In the midst of the Flint water crisis, a group of students who dubbed themselves the “Dream Kings” from Frederick Douglass Academy in Detroit sought to ensure that the senior citizens of Flint were taken care of: by giving them 300 cases of clean water. The idea was actually thought up entirely by the students, which makes it even more special. [1]
The Dream Kings solicited donations of water for their project, and then drove the hour to Flint to deliver them to the residents of Flint Heights Terrace. The project was so successful that they plan to do it again next year, and hopefully make it an annual event.
The 45 students came to the senior living facility, some wearing crowns. A few of of the residents were overcome with gratitude for their thoughtfulness.
“The first resident was just overcome. She started crying and tearing up, and one of the students that was with our group, he got emotional as well,” said William Malcolm, the Detroit City Dream director for The Future Project, which partners up with the Frederick Douglass Academy to help with service projects.
Malcolm also says that he is incredibly proud of the students for recognizing that although they may not have everything themselves, they can still make a big impact.
Malcolm stated:
“A lot of times young people, they feel that in order to give back they have to be wealthy or they have to be in a certain position in life. The boys learned from the initiative that they can take an idea and they can impact someone else’s life for the better.” [1]
The Dream Project also hopes that the service they do can help break stereotypes, showing that African-American men can provide wonderful service to their local communities in addition to being assets.
Sources:
[1] The Huffington Post