BAYTOWN, TX — Students in the Reaching Excellence Against Limitations (R.E.A.L.) Organization at Lee College are hosting a benefit May 10 for Flint, Mich., residents still reeling from lead contamination in the city’s tap water.
“Let’s be Real for Flint,” is set for 3:30-7 p.m. in the Student Center on campus. The event is free and open to the public, and will include entertainment from a live DJ, a silent auction, a bake sale and complimentary refreshments for those who attend.
Cash donations and cases of bottled water will be accepted at the benefit and sent to Flint to help victims of the water crisis, which has created a public health emergency that has lasted more than 2 years. Lead exposure can cause behavior problems and learning disabilities in children, and kidney ailments and other health problems in adults — and while treatments are available that reduce the levels of lead in the blood, there is not yet a cure for lead poisoning.
Launched at Lee College in 2015, R.E.A.L. is a student organization that aims to educate and empower black males by enhancing their skills and creating positive change. The group recognizes four pillars: educating the black male on who he was, is and can be; empowering the black male voice on campus and helping put their thoughts in action; enhancing member skills to form a strong foundation from which they can build their futures; and creating a campus climate that helps increase retention rates for black male students.
For more information about the upcoming “Let’s be Real for Flint” benefit, contact R.E.A.L. adviser Jessica Falla at 281.425.6421 or jfalla@lee.edu.