MyTV20's Rohey Avian has that
story. The Disco Balls will soon be
coming down at the Clutch Cargos nightclub in Pontiac. The building
will be renovated and become a church again. The announcement
was made this morning by the Grace Centers of Hope organization
that will open it up to the low-income families and drug addicts who
they help get back on their feet. I was addicted to crack and heroin
for almost nine years. Virginia Levy is now clean thanks
to the help of Grace Centers of Hope. She knows this church
will make a difference in the lives of others who are going
through what she went through. As an addict, I lost My family,
I lost my job. It was through those things that
I was forced to look inside. And when I realized that I felt
empty, I knew that I needed love. I knew that I needed something
to help me. And that was when I became open
to believing in God. The building became a place of
worship in 1911 when it was the first congregational church.
Due to financial problems, it closed in 1927 and remained boarded
up for decades until 1962 when it reopened as a church again.
The building was sold in 1997 and became a nightclub. After
the 30,000 square foot building recently became available for
purchase, it was bought by the Luther family of Oakland Township
and donated to the Grace Centers. Amanda Luther spoke on behalf
of her family during today's announcement. My parents, like
I said in my speech, inspire me each and every day. And if
I can give back in any way, shape, or form, I will. That's what
I've been taught since I was young. And that's what we're
going to continue to do. And especially for Grace Centers
of Hope, an amazing organization. The Church Grace Centers is currently
using on Perry Street will also be converted to something else.
It's going to open up the other building for moms and kids. That
building will totally be renovated to house moms and kids and that's
our fastest growing area. We've turned away literally in
the last three months a couple of thousand women and children.
Well, I'm happy for the extensive faith-based community and the
hope and the revitalization and the prospects that it brings
to the city of Pontiac and I want them to work with us on all the
projects that we have in the city of Pontiac to restore our
neighborhoods, make people feel safe. And as you just heard the
mayor-elect of Pontiac, this is a project that could have
a positive ripple effect across the city. For your News 10 Straight
to the Point, I'm Jorge Avellón, TV20 News 10. You can log on
to GraceCentersofHope.org to make donations that will go toward
completing this renovation project. Clutch Cargos will host its last
show on November 14th. Well, it was once a popular nightclub
in downtown Pontiac, but very soon it's going to be a church. Today, the Luther family of Oakland
Township donated the building that used to be called Clutch
Cargos. Local Forest Paula Tutman has more on a big to-do over
the return of the pews. Paula? If you live anywhere in
southeastern Michigan, I know you've heard of Clutch Cargo.
It is legend, wait for it, dairy, for its big parties, its bar
scene, and its clubbing. But there's a big change on the
horizon for Clutch Cargo. I guess you could call it the
re-churchification, as this bar scene basically turns in its
wine and spirits and trades them in for the Holy Spirit. The property
of 65 East Huron in Pontiac was dedicated to the First Congregation
Church of Pontiac in 1911. But the Depression came and the
church fell to disrepair. By 1997, it was a nightclub. A dance floor replaced the pews.
The stained glass witnessed to an often-stained reputation on
this corner of Pontiac. But today, a new chapter as the
building changes hands and goes back to God and great centers
of hope across the street. And that's where we met Jessica
today. We're a series of bad decisions that doesn't just happen
Overnight, Jessica, the mother of two, was ordered to Grace
Centers of Hope by the court as a last ditch effort to keep
a needle out of her arm and her out of jail. I had been clean
for six months at a time in other programs, but it wasn't long
enough to keep making better decisions. There are hundreds
of Jessicas on the streets of Pontiac, men and women, who've
fallen from grace, and many taking their children with them, only
to be caught by grace centers of hope. But too many have also
had to wait for that hope. Our greatest need here is with
women and children. We turned away over 2,000 women
and children in the past two months here at Grace Centers
because we just don't have room. With a donation of the church
to become a church once more, it frees up space to create a
new women and children center. Increasing capacity, 30%. We
have a parenting class for the moms, so that's every week. And
we learn everything from toddlers to teenagers, infants. on discipline,
on love, on healthy eating habits, all that. So I can take that
home to my kids. We do an addiction cycle class to find out how we
got the way we got and what we can do to get better. So what
do you still need? What do we still need? A massive,
a massive outpouring of cash! We need donations. The great
need is we've got to raise two million dollars in November and
December. to meet our budget. If yo out,
we put a link on our would like to say thank y