Giving Back(packs!)

Law firm provides 33,000 backpacks,
school supplies to Detroit students.

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42 August 25 • 2016

P

encils? Check. Glue sticks?
Check. Notebooks, folders,
crayons, water bottles and
other must-have school supplies were
all stuffed into brand new backpacks
that will soon be distributed to 33,000
Detroit Public School (DPS) students
in grades K-8.
Hundreds of volunteers formed an
assembly line in the storage area of the
Meijer store on Middlebelt Road in
Livonia to get the massive packing job
done. The three-day effort took place
Aug. 12-14.
“To be able to do something for the
city of Detroit and help schoolchildren
and families who may not be able afford
these things is fantastic,” said Alan
Rosenthal of Huntington Woods. He
volunteered along with his wife, Mara.
“I think about my own kids,”
Rosenthal added. “It’s a great feeling to
know we’re making a difference.”
The Mike Morse Law Firm donated
more than $300,000 to sponsor the
initiative dubbed “Project Backpack
Detroit.” Last year, the firm handed out
23,000 backpacks to all DPS students
in grades K-5. This year, they part-
nered with Meijer to expand the pro-
gram, providing backpacks and school
supplies to 10,000 more children.
“Meijer sold us the supplies at their
cost and helped with logistics, the
warehouse, shipping and delivery,”
Morse explained. “They’ve been a
great partner.”
He says the idea for the project grew
out of his passion for justice and father-
ly instinct. Morse has three daughters.
His two youngest, Ella, 14, and Lexie, 8,
were among the volunteers tossing fully
stuffed backpacks onto a heaping pile
that grew taller throughout the day.
“Some of the teachers who were here
told me that only about 5 percent of
the children come to school prepared,”
he said. “When I heard that, it made
me sad and I wanted to do something.
I’m all about fairness and winning. I
want these kids to be able to win and
to level the playing field by providing
backpacks and supplies.”
Alycia Meriweather, interim super-
intendent for DPS, said, “This can
be a major game-changer for some
students. Being able to start the school
year with appropriate supplies is a

Robin Schwartz

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Off
Any Purchase

Robin Schwartz | Contributing Writer

Attorney Mike Morse in front of a
growing pile of backpacks

Alex Pearlman and Ella Morse, both of
Huntington Woods

great first step toward being well pre-
pared for a successful school year.”
The colorful backpacks will be dis-
tributed during the first week of school
in September. Morse’s goal is to con-
tinue to expand the project statewide.
“It’s all about giving back and help-
ing fix this world,” Morse said. “I grew
up with Jewish parents teaching me
about charity and tikkun olam [repair-
ing the world] and this is my way of
doing it.”

*

To learn more about Project Backpack Detroit, go
to 855mikewins.com or call (855) 645-3946.