Usher makes stop at Boys and Girls Club in Detroit on Thursday; 'They're investing in my future'

DETROIT (FOX 2) - There are over 25 million kids in the U.S. that lack an after school program to go to when the day in the classroom is over. That includes 750,000 children in Michigan - like Logan in Detroit.

She was one of the lucky ones to join Usher on stage for the pop star's visit to the Boys and Girls Club in Detroit. 

"It really just lets me know that there are people who want to invest in youth. There are people who want to see the development in what youth can create, what youth can do," she said. "It just makes me smile because they’re investing in me, they're investing in my future, they're investing in my peers’ future."

Usher's visit to Detroit includes a sold out show in the city. But before the music began, he strolled onto a different kind of red carpet event. This time, as a shining example of what can happen when programs like the Boys and Girls Club gives kids a chance.

"It’s a beautiful thing, right? To come to the Boys and Girls Club and be influenced in the way that you could create a career, create a business, and be a contributor to your community," Usher said from the stage Thursday afternoon.

Screams from fans in the area could be heard as he spoke.

It's the kind of energy the nonprofit's president said is sorely needed in programs like his.

"Usher’s story, my story, our origin stories started at after-school care programs like the Boys and Girls Club," said Shawn Wilson. "It took somebody coming in to inspire us that put us on a pathway to success."

Usher is this year's honorary chair of the Lights on Afterschool program, which will offer more options for students after dismissal from the classroom.