In Inkster, a primarily black city right outside of Detroit, a third of residents under age 18 live below the poverty line.

After a nearby General Motors plant closed and people were struggling to meet their basic needs, residents collaborated to start an incredible organization invested in the community’s future: Operation Refuge.

Operation Refuge runs three programs to serve the community’s needs:

Leaders in Training, or L.I.T., which helps young people (ages 14-24) explore career options, build professional networks, and develop job skills while earning a stipend.
Camp Inspire, a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) program for girls of color in 5th-12th grade, to make up the gap in representation of women of color face in these fields.
Mother's Pantry, a client-choice food pantry that enables clients to select their own food, much like a grocery store, multiple times a month.

Your donation will keep the food pantry well-stocked this winter and will support kids’ education through scholarships, educational programming, and field trips.

I’ve been lucky to see first-hand how Operation Refuge encourages and empowers young people’s curiosity, innovation, and civic engagement. Pastor Velma Overman, the Executive Director of Operation Refuge, asked me to co-chair and help mentor Camp Inspire youth—an opportunity for which I’m very grateful.

The young women I’ve met in Camp Inspire are not only growing their confidence as students in school, but also developing their sense of responsibility to serve others, questioning injustice, and coming up with solutions.

One of those women is In’Dia, or Dia for short. A high school senior who went through the program, Dia is now one of its leaders, supporting and mentoring girls.

After hearing stories from her mother, a doctor who’s had to turn away patients who can’t afford care, Dia drafted legislation to ensure healthcare for everyone, called “Equal Health, No Matter Your Wealth”—which she gave to me to present to Congress. Amazing! We need more people like her, and we need to encourage their leadership.