Pictured: Volunteers from The Mighty Oak Project, AFC Ann Arbor, Washtenaw MBK, Formula 734, The Love Stand and Supreme Felons
On Sunday, AFC Ann Arbor and The Mighty Oak Project teamed up with Washtenaw My Brother’s Keeper and standout running back, Blake Corum to host the inaugural ‘Giving Back 2 Give Thanks.’
“The event went just how I envisioned. I had the chance to meet new people, throw the football around with the youth and see people smile. I will definitely be doing more projects in Ypsi throughout the year,” said Corum.
Teammates Blake Corum and Nikhai Hill-Green both frequented CLR Academy, the summer programming hosted by AFC Ann Arbor and Washtenaw MBK at Sycamore Meadows, which sparked Corum to lead the turkey giveaway initiative. Spending time in the community over the summer, Corum’s goal was to distribute 100 turkeys to the residents at Sycamore Meadows. After reaching out to Bilal Saeed (AFC Ann Arbor) and Jamall Bufford (Washtenaw My Brother’s Keeper), the plans started coming together for something bigger.
“We were inspired to see such a young brother take the initiative to support residents at The Green (Sycamore Meadows) and Parkridge is such a great community partner, I felt it was important to support that area as well,” said WMBK Project Specialist, Jamall Bufford.
After Bufford and WMBK stepped up, Milk Means More followed suit by providing a milk grant which provided a gallon of regular milk and half gallon of chocolate milk along with each turkey. The Love Stand, located in Depot Town Ypsilanti at 315 N River St, and known for its “Take Freely & Give Cheerfully” mantra, added mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, applesauce and green beans to go in every package as well. Watershed Hospitality Group provided the foil cooking trays to complete the package.
“The outpouring of community care we’ve received during the pandemic from the good people of Ypsilanti has resulted in thousands of donations which allowed us to support this event with some additional love. The joy of this event was felt truly felt by all. What I will remember best is the smiles coupled with the beauty of human spirit to Give Cheerfully,” said Love Stand Steward, Tyler Weston.
100 meals were distributed at Sycamore Meadows by volunteers from The Mighty Oak Project, Washtenaw My Brother’s Keeper, The Love Stand and Formula 734. Those volunteers were joined by Brian Marolf of the Main Street Hooligans, Emily Eitzman of the women’s team, co-owner Mike Lorenc and long time AFC Ann Arbor coach, Eric Rudland.
The next 100 turkeys were distributed on the south side of Ypsi at Parkridge Community Center (where AFC Ann Arbor hosted a summer soccer camp). This location was headed up by local legends, the Supreme Felons as well as CLR Academy Director, Justin Harper and all of the volunteers from the first site.
“Blake inspired us all to step because of what he wanted to do to give back and as soon as we were able to find some turkeys, we started reaching out to local partners and they all stepped up. The event on the south side wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Anthony Williamson from Parkridge Community Center and Supreme Felons. This is their community and no one cares for it more than they do,” stated AFC Ann Arbor Chair and co-owner, Bilal Saeed.
“I will definitely be doing more projects in Ypsi throughout the year.”
About AFC Ann Arbor
AFCAA aims to use the communal aspect of soccer to positively impact our community, while creating opportunities for our players and fostering an equitable sporting environment for supporters, staff, owners, players and the community. The club is driven to make an impact in the community, with an emphasis on creating opportunity for players, while focusing on building the AFC Ann Arbor family. AFC Ann Arbor are dedicated towards fighting racism within soccer and in our community.
About Washtenaw My Brother’s Keeper
Washtenaw County My Brother’s Keeper (WMBK) is a county-wide transformation and collective empowerment collaborative. As President Barack Obama launched the My Brother’s Keeper Challenge in February 2014, WMBK took on the MBK Challenge and became a local affiliate in 2015. WMBK represents one of over 200 communities nationally, and a dozen within Michigan, to have accepted the MBK Community Challenge. MBK communities at large seek to establish cradle to career pathways of success for young men of color in cities, counties, and tribal communities nationwide. WMBK uses tools such as cross-sector partnerships, holding space for intergenerational connection, community-based planning and advocacy to transform the lives of boys and men of color in the county.