As the temperature begins to drop and the days become shorter, we are all reminded of the upcoming holiday season. Many of us think back to the time spent with our families, the aroma of the turkey cooking in the oven and the embarrassing, bright-colored sweaters we were forced to wear.
But as official unemployment in Detroit creeps closer to 20 percent and the amount of children raised below the poverty level increases, many children will be forced to grow up without these fond memories.
Margaret and Michael Wilson of the Woodbridge Community Youth Center are looking to change that.
The two were inspired to start the program when the city saw a spike in the number of children being murdered in 2003, Margaret Wilson said.
“There was no place for the children to stay while the parents were at work,” she said.
Michael Wilson decided to leave his managerial job at Chrysler, and together they started the community center.
Since they started the center in June 2007, it has served as an after-school program in a part of Detroit that has seen nine youth centers close.
Last year, it delivered dinner to over 60 people during the holiday, said Amanda Fields, a WSU junior in education and a student that has worked with the center for the past two years. She and pre-med student Hussein Nehme took $500 raised by donation and were able to present individual families with a dinner.
This year, Fields said that the center hopes to reach more in the community by holding the Thankful Hearts Thanksgiving Feast in the center itself and reaching out to local senior citizens without family. She said they plan on feeding more than 100 people this Thanksgiving.
Recently, Fields ran a food drive in the south lobby of the Student Center where she was accepting either money donations or canned goods, she said. This year, she is on pace to beat the amount given last year—already raising close to $300 in two days.
But, for the past two years, Fields and Nehme have dedicated their lives outside of the classroom toward giving the children of the community much more than just food. They also run the Wayne State Mentors, an organization that tutors and spends time with Detroit Public School children.
Fields, Nehme and about 30 other WSU volunteers tutor children ranging from the ages of 7 to 15 years old in reading, comprehension and math.
Some children show up to be tutored and they cannot read the textbook given to them—let alone comprehend the information, Fields said.
After the tutoring sessions, which last from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., the children are involved in recreational activities, such as basketball and soccer, and they are given a chance to learn some technical skills.
Over the summer, the UAW and Chrysler donated a large sum of money to have the center’s gymnasium renovated. Many UAW-Chrysler members volunteered their time and skills to help with the repairs.
In a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Mayor Dave Bing, the center re-opened the gym on Angel’s Night, Oct. 30.
“I think they really enjoy it,” Fields said, recognizing the special relationship she has developed with the children. “I was gone for a week, and the next time I came in all the kids asked, ‘Where were you?’ Some kids are very hesitant or distant at first, but, once they get to know you, they open up.”
Although there is no official means of testing the tutors’ effect on the students’ grades, Fields has seen improvement in the students she has personally worked with.
“I’m thankful for what we have,” but the community center needs more, she said.
According to Fields, the center currently works with about 60 students with only 30 tutors. She eventually wants to double the amount of volunteers to make a one-on-one ratio.
The program is looking for mentors that can work more than once-a-month, Fields said.
“We are looking for commitment,” she said. “A lot of times these children’s parents are working two jobs, and we are the only people they have to look up to.”
In particular, Fields is looking for more male volunteers to help with recreational activities and to reach out to the younger males. The center is also trying to raise the funds to buy a van or bus to extend the center’s reach, she said.
For her, the work is hard but very rewarding.
“I love to see the smiles on their faces when they finally get it or when they finally remember how to read that word or how to solve that math problem,” Fields said. “I want all these kids to have the same opportunity I did. Sometimes we are their last opportunity.
“Being a mentor could be the difference between that child dropping out of high school or going on to graduate college.”
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