Delores Flagg selected as 2023 Greg Kennedy Community Service Award recipient

January 7, 2024

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The Southfield City Council confirmed the Total Living Commission’s (TLC) recommendation of Delores Flagg as the 2023 recipient of the Greg Kennedy Community Service Award, which honors residents who are active in community service.

Council President Michael “Ari” Mandelbaum and TLC Chair Deborah Walton-Medley formally presented Mrs. Flagg with the Award at the Regular City Council meeting on Monday, December 18 in Council Chambers.

Nominations for this prestigious award were reviewed by the City’s Total Living Commission with recommendations made to City Council. The Commission unanimously voted to approve Mrs. Flagg’s nomination.

Delores Flagg is a long-time Southfield resident who taught art in the Southfield Public Schools for 19 years before her retirement in 2008. As an art instructor, Flagg motivated her students and helped them develop their artistic talents. Working with school district administration, she took her students work out into the community for public viewing. Ms. Flagg is a recipient of a Milken Foundation Educator Award for extraordinary service to youth.

In her retirement, Ms. Flagg creates opportunities for youth and budding artists as an advocate for the arts and human rights volunteering her time and energy to the following organizations: Chair of the Southfield Public Arts Commission; Vice-Chair of the Friends of Southfield Public Arts non-profit; volunteer coordinator for the Kimmie Horne Jazz Festival; member of the Detroit Urban League; National Basketball Retired Players Association; Southfield Anti-Drug Coalition, Rhonda Walker Foundation; and the Southfield Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Task Force.

As chair of the Southfield Public Arts Commission, Ms. Flagg has coordinated the quarterly art showcases in the lobby of city hall. These showcases feature local artists, providing visibility of their work while enhancing this common area of the municipal building. She also coordinates the installation of public art across the city and fundraises for the purchase, installation, and restoration of city art.

“Delores Flagg is an extraordinary person who gives a great deal of herself to make a real difference in the community,” commented Mayor Dr. Ken Siver. “She works tirelessly to bring about positive change to improve the quality of life for the residents of Southfield. She is greatly deserving of this award as she truly embodies the work, spirit and voluntarism of Mr. Kennedy.”

The Greg Kennedy Community Service Award was originally established in 1999 to honor the legacy of community activist Greg Kennedy by encouraging other residents to engage in public service. Greg Kennedy was one of Southfield’s first residents and demonstrated his commitment to the City throughout his entire lifetime. He established the City’s first Southfield Homeowners Coalition and annually sent numerous low-income children to attend the Shriner’s Circus. He visited senior homes in Southfield every week to help out, entertain and listen. He was an outspoken advocate for seniors and young people alike and was known for standing up for other people’s rights. Since its inception, there have been only eight past recipients of the award, including: Samuel P. Havis in 2000; Jacqueline Nelson in 2001; Muriel Zweigel in 2003; Jonathan Adams in 2016; Roger Goolsby in 2017; Pat Haynie in 2018; Rosemerry Allen in 2019; and Sabrina Heller (posthumously) in 2022.