Brilliant Detroit

Brilliant Detroit Building thriving neighborhoods and communities for young kids and families in Detroit 🌱 By third grade, only 14% read at grade level. We must and can do better.

Brilliant Detroit is a non-profit dedicated to building “kid success neighborhoods” where families with children ages 0-8 have what they need to be school-ready, healthy and supported. We do this by purchasing and renovating underutilized homes in the middle of neighborhoods, and transforming them into community hubs where we offer evidence-based programming in the areas of education, health, fami

ly support, and neighbor-to-neighbor connections. Today, 60% of Detroit children under five live in poverty with the majority of kids not ready for kindergarten. Added to this is the fact that 30,000 of the city’s children have zero early learning and child care options available to them in their neighborhood. Brilliant Detroit was created to coordinate and connect what works for families and kids in a centrally-located, welcoming place that provides love, safety, and opportunities for growth. Together, we can build a future where a zip code does not determine a child's success.

08/23/2026

What an incredible summer!

Thank you to our amazing campers and families, dedicated volunteers and incredible staff for making this summer one to remember. We had so much fun learning, creating and exploring together!

Tickets are officially live for our 10th Anniversary Brunch! On September 24, join us for Beyond the Numbers, Centering ...
08/21/2026

Tickets are officially live for our 10th Anniversary Brunch!

On September 24, join us for Beyond the Numbers, Centering People as we celebrate 10 years of opening orange doors, walking alongside families and building Kid Success Neighborhoods across Detroit and beyond.

We’d love to have you with us for this special milestone. Get your tickets now at tinyurl.com/3bma8ph8.

Thank you to two incredible volunteers who recently helped out with our Summer Discovery campers!Anika helped the little...
08/19/2026

Thank you to two incredible volunteers who recently helped out with our Summer Discovery campers!

Anika helped the little ones create their own Enchanted Forests with clay. Mark has been a regular volunteer, helping the kids with their creations, preparing them for Master Cooper’s martial arts class and even lending a hand during lunchtime.

We really appreciate the extra care and attention they’ve brought to the kids throughout the summer.

Want to make a difference at a Brilliant Detroit hub? Check out our volunteer opportunities at the link in our bio.

We're halfway through the Rocket Challenge, and thanks to your support, we've already raised over $8,000!Every gift, sha...
08/17/2026

We're halfway through the Rocket Challenge, and thanks to your support, we've already raised over $8,000!

Every gift, share and word of encouragement has helped us celebrate 10 years of serving Detroit families.

This week's Bonus Challenge awards an extra $2,500 to the five organizations that raise the most online. Help us stay in the running by donating and sharing our page today at tinyurl.com/4nwtyxr6.

Back-to-school season is just around the corner, but we’re still having a blast at our neighborhood hubs!The little ones...
08/16/2026

Back-to-school season is just around the corner, but we’re still having a blast at our neighborhood hubs!

The little ones from the Chandler Park hub got the chance to go in a real F-1 racecar! At the Osborn site, families loved Literacy Night with Risonna Perkins, the author of “Meet the BuzzBees.”

And at the Boynton hub, the campers are really seeing the results from their hard work in the garden! They love watching the chile peppers, cherry tomatoes, and watermelon grow.

As our summer programming wraps up, check out our fall activities at brilliantcities.org/detroit.

Ryan is back at it with Seed Seek Robotics!He recently joined us at the Chandler Park hub to build and test robotic cars...
08/14/2026

Ryan is back at it with Seed Seek Robotics!

He recently joined us at the Chandler Park hub to build and test robotic cars with the little ones. The kids were so excited to get hands-on, figure out how their cars worked and race them!

Thank you to Ryan for continuing to bring his time and expertise to our hubs. Have a skill you’d like to share with our children and families? We’d love to partner with you. Learn more at brilliantcities.org/volunteer.

Thank you to DTE Energy’s Energy Waste Reduction (EWR) team for volunteering at our Boynton hub!The group donated outdoo...
08/12/2026

Thank you to DTE Energy’s Energy Waste Reduction (EWR) team for volunteering at our Boynton hub!

The group donated outdoor tools and put them to work, trimming trees, weeding our community gardens and tidying up the yard.

They also helped prepare more than 1,000 backpacks and school supply kits from our recent Baby2Baby shipment for distribution to Brilliant Detroit sites across the city.

If you’d like to volunteer with your team, contact us at brilliantcities.org/volunteer.

One week down in the Rocket Challenge, and we're off to an awesome start!Thank you to everyone who has donated, shared o...
08/10/2026

One week down in the Rocket Challenge, and we're off to an awesome start!

Thank you to everyone who has donated, shared our campaign and helped us celebrate 10 years of Kid Success Neighborhoods. Together, we've already raised more than $5,000 for children and families across Detroit.

This week's Bonus Challenge awards an extra $3,500 to the three organizations that raise the most online. Every donation brings us one step closer to the weekly bonus and the $25,000 grand prize!

Help us keep the momentum going by donating and sharing our page at tinyurl.com/4nwtyxr6.

We had another awesome week at our neighborhood hubs!The Chandler Park campers enjoyed the fruits of their labor from th...
08/09/2026

We had another awesome week at our neighborhood hubs!

The Chandler Park campers enjoyed the fruits of their labor from the garden, and councilman Chris Jackson visited the Pontiac campers.

At the Morningside hub, Evann Oleshansky stopped by to read her book, “The Disappearing Dot,” and share the importance of advocating for those with food allergies — while families ate a delicious meal, of course!

Be sure to check out our upcoming programs at brilliantcities.org/detroit.

Some very special guests stopped by our Littlefield hub!Our friends from Michigan Humane brought kittens Canoe and Kayak...
08/07/2026

Some very special guests stopped by our Littlefield hub!

Our friends from Michigan Humane brought kittens Canoe and Kayak for a reading visit while volunteers from Ward Church spent the day volunteering at our Littlefield and Central hubs.

The teams beautified outdoor spaces, organized clothing closets and community resources, and connected with the little ones at both hubs. At Central, they also created thoughtful back-to-school cards filled with words of encouragement for our LitLab students!

Looking for a meaningful way to give back? We'd love to have you volunteer with us too! Learn more at brilliantcities.org/volunteer.

Address

5675 Larkins
Detroit, MI
48210

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