Celebrating 50
At 18, he’s legally an adult, but such technicalities didn’t stop Rashad Evans from having a ball at The Skillman Foundation’s April 30 Kids Matter Here Summit II.
Rashad was one of nearly 6,000 youths of all ages and family members who attended the free day of carnival rides, food, live entertainment and prize giveaways at Ford Field in downtown Detroit.
First held as a summit in 2008 at the Detroit Science Center, the second Kids Matter Here celebration is the largest free public event for children in 2011, to date.
Presented with a community festival theme, the April 30 summit also marked The Skillman Foundation’s 50th anniversary. Skillman CEO & President Carol Goss and actor Michael Jai White, who served as keynote speaker, celebrated the organization’s work and achievements since 1950, while giving messages of encouragement to youth like Rashad that remain Skillman’s focus.
“This was an event that you couldn’t miss,” said Rashad. “Aside from meeting the famous people, it was just a real good time.”
Rashad was proud to share cell phone photos of himself with White and Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh, who was also among the dozens of community and neighborhood leaders attending the summit.
A rainbow-colored spectrum of flags representing Skillman’s grant-targeted Good Neighborhoods – Brightmoor, Chadsey Condon, Cody Rouge, Northend Central Woodward, Osborn and Southwest Detroit – speckled the backdrop of Ford Field’s cushy football turf.
A parade kicked off the morning’s opening ceremony with residents from all six Good Neighborhoods participating, as well as performances by Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit and the Cass Tech Marching Band. WJLB-FM’s Dr. Darrius helped emcee the afternoon portion of the program, including the announcement of raffle winners who took home Detroit Lions tickets, a Detroit Pistons jersey, Wii game system, laptop computer and gift cards, among other prizes. Darrius led the youth in chants of “Happy Birthday, Skillman!”
The scene was in stark contrast to what had been Rashad’s typical peer interaction barely a year ago. After his dad’s death, he found himself separated from his mother and shuffled through the foster care system. When a brief arrangement to live with his cousin ended, Rashad found himself homeless at 16.
“I was on the streets and, with my family not really caring, I kept to myself,” he said. “I wasn’t a people person. After my cousin put me out, I felt like nobody cared about me. Nobody.”
But Skillman’s summit gave Rashad a sense of belonging, he said. As members of the Blue Babies, Inc. youth development organization, he and others volunteered to help organize the event, enjoying camaraderie as they filled gift bags and assisted younger children who attended. The Blue Babies, who take their name from the celebrated Michigan flag’s color, worked with Skillman coordinators in the days leading up to the event.
“I helped so I could put myself in the position of what I would want somebody to do for me,” added Rashad.
Chris Lee and Minyuana Walker, both 17, joined Rashad in the volunteer effort and fun of Kids Matter Here II.
“I got to enjoy the rides and games, and we got to meet some superstars,” said Minyuana. “The whole experience was good. I couldn’t even pick a favorite.”
Added Chris: “I wanted to see how it was to be a part of this, where everybody just comes out and chills. This is something good for Detroit.”
In addition to entertainment, the day’s itinerary offered a resource and college fair, empowerment workshops addressing health and home ownership, and a report from Good Neighborhoods leaders representing the six Skillman-backed city regions. The affiliated Good Schools program was also featured with a salute to 245 learning institutions that support the Foundation’s Making the Grade Initiative.
Skillman also announced a new education incentive to support youth seeking higher education. The program will begin identifying students this year.
“We’re celebrating 50 years of being a voice for Detroit children,” said Goss. “We wanted to do something significant for 50 of the area’s most promising high school students, and help them with the costs of attending college.”
Ora Williams, board secretary of the Brightmoor Alliance neighborhood organization, helped chaperone about 150 youth from Brightmoor to Ford Field. The Alliance was among approximately 200 community programs represented at the summit’s resource and college fair.
“It’s been a fantastic event,” said Williams. “It shows what we can do when we get together and really shows what Skillman has done in all six neighborhoods. I know that Rose and Robert Skillman are looking down, smiling.”
Rashad, too, spent most of the day smiling – a practice that he seldom indulged back in the days when he thought nobody cared; but that was before he learned about a place where kids matter.
“I can’t wait to come back here again,” he said. “I’d come back here tomorrow.”
-- By Eddie B. Allen Jr., is a Detroit-based freelance writer
