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Detroit Michigan

Making Good At East Detroit High School

Isn’t it heartwarming to learn about projects that give back to others, especially when kids are involved? Recently Popular Mechanics started an initiative called, Making Good, to help American schools that are struggling financially. The popular magazine and brand realized that while many schools may need textbooks, ball fields, and higher teacher salaries, they also need furniture.

Popular Mechanics teamed up with DonorsChoose.org to find teachers in need. DonorsChoose.org is a wonderful organization that allows teachers to crowdfund projects for their own classrooms.

They then connected teachers with makers who skills matched the projects. 24 craftspeople volunteered to build exactly what the students needed.

One of the schools was East Detroit High School which is in Eastpointe, one of the most impoverished towns in America. On top of that, the school was hit hard when it’s budget was cut by nearly $5.6 million in a single year.

Even so music teacher, Joe Chouinard, wanted to find a way to help the program. The marching, jazz, and concert bands had won numerous awards since the school opened in the early 1920’s. Over the years they had collected more than 1,000 sets of sheet music which was haphazardly stacked in a back room.

He posted a request on DonorsChoose.org for funds to create a music library.

In March, the deadline was approaching and the project was $3,191 short of it’s goal.

Popular Mechanics contacted the music teacher and offered to help. They also decided to build a new percussion cabinet. They reached out to Tech Shop at their Allen Park location which is only 20 miles from the school got to work right away.

Within 5 days, a team of seven makers built the music library shelves and percussion cabinet and had them installed free of charge.

The before and after photos are in the June edition of Popular Mechanics. Check them out, the difference is amazing!

Poopular MechanicsThe teachers were grateful and now it’s hard to get the kids to leave the newly constructed music library.


About Tesa Nicolanti

I’m Tesa, the mom behind 2 Wired 2 Tired, a blog named after our two kids born a year apart, who my husband and I always said were too wired, leaving us too tired. :) Since 2009, I’ve shared tips on family, travel, and tech, with coffee always in hand. Now, as the kids head to college, 2 Wired 2 Tired continues as a place for family travel ideas, helpful gadgets, and insights on keeping family life fun and easy.

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Comments

  1. Heather Hayes Panjon says

    June 12, 2015 at 2:23 am

    Such A Heartwarming Story, I Love That The Music Program Was Saved And Everyone Came Together To Help.

  2. ellen beck says

    June 12, 2015 at 1:41 am

    It is olways nice to see companies help out with things that matter. So many schools have lost music programs, and other things that made school fun and were for some a way to go to college (music scholarships) I think this is great.

  3. Amanda Sakovitz says

    June 11, 2015 at 2:05 pm

    What a wonderful cause! Music is so important!

  4. Edward says

    June 11, 2015 at 1:41 pm

    Organizations like this are awesome.

Hey there! I’m Tesa, the mom behind 2 Wired 2 Tired. The blog got its name because we have two kids born a year apart and my husband, Dave, and I always joked that "the kids were too wired and we were too tired!" :)

Fast forward a bit—now the kids are off to college (how did that happened so fast!) and since 2009, I’ve been blogging through the chaos, coffee in hand, finding the best in family, travel, and tech—because honestly, who has time for bad gadgets and boring trips?

So, whether you're searching for family travel inspiration, tech gadgets, or tips to enhance family life, you're in the right place because the fun (and the coffee) is always brewing around here!

If you'd like to contact me, please fill out the contact form under the About Me section of the site.

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