MLK Day of Service - A Day ON!

January 17, 2023

“Everybody can be great because everybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

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For the Bamboo team, we knew that this day off was going to be a day on! We wanted to bring the community together for a day of service and create the opportunity for members to build the community up. Amanda Sweet, Bamboo Royal Oak’s Community Manager, knew Shadora Ford, the Founder and CEO of Destined for Greatness, from previous service projects under her community swaps for The ReVamp. When the Bamboo team mentioned wanting to host a service project for MLK Day, Sweet knew that Ford would be in need of support.

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Destined for Greatness is a Detroit based nonprofit that empowers and motivates at-risk young ladies ages 11 to 21. Their mission is to show youth that no matter what their downfalls have been, there is always a way to rise up above the negatives. The DFG Mentoring Program provides tools to help young ladies truly become Destined for Greatness. Their services have expanded to families and people of all ages and genders. Their programs have grown to support over 400 families over the years and counting. Every 3rd Thursday, they open their doors to provide food, clothing, diapers, formula and resources to these families.

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“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

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For Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Destined for Greatness community already had their MLK Giveaway Day on the calendar. Bamboo stepped in to help provide volunteers to support their initiatives even further. When Amanda reached out to Shadora, she gave an astounding “YES!” to the request. Ally Baird and Nerissa Zoller, Community Associates in the Royal Oak location jumped on board to execute the marketing and communications for the event, while Amanda organized the event logistics behind the scenes.

Bamboo’s initial goal was to get anywhere from 10 to 20 volunteers. In a flash, there were over 50, then 75 and we quickly got 120 volunteers ready to serve!

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The day of the event was phenomenal. The Bamboo volunteers were joined by other companies and groups also looking to lend a helping hand. We had two big jobs. First we cleaned and organized the gymnasium to host the MLK Day Giveaway and then we helped paint, clean, and organize the new facility to prepare for their grand opening.

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“I trust you, set it up just like the clothing swaps you do!” Shadora said as she handed Amanda the keys to her building at 9 am on the 16th. At 10:00 am, Sweet was greeted with over 40 happy volunteers ready to work. They split up across buildings and got to work. There was an abundance of donations scattered throughout, that needed to be organized, sorted, and set out into the gymnasium that we transformed into a marketplace. While the rest of the volunteers painted and cleared out the new 10 suite facility.

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At 2 pm, the MLK Day Giveaway started and the families started rolling in, ready to get the necessities they needed. Throughout the afternoon, the volunteers supported over 75 families with clothing, hygiene kits, diapers, formula, fresh food and even free cell phones! The energy, the smiles, and the excitement could be felt from a mile away.

"This is what we do and it’s still not enough," Shadora expressed, welled with emotion, throughout the day. The Destined for Greatness team is always looking for new ways to support the families who desperately need the support.

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The Bamboo community is beyond grateful for the overwhelming support and time that the volunteers provide. We could not have done it without you and we look forward to bringing the community together more in the future.

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“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'” - Martin Luther King Jr.

If you are looking for ways to support, donate, or volunteer your time, reach out to Shadora Ford at DFGMentoring@yahoo.com or visit https://dfgdetroit.com/

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Want to take it a step further?

Support, donate, or volunteer with other Bamboo Non-Profit Members:

(including but not limited to)

The L.I.V.E Outreach

https://www.theliveoutreach.org/

Malika William, Founder and Bamboo Team Member

theliveoutreach@gmail.com

Detroit Phoenix Center

https://www.detroitphoenixcenter.org/

Courtney Smith, Founder and Bamboo Detroit Member

info@detroitphoenixcenter.org