Transforming Lives, One Dorm Room at a Time: Move-In Day Mafia Prepares for College Move-In Season at HBCUs
(Source: BlackNews.com)
NATIONWIDE — Hollywood veteran & Howard University grad, TeeJ Mercer, is the founder and creator of Move-In Day Mafia (MIDM), a non-profit organization of volunteers that provide dorm room makeovers and everything underserved HBCU freshmen need to kick off their college journey at Prairie View A&M, Paul Quinn College, & Fisk University College move-in day season is fast approaching. Attending college is expensive and for the freshmen who have aged out of foster care, getting from the first year to graduation can seem like an impossible goal.
Founded in 2022, Move-In Day Mafia (MIDM) is an initiative of Project Dreamlight 501(c)3. Ultimately, it’s a “mob” of volunteers who descend upon HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) to provide dorm room makeovers and ongoing assistance primarily for freshmen who have aged out of foster care, are homeless or need more financial support.
It’s estimated that while 70% of kids in foster care dream of college, only 3% realize their dream to go, and only 1% graduate. Several issues affect their success such as housing insecurity and minimal family contribution, creating a huge financial burden.
Determined to do something about the dismal graduation rate, Award-winning TV Editor & Producer, TeeJ Mercer, the “Godfather” of MIDM, questions, “How can students focus, create and thrive when they are worried about their basic human needs? I just want them to go to school and not have to work two or three jobs to take care of themselves. The only thing they should be concerned about is studying hard, partying, making memories, and ultimately graduating.”
With the help of donors and their corporate partners Trade & Travel, NJ Luke Publishing, and Nikki Klugh Design Group, MIDM moved 13 freshmen to Paul Quinn College in Dallas for its inaugural year in 2022. For the upcoming 2023-2024 school year, the “family” has tripled last year’s effort with 39 freshmen, supporting three schools: Paul Quinn College (Dallas, TX), Prairie View A&M University (Near Houston, TX), and Fisk University (Nashville, TN).
For some of the scholars, the MIDM-designed room will be the first time they have a voice in choosing what goes into their personal space. Celebrity interior designer Nikki Klugh designs each dorm room with the goal of incorporating their favorite things. “At our firm, we create ideal spaces that our clients fall madly in love with. It doesn’t matter if the space is small and on a slim budget or thousands of square feet with a very healthy budget, our team cares about the inhabitants and how that space will affect their total health and well-being,” says Klugh. “So, when TeeJ told me the mission of the Mafia, I knew that we had to do our part to create the same feeling for this incredibly deserving group of students.”
On move-in day, scholars receive a complete dorm room design, along with a TV, refrigerator, and microwave (if not provided by the school) artwork, school supplies, hygiene items, cleaning products, storage solutions, and much more.
The 2023 applications are rolling in. When asked why they need MIDM, a homeless applicant who will attend Fisk University wrote, “I’ve been on my own since I was 15 years old. I would love help because I feel overwhelmed just doing everything by myself,” while a Prairie View A&M freshman answered, “I currently am homeless bouncing from house to house until I move on to campus and I want a space that feels like it’s mine.”
