The Best Kind of Summer Day

Grand Rapids opened the summer with a heat wave, and The Delta Project met it head-on.

Day one of Summer Experience Week took the Healthy Connections crew to Craig’s Cruisers for go-karts, bumper cars, laser tag, trampolines, slides, the buffet — and a few rounds of ice cream. It was, in Program Director Shanda Vaughn’s words, “loud, chaotic, sweaty, and so much fun. The best kind of summer day.”

Day two, the heat came back harder, so Shanda let the girls decide. They voted for a movie:

Toy Story 5, popcorn, cold drinks. What looked like a rest day turned into something more.

The film opened a real conversation about technology, friendship, and being present with

the people in front of you — and the young women had a lot to say:

“Starting a friendship over a device is not always good.” — Diamond 

“It’s okay to get off your phone once in a while.” — LaMiya

The conversation kept going over wings at Buffalo Wild Wings, where the girls turned their

own reflections into a plan: a no-phones challenge for Thursday’s camp day, on terms they set themselves.

That’s the quiet genius of Shanda’s leadership. She doesn’t lecture a room about presence, instead she builds the space where young people arrive at the lesson on their own. 

Two days in, that’s exactly what The Delta Project’s mission looks like in action.

Thank you, Shanda. Summer’s just getting started.

The Warmest Thing in the Room

On Father’s Day weekend, during Juneteenth, Cole Williams carried The Fatherhood Project to New York City. In a darkened room, two fathers featured in the documentary watched their lives reflected on the screen and received by an audience.

It was more than a screening. It was an argument against the harmful stories America continues to tell about Black fathers.

The film offered something different: fathers holding their children’s hands, showing tenderness, remaining present, and doing the difficult work of raising families in systems that have too often worked to separate them. For the men in the room, it was a public reminder that their stories mattered and that they deserved to be seen fully.

The Delta Project was invited to New York by Avenues for Justice, an organization that supports young people impacted by the justice system. The weekend also created space to connect with Real Dads Network, which helps fathers heal, grow, and strengthen their relationships with their families.

Though the organizations work in different cities, the heart of their work felt familiar: a shared belief that people deserve support before judgment, that a young person is more than the worst moment of his life, and that healing and accountability must exist together.

A weekend in New York cannot undo the systems that continue to separate fathers from their children or reduce young people to case numbers. A documentary cannot change a sentence or repair every broken relationship.

But something meaningful traveled home with The Delta Project: proof that this work is not happening in isolation. Across cities, people are choosing care, consistency, accountability, and love.

The Delta Project is a Grand Rapids nonprofit working to break cycles of incarceration by reconnecting youth of color and their families to community through mentorship, coaching, and storytelling.

The work continues.

The Delta Project, Michigan Center for Youth Justice, and Wayne State University Center for Behavioral Health and Justice have been selected as co-lead recipients of the IGNITING FUTURES: A Youth Justice Grant from Public Welfare Foundation. The Michigan coalition was awarded $1,000,000 and is one of only two coalitions selected nationwide.

This investment will support a new statewide coalition focused on reshaping Michigan’s youth justice system through community-rooted programming, research, policy advocacy, and systems-level change. Each partner brings a distinct strength to the work. The Delta Project brings deep community trust and direct service experience with young people and families impacted by the juvenile justice system. Wayne State University contributes research, evaluation, and evidence-based practice expertise. Michigan Center for Youth Justice brings statewide policy and advocacy capacity.

Together, the coalition will focus on three key priorities: better leveraging Michigan’s Child Care Fund so resources reach young people, families, and community organizations more effectively; expanding youth diversion options to reduce deeper system involvement; and bridging critical service gaps for families navigating the juvenile justice system.

For The Delta Project, this grant represents both an expansion of the work and a continuation of its mission. Programs like Boys to Men-tors, the Young Fathers Initiative, Healthy Connections, and the What I Know Now podcast will continue to grow alongside the coalition’s broader systems-change efforts.

“This grant is not a destination. It is the foundation,” said Cole Williams, Executive Director and Co-Founder of The Delta Project. “The Delta Project, Michigan Center for Youth Justice, and Wayne State University have come together to build something Michigan’s young people have needed for a long time — a coalition with the community trust, research infrastructure, and policy reach to produce real, statewide change.”

Through this coalition, The Delta Project will help advance a more just, humane, and effective youth justice system across Michigan.

In this compelling article, Bryson Adkins explores the adultification of Black boys through the lens of a powerful presentation by Cole Williams and Bilal Al-Raed at the GVSU Black Boys & Men National Symposium. The discussion sheds light on harmful stereotypes and systemic issues, emphasizing the need for community support, emotional intelligence, and spaces for Black boys and men to express their feelings. Discover how these initiatives aim to create meaningful change in the lives of Black youth.

We're excited to share that The Delta Project has been featured in a wonderful article on WZZM13, highlighting our impactful work in Grand Rapids. This media spotlight celebrates our team's dedication and the transformative journeys of the youth we support. Read the full story on WZZM13 to see how we're making a difference and join us in our mission!

Joel sits down with the passionate Lieutenant Nicki Edwards from the Kent County Sheriff's Office, for a for a conversation that dives deep into the transformative power of life skills, mentorship, and support for inmates, particularly juveniles affected by the "raise the age" legislation.

Cole and Joel as they sit down with Bilal, a former student, now an artist and poet who pivoted his life from the brink of juvenile life sentencing to the boundless realms of college and creativity.

Cole and Joel dive deep into a passionate discussion about foster parenting, juvenile justice system, and the marginalization of people of color in parent-child dialogues.

Cole and Joel sit down with Stacy McGinnis, a retired superintendent of the juvenile Detention center in Grand Rapids with over 30 years of experience in the juvenile justice system.

Learn more about the work that Cole is doing with Jason Smith and the Juvenile Justice Task Force.

Joel sits down to talk all things Delta Project with the Mitten Foundation.

His Story Her Story Their Story Series

The Delta Project is incredibly proud of co-founder Cole Williams and his appointment to Governor Whitmer's Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform.

By Olivia Fellows