INKSTER, Mich. (WXYZ) — Get A Life Services, an Inkster-based non-profit, is currently hosting it's sixth annual Boys2Men free life skills summer camp.
Dr. Leon Crawford is Senior Pastor at Citi Praise Church in Inkster. He's also the Get A Life Services CEO. He and first lady, Pastor Priscilla Crawford, say while preaching is nice, they want to make a difference.
“Get in the community, roll your sleeves up and get one-on-one with people," Leon said. "Singing and shouting from the pulpit, it’s good. It’s effective. But, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
“It makes me not feel as tired," Priscilla said. "As you know, it takes energy. It takes resources. It takes that go power, that I don’t wanna quit. I’m not gonna quit.”
Every Sunday in August. over 120 young men and women ages 9 to 18 learn necessary life skills, like how to maintain a car, tie a tie and dating etiquette and carpentry skills, among other things.
“These right here are your jumper cables. Okay?" said instructed Chris Cohen. "You’ve got red and black. Alright. Red means positive. Black means negative.”
“First, you need to straighten it out, then you cross it over," said camp participant Caleb Cummings on what he's learned about tying a tie. "Put the big one and then put the big one so it goes over, then you take the big one and put it under.”
“What it does for me is, it makes me feel good cause I wanna know how to treat a woman, make sure she feels respected," said X’zavier Crawford on what he's learned about dating etiquette.
“It feels good knowing that people care about you and that people want you to learn and grow and want you to learn stuff that you don’t know," Caleb said.
Camp participants aren't just from the Metro Detroit area; some are even coming from other states. Octavia Richardson brought her son, Adrian, all the way from Roanoke, Virginia.
“It really makes me feel good. And, it makes me feel safe that I have, you know, that I can bring my son here and to know that he’s not gonna be sitting around idle," Octavia said. "He has some things that he can be doing while he’s here. ”
And hearing the success stories certainly makes camp organizers feel good.
“When that parent comes back with a testimony to say, my child benefitted by this, it gives me a sense of peace," Priscilla said.
“My son did well in that program," Leon said. "And now, he’s serving our country. He’s in the Navy right now as we speak. Thank you so much. And so, when I get those stories and I see these kids. And, I see them lighten up, man it’s like 'wooh!'”
The camp ends on Sunday, August 25, as participants will celebrate the program completion by having a pool party with pizza and drinks. They'll also take part in a graduation ceremony, where they receive a certificate along with a brand-new shirt and tie.
