Joshua Smith being interviewed by TEDxDetroit curator Charlie Wollborg back in 2012 at the Gem Theatre and Joshua today with Detroit Free Press writer Cassandra Spratling-Odetoyinbo who was the first to report about his fundraiser.
The kidpreneur interview is always one on the highlights of TEDxDetroit. We get a chance to chat with a young Detroiter who’s making it happen. Past kidpreneurs have featured web developers, authors, a candy CEO, and even a Super Business Girl. They’re always insightful, funny, and inspiring.
One of the most heartwarming stories was Joshua Smith, a 10-year-old kid who single-handedly raised thousands of dollars to help out our city’s ailing parks department when the budget’s ran dry. Watch his talk “Doing big things even though you’re small”
We were delighted to recently get an update from his proud mom Rhonda Smith. Here’s what Joshua is up to today
Since his TEDxDetroit appearance in 2012 for his internationally-known lemonade-popcorn fundraiser to save a bankrupt City of Detroit, Joshua Smith, now 17, has continued to serve his community. He had two more fundraisers—one to support Huntington Bank’s Lemonade Day as its ambassador and the other to help AA490, a campaign to raise monies to eradicate the backlog of rape kits to be tested in Detroit. He’s been the keynote speaker at a financial literacy camp for youth and the youth division of a financial conference sponsored by the Metro Detroit Chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. He helped write a grant that Focus: HOPE won to offer a summer youth photography program, where he served as a youth mentor, and for the last two summers worked with Child Evangelism Fellowship as an urban missionary teaching children in Bible clubs throughout Wayne County. Even with academics, leisurely sports activities and hanging with friends, he is a youth staff worker at church.
Who’s interesting story will inspire us this year? Join us at TEDxDetroit 2019 on Wednesday, November 6th to find out.