One by one Nathan calls out consumers’ names and they are greeted with broad smiles as they are handed their lunch trays.įor program director Shirley Cockrel the day was a success. Every day Rakiyyah diligently watches Lamasa as she works to learn her technique so she can make her own quilts and sweaters.Īs the room fills with consumers, Carol, Nathan and Rowena hurry to the kitchen to put the final touches on lunch. As Betty shares Lamasa’s accomplishments, including her participation on the local radio show Mojo in the Morning in which she is affectionately referred to as ‘Kool-Aid Lady, she makes sure to also recognize, Lamasa’s knitting apprentice Rakiyyah Isom. For over a decade she has been a source of light and energy at Go-Getters, she and her husband play music as part of the community’s ‘band’. Lamasa also knit 75 outfits for babies and donated the items to the local children’s hospital. With pride, Betty share that Lamasa is a great knitter and recently made her a beautiful purple sweater for the winter. When they return to the dining room, Betty insists the family meet her friend Lamasa Pace. She also shows them the Center’s library and classroom areas. Betty leads the family to the computer lab that provides consumers the ability to connect with friends and family on the internet and gain information about health, wellness and employment opportunities. As she shows Carol, Nathan and Rowena around the building she explains her contributions in helping to make sure the laundry room and shower remain tidy, the food pantry is stocked, and donated clothes items are organized and the quarters collected from purchased items are properly managed. Since the program is consumer run, Betty’s dedication to the community is especially important. She has been coming to the center for over twenty years and in the early years, she would bring her young son with her to Go-Getters. It was important for the family that they do more the deliver food therefore, they asked consumer Betty Chandler to give them a tour of the facility.īetty is another member of the Go-Getters family. With this in mind, Carol, Nathan and Carol’s mother Rowena bought lasagna, salad and fruit to our Go-Getters Drop-in Center to prepare and serve. The amount of food we waste in a year could feed five families in a year.”

“Our world is so small and we’re surrounded by affluent people when the vast majority of the world struggles. “I want my son to see the diversity that’s in the world.” Carol says.

Carol is the sister of Southwest Solutions’ Communications Director, Steve Palackdharry. She brought her 14 year old son Nathan to Detroit on spring break to impart on him the value of giving back to the community. Carol Palackdharry is an oncologist from Illinois and a member of Southwest Solutions’ Leadership Giving Circle.

The go getters music