We’ve grown and accomplished so much since our conception in 2016. And of course, none of it would have been possible without the power of our community and those who support us. Check out below for some highlights of our 5 Year Story :) Here’s to many more!
In the last five years, we’ve visited over 400 students across four elementary schools in Southeastern Michigan, specifically in Detroit, Flint, and Pontiac.
I aspired for the charity to operate on the premise of building personal connections with youth early on in their academic careers and focusing on the heart. In these visits, we created customized art, reading, narrative writing, gratitude, and self-empowerment workshops.
Along with these educational workshops, we integrated speaking on the importance of loving one another and helping out wherever you can, in hopes of instilling early messages of kindness and compassion that they can carry with them throughout the rest of their lives.
The resounding theme in our efforts so far is to equip these students with supplemental curriculum for academic and personal development, and more importantly, to let them know they have cheerleaders, friends, and mentors in the community who want to support them in their success.
A core element behind starting For Brighter Days was how inspired I felt around my peers and friends in my local Rochester Hills community. I was surrounded by a community of students with a diverse array of talents and passions that I knew would add so much value to the work we were doing.
Growing up here, I also knew their heart for service and desire to make a difference. When I created this charity, it was a natural fit that they’d be the ones to help fundraise, brainstorm new ideas, pack care packages, and spend the day with the students we visited.
All 50+ volunteers range from freshmen to seniors at Adams High School, University of Michigan, and Michigan State University. With our team, the elementary students we visited had exposure to leaders and mentors (especially females!) pursuing careers in photography, journalism, music, professional athletics, medicine, engineering, computer science, law, and business.
Over the last 5 years, these volunteers and their families supported FBD through can and food drives, social media fundraisers, and restaurant nights. Their enthusiasm and encouragement is what got us here today.
Between family and friend donations, fundraisers, and grants, we’ve hit a remarkable achievement of raising over $15,000.
A few goals for the future of For Brighter Days fall under fundraising, scaling, and developing new workshops.
Fundraising
We plan to continue fundraising efforts in hopes to raise twice as much in the next five years, as well as to continue to donate a portion of these contributions in Cooper Salsberry’s name to the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Foundation.
Scaling
With the experience of four care package events under our belts, we plan to more run more than one event a year in our Southeastern Michigan school districts, and as the executive board graduates, we’re thinking ahead in finding ways to give to communities that extend beyond Michigan.
New Workshops
As mentioned, we’ve traditionally held reading, writing, art, and self-empowerment workshops with the students we visit. Currently, we’re working with various partners and organizations to develop new programs that include STEM boxes, music education, mindfulness exercises, and early financial literacy & decision-making skills.
We’re so incredibly blessed to have the support system and means to bring this dream project to reality, and look forward to many more years of leading with impact, love, and empathy.
