Ford Fund Welcomes Detroit Students Back to School

Sep 06, 2022
<2 MIN READ
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    Ford Fund Welcomes Detroit Students Back to School
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The school year opened with smiles and enthusiasm at Ford Resource and Engagement Centers (FREC) around the world. These events are part celebration, part resource fulfillment, and all community.

In Detroit, the East Side and Southwest FRECs held their annual Backpack Giveaway and their Welcome Back events in August. Tents and tables manned by some of Ford Fund’s community partners including representatives from the Southwest Detroit Immigration and Refugee Center, Motor City Kares mobile dentist, FREC on the Go, Detroit Hives, Eastern Market, and the Detroit Food Academy filled the parking lots. Ford volunteers handed out backpacks filled with school supplies to over 800 returning neighborhood school children and their families.

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Justin Kimpson

“Everything’s for the community. Free food, free fun — all of our resource center partners are here,” said Justin Kimpson, senior director, Ford’s Detroit East Resource and Engagement Center. “The value and impact of services is priceless.” 

As students returned for their first day of class, Ford Men of Courage, a network of successful Black men in Detroit, lined the sidewalks and steps leading up to local schools to welcome the students with handshakes and applause. Now in its sixth year, this special Welcome Back reinforces the value of education, highlights avenues for success, and provides examples of great community leadership.

“It’s amazing to see how much this program has grown,” Kimpson said. “When we first started there was only 15 of us, and I think I counted more than 70 men here today. The best part is that we’ve all come to really know one another, and we all continue to support the students, FREC and Men of Courage programs throughout the year.”

Back to School events at the FRECs are just one example of Ford Fund’s impact and the role that Ford volunteers play in moving people forward. For U.S. volunteers interested in seeing all available opportunities with the Ford Volunteer Corps, visit www.www.fordphilanthropy.org/volunteer.

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