Remodeling Lives, One Dorm Room At A Time: Transfer-In Day Mafia Prepares for Faculty Transfer-In Season at HBCUs
Nationwide — Hollywood veteran & Howard College grad, TeeJ Mercer, is the founder and creator of Transfer-In Day Mafia (MIDM), a non-profit group of volunteers that present dorm room makeovers and the whole lot underserved HBCU freshmen must kick off their faculty journey at Prairie View A&M, Paul Quinn Faculty, & Fisk College Faculty move-in day season is quick approaching. Attending faculty is pricey and for the freshmen who’ve aged out of foster care, getting from the primary yr to commencement can seem to be an inconceivable aim.
Based in 2022, Transfer-In Day Mafia (MIDM) is an initiative of Undertaking Dreamlight 501(c)3. In the end, it’s a “mob” of volunteers who descend upon HBCUs (Traditionally Black Faculties & Universities) to supply dorm room makeovers and ongoing help primarily for freshmen who’ve aged out of foster care, are homeless or want extra monetary assist.
It’s estimated that whereas 70% of youngsters in foster care dream of faculty, solely 3% notice their dream to go, and only one% graduate. Quite a few points have an effect on their success corresponding to housing insecurity and minimal household contribution, creating an enormous monetary burden.
Decided to do one thing in regards to the dismal commencement fee, Award-winning TV Editor & Producer, TeeJ Mercer, the “Godfather” of MIDM, questions, “How can college students focus, create and thrive when they’re nervous about their fundamental human wants? I simply need them to go to high school and never must work two or three jobs to deal with themselves. The one factor they need to be involved about is finding out exhausting, partying, making recollections, and finally graduating.”
With the assistance of donors and their company companions Commerce & Journey, NJ Luke Publishing, and Nikki Klugh Design Group, MIDM moved in 13 freshmen to Paul Quinn Faculty in Dallas for its inaugural yr in 2022. For the upcoming 2023-2024 faculty yr, the “household” has tripled final yr’s effort with 39 freshmen, supporting three faculties: Paul Quinn Faculty (Dallas, TX), Prairie View A&M College (Close to Houston, TX), and Fisk College (Nashville, TN).
For among the students, the MIDM-designed room would be the first time they’ve a voice in selecting what goes into their private house. With this in thoughts, superstar inside designer Nikki Klugh designs every dorm room with the aim of incorporating their favourite issues. “At our agency, we create ultimate areas that our purchasers fall head over heels in love with. It doesn’t matter if the house is small and on a slim price range or hundreds of sq. ft with a really wholesome price range, our staff cares in regards to the inhabitants and the way that house will have an effect on their complete well being and well-being,” says Klugh. “So when TeeJ informed me the mission of the Mafia, I knew that we needed to do our half to create the identical feeling for this extremely deserving group of scholars.”
On move-in day, students obtain a whole dorm room design, together with a TV, fridge and microwave (if not supplied by the varsity) paintings, faculty provides, hygiene gadgets, cleansing merchandise, storage options, and far more.The 2023 functions are rolling in. When requested why they want MIDM, a homeless applicant who will attend Fisk College wrote, “I’ve been by myself since 15 years outdated. I’d love assist as a result of I really feel overwhelmed simply doing the whole lot on my own,” whereas a Prairie View A&M freshman answered, “I at the moment am homeless bouncing from home to deal with till I transfer on to campus and I desire a house that feels prefer it’s mine.”
Throughout the faculty yr, MIDM gives care packages together with extra hygiene and cleansing merchandise. “We wish to guarantee they keep targeted on simply being a scholar with out having to fret about detergent, deodorant, and toothpaste,” says Mercer.
And the way did MIDM come to be? The age-old recreation of Bingo! Sure, you learn that proper…BINGO!
Again in 2020, whereas the pandemic was devastating the world, as a graduate of Howard College, the identical HBCU of Vice President Kamala Harris, Mercer wished to do one thing to assist have a good time the HBCU graduates who had their graduations snatched.
Assist got here within the type of the timeless recreation, Bingo. In 4 brief weeks, Mercer raised over $1 million in money and prizes and gave it away to 500 of the 2020 HBCU graduates in a sequence of Bingo video games that she produced identical to one in all her TV exhibits.
“When CBS Information With Norah O’Donnell did a narrative on ‘#TeeJHBCUBingo,’ I discovered that one in all my HBCU infants, as I name them, was a scholar that had hung out in foster care and her social employee drove her to her HBCU, pulled as much as the curb, let her unload what little stuff she had and simply left her. That broke me,” she provides.
Mercer activated her life motto of “use what’s in your arms,” and prayed for God to point out her how to make sure no HBCU scholar ever goes via this transition alone.
So Transfer-In Day Mafia was born, and as Mercer notes, “We’re simply getting began!”
On-site volunteers, company companions, and tax-deductible donations are integral to MIDM students’ success. This yr MIDM launched its “Sponsor A Scholar” marketing campaign. For $1,700, a donor can deal with the wants of 1 scholar’s move-in necessities together with their requirements for the primary couple of months. Go to MoveInDayMafia.org to donate and volunteer.
MIDM on Social Media:Instagram.com/MoveInDayMafia/Fb.com/MoveInDayMafia
About TeeJ Mercer – Pronounced (Tee-jay Mur-sur)Howard alumna. TV producer. Philanthropist and founding father of Transfer-In Day Mafia. Keynote speaker. Hollywood veteran. Award-winning TV Editor & Producer. Changemaker. Hugger extraordinaire.
For press inquiries, contact Judi Durand at judi.durand@dajdpr.com or 703-725-6017
