By MaCayla Jablonski, Staff Reporter.
Chyesa Wade, 19, is personally buying water for the citizens of Flint for her Change Your World Week assignment. But that’s not all she’s doing: Starting next month, Wade is starting a donation drive to collect food, money, clothing, water filters, etc. to aid those affected by the Flint Water Crisis.
Wade is a freshman at Delta College with big ambitions to help the community. “I want to be a Civil Rights activist,” Wade says. “I’m all into [Civil Rights issues.”
Originally, Wade planned on focusing her Change Your World Week project on prison populations, or recalling Governor Synder. However, she found donating to her neighbors in Flint far more rewarding.
After deciding the topic of her project, Wade spoke with her professor, Lisa Lawrason, about the subject to see whether or not it was possible to do. Lawrason also thought it was a great idea and started a water drive for Flint too after hearing the idea.
Wade went searching for help and found the Ezekiel Project, a non-profit religious organization. One of the members of Ezekiel, Jamie Forbes, influenced Wade to shift her idea to donating food, money, clothes, filters, etc. instead of water. “[Flint] got their money from Governor Synder, so they don’t need water anymore. What they need is money,” says Wade.
After she personally buys and delivers water to the city, Wade plans to dive directly into her next project for Flint. She plans to partner with local organizations in Flint so they can be the ones directly handling money for the people in need and carry some of her responsibilities. “I was inspired by my Change Your World Week assignment, but I feel like we have to be part of the chain,” shares Wade. “They are our neighbors. They need help.”
Wade will be passing out flyers around Delta College including details for her next project. She encourages people to step up in their communities and to give back. If you’d like to be a part of this change, feel free to contact Chyesa Wade at chyesawade@delta.edu.
