6 of 12 blessings we are celebrating!
Detroit to the UP. Detroit to Phoenix, Arizona. Detroit to Georgia. Detroit to Asheville, North Carolina. Detroit to the Caribbean.
What????
YES! This year, upon learning that many of our mentoring students have never traveled outside of Detroit, we made it our mission to provide transformative travel trips. Students learn how to swim, go hiking, how to order at a restaurant, both fast food and formal, and so much more! Each trip is filled with service, whether at the Ronald McDonald House in Albuquerque, putting a tarp on a veteran’s roof, or helping people move.
After trips, some quotes heard are, “I learned there is not a gun around every corner.” “I learned that anything is possible. I am the painter in my own story.” There are so many more that we would run out of room sharing all of them!
Transformative travel is important for our students because it gives the ability to see different parts of the country - and now the world - when some students have never left the state of Michigan - or even the eastside of Detroit. This not only inspires our students to save money for trips of their own; it also teaches the value of hard work and serving in different communities.
Most haven’t had these opportunities prior to joining the program. One of the places our students have gone is the Caribbean! Anthony Smith, director of the Landscape Academy, worked with students to set the dream of the impossible - a cruise in the Caribbean! Each student saved money to purchase a plane ticket, get their own passport and pay for the cruise ticket. The students earned this money themselves through the work done with the Landscape Academy, and now have first-hand experience on how hard work can pay off in fun ways. This experience will not soon be forgotten!
Other opportunities these students have been given is the chance to travel across the country to participate in a multitude of events. The team has driven to the Best Practices conference in Arizona via Route 66, driven down to Atlanta, Georgia, and even gone to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to swim in Lake Superior.
Because of your ongoing spiritual and financial support, you help our Landscape Academy students gain confidence in their abilities to learn new skills and apply them in a multitude of impactful contexts. On behalf of our students, we thank you for being a part of each student’s journey to make a difference in our community, and change the trajectory of lives for the better. Thank you for continuing to give.
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