(WXYZ) — Sharnese Marshall knows she is walking with a purpose as she strolls the halls at Durfee Elementary School and the adjoining Central High School.
Marshall is the founder of The Konnection, a non-profit working inside of the Detroit school, encouraging kids to stay focused and engaged through mentorship and after-school programs.
There's also a school-wide competition to see which class in each grade has the best attendance and participation, and winners get to enjoy the Konnection Kudos celebrations.
Tucked away at the school is a room where struggling students can stock up on the essentials. Without this resource, many would go without.
“I didn’t have to struggle when I grew up, so seeing what the kids go through at home I could not leave this community, I knew that this is where I wanted to start because they grew up so much different than me," Marshall said.
The Konnection relies on donations, and like many charities, they receive most of their funds during the holiday season when people are in the giving season. Unfortunately, scammers know that as well.
The Michigan Attorney General's Office just wrapped up its 20 Days of Scams, attempting to teach givers how to protect their donations. According to the IRS, every year, charities lose 5% of revenue to fraud.
Justin Haun, a financial wellbeing manager for Lake Trust, said consumer are starting to wise up.
"I think people are becoming more aware, and that awareness has led to an increase in folks reaching out to their financial institutions to get some of that help and support," Haun said.
"Are you seeing more people reach out before they donate? Or after they feel like they have been scammed?" I asked.
"I think in general we see more reactive calls," he said.
They are trying to change that, because Haun said calling your financial institution before you donate could prevent fraud because they have an understanding of common scams.
For Marshall, the thought of losing any money intended for charity to scams is exasperating because she knows every dollar has a direction.
"Without our program, the students wouldn’t have hats, gloves and ripped jackets, so this means everything to my students and it means everything to us also," she said.
