My City July 2021

forgiveness, fatherlessness, addiction, etc.,” says Robinson. “Then,we break into intimate impact discussion groups.”At the end of the night, everyone comes back together for games and prize giveaways. “After spending time with themevery night, I believe that one of the things they aremissingmost is positive reinforcement. Just telling them that they are a good person and doing a good job goes a long way,” says Robinson. “They get plenty of negative reinforcement – they don’t needmore of it. I have noticed that another thingmissing inmany of their lives is positive rolemodels;more specifically, positivemale rolemodels. Youngmen need positive examples to emulate.” The 181Movement has been great for the area, but Good Church is doingmore.While talking to the community, the church has found that much of the area is lacking adequate laundry service – somethingmost people take for granted. “Absenteeism fromschool or a job is high in Flint andwe found that one of the biggest problems is lack of clean clothes,” says Robinson. “Imagine having to go to school every day with unwashed underwear or anything else.There is no laundromat within four squaremiles around us and 80 percent of the population depends on public transportation. So, with the help of other area organizations,we started building a laundromat for the community.”The facility will be full-scale and low-cost, as they plan to hire neighborhood individuals towork there.They hope to have it completed by September of this year. “I’ve found that in order to truly understandwhat the population of an area needs themost, you have to engage with people who live there,” explains Robinson. “Some base their decisions onwhat they think the people need instead of just asking themand speaking to them.You’ve got to connect with people to get to the real underlying issues they face.” LeoRobinson II, his wifeMiosha and those connected withGoodChurch are passionate about the city and the people within.They believe in the good in everyone andwill continue to give their best effort, but with a little help. “181Movement is growing andwe are looking for more professional partnerships and therapists,” says Robinson. “We are a religious organization but we are open to anyone whowants to help these kids. If you cannot be there in person, please consider donating to 181 Movement or the laundromat.”All monetary donations are tax deductible and can bemade at goodchurch.life. x

“You’ve got to connect with people to get to the real underlying issues they face.” ¸̗Ω ĄΩ̇͜ΔϘΩΔ ŽŽ

yΩϐ ΐΩϐ̗ ͜Δ͇Ωϐΐ˒ϥ͜ΩΔ ΩΔ ϥ̗͗ іѝі ÃΩХ̗ΐ̗Δϥӗ {ΩΩ̏ :͗ϵϐ̈͗ Ωϐ ϥ̗͗ ¸˒ϵΔ̏ϐб ĀϐΩͿ̗̈ϥӗ Х͜Ϙ͜ϥ ͉ΩΩ̏̈͗ϵϐ̈͗ԑΆ͇̗͜ ˒Δ̏ y˒̗̈̇ΩΩ΃ԑ̈ΩΐӣіѝіΐΩХ̗ΐ̗Δϥӣ

11