to learn how to advocate, organize, and lead with both strength and strategy.

But some of the hardest struggles were also the most personal. I’ve watched families lose homes, youth fall through the cracks, and opportunities be delayed not because of a lack of will, but a lack of resources. That’s what drives me to fight harder.

Every setback taught me something: how to pivot, how to build stronger partnerships, and how to stay rooted in purpose even when the path isn’t clear.

The road hasn’t been easy, but the work is too important to quit.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Who We Are & What We Do

CRCAA is a community-based development organization serving the Cody Rouge neighborhood on Detroit’s far west side. Founded in 2007–2009 with support from the Skillman Foundation, our mission is “to revitalize and sustain a healthy community where residents have access to and promote a high quality of life,” with a special focus on children and families.

Our work centers around three key pillars:

Community Engagement

A trusted hub in Cody Rouge, connecting families, seniors, entrepreneurs, and partners to vital resources—empowering independence, sparking local business growth, and driving lasting community change.
 

We bring together residents, youth, families, churches, and businesses through ongoing convenings—for example, community planning sessions, resource distributions, and skill-building workshops.

Youth Development

Building a pipeline of youth leadership that prepares young people to be confident, connected, and ready to shape their future and community.

Our Cody Rouge Youth Council empowers young people (ages ~12–18) to lead and serve. They plan community events, join neighborhood projects (like Project No Stand Zone: installing bus-stop benches), and serve as advisors on local issues

Neighborhood Revitalization

Restoring hope and building a stronger, more resilient Cody Rouge for generations to come.

We help homeowners access resources for critical repairs (e.g., porches, furnaces, ramps), offer tech lab classes in our hub space, run cleanup efforts, and connect people to other resources.

What Sets Us Apart

Resident-First Leadership
Our strategic decisions are driven by long, deep engagement with residents including youth voices, resulting in a community vision that’s been embraced by major partners like corporations, government entities, foundations, and private companies.

Holistic, Integrated Approach
We blend home repairs and beautification with tech access, youth leadership, housing support, and economic opportunity, ensuring no one is left behind.

Youth-Centric Choice
Unique to our model is that young people don’t just participate, they lead. From summer employment to urban planning initiatives, they take ownership of their neighborhood’s future.

CRCAA Community Hub Capital Campaign

The Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance (CRCAA) has outgrown its current rented office spaces and is taking a major step forward. We’ve purchased two adjacent commercial buildings on West Warren Avenue—a key corridor in Detroit’s Strategic Neighborhood Framework—to serve as our new permanent headquarters and community hub.

This new space will:
• Centralize CRCAA operations and enhance accessibility for residents.
• Provide a one-stop shop for services including housing support, healthcare access, and digital literacy.
• Expand entrepreneurship programs with co-working space and pop-up vending in partnership with ProsperUs Detroit.
• Grow our youth and senior programs, including mental health resources, year-round activities, and GDYT youth employment.
• Offer technology training essential for today’s job market.
Located near the site of a planned 53-unit affordable housing project we’re co-developing, this hub will strengthen access to vital services for older adults and families.

We aim to raise $2.4 million over two years to renovate and launch this space. With your support, we can create a lasting resource that empowers residents, supports local businesses, and strengthens the Cody Rouge community.
 

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Luck isn’t something that I value personally. I believe in blessings, divine order, and alignment. Alignment has played a role, but it’s never been the whole story.

There have definitely been moments of divine order: meeting the right person at the right time, being in the room when a new opportunity opened up, or getting connected to a funder who truly believed in the vision. Sometimes a phone call, a conversation, or a connection changed everything and I’m grateful for those moments.

But the truth is, most of what people call “luck” has come from showing up every day, doing the work, building real relationships, and staying ready, even when things felt uncertain. I’ve learned that when preparation meets opportunity, what feels like luck is really alignment.

I’ve had my share of failures too like projects falling through, unexpected funding cuts, or things simply not going as planned. But those moments taught resilience. They forced innovation and reminded me to stay rooted in purpose, not just outcomes.

So yes, alignment shows up. But in my life and work, it’s been persistence, faith, and a deep connection to community that have made the biggest difference.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.codyrouge.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codyrougecaa?igsh=MW0zMXN2MTJ4YzU1cg==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/195icW7YPS/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@codyrougecaa?si=JIH2G18qZBx5cT2x