One day in 2015, Michigan-based lawyer, Mike Morse realized how deprived children studying in local Detroit schools were. So he went ahead and donated 400 backpacks along with school supplies, in May, to a school in the city. It was at this point of time that he understood that this effort just wasn’t enough. Till then Morse had no clue that most children in the city were carrying garbage bags to school instead of backpacks. On September 9, 2015, the lawyer, in association with the ‘Kids in Need Foundation’ gave away 23,000 backpacks that were filled with 270,264 pencils, 720,704 crayons and other essential supplies to children belonging to kindergarten through fifth grade of Edison Elementary School, Detroit, Michigan.
How much did he single-handedly spend on this donation? About a quarter of a million dollars. However, according to Mike, it isn’t the money that matters, but the fact that these children have what they absolutely need in order to obtain quality education. As First Grade teachers, Karen Russell and Danita Webb say, having new stuff instead of hand-me-downs always inculcates a sense of belonging in the child who has seen poverty all his life, and hence Morse’s gesture is thoroughly appreciated. Mike says that as parents we often take the list of school supplies for granted. We never stop to think how some children might afford it, and hence this attempt at providing children what they require the most. Such a kind deed not only benefits the recipient, but also the giver. Ask the attorney how he felt, and he admits that his eyes were filled with tears, at the joy he saw on the children’s faces. While Marcus Davenport, principal, Edison Elementary School, is grateful to Morse and thinks what he has done is phenomenal, he also adds in a word of advice for his students, “It’s important that people give to you when you’re in need, but you don’t want to be a recipient all your life. You want to be the person that’s giving. And I encourage my students to one day be in this same position, to make the world a better place”.
With more than 16 million children from the US, who live in dire poverty, there are many who want to help but do not know how to do so. For those benevolent citizens of the world, Mike suggests they log onto his website and make a contribution that they can afford. If you think children in need, deserve all the help and the support that we can provide them, share this video, and log onto www.855mikewins.com to make a contribution.
