Volunteer of the Year - Kenyetta Dotson

Kenyetta Dotson has been at the forefront of bettering the lives of residents of Flint. She has dedicated countless hours to help youth and families in the community. Born and raised in Flint, she grew up witnessing a very negative environment, but what she saw made her become involved. Witnessing so much trauma throughout her life is why she became a social worker, a mentor, an educator and community volunteer. In 16 years, she has served nearly 13,000 hours. For the last two years, Kenyetta has been working on crisis recovery, tirelessly putting together resources and instilling hope. She also serves to make the community a safer place to live, work and play. Kenyetta is founder of WOW Outreach, a nonprofit organization striving to eliminate the tolerance for violence. She also sits as board president of the YWCA, helping to serve women and children recovering from domestic violence and sexual assault. She has been responsible for developing, growing and strengthening numerous nonprofit organizations that focus on Flint community issues. She has volunteered at the Salvation Army, mentored youth groups at Flint schools and served on the Flint Board of Education. “Her involvement stems from grassroots all the way up to the political arena. Kenyetta is known for getting into the trenches, taking action and initiating change. Her voice is heard loud and clear in our community, as she faithfully advocates change and strives to promote community engagement,” said fellow volunteer Melecia Scott.