As a child growing up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, R&B superstar Usher realized his dream of becoming an entertainer thanks to a counselor at the local chapter of the Boys & Girls Club.
Now, he’s working to return that favor.
The singer stopped by the Dick and Sandy Dauch location of the Boys & Girls Club on Detroit’s west side ahead of concerts Thursday and Friday at Little Caesars Arena as part of Usher’s Club Takeover.
The two-day event at the facility is aimed at spreading awareness about a critical issue affecting youth nationwide: lack of access to quality after-school programming, the youth organization said in a news release.
“I can remember something that my counselor said to me,” Usher told a group of about 250 kids in a gym that had been transformed into a skating rink. “‘Seeing is believing, and once you see it, then you have to say it in order for it to be a reality.’ The next part is making it happen.”
The Club Takeover is a part of a national partnership between Usher’s nonprofit New Look, the Afterschool Alliance, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan, and the Michigan Afterschool Partnership to drive awareness of the need to expand after-school programs. About 25 million youth across the country do not have access to high-quality after-school programs, including 750,000 children in Michigan, according to the Boys and Girls Club.