About a year ago, Bryan Smith approached an acquaintance, Erik Meier. Both were young, active, ambitious entrepreneurs who had been introduced by a mutual friend. Bryan wanted to gather a group of like minded people to have an impact in the community and help each other out in their business lives as well.
“I just wanted to have a little more community impact and have a group of tight-knit individuals who could work together to accomplish something outside of our day-to-day jobs,” Bryan says. “We didn’t have a specific agenda or fundraising project in mind, and when we came together everyone had an idea or connection that made us realize we could accomplish some things.”
That meeting ended up being very fortuitous for the South Oakland YMCA. It resulted in a group of about eight young men who called themselves The Detroit Initiative. Through fundraising events, they have raised about $4,000 for the Strong Kids Campaign, and have promised to up that to $5,000 through a golf outing they are holding in September.
Erik was already on the board of the Strong Kids Campaign for the South Oakland Y, and as the group formed he made the case for its deserving the group’s support.
Scott Hankins, another Y board member, and Erik were already planning a charity event with the NFL Players Association, who raised funds for the Strong Kids Campaign; the group also pooled their resources for a “Get To Know the Y” night at the popular Black Finn bar in Royal Oak. Members who worked for bigger companies also asked that Strong Kids be included in their companies’ charitable giving.
All of the members of the group are in their late 20s or early 30s, which means a lot of youthful energy for the Y and also a chance for the Y to spread the word about all the good work they do among a segment of the community that may not be aware of the breadth and depth of the Y’s mission. Erik admits that even he didn’t realize the extent of what the Y did before he joined the board.
And now, thanks to the efforts of the Detroit Initiative, more people can go to camp, take classes, and be part of the Y community. The group plans to expand its reach to other causes while continuing to support the Strong Kids Campaign.
Joining Bryan and Erik are Jeff Glover, Rocelious Goodson, Mike Brown, Dario Chiarini, Trevor Weston, Rob Vogelei, Dr. Brandon Gordon and Tracy Parent-Morse.