In Memoriam A Dedicated Community Servant and Friend
Pat Hinton was always about Voters education and registration. I could always depend on her to have at least 20 clip boards with voter registration forms clipped to them. Pat cherished the idea of highlighting important information on the form so the citizen would not miss anything on the application.
I went to so many different places with Pat in the name of Voter Education/Registration. But my most memorable time with Pat was going out across Grand Rapids' zip codes; 49503, '06,'07,,'08 and any others where residents needed to be signed up for Obama Care. We sat down and figured out which inner city businesses, nonprofits and public schools would allow us to set up shop to enroll their customers, clients, etc. Hair salons, barber shops,Job Corp, super markets, churches, public schools were all used to enroll residents.
We spent a few evenings with residents in an inner city school enrolling them in Obamacare. We used every computer in that lab to enroll anyone who showed up.Wow! It is as if it were yesterday. I will always love Pat Hinton and cherish her memories as the top Community Volunteer, who never let her age become a question.
Born March 27, 1935, Pastella Hinton was affectionately known as "Pat" She accepted a position with Michigan Bell, telecommunications in 1952 and retired in 1990. She began her second career as an Investor and Co-owner of Detroit Metro Communications (DMC), where she served as Sr. Vice President of Human Resources. She was also an avid Real Estate investor, owning multiple properties in the City of Detroit. Skilled negotiator, always knew how to get the best deal.
In Detroit she worked with the Rosa & Raymond Parks Institute Pathways to Freedom. She helped organize annual trips which allowed children to tour colleges and relive the civil rights movement. In 2002, she became one of the Ricks family historians when she created the first family quilt. "The quilt represents our lineage, and this tradition continues to grow with each family reunion where new handprints are added", stated Pat's son, Kyle. Pat moved to Kentwood in 2006, and immediately got involved with: the Greater Grand Rapids Branch of the NAACP, Kent County Dems, and the A. Philip Randolph Institute. Pat will be remembered as passionate about helping others.
In her dedication to social justice and community service, she served with the Get Out the Vote & Voter Registration campaigns under President Obama. She received the local 2015 NAACP Walter Bergman Voting Rights and Political Representation Award. Participating with the Phillip Randolph Institute, she supported women and minorities in the union movement.
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