>> Tati: THERE IS SO MUCH
UNCERTAINTY WITH THE START OF
SCHOOL THIS YEAR.
AND THE ONE THING YOU CAN KNOW
FOR CERTAIN IS THAT PROJECT
BACKPACKS IS BACK, EVERYONE.
IT HAS PROVIDED FREE SCHOOL
SUPPLIES TO 150,000 STUDENTS!
IT’S MADE POSSIBLE BY OUR
SPONSOR, MIKE MORSE LAW FIRM AND
THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THIS IS
MIKE MORSE HIMSELF.
JOINING US NOW LIVE VIA SKYPE,
THANK YOU FOR BEING BACK ON THE
SHOW.
>> THANKS, TATI, FOR HAVING ME.
>> Tati: YOU LAUNCHED PROJECT
BACKPACK 7 YEARS AGO.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO DO THIS?
>> THE NEED.
THE NEED FOR THE KIDS.
I HEARD THAT A LOT OF THE KIDS,
ESPECIALLY IN DETROIT, DIDN’T
HAVE ALL THE SUPPLIES THAT THEY
NEEDED TO BE PRODUCTIVE, TO
LISTEN TO THE TEACHERS.
THE TEACHERS WERE REACHING INTO
THEIR OWN WALLETS TO PAY FOR
SUPPLIES.
AND I THOUGHT, THIS IS SOMETHING
I CAN HELP WITH.
THIS IS -- THERE’S A LOT OF
ISSUES THAT I CAN’T FIX, BUT
THIS ONE SEEMED SIMPLE.
YOU KNOW MY MOM, YOU MET HER,
SHE WAS A SCHOOL TEACHER IN
DETROIT AND OTHER DISTRICTS.
AND SHE INSPIRED ME TO HELP.
AND IT’S BEEN A WONDERFUL RUN
THESE 7 YEARS.
AND THIS YEAR WAS CHALLENGING.
PEOPLE SAID THEY’RE NOT GOING
BACK TO SCHOOL, YOU DON’T NEED
BACKPACKS BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT
MOVING.
AND I HEARD FROM THE PEOPLE AT
DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND OTHER
SCHOOLS THAT WASN’T THE CASE.
SO WE DECIDED, WE’RE DOING IT
AGAIN FOR THE 7th YEAR.
>> Tati: I MEAN, IT’S GREAT
WORK.
THE NEED IS THERE WHETHER KIDS
ARE LEARNING VIRTUALLY AND
WHETHER THEY’RE GOING BACK INTO
A SCHOOL BUILDING.
CAN YOU SHOW US WHAT KIND OF
SUPPLIES YOU CAN PROVIDE?
>> THERE WILL BE LOTS OF
DIFFERENT COLORS, AND THEY’LL BE
DELIVERED TO THE DETROIT PUBLIC
SCHOOLS, K-5.
IF YOUR STUDENT IS IN DETROIT
DETROIT K-5, WHEN YOU PICK UP
YOUR WELCOME PACKET, THEY’LL GET
ONE OF THESE.
THEY DON’T NEED TO COME TO MY
OFFICE.
THEY’LL GET NOTEBOOKS, PENCILS,
CRAYONS, GLUE STICK, SHARPENER
AND PAPER AND FOLDERS, AND A
NICE STURDY BACKPACK, SO THAT’S
WHAT THEY’LL GET AT THE DETROIT
PUBLIC SCHOOLS UNLESS THEY COME
TO MY OFFICE THIS WEEKEND, WHICH
I’M SURE WE’LL TALK ABOUT IN A
SECOND.
>> Tati: DISTRIBUTION WILL BE A
LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
YOU’RE DOING YOUR BEST TO FOLLOW
ALL THE PROTOCOLS.
SO TELL US ABOUT THE BIG EVENT
COMING UP THIS WEEKEND.
>> FOR 7 YEARS, WE’VE BEEN
DELIVERING DIRECTLY TO THE
DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND
THEY’RE A GREAT PARTNER AND
DISTRIBUTING THEM RIGHT TO THE
PARENTS.
WHEN THE PARENTS GO TO THE
SCHOOLS, THEY’LL BE HANDED A
BACKPACK.
BUT WE’VE BEEN HEARING, WHAT
ABOUT ME?
WHAT ABOUT MY CHILD IN
SOUTHFIELD AND OAK PARK, IN
PONTIAC, IN OTHER DISTRICTS THAT
ARE IN NEED?
AND I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO GIVE
TO ALL OF THE SCHOOLS BUT THERE
ARE SO MANY SCHOOLS OUT THERE.
SO LAST YEAR, WE DID AN EVENT IN
OUR PARKING LOT AND HAD OVER
5,000 PEOPLE COME TO GET
BACKPACKS WHO WEREN’T IN DETROIT
PUBLIC SCHOOLS WHICH SHOWS US
THE NEED.
THIS YEAR, WE PLANNED ON DOING
THE SAME THING, BUT WITH COVID,
WE’RE DOING A DRIVE-THRU
BACKPACK EVENT WHERE PARENTS
SHOULD BRING THEIR STUDENTS TO
MY PARKING LOT THIS SATURDAY,
ALL INFORMATION IS ON MY
WEBSITE.
855MIKEWINS.
WE’LL HAVE MUSIC, HOOPER, THE
PISTONS DANCERS.
AND WE’LL MAKE IT AS FUN AS WE
CAN.
AND WE’RE GONNA PUT A BACKPACK
INTO THE TRUNK OF THE PARENTS’
CARS, DEPENDING ON HOW MANY KIDS
THEY HAVE, THAT ARE SCHOOL-AGE
KIDS, ASSUMING THEY DON’T GO TO
DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND
THEY’LL GET THEIR BACKPACKS THAT
WAY.
IT WON’T BE AS FUN AS LAST YEAR
BUT WE’LL MAKE IT AS FUN AS WE
CAN AND MAKE SURE THE KIDS HAVE
THE SCHOOL SUPPLIES THAT THEY
NEED SO THEY CAN HAVE A GOOD AND
WINNING YEAR.
>> Tati: ABSOLUTELY.
AND SO LET ME ASK YOU THIS:
STUDENTS WHO ARE ATTENDING
SCHOOL FROM HOME, HOW CAN THEY
RECEIVE THESE AND CAN THEY?
>> RIGHT NOW, THEY STILL NEED TO
COME TO THE PARKING LOT THIS
SATURDAY, IF THEY’RE NOT IN THE
DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
THAT’S THE ONLY WAY WE HAVE TO
DISTRIBUTE THEM RIGHT NOW.
THE OTHER SCHOOLS IN DETROIT, IT
WOULD BE VERY HARD TO SHIP THEM
OUT.
THE COST WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR
THAT.
IF THEY NEED TO MAKE
ARRANGEMENTS, THEY CAN GO TO OUR
WEBSITE AND E-MAIL US AND WE CAN
TRY TO MAKE SOME ARRANGEMENTS,
BUT RIGHT NOW, WE’RE PLANNING ON
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE BEING IN OUR
PARKING LOT THIS SATURDAY, RAIN
OR SHINE.
I’LL BE HERE, MY MOM WILL BE
HERE.
OUR KIDS WILL BE HERE.
THE STAFF WILL BE HERE.
HOOPER IS GOING TO BE HERE.
>> Tati: SOUNDS LIKE IT WILL BE
A GREAT, GREAT EVENT.
EVEN CONSIDERING EVERYTHING THAT
WE’RE GOING THROUGH.
I’M SURE THE PARENTS AND THE
KIDS CAN’T WAIT.
TELL YOUR MOM WE ALL SAY HI.
WE ADORE HER.
SHE’S LOVELY.
>> THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE THAT.
>> Tati: THANKS, MIKE, THANK YOU
FOR BEING WITH US.
>> MY PLEASURE.
BYE-BYE.
>> Tati: ON LEARN MORE ABOUT THE
MIKE MORSE BIG TENT BACKPACK