Community Outreach: U Lead by Example
Story and Photos By Malissa Martin
Children learn certain habits from their parents. One habit Kym Stewart, 48, learned from her father was community service. “My family has always been involved in the community. I’ve always gotten myself involved in different activities,” Stewart says. The Charter Township of Royal Oak resident says she started going to the library to see what activities she could do with the kids. “They told me to get on the library board, so I got elected to the board.” Stewart explains.
After awhile, Stewart realized she could do more. Her brother Shawn owned a nonprofit organization called UleadByExample. However, he was busy taking care of their sick father so he passed the leadership to Kym. “I always let him know this is your organization. I’m not going to change the name. I’m not going to change anything about it, but if you want to come back or step back up that’s fine too,” Stewart explains. She teamed up with her long-time friend Timothy Bell to assist with running the organization.
Almost immediately, Stewart, a mother of five adult children, began working with the kids in her community. Initially Stewart worked with teenagers by taking them on different field trips and “just hanging out with them like the big brother, big sister program. Then I saw that the younger children weren’t getting involved. That’s where it just led elsewhere, because the younger children grabbed my attention and they wanted to know and do different stuff.” Stewart explains. She mostly works with kids ages 5 to 16. “I’ll say about maybe twice a week I’ll get around 45 to 55 kids.”
The first on-going activity Stewart created was round table conversations for the kids to be able to discuss issues that directly relate to them. In addition to roundtable conversations, Stewart started a tutoring program. The tutors, including Stewart’s youngest, attend Kalamazoo Valley College. “They come down maybe once a week or maybe every other week depending on who calls,” Stewart explains.
She’s also hosted Poetry in the Park every other Friday this past summer. Poetry in the Park gives the children the opportunity to creatively express themselves. “An example I use for the children is: If you want to grab the microphone and scream at the top of your lungs, that’s your expression.” Stewart explains.
Other activities Stewart has presented for the kids include: Fieldtrips to museums around the Metro Detroit area, Love Your Children’s Day Dance, pumpkin carving, and a Halloween party. “My last event was the Halloween party. I had well over 200 people there and I had the pony rides, bonfires, arts and crafts. Again we had some more pumpkins set out…music, food.” Stewart has already begun planning Christmas events for the children, including a Christmas party. “I adopted six kids for Christmas, I’m doing coats for kids and we’re going to giveaway five turkeys to families in need.”
Since taking over the nonprofit Stewart says she’s seen changes in the children in her community. “The kids get along a lot better, they problem-solve a lot better, they’re engaging with their parents a lot more, and trying to get their parents out more.” Stewart says.
Events and activities for the kids are paid for primarily by Stewart. “I have volunteers that work with me, but it’s mainly just me providing for them.”
Giving back is something Stewart says comes naturally to her and she has no plans on slowing down. She sees it as an investment into her community with the kids reaping the rewards. “It’s just different events where I get all the kids and parents together where they can spend time with their children and just show the children some attention. Over in Royal Oak Township it’s known for at-risk children where they’re always getting into something. So I wanted to give them another outreach, something else that they can do.”
For more information about UleadByExample contact Stewart via Facebook at Kym Uleadbyexample Stewart, email stewart.kymtara@yahoo.com, or by phone at (910)729-8269.
