Providing Hope To The Hopeless, Abused, and Disadvantaged Of Our Community.
Earlier today, September 23, I did what I love doing. I put an enduring smile on precious faces in Detroit.
How? I presented a wheelchair lift van, and a debt-free, handicap-compliant and furnished home on east side of Detroit to 19-year-old Dreia Davis who has been paralyzed since age 13.
Why do names like Gandhi, King, Mother Theresa and Washington resonate many years after their departure? Why do many around the world still celebrate Jesus about two thousand years after his earthly experience? They are closely associated with giving beyond the ordinary, which true leaders are known for.
One of the most instructive and inspiring things to witness in any community is kids investing their time and energy in helping fellow kids who are less privileged. That is exactly what Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM, https://drmm.org) wants to bring about at Ford Field Park, 22051 Cherry Hill Street Dearborn this Saturday August 29 from 11am to 1pm.
The 106-year-old nonprofit is giving kids of Dearborn Track Club (DTC) the opportunity to become agents of hope and help by receiving and distributing new backpacks and other school supplies directly to 100 indigent school children in Dearborn. Somewhat like its big neighbor Detroit where DRMM also gave away hundreds of school supplies this year, Dearborn is a city beset by high poverty rate.
“Sometimes, people think only Detroit has high rate of poverty but census figures show us that many families are in dire straits in cities like Roseville where DRMM provides a food and clothing distribution service, and Dearborn which has 25.7% of its population below poverty level,” said Chad Audi, DRMM president.
Dr. Audi added that by distributing the school supplies through DTC kids, his organization is achieving three objectives in Dearborn: (1) protecting and promoting the dignity of the indigents since the items would be delivered at their doorsteps; (2) ensuring the items only go to Dearborn kids in need, and (3) inculcating the timeless virtue of giving in the young volunteers.
It could be recalled that on December 6 2014, DRMM also distributed big food boxes and turkey to 50 indigent Dearborn families through DTC kids.
As schools get ready to reopen, about 550 metro Detroit school kids will receive new backpacks filled with school supplies from Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM), a nonprofit that has been empowering the poor and the homeless in the area since 1909. The school items would be given to needy kids at the following metro Detroit venues and dates:
Saturday August 22 2015
New St. Paul Tabernacle COGIC
15340 Southfield Rd, Detroit, MI 48223
Time: 10:30am – 1pm
Wednesday August 26 2015
Lighthouse Outreach Center (a DRMM facility)
28571 Gratiot Ave, Roseville, MI 48066
Time: 11am – 1pm
Friday August 28, 2015
DRMM, 138 Stimson Street Detroit MI 48201
Time: 2pm – 4pm
Saturday August 29 2015
Dearborn Track Club
Ford Field, 22051 Cherry Hill St, Dearborn, MI 48124
Time: 11am-1pm
DRMM president and CEO, Dr. Chad Audi, described its back-to-school giveaways as “an important annual tradition that puts smiles on the faces of school boys and girls and their parents, and lets them know people here in metro Detroit really care.”
He stressed the need to lighten the burdens of low-income parents and guardians who value the education and future of their kids, adding that “helping neighbors in need is always a noble thing to do especially when done in a way that promotes their dignity.”
On Thursday, August 13, 2015, the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries will re-open its Cornerstone Bistro Restaurant and unveil its new Ice Cream Parlor and outdoor dining area.
The restaurant, which is located in Highland Park on Woodward, serves as a training facility and education venue for residents of DRMM programs to learn Culinary Arts skills, as well as a family, sit-down restaurant. DRMM opened the restaurant in 2010, and has since graduated more than 75 students from its training program, while provided a fun, family restaurant environment that serves healthy and delicious meals.
The event on Thursday is especially exciting due to the unveiling of the restaurant’s new outdoor eating area, as well as the addition of the ice cream parlor to the restaurant’s menu.
“We are very excited to re-open this beautiful restaurant and welcome the community to taste our ice cream and new menu items,” said Dr. Chad Audi, president of DRMM. “Job-training is a critical component for rehabilitation, and we work very hard every day to ensure those we serve have as many opportunities for training and education. That’s one of the reasons why I love to Bistro so much.”
In anticipation of the back-to-school rush, and to encourage school-aged children to work hard, the Bistro is offering an ice cream initiative to every student in the community. For every five (5) books read, the Bistro will give away a FREE ice cream cone. Reading log forms can be accessed online on DRMM’s website, as well as onsite at the Bistro, or DRMM’s Admin offices.
DRMM will host a formal Taste Fest event for the entire community in September.
In addition to family dining and ice cream, the Cornerstone Bistro provides catering and banquet hall services.
For more information about DRMM or the Cornerstone Bistro, please contact DRMM at 313-993-4700 or online at www.drmm.org.
This past year was a very successful year for the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, and our efforts to end hunger and homelessness in the City. Services, such as our emergency shelters, transitional housing facilities, treatment centers, and vocational training programs provided individuals with the hope, confidence, and resources they needed for full recovery and rehabilitation.
In 2014, we built upon our existing programs, expanding to meet the needs of those we serve, while adding new programs, such as our Warming Center, which is designed to provide those in need temporary shelter from the cold, harsh weather that we experience during the winter season. Additionally, DRMM expanded its efforts to reach Macomb County through its acquisition of The Lighthouse Food Bank, which provides food boxes and emergency goods to low-income individuals and families in Macomb.