Anthony and Earlina Adams have lived in Brightmoor for over 10 years and have seen a lot of the goings on in their community. They saw the good work City Mission was doing with young people in the neighborhood and decided to enroll their niece, Angelique Miller, at City Mission Academy. 

"I would just call City Mission a guardian angel," said Earlina Adams. "They give so much of themselves and their time, not just to the kids at City Mission Academy but throughout the Brightmoor area," she said.  "When they help the kids they're helping the parents. I believe that's what they're doing; they're helping everyone."

The Adams took custody of Angelique after her mother passed. She has attended City Mission Academy for the past three years. Now a fourth-grader, her close-knit family reflects on the positive influences CMA has made in her life.

"She was a pretty smart kid before she went to City Mission," said uncle Anthony Adams. "She could read already. Now she's growing up and she's growing up pretty good being around most of the people at City Mission," he said.

Angelique's grandmother has seen a change too. "She is more well-behaved since she's been going to City Mission," said Audrey Miller. "She is not as emotionally upset as she was at the other school."

City Mission Academy stands apart from the other neighborhood schools because it incorporates faith-based principles into its curriculum. It reinforces Angelique's spiritual upbringing; aunt Earlina likes that.

"Angelique takes it upon herself to read her bible, we don't force her. She always wants to go to church. She goes with her grandmother; she used to go with her grandfather and her mom used to take her," she said.

Earlina also notices something else about her 9 year-old niece.

"She is coming out of that little shell she was in. She's a big girl now and I'm very proud of her," she said.  "I know City Mission had a lot to do with that as well as myself, her uncle and her grandma, and I appreciate them, I really do."

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