Not every lesson takes place in a classroom. Each summer, City Mission receives grant funding to hire Brightmoor youth for employment. The grants make it possible for the students to earn money but, more importantly, it gives us an opportunity to provide training in life lessons, skills and goal setting.
For six to eight weeks, Denzell Taylor, Da’Shay Turner, Donte Love, Yvette Evans, Brandon Mayes and Taylor Brantley are primarily responsible for maintaining the City Mission building and grounds, assisting with summer program support and completing their weekly assignments in their employability training workbooks.
City Mission Mantenance Director Khalid Peterson supervises the summer employees and can sum up their work experience with one word.
“Responsibility. Whether it is coming in on time, keeping up with their own work plans, clocking out on time or doing their assignments on time,” Peterson said. “I would have to say they are learning responsibility.”
In between washing windows, cleaning bathrooms, taking out garbage and looking after the little ones in our summer programs, Peterson said he also engages the students on life lessons related to integrity, dignity and common sense.
“We are about turning boys into men and girls into ladies.” Peterson said. “Most of our children are just growing up. Nobody is out there to off set the negative influences confronting them. City Mission serves that purpose. We might not see our flowers bloom for years down the line, but we’ve got to keep doing it.”
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