From time to time, life puts us in situations that restore our faith in human beings, reminding us that there are many good-hearted people left in the world after all. Such was the case last Saturday when I spoke at a 10th anniversary fund-raising dinner for Genesis Christian Academy, a Christ-centered, Afro-centric school in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

I was picked up at the Detroit airport by Roslyn Verdun, secretary of the school’s board of education. Roslyn is an incessant talker, the kind that doesn’t often come up for air. In fact, Board Vice President Janice Gilyard told me that she and Board President Kim Bradshaw had given Roslyn specific instructions not to talk my ears off on the ride from the airport. They could have saved their breath.

All Roslyn talked about was Genesis, how the small Black school had impacted the lives of numerous kids, many of whom would have been lost in the rigidity and inflexibility of public schools. Genesis Christian Academy says it is laying the foundation for the students’ lives just as the first book of the Bible provides the foundation for the rest of the Word. The school serves students from age 2 through the sixth grade and practically all are above grade-level in reading, math, science and social science.

At my request, Roslyn took me to the school, which is located on the site of a former bomb manufacturing company in a neighbor that looks like it had been hit by one of those bombs. It is adjacent to the Christian Love Fellowship Ministries International, pastored by reverends Barbara and Robert Hill. I was greeted by a half-dozen staffers and parents, but one of the students, “Leve” Bradshaw, captured my attention. I asked what he wants to be when he grows up, and he replied without hesitation, “A pediatrician.”

The engaging young man offered to show me around the school and I took him up on his offer. As we entered each classroom, Leve recited the name of the teacher and pointed out various features in the room. When we got to his classroom, he showed me his desk near the door, the “birthday” chair that students sit in on their special day, and a stack of games. Leve pointed to one, “Clue,” and said it was his favorite.

Strolling down the hall, Leve said, “We’re are now entering the church.” He pointed to the various offices and showed me instruments in one section that come alive with music on Sundays. He introduced me to Greg Bradshaw, a church deacon otherwise known as his father.

After my tour was over, I kept thinking about how confident, respectful and engaging Leve had been. He clearly wasn’t afraid of assuming a leadership role and someone had evidently taught him that it was okay to express himself, even when dealing with adults. Roslyn told me that that Leve hardly spoke when he was first enrolled in Genesis, but I saw no signs of that.

When I arrived at the reception and dinner, the irrepressible enthusiasm that Roslyn had expressed in the car was in the air. I heard numerous stories about passion and compassion for Genesis. Cynthia Wallace, who is moving to Pittsburgh after serving as principal for 10 years, told of how at the time she was hired to head the school, she had been offered an interim principalship of a school nearby in Ann Arbor. To be in a better position to lead Genesis, Wallace, who holds a masters degree in educational administration from the University of Michigan, asked Karen Donelan, a teacher, to serve as principal for a year. Donelan agreed with the stipulation that she and Wallace be co-principals while Wallace was still working in Ann Arbor.

With all of its love and accomplishments, Genesis Christian Academy barely meets its expenses each year (annual tuition is nearly $4,000) and lacks major corporate support from firms in Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor or Detroit. Although I generally support improving public schools over private or parochial institutions, I recognize schools are not a one-size-fits-all. And in that respect, Genesis deserves our support. If you are interested in helping, send donations to Genesis Christian Academy, 1601 Stamford Road, Ypsilanti, Mich. 48198.

I have another speech scheduled for Michigan next month. I am going a day early so that I can spend some time with the students at the school. Don’t be surprised if I leave as hyped as Roslyn and you can’t get me to stop talking about Genesis.