Mari Copeny, aka Little Miss Flint, first made headlines in 2016 when her letter to then-President Barack Obama about the water crisis in her hometown spurred him to visit the city of Flint and view the water crisis for himself.
After visiting Flint, Michigan, Obama approved a whopping $100 million in relief for the city.
In 2022, Mari continues her activism in her hometown. Every year, she helps to provide backpacks and school supplies to Michigan students.
The water crisis began after Flint officials diverted the city’s drinking water supply from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to the Flint River as a bid to cut costs. At the time of the crisis, 57% of residents were Black and 42% of residents lived below the poverty line.
This month, the young activist has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds for all of her annual events.
“Every year I organize several events centered around the kids in my community, including an Easter egg hunt/Easter basket giveaway, a back-to-school drive with fully stuffed backpacks, a gigantic Christmas event with tons of toys and Christmas goodies,” Mari writes in the description. “I also do several book drives through the year, and whenever there is a need in the school or in the community.”
We’re only in February, but Mari already has her eyes on Christmas.
“To be able to successfully pull of these events it takes a ton of planning and shopping months in advance,” she writes. “This fund covers some of the expenses that come along throughout the year, including storage fees, grabbing toys, backpacks, school supplies and other items when we find them on clearance throughout this year, and also makes sure that we are not starting out from zero with any event this year.”
Mari has set herself a goal of $10,000. So far, $320 has been raised.
Click here to donate to “Team Mari 2022.”
