Residents in one Mich. town pooled their money together for an incredible reason

In Baldwin, Michigan, an impoverished community with a history of generational poverty, college wasn't in the cards for most high school graduates — until residents did something remarkable.

Inspired by the Kalamazoo Promise, a pledge by a group of anonymous donors to pay up to 100 percent of tuition at any of Michigan's state colleges or universities for students of the city's public schools, community members aimed to do the same with its bright teens.

Unfortunately, talks with corporations and foundations came to a halt amid the 2008 financial crisis. Determined, the community banded together and raised enough money to provide every student with a scholarship, even creating a donation jar in the town.

"I was too busy worrying about the next meal instead of the next step in life," student Shadarrius Scott said. "The moment means a lot more to me than it does for a lot of other people people for them it's like 'Yeah, we finally made it, we finally got here.' For me, it's ... 'You did it'!"

The story of Baldwin, Mich., is highlighted in Upstanders, a collection of short stories and films created by Starbucks that explores ordinary people doing extraordinary things to create positive change in their communities.

Watch the video above to learn more about the incredible program and learn about more Upstanders here.

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