Hometown hero, Marvin Skipper, had all the right moves when growing up in Detroit. A Pershing High School graduate, he earned a basketball scholarship to Eastern Michigan University. His eye was on an NBA career with hopes of providing a better life for his family and community when his hoop dreams were sunk by a heart condition.
“I never had a chance to play college ball, I ended up with a defibrillator; my sport’s career was over. It was really disappointing because growing up in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Detroit, the NBA was a meal ticket out for me and my family,” said Marvin Skipper, District Manager, FCA Great Lakes Business Center.
Despite shattered basketball dreams, Marvin never gave up on wanting to help his family, friends and community. Shortly after starting work in 2015 at FCA, he founded “Youth are Bigger Than Life,” a non-profit dedicated to serving Detroit’s underprivileged with life and educational services. Holding charity basketball games and finding sponsors and donations, Marvin’s “Youth are Bigger Than Life” offers after school programs that provide mentorship, recreational activities and for the fourth year in a row, a free year-end grocery giveaway.
During this year’s December 14th event, “Youth are Bigger Than Life” handed out almost 30,000 pounds of food, feeding more than 325 Detroit families. While donations and sponsorships pay for most of the food that’s given away, Marvin chips in too so more people are served.
“I am so thankful for my job at FCA. It allows me to carry out my mission of being there for my community. I was once that kid who could have steered left or right but great support kept me on the right path. Today, I’m that support for so many kids in my neighborhood and that’s living the dream!”
To learn more about Youth Are Bigger Than Life, visit https://www.youtharebiggerthanlife.com/.
About FCA Community Stories:
FCA Community explores the efforts of FCA employees who see a need beyond the walls of their work sites and devote energy outside their daily job to be a source of comfort and a force for change.
