Michigan youth leading Global Youth Service Day projects

At age 5 Caleb White jumped into his parents' car on a cold Michigan winter night, shivering. 

As the vehicle pulled away to return home from a circus in Detroit, Caleb noticed a man lying on the sidewalk.

“Mom, why is that man on the side of the street?”

“He is homeless,” his mother, Melissa Kennedy, responded.

Puzzled, Caleb paused.

“What does homeless mean?” he asked.

The answer changed Caleb’s life, along with those close to him and the countless others who have benefited from his efforts to help the homeless.

“I really didn’t like that feeling of being cold,” Caleb said. “I just really wanted to help from there, because I didn’t think anyone should be out there. I didn’t judge him on why he was there. I just wanted help.”

The Caleb White Project

Since that night, Caleb, now 13, has been serving the less-fortunate nearly year round with his foundation, the Caleb White Project.

Each winter the foundation collects, sorts, wraps and distributes care packages to homeless Detroit residents. In seven years he has handed out more than 700 boxes that include hats, gloves, socks, hand warmers, food and toiletries.

In the fall, he is dedicated to ensuring children have everything they need to begin the school year. Caleb, an eighth-grader at Clifford Smart Middle School in Commerce Township, helps host a school carnival, where children are provided backpacks filled with supplies, receive free haircuts and food – and a lot of fun.

Caleb’s service is contagious in his family. His 8-year-old brother, Noah Kennedy, wanted to get involved in service as well. The brothers started a game night at Genesis House II, a women and children’s shelter in Detroit. One Saturday a month they have fun with pizza, pop and board games.

“It’s amazing to get to know people and know their stories. I love making those one-on-one connections,” Caleb said.

In 2015, Prudential Spirit of Community Awards officials selected Caleb as one of the top 10 youth volunteers in the United States.

Some skeptics may question if a 13-year-old is capable of so much on his own. While Caleb receives a lot of support from his family, school and classmates, he has been a tireless leader every step of the way.

“He’s always been the driving force behind every project,” said Melissa Kennedy. “Even when I am ready to take a break, he wants to keep going and it’s hard to say no.”

Global Youth Service Day

Caleb will complete his biggest project yet on April 16, 2016 – Global Youth Service Day. He is leading a project to create small libraries inside 10 Detroit homeless shelters. He’s had help from 3,000 volunteers to make it happen, including 10 youth leaders like himself managing the project at each shelter.

They will be among thousands of youth volunteers across Michigan participating in Global Youth Service Day (GYSD), tackling issues including education, economic opportunity, health, clean energy and environmental stewardship, hunger, homelessness, supporting veterans and military families, and public safety. Established in 1988 by Youth Service America, GYSD is the largest service event in the world and is now celebrated in more than 100 countries. On GYSD, children and youth address the world's most critical issues in partnership with families, schools, community and faith-based organizations, businesses, and governments.

More Michigan GYSD projects

In addition to Caleb’s homeless shelter library project, many Michigan youth will be making a difference on GYSD across the state.

Youth Service America, founder and supporter of GYSD, selected Caleb’s foundation, along with the Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC) and the Michigan Nonprofit Association, as GYSD lead agencies in Michigan. All three agencies received grant funding to support youth volunteer projects, with MCSC providing mini grants to 25 projects all across the state.

“Engaging youth in volunteerism is an incredibly rewarding experience for everyone involved,” said Ginna Holmes, MCSC executive director. “We are proud to support these projects and assist youth in making a difference in their communities.”

As a lead agency, MCSC also has partnered with Michigan State University, the United Way of Genesee County and several Flint organizations to hold a day of service in Flint. This project will engage 200 volunteers in several projects, including preparing raised garden beds, constructing greenhouse tents from recycled water bottles, removing blight, conducting neighborhood safety audits and preparing rain barrels.

The other projects funded by MCSC will include boarding up vacant homes in Detroit on routes that children walk to school, community cleanups, childhood hunger packages, environmental education and more.

Nearly 2,000 youth volunteers in Michigan will complete close to 10,000 volunteer hours during projects taking place on or around April 15, 16, and 17. Visit GYSD.org to see how you can get involved.

Caleb encourages everyone to go out and do something.

“Go out and help someone,” Caleb said. “It can be something small. It doesn’t have to be huge. You don’t have to be a nonprofit. You can go out and help a neighbor or help somebody. Small things can make a big difference.”