PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Once someone is caught in the criminal justice system, it can be hard to get out, but one West Michigan teen is proving there is a path forward, and now he will have a new set of wheels to drive his success.
Jaellen Kendricks, 17, just got his first car: a 2008 Honda Accord.
It was something he was working hard for.
“I've been trying to get a car for so long. I've been saving up, and then it's always, like, something that happened, and I'll have to, like, spend a whole bunch of money, and then it'll just bring you back to the start,” said Jaellen Kendricks.
He didn’t have to use any of his savings for this car, thanks to Christian Brothers Automotive on Plainfield Avenue. It was free!
Christian Brothers Automotive Plainfield Owner Tom MacInnes said, “Almost all of the Christian Brothers give away cars. When we get the opportunity, it's just something that we found is it's rewarding, both for us, and we have the opportunity to really bless someone.”
For the last three years, Jaellen has been trying to turn his life around.
“When I was 14, I was doing a little Kia Boys stuff,” said Jaellen.
We first met Jaellen in May of 2023 after he was arrested for stealing cars and gun possession.
Jaellen said, “You don’t want to keep putting your family through that same stress; you want to make a difference and help other people make and help yourself first.”
He is part of a diversion program that if he breaks the law again before he is 21, he will go to prison.
“It's been an unbelievable journey with him, and to see him rising up to the occasion... I always say I help people who help themselves, and he definitely has done that," said Tropical Smoothie Café Michigan Street Owner Heather Hendriksten.
She is Jaellen’s boss at Tropical Smoothie Café and has witnessed his life turn around.
“Jaellen has worked hard. He's overcome tragedy. He's been a role model for his friends. He's one of the hardest workers I have,” said Heather.
Jaellen is also now a new dad and never wants his daughter to see him in jail.
“I don't want to have my daughter see me like that. That's the biggest thing, like, I want to have. I want to be a good role model,” said Jaellen.
He says this new car is going to keep him working and is thankful for what this gift will do for him.
Jaellen said, “I'm still shocked. I don't believe it's, like... it's just a blessing. Still, like, I'm just... I'm glad, happy. I can't stop smiling.”
Jaellen says in the future he would like to go to an HBCU and study engineering or criminal justice, and he has already been offered a few academic scholarships. In addition to receiving a new car, Kevin Raymond with Main Street Drivers gave Jaellen a full scholarship so he could get his driver’s license.
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