At Local 4, the Go 4 It campaign highlights people, businesses, and organizations making a difference in the community.
Live in the D’s reporter, April Morton, stopped by an event put on by “Sound Mind, Sound Body,” a youth mentoring organization in Detroit that’s changing lives for thousands, and she spoke with a Harper Woods Football star on how they helped shape his life.
“Today we are celebrating after-school programs, just out here giving back,” said Dakota Guerant, an 11th-grade High School Football Standout.
Guerant, along with fellow players from Harper Woods High School, and football players and cheerleaders from Martin Luther King Jr. High School, were out mentoring kids during a Halloween event at Carleton Elementary School on Detroit’s east side.
“We do events like this all the time,” Guerant said.
By we, he means through an organization he’s been a part of since the age of five.
“Sound Mind, Sound Body is a mentoring organization for young people in the metro Detroit area. We work with over 9,000 students year-round,” said Curtis Blackwell, the organization’s President and Co-Founder.
Blackwell said their main focus was on the whole child’s development. They use athletics and extracurricular programs to engage young people in the skills they need to develop.
The organization has been around for over 20 years, and as part of their initiative, they use sports to connect with students and teach them that sports should receive the same energy as their studies.
To see the entire story, please click the video above.