What the Birdtown Coalition Is — and Why We Started It
Birdtown is one of the most distinctive neighborhoods in Lakewood. Eight narrow streets named after birds, three onion-domed churches within a quarter mile of each other, and a history that most people who live here don’t fully know yet. It was founded in 1892 by the National Carbon Company — now NeoGraf Solutions, still operating on Madison Avenue — so factory workers could walk to work. The immigrants who moved in didn’t wait for anyone to build community for them. They built their own churches, opened their own businesses, and in 1911 founded their own savings and loan.
That instinct is still here. The Birdtown Coalition exists because of it.
How We Started
For a few years, the complaints were familiar to anyone paying attention to the neighborhood Facebook group. Snow-covered street corners sitting untouched after the plows came through. Trash accumulating on sidewalks for months. Noise pollution impacting the neighborhood. The frustration was legitimate — Birdtown is geographically isolated, accessible only from Madison and Athens, and hyperlocal issues sometimes have a way of getting lost in city bureaucracy.
What became clear was that we residents didn’t need to wait. Neighbors were already snow blowing entire blocks. The willingness was there. The equipment was there. What didn’t exist was a way to coordinate it. We are building that system.
That’s the model. Find what neighbors are already doing. Build the structure that makes it more effective.
What We Do
The Coalition organizes around three things.
Community. Regular events that give neighbors reasons to show up together. In May 2026 we held Chalk the Block and the Vote outside Harrison Elementary — about 30 neighbors showed up throughout the event, the League of Women Voters provided ballot information on-site, and Birdtown Brewing served lemonade. We’ve attended neighborhood picnics. Every third Saturday, Flock & Pick brings neighbors out for a block cleanup (Bring gloves — everything else is provided).
Mutual aid. Practical, neighbor-to-neighbor help and shared resources. No prerequisites. The immigrants who founded this neighborhood took care of each other before any institution offered to help. We’re organizing around that same instinct — building the connective tissue that makes this block function better for everyone on it.
Advocacy. We bring neighbor concerns to city council and local partners and we follow through. Dog waste stations. Better forestry upkeep. Noise reduction. Small, specific things that add up to a neighborhood that works. We show up to those conversations organized, and with neighbors behind us.
Where We’re Headed
We’re early, and want to be honest about that.
The Coalition is building toward something more substantial — a neighborhood organization with real resources, real programs, and real investment in the livelihood of Birdtown residents. Not just repaved roads. The kind of investment that makes a neighborhood feel like a community: a place where people know each other, look out for each other, and have a say in what happens here.
That takes time to build right. We’re building it right.
How to Stay Connected
Follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Subscribe here on Substack for neighborhood updates, event announcements, and coalition news.
And show up. Every third Saturday. Bring gloves.
The Birdtown Coalition is neighbor-led, nonpartisan, and volunteer-run. Founded by Danielle Kirsh and co-led with Mary Brown and Mary Piunno.