“For as long as I can remember, my mom has been pushing me to do my best in school.  I always had access to any educational materials I needed right at my fingertips, so it wasn’t until high school that I realized that not everyone is as fortunate as I am. I have grown up in the Rochester and Bloomfield Hills area, and it was not until joining Helping Hands that I saw the distressing difference between Bloomfield Hills and Pontiac, though they share a border. It broke my heart to see that less than a mile away from my own school, is a community struggling to foster their children’s education. President Reagan put my passion for helping others the best: ‘We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone’. As the Helping Hands Service Coordinator, I hope to provide an opportunity to increase the number of children that we can help educate, as well as see real change regarding the difference in educational resources and quality. Every child deserves the chance to succeed, and I am proud to say that I am a part of it.”

 

Daniella Ghafari is a member of the Oakland University Class of 2025. In addition to her volunteer work for Helping Hands, she is also a service coordinator for her local chapter of the Maronite Youth Organization at Saint Sharbel Church in Clinton Township, Michigan. She has a passion for biology, chemistry, and helping others, and would like to become a doctor. Additionally, she is a member of French Honors Society and National Honors Society. In her sophomore year, she held a donation drive across Oakland and Macomb county for Gianna House and Foster Closet of Michigan and donated an SUV full of essential goods to each charity.