From Chaos To Care: An Amazon Surprise for Mafia

Hey Hey Mafia Miracle Maker!

We’re still playing catch-up after our three-month writing break.

Not because the miracles stopped…

But because there was just a lot going on.

First, it was my near-fatal car accident (still healing).

Then our HBCU Bingo Fundraiser.

Then came move-in season.

Then travel.

Then TED Talk prep (which was last Saturday! 🙌🏾)

So yeah. The newsletter took a little nap.

But I’m wide awake now.

And today, I wanna take you back to two moments that are still making me shake my head in awe.

But first, if you’re new here…

I’m TeeJ Mercer, founder of Move-In Day Mafia, where we deck out dorm rooms and send monthly care packages to HBCU students who’ve aged out of foster care, are unhoused, or navigating life’s hardest hits without family support.

Our people? The ones who make Mafia possible?

We call y’all Mafia Miracle Makers.

Because you don’t just give.

You show up. You pour in. You make moves.

And this next story?

It’s a celebration of what happens when the right people show up at just the right time.

Amazon’s Dorm Room Game Took Over the Bingo Floor

Let’s rewind to July at THEE HBCU Bingo Experience, our very first in-person fundraiser.

When I say Amazon understood the assignment?

Whew!

They helped us create an audience participation game called “Deck Out The Dorm Room”, and it was a hit.

Here’s how it went down:
Each table had to nominate a rep.

​Amazon volunteers swooped in with boxes, each one holding something different: pillows, lamps, organizers, decor.

The goal?

Race to the stage and work together to build a makeshift dorm room with whatever you got!

​It was frantic. It was fabulous.

And it felt like we had brought Move-In Day Mafia to life on stage.

How It All Started

Mafia Miracle Maker, I've always known that at some point, I would love to have Amazon as a partner. I mean, it makes total sense, right? Amazon carries everything we need to take care of our mafia babies.

But I thought it would be more like year 5. Instead, God was like, "#WatchMeWork.

Last year, out of nowhere, a woman named Terreta Rogers (Amazon’s Head of Community Affairs, Atlanta) started pursuing Move-In Day Mafia.

She left voicemails in inboxes we didn’t even know existed. Then she tracked us through our Clark Atlanta contact, Mr. Burston.

I still remember holding the phone speechless when Mr. Burston told me Terreta was trying to reach me.

​She and a few Amazon volunteers showed up at our Atlanta schools (Morehouse, Clark Atlanta, and Spelman) move-ins.

Terreta took one look at our chaos and (in my version) said:

“This is a hot mess. You’re making it too hard. Let Amazon help. It's what we do.”

Now, she swears she didn’t say it like that. 😆 But that’s what I heard and I’ve been clowning her about it ever since.
Then!

A few months later, she called me again. This time not to critique. But to commit.

She told me Amazon was giving us $10,000. That was her first miracle move.

Fast Forward To This Year

Amazon didn’t just send a few people. They showed up squad-deep. This year, there were orange shirts everywhere!

With the help of our Best Buy pals, they handled logistics at our Atlanta schools. They unloaded, organized, sweated with us. They made things smoother, lighter, and less stressful.

Plus! Terreta had another surprise up her sleeve.

​Mafia Miracle Maker… She presented us with another $10,000 check!!!!

I was stunned. I didn’t see it coming. My face in those pictures? Pure surprise.

And that’s the miracle in all this, Mafia Miracle Maker.

One year ago, Terreta was just a persistent voice on a voicemail we didn’t even know existed.

This year, she was front and center—rolling up her sleeves, bringing her people, and handing us another check with a smile that said, “I told you I wasn’t done yet.”

That’s not coincidence. That’s not random.

That’s God weaving details together… turning exhaustion into ease, chaos into care, and a giving voicemail into a $20,000 impact.

So when I tell you we’re seeing miracles in motion? I mean it.

When I launched Move-In Day Mafia in 2022, I thought partnerships with companies like Amazon and Best Buy were five years away.

In my head, we needed time to grow. To prove ourselves. To get “big enough” to even be noticed by billion-dollar brands.
But God loves to surprise us.

I wasn’t chasing Amazon. I wasn’t pitching Best Buy. I was just being obedient—decking out dorm rooms, sending care packages, and showing up for scholars.

And then God said, “Watch Me.”

In just two years, He’s brought the resources. He’s brought the people. He’s brought miracle partnerships I never could’ve dreamed would come this soon.

So here’s your reminder:
Your job is obedience. God’s job is acceleration. Keep building, keep serving, keep showing up. Because when you least expect it, He’ll drop a surprise in your lap that proves He’s been working behind the scenes the whole time.

That's a wrap. I'll see you next week. Don't forget to subscribe and comment. Plus, you can learn more about Mafia at MoveInDayMafia.org