Founded by nuns in 1883, Detroit charity Vista Maria is "oldest continuously operating nonprofit in Michigan," and annually serves 1,000 at-risk kids.
"Vista Maria concentrates on shaping youth’s lives, and Jayelo Harvey is a shining example of the nonprofit’s efforts. A senior at one of its two charter schools specializing in educating traumatized and at-risk youths, the 18-year-old heads a 4-H club, was selected to attend a national summit in Washington, D.C., and has been accepted at nine colleges or universities....For more than a century, Vista Maria — which state officials believe is the oldest continuously operating nonprofit in Michigan — has been helping some of the state’s most challenged youths transition into adulthood with a host of educational, residential, treatment and community programs."-- Mark Hicks, the Detroit News
