Takeisa Word moved to Brightmoor last year for public housing, but she really didn’t want to stay. Her family members live around Sterling Heights and Warren. She thought about moving out of the community, but has two very personal reasons why she can’t; her sons, Remus and Rasheed Hawkins, are enrolled at City Mission Academy.
“I’m trying to take the school with me,” she said jokingly. “I think it’s a wonderful school. The boys are doing much better than they were in public school,” she said.
Takeisa was introduced to City Mission through a friend who enrolled her child in the tutoring program last year. Takeisha went with her to sign up her boys for tutoring too, that’s when learned about City Mission Academy.
Unfortunately, there was only one opening, she was told. Just Rasheed could come and join the second/third grade class.
“I’ve got two boys, I need both of them to come,” she told the City Mission staff. “They told me to fill out the application anyway and they’ll see what we they can do, but they didn’t think they’d have enough room.”
Twenty minutes later she received the call that her older son, Remus, could come as well, “Thank you, Jesus,” she said.
The family hasn’t been with City Mission long, but Takeisa said they quickly realized City Mission Academy is very different than your typical school.
“Most school don’t do what they do,” she said. “Like bringing you food and presents at Christmas time. I was so shocked. I got so much stuff for them I didn’t have to spend any money,” she said, “Schools don’t do that.”
It’s not just her boys that are doing better, Takeisa is too. She signed up for the adult tutoring class on Thursday mornings through City Mission’s Family Independence Planning Program. The class is preparing her to take the GED.
“It’s going good, really good,” she said. “They not only have helped my family, they’ve helped me. They are more than a school, they’re like a family.”
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