DETROIT – The Go 4 It campaign is designed to uplift, educate, inspire, help and make lives better for those in Metro Detroit.
A year into the community campaign, Local 4 viewers have shown up every month making donations or learning skills that help save lives.
Tens of thousands of dollars have been donated. Some of the money raised for August’s Shoes for School event with Lace Up Detroit helped children all over. Parents were overwhelmed with the outreach of kindness.
---> Devin Scillian: The profound effect of giving a kid new shoes
“It was a weight lifted off my shoulders. I’m a mother of four girls and Christopher, so I have five children, and shoes are almost something we need every six months,” said Patricia Hoskins.
“It kind of brought tears to my eyes because you never know the support that’s out there,” said Tamika Jones.
At Capuchin Soup Kitchen, more than 23,000 socks were collected, 900 blankets and 4,600 towels. One of those towels landed in the hands of Jamal Bulock, a 45-year-old living in an abandoned home.
“I think a lot of people don’t realize what a shower gives you,” Bulock said. “Oh, my God, I feel like a new man. You know? I feel like a new man.”
In April, 322 comfort blankets were made for Gift of Life Michigan -- a record for the Michigan Donor Family Council. But the momentum grew and viewers have been asking to hold their own blanket-making parties like Local 4 did.
Waynette Hostetler, a resident of Grosse Pointe, and her church helped make 50 comfort blankets after a family in their congregation lost their 30-year-old son, who donated his organs to Gift of Life.
In October, viewers kept donating items for HAVEN -- a 24-hour emergency shelter for domestic violence and sexual assault victims -- even after the campaign ended.
More than 300 boxes were dropped off the day after and another 200+ the day after that.
The others who were helped from previous Go 4 It events started showing up to help others -- like the women from Lace Up Detroit who came to HAVEN to make their donations.
Read: ‘Go 4 It’ campaign transforms lives in Detroit with donations
2024 was an amazing year for Go 4 It. We reached lives we had no idea we could reach -- and we are so very excited to see what 2025 brings.
We want to honor those making a difference. Click here to nominate someone who’s Going 4 It in your community. We’ll be featuring your nominees every month on Local 4 and ClickOnDetroit.