The Long Term Impact On The Children Of Flint

For over a year the residents of Flint, Michigan have been drinking, showering in and washing their dishes with water that contains dangerously high levels of lead. Despite months of complaints from residents, the city did not act and now the damage has been done. Lead poisoning is dangerous for everyone, but the damage to children can be significantly more severe. According to the CDC, lead poisoning in children can lead to lower IQs, hyperactivity, stunted growth and the inability to pay attention. It can cost parents of lead poisoned children $5,600 in medical and special education costs.

Currently the media and public’s focus has been on solving the immediate issue in Flint, which is getting the residents clean water. This is incredibly important, but we also need to focus on helping the residents over the long term. The lead poisoned children will require special education and resources that they currently do not have. What makes this issue even more serious is that 41.5% of Flint residents live below the poverty line. The combination of children requiring a more hands on (expensive) education and parents living near or below the poverty line does not bode well for the future of Flint.

Over the course of the last two years KultureCity has worked tirelessly to help children with Autism and other severe learning disabilities. So far we’ve helped over 15,210 people and are now looking to help the impacted families in Flint. We are reaching out to the Mayor’s office to provide 50 tablets to the impacted kids in the community through our tablet:kulture program. Many children with special needs have trouble communicating, but thanks to our tablets they have a tool that helps maximize their language skills. Our tablets are also great educational tools and help special needs children continue their learning outside of the classroom.

The problem with social media and our 24-hour news cycle is that events like what is happening in Flint get an enormous amount of attention for a short period, after which people move on to the next “story”. Right now celebrities and nonprofits are all donating water and money, which is great. However, in a few weeks when the news trucks leave and the story is no longer trending on Twitter the support will nearly disappear.

Unfortunately, the residents of Flint will need most of our support months or years from now when the effects of lead poisoning are fully realized. This is why we are giving the residents’ tools, not water or cash, because tools continue to provide value. Our tablets will help the children of Flint for years to come, which we believe should be the goal for any nonprofit or individual looking to help those in need. Think about the long-term impact of what you are doing and you will make a more dramatic impact on the lives of others.

If you would like to participate in our Tablet:Kulture program by donating a used tablet please visit http://www.kulturecity.org/programs/tabletkulture/.