Volunteers at Pontiac school shows kids how to dress for success
PONTIAC, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Most would say giving students the tools to push them forward in life is one of the greatest ways to give back.
With the help of volunteers from Amazon, kids at a Pontiac elementary school are now dressed to impress.
Amazon Community Outreach Lead, Torre Brown, says setting young boys up for success starts with dressing up.
"How to tie a tie, how to shake a hand, how to introduce yourself, how to look somebody in the eye," Brown said. "If you dress up, you feel a little bit better about yourself, and we're really trying to boost everybody's self-esteem," Brown goes on to say.
Growing up in Pontiac, Brown understands the impression of a nice suit. This week, he and a team of volunteers from Amazon and Men's Warehouse came to Herrington Elementary School.
They provided brand-new dress shirts and ties to nearly 100 kids and taught them the basics of dress etiquette and how to tie a tie.
"We're getting our young boys ready for the real world," said Herrington Elementary School Principal Michael Mickens.
Mickens says while many kids at the school come from underserved communities, he's hoping this event inspires them to dream big.
"We've been explaining to the boys that it is essential that they dress professional. We talk to them all the time about getting careers opposed to jobs. The only way they can attain that is by being professional in your look and in your demeanor," Mickens stated.
With a little practice, the students got the hang of it.
"I had one young man come up to me and say I feel like a man now and it just warmed my heart. Like, that's what we want. We wanted a transformational change," said Brown.
Brown says Amazon plans to start a mentorship program for kids at Herrington Elementary in the fall.
If successful, the company hopes to expand the program across the Pontiac School District.
"This is the beginning of many partnerships with Amazon," said Mickens.
Mickens also says that every Tuesday moving forward, the boys will participate in a school activity called "Tie Up Tuesdays" where they dress in their shirt and tie.
