GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — There's a man in Grand Rapids you may not have heard of working to make a change in the lives of our community's young people.
His name is William McFadden. All week long FOX 17 has been speaking with him about the recent violence young people have experienced in the last few days in our city.
Today, we're introducing you to Will's mission: Save A Life A Day, or "SALAD" for short. But there's no lettuce in this story. Just a man on a mission.
At 1316 Madison, there's work to be done. William can be found working alongside a parent and person he's known for years: Mijah Ramirez. Mijah is a single mom to four children.
Mijah says Will is a trusted adult and mentor in the lives of her kids.
Without him, she fears the worst.
“I’d probably crash. Will is a very big part of my life. A very, very big part of my life,” Mijah said.
Particularly, Mijah says Will has made a breakthrough with her 16-year-old.
“He’s in the streets. He’s a child in the streets, gangbanging, stealing cars and all that nature. But when Will came to be a part of that part of his life, he changed. Like, he changed. He doesn’t steal cars anymore,” Mijah said.
Will has a knack for developing relationships with young people and meeting them where they're at. At his center, he has a computer lab with an intentional purpose.
“I did have one student where ... he’s not a bad kid. But he got into a fight and he got expelled and then got into the juvenile system. He’s in 11th grade now, and he only has 9th-grade credits,” William McFadden said.
Will created the computer lab as a place for students to get their work done if they've been suspended or expelled.
He's also listed on school paperwork for numerous students in Grand Rapids Public Schools — and takes the role as a villager for many families seriously.
“I’m one of the parents who has him down as a guardian for my kid to being able to come in and handle things at the schools when I can’t, or if it get out of my hands,” Mijah said.
If you're wondering who pays for the programming at SALAD, look no further than the man in charge.
“Everything I do is out-of-pocket,” Will said. “I sell and buy cars and that’s what helps me to generate the funds for SALAD, or Save A Life A Day,” he continued.
It's round-the-clock work that Will says is worth it.
“My Mondays be like a Friday sometimes. Fridays be like Mondays. It just varies,” Will said.
He started programming back in 2016 and is working on a partnership with Grand Rapids Public Schools currently. For moms like Mijah, his help is essential. She didn't even have to ask. Will was just there.
“That’s why I take my hat off to Will. Because he reaches out to the kids and the schools and the parents. We don’t always have to come to him. He’ll come to us,” Mijah said.
Will says his two biggest struggles are funding, and he also says there needs to be more unity among programs like his. He says it will take multiple agencies working together to truly make a lasting impact in children's lives.
READ MORE: Youth program trying to end cycle of violence
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