Did you know that every 26 seconds, a kid in America drops out of high school? It’s true. I strongly believe that so many of our youth are dropping out because they have lost their aspirations. Or you can say, we haven’t helped them find their aspirations. And when someone doesn’t aspire to be, they lose their ability to believe within themselves. I argue that a person void of aspiration and belief, is a person that will not contribute to society.

At Merit, we’re building a movement to help young people aspire, believe, and contribute through high quality fashion and a program called FATE. FATE is a four-year, cohort-based program, that supports 23 Detroit high school students by preparing them to embrace education and become world-class citizens. In the past two years, participants in our FATE program have an average .46 point higher GPA than non-FATE students at their school. Our students also note (1) positive changes in how they work with others; (2) developing a sense of creativity and maturity; and (3) “coming out of their shells” regarding social skills and interacting with peers and adults, as a result of FATE.

We are so honored to be working with Hackwith Design House to bolster the momentum we are building to let any young person that “wants to” know that they “can.” And it is so very awesome, that with your purchase of this beautiful Arbor Top (see photo below), you can play a role in adding more time to that 26 second clock. Profits go directly toward our FATE program.

We greatly appreciate you and please be on the look out for more Merit X HDH madness in the coming months. You can also visit our website to grab Merit goods and learn more about our program and cause.