well the kids are back in school and one
of the most important things they need
to get a good start is a good backpack
with supplies but that's not possible
for thousands of kids in our community
our friend Mike Morris is making that
possible for tens of thousands of
children with project backpack he's been
doing this for five years now and Mike
you're here with a sunset and you
brought along a friend Hooper
Detroit Pistons mascot packed all the
backpacks together not really when he
knocked them all over he knocked over
that was not planned an actual shot and
we actually ended abusing it so because
it was so well done but we're giving
away 28,000 backpacks this year we went
over a hundred thousand because this is
our fifth year we've given away over a
million 1.7 million supplies to the kids
in Detroit this year we added some new
supplies we have water bottles which
obviously are irrelevant we have a cool
box with crayons and things that they
could organize and the water bottles
which hopefully the parents are filling
up with nice cool water and ice in the
mornings and well these will come in
handy too because there's we know the
drinking fountains aren't up to snuff so
they go to school with the plastic
bottles may as well be a Pistons right
and the other exciting thing that the
Pistons donated was one of these so
every student all 28,000 are going to
get a coupon like this and they're able
to redeem it for a free piston game food
at the piston game which is amazing and
fun so I hope they all go online and
take advantage of that and 50 lucky
students are going to get one of these
golden tickets I got a golden ticket so
one thing that we haven't done a great
job of telling the kids is where it is
in the backpack so where is it in the
backpack Mike it's in there so yes it's
in the smaller pouch so in parents if
you're watching this tell your kids to
look in that small pouch right here in
the purlins ticket because they may have
a willy wonka like golden ticket win
what does that shake you get that so the
ticket gets them 20 of them have a
special suite at the Pistons game so
they're going to come
to the arena and sit with us and watch a
game from a suite with food and all that
kind of great stuff well hope her be
there yes I'm gonna be there your here's
your ticket and another 30 are gonna be
for autographed hats jerseys basketballs
autographed swag huh autographed swag so
if somebody's watching right now because
the kids obviously are in school but if
a parent is watching and they picked up
one of these bags yesterday the message
you want to make clear is check them
walk yeah we want winners we want to
come to everybody to come to the game we
don't want them sitting in a backpack
and then finding it six months later and
not not coming so how are the kids
reacting to the backpack so I've
probably gotten fifty calls from
grandparents parents and the kids I love
them I listen to them all we get cards
no we're looking at photos right here
the kids are over the moon
some have backpacks some don't some have
supplies but this helps replenish
supplies you know some of these kids
have gotten the kindergarteners this
year if there are four fifth grade this
is their fifth backpack and I love the
kids you know my kids can do backpacks
every year these kids should get new
backpacks every year and that's why
we're doing it you know as you know my
mom inspired me and and from being a
Detroit teacher and you know the message
is still there and I know these kids
have lots of needs but this to me is one
of the biggest ones that the making sure
that they're ready to go on the first
day with pencils and crayons and paper
the teachers appreciate it the the
principals appreciate it yeah Hooper
appreciates it over appreciated it's
good fun teaming with the Pistons
they've been they've been great partners
and hopefully the kids are using the
water bottles because you know what a
crisis down there that their deals in
handy yeah yes Mike thanks on project
backpack visit the web site eight five
five Mike wins dot-com and click on the
graphic project backpack