Detroit teens collaborate with Jared Goff to showcase Detroit's grit
(CBS DETROIT) - Five Detroit students are helping amplify the theme for the Detroit Lions by putting the team's grit on full display, and it all started two years ago with a cold email.
"That email led to a meeting," said David Merritt, co-founder of the nonprofit Give Merit.
That meeting resulted in a group of students helping design Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff's cleats for the NFL's My Cause My Cleats campaign.
"This year, we got to come back with a new set of students and a new collection," Merritt said.
The collection of clothing is yet another collaboration with Goff and Give Merit's Fate program, allowing five students to work and design alongside Merritt and fellow Give Merit cofounder Kuhu Saha.
Give Merit is helping to enhance and extend educational opportunities to underserved youth through innovative enrichment and mentorship activities.
"I grew up with a big heart for young people in the city of Detroit," Merritt said. "I'm very fortunate that we get to use these creative mechanisms to drive social change and social impact."
Give Merit's Fate program serves students from the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy and supports about 200 Detroit youth. Students work on real-life business projects, helping them realize they can create their futures right here, right now.
"We call them world-class citizens right where they are," Merritt said. "We value them, we see the potential that they have inside of them, and we're just trying to put them in environments where that potential can be seen," he continued.
The capsule collection putting Detroit's grit on display is available for purchase throughout the season. One hundred percent of the sales will be matched by Goff to help continue Fund Give Merit's nonprofit work in Detroit.
"As [teens], that makes a big impression and is life-changing," Merritt said. "So, it's really all about students."