THE TOP OF THE TOWN: Jerry Norris and  The Fledge

If there’s one thing that Jerry Norris accomplished since he launched The Fledge, on Lansing’s east side, in 2015, it’s to cause confusion about what exactly his outfit on Eureka Street does. Even those familiar with the organization always struggle to give it a distinct label, he said.

“We’re an incubator, an ideation space — an accelerator, if you will, for people who want to make Lansing a stronger community,” Norris explained. “We’re still a community center too. It’s a one-of-a-kind, radically inclusive ideation space, maker space, incubator and accelerator on a mission to create opportunities to pursue happiness. That’s what the mission statement says.”

At its core, The Fledge is an alternative sort of community center that provides a litany of services to just about anyone and everyone who needs them — including helping those struggling with substance abuse and distributing small grants to aspiring entrepreneurs. Its headquarters, a former church on Eureka Street, has also become a buzzing hive for young Capital City creatives to host art shows and concerts. And Norris, 55, is the man behind it all.

Although this year’s Top of the Town voters picked Gov. Gretchen Gretchen Whitmer as Lansing’s best activist/advocate, Norris was a close second-place finisher — a clear message from our readers that The Fledge, whatever it is, is serving its purpose.

“To be honest, I was surprised to see my name in there. I’ve never thought of myself as an activist — more as just a steward of the community, trying to make it healthier and better for everybody,” Norris said. “I just try to stand up for people and stand up for the community.”

Norris was also featured in the People Issue in January, then telling City Pulse that The Fledge was born from an idea to “eliminate poverty” and give back to the community that raised him.

Rather than start his own business, he said he found charitable work to have “more meaning.”

When the pandemic struck, Eureka Street also warehoused food for anyone who needed it. Sewing machines and 3D printers were used to make masks. Norris also sprang into action to keep those suffering from substance abuse connected during one of the most isolating periods in modern history, loading up with Narcan and safe needles and converting studios to help connect people virtually to arraignment hearings, Refuge Recovery and Narcotics Anonymous.

So, surprise, Jerry: Whether you can see yourself as an activist/advocate or not, that’s exactly the type of stuff that makes a great one. And Lansing thinks you’re great at it too.

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