 Straight off the first week of classes, one of our scholars came out SWINGING. And I mean that literally. But first... If you are new here...welcome to the Mafia Miracles Report. I'm TeeJ, the person responsible for steering this ship. Move-In Day Mafia provides fully-equipped dorm rooms and monthly care packages to HBCU scholars who have aged out of foster and kinship care, are unhoused, or are navigating college completely on their own. We do this for four years: move-in day, and every month after, until they walk across that stage. This is where we celebrate the miracles. Let's get into it. At the top of August, one of our scholars, F.T. was scheduled to move-in at her HBCU. She had everything lined up. But at the last minute, her uncle (the person who promised to get her there from Illinois) not only backed out but he told her he'd be taking her to a whole other state and would have to figure out the rest on her own. For a young woman who has been in and out of foster and group homes for years because her parents simply could not get it together for her and her siblings...that betrayal hit different. Sooooooo! Move-In Day Mafia leaped into action. With the help of some of you (yes, YOU) we got F.T. to school. We decked out her dorm room with decorations that give her a sense of stability and joy. She walked into her room surrounded by people who showed up for her, maybe for the first time in a long time.  Oh. But wait...I'm not done... This move-in season, we moved in a total of 18 students across 8 HBCUs. Monday was their orientation with us. I asked for volunteers to share how their first week(s) of school had been. What they'd been up to. What was new. Ooooooweeeee when this baby raised her hand, I wasn't ready for what she'd told she'd been up to. Guess what Y'all! SHE IS RUNNING FOR FRESHMAN CLASS PRESIDENT FOR THE COLLEGE OF NURSING!!! Baaaaaby. F.T. did not ease into her freshman year. She came in ready to step up to bat and SWING. I'm smiling even as I type this because I know this baby's story. I know what she has fought through to get there. Our scholars have Ph.D.'s in Resilience already. Every single one of them. And to see her, and all 18 of our move-in season students, push through to get their education? It warms my heart and makes me smile down to my soul. Laaaaaawd. Thank y'all for helping us say yes to these scholars. Because of you, F.T. got there ready. Move-In Season 2026. We Just Came Out The Other Side. This made move-in season #5. F-I-V-E. And a move-in team that showed up and showed OUT moving in 18 students at 8 HBCUs, with three teams going on in THREE different stages on the same day! OUR TOTAL? 127 Scholars. 32 HBCUs total later and I feel like this next phase is going to be epic. We are not done celebrating yet. As soon as we get the footage sorted, you are going to SEE this season, not just hear about it. We have video, photos, and moments that need to be seen to be believed. And trust me when I say...you are going to want to see them. So stay close. That's coming. But for right now? We just want to breathe for one second and say: WE DID IT. This move-in season was funded by a Mafia history-making grant by the T.D. Jakes Foundation! I wrote all about this miracle in last week's MMReport and told you how falling on my face landed me into a miracle. You can check it out here. Another season of yes. Another season of scholars walking into rooms they never expected. Another season of watching this mission do what God said it would do. We are so grateful for every volunteer, every donor, every person who said yes alongside us. More to come. Stay tuned.  Every month when our scholars submit their care package requests, they have to finish a sentence. They choose one: “I’m grateful that…” “I’m excited that…” “I’m looking forward to…” So we like to share some with you:  ONE MORE THING I'm often asked by some of you how can you help more or are there any specific things we need for our students. Well, we've been toying around with the thought of creating one special page on our website that would list student special requests. For example, we currently have students requesting:
We don't have full deets on exactly how it works yet but would you let me know if you like this idea. Either comment or shoot us an email at [email protected] See you next week. Until then....Hug yourself for me. 💜 |
AuthorTEEJ MERCER - TeeJ never set out to be an entrepreneur. She definitely didn’t plan to run a nonprofit. But after 25 years in Hollywood, editing and producing for major TV shows and movie studios, she saw a story that needed to be told. More importantly, she saw a PROBLEM that needed to be solved. Archives
August 2026
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