Filter heroes statewide, by region or by cause.
DeAndre Chilton Sr
Flint
Hero Story
DeAndre Chilton Sr. serves as the lead advisor for the Alpha Esquire Mentoring and Leadership Program. Prior to COVID-19, Mr. Chilton would meet with the young men in the program every Monday for study table and twice a month on Saturday. Instead of using COVID-19 as an excuse to stop meeting, Mr. Chilton used his own money to purchase a Zoom account which he uses to continue meeting with young men. Recognizing the challenges associated with zoom fatigue and short attend span for teenage boys, Mr. Chilton found innovative ways to engage and motivate the young men. An example would be the financial literacy workshop, which is normally conducted in a two or three-hour in-person workshop, this year it was broken down into smaller modules and conducted over a four-week period with interactive activities. At the conclusion of the workshop series, participants were provided a donation to their personal savings account.
To make sure the young men also maintained healthy reading habits, a book club was started. The book chosen to be read was purchased by Mr. Chilton's fraternity (Alpha Phi Alpha, Epsilon Upsilon Lambda Chapter) and Mr. Chilton personally drove around Genesee County to deliver the books to all 25 members of the program.
During the Monday study table meetings, academic progress was constantly tracked and supported in the form of tutorial services provided where required. At the end of the academic school year, Mr. Chilton was able to report that all 25 members of the program either maintained or improved their pre-COVID-19 GPA. Finally, Mr. Chilton found socially distanced, safe community service activities for the young men to participate in, including several food giveaways hosted by Grace Emanuel Baptist Church.
It's important to note that serving as the Lead Advisor for the Alpha Esquires is a volunteer position. Mr. Chilton is the married father of three very active teenage children and employed by the Social Security Administration.
The bottom line is that Mr. Chilton has given his time, talent, and treasure to ensure the right resources are available and to find innovative ways to engage and motivate the participants in the COVID-19 era.
DeAndre Chilton Sr
Flint
Hero Story
DeAndre Chilton Sr. serves as the lead advisor for the Alpha Esquire Mentoring and Leadership Program. Prior to COVID-19, Mr. Chilton would meet with the young men in the program every Monday for study table and twice a month on Saturday. Instead of using COVID-19 as an excuse to stop meeting, Mr. Chilton used his own money to purchase a Zoom account which he uses to continue meeting with young men. Recognizing the challenges associated with zoom fatigue and short attend span for teenage boys, Mr. Chilton found innovative ways to engage and motivate the young men. An example would be the financial literacy workshop, which is normally conducted in a two or three-hour in-person workshop, this year it was broken down into smaller modules and conducted over a four-week period with interactive activities. At the conclusion of the workshop series, participants were provided a donation to their personal savings account.
To make sure the young men also maintained healthy reading habits, a book club was started. The book chosen to be read was purchased by Mr. Chilton's fraternity (Alpha Phi Alpha, Epsilon Upsilon Lambda Chapter) and Mr. Chilton personally drove around Genesee County to deliver the books to all 25 members of the program.
During the Monday study table meetings, academic progress was constantly tracked and supported in the form of tutorial services provided where required. At the end of the academic school year, Mr. Chilton was able to report that all 25 members of the program either maintained or improved their pre-COVID-19 GPA. Finally, Mr. Chilton found socially distanced, safe community service activities for the young men to participate in, including several food giveaways hosted by Grace Emanuel Baptist Church.
It's important to note that serving as the Lead Advisor for the Alpha Esquires is a volunteer position. Mr. Chilton is the married father of three very active teenage children and employed by the Social Security Administration.
The bottom line is that Mr. Chilton has given his time, talent, and treasure to ensure the right resources are available and to find innovative ways to engage and motivate the participants in the COVID-19 era.