This is not just a game it is an opportunity to make connections with some kids who could use some encouragement.

Eighteen boys in a foster care program in Redford spent quality time with community leaders, including firefighters and the chief of police. They played a kickball game organized to build trust and connection between first responders and children who have dealt with significant trauma.

Redford Township Police Chief Jennifer Mansfield said the event gives everyone a chance to see one another differently.

"We all get to see each other in a different light than sometimes we do when we're working, and I personally love seeing the smiles, you know, hearing the laughter, and I also like watching the adults. You know, the adults are having just as much fun as the kids." Mansfield said.

Nicholas Lavin, a firefighter and paramedic with Redford Township Fire, said the relationships built at events like this extend beyond the field.

"And we see them in the community, too, you know? We're driving by and we see them waving down the street." Lavin said. "When we run into them, it's usually a medical emergency, and that's no way to create a relationship. Whereas this, a little friendly competition, is fantastic."

MCHS Family of Services has been around since 1917. Through those years, its goal has remained the same: caring for children. The nonprofit has a campus off 6 Mile Road near Telegraph Road, where boys ages 5 to 18 can live and learn life skills.

That includes Xavier Bowles, who is graduating from Redford Union High School this month. Bowles said the program has helped him develop important skills.

"My good choices, my boundaries and my coping skills." Bowles said. "My grades, fantastic." Bowles said.

"I also volunteer with the Redford Union wrestling team and they're just like every other high school, middle school kid. They just want to have fun," said Carly Bacigalupo, president of the Redford Jaycees. She was also at the event to participate and show support.

Raquel Sulaiman, chief development officer at MCHS, said outside community involvement makes a meaningful difference for the youth in their care.

"Oh, it's so important. Our staff do an incredible job coaching, taking care of our youth, looking after them, but we know when there's outside adults in the community who look after our youth, mentor them and just have positive relationships, that goes such a long way," Sulaiman said.

Allie Snage, executive director of the Redford Chamber of Commerce, said the event was a success and hinted at more to come.

"It was great. Sounds like we're looking to do something again towards the end of the summer, so hopefully we can make this a recurring thing." Snage said.

Both sides declared victory at the end of the game but the real winners were the young men on the field.

A ransomware group called "Shiny Hunters" is claiming responsibility for a nationwide hack targeting Canvas, a widely used online learning platform, disrupting students and faculty at colleges and universities across the country.

The group's message says those affected can contact Shiny Hunters to negotiate a settlement, and that all data will be leaked if no agreement is reached by the end of May 12, 2026.

Watch Tony Geftos' video report below: Ransomware attack takes down Canvas at colleges nationwide including in Michigan

Students at Wayne State University and Macomb Community College received emails Thursday notifying them that Canvas was temporarily unavailable. The outage is hitting at a critical time, as many students are in the middle of finals.

Sumaiyah Khan, a senior at Wayne State University, said the news was alarming.

"I can imagine the panic," Khan said.

Khan said she typically keeps backups of her work, but noted some assignments could still be lost.

"Typically, yes. But sometimes if we do a text box entry, it could completely vanish," Khan said.

Professor Leon DuPree, an information security expert with Eastern Michigan University, said the attack is impacting schools all over the country. He advised institutions to maintain backups and use additional security measures, such as biometric authentication, to protect accounts.

"When you're talking about a cloud-based system being compromised like that, is going to be making sure that you've got multi-factor identification in place and removing identification and user IDs that you don't need anymore," DuPree said.

Professor Tom Holt with Michigan State University's School of Criminal Justice said he believes the attack is more about disruption than the value of the data itself.

"That's a ton of material to sift through. It's unlikely that there's going to be a lot of immediate value in terms of intellectual property, but there are a lot of downside risks in terms of the loss of time and resources for those who use it," Holt said.

By Thursday evening, Canvas reported it was back online. Many students and faculty are now wondering whether their personal information will still be leaked.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

A heart surgeon has made a major donation to create a safe space for boys surviving childhood trauma in Redford Township, honoring the memory of a 13-year-old patient who died from heart complications.

The donation from Dr. John Dentel establishes "The Den" at MCHS Family of Services off 6 Mile Road. The recreation room serves as a safe space for the 24 boys currently living at the nonprofit facility.

Watch Tony Geftos' video report below: Surgeon honors life of young patient

Dentel met Mikey Novak in 2021. Novak was born with congenital heart disease and lived at MCHS, a facility for boys who survived childhood abuse and trauma.

Knowing everything he had been through and knowing his relationship with adults in general, but just knowing his kind and loving heart just drew us all in to who Mikey is and who Mikey was, Dentel said.

Dentel first performed a valve replacement surgery on Novak, then placed him on a device to support his heart. Eventually, Dentel performed a heart transplant on the teen.

Getting to the transplant was difficult because Novak did not have a legal guardian.

So, when we decided to give him a transplant, we werent sure if the state was going to allow him to get a transplant because he didnt have a guardian. So, I actually stepped away during rounds and called my sister and I said, If I adopt this kid, will you come and help me? Dentel said.

Novaks biological grandmother was able to adopt him instead. However, months after the heart transplant, the 13-year-old experienced complications and did not survive.

Dentel, who is now based in Florida, never forgot about his patient in metro Detroit. MCHS Family of Services President and CEO Kevin Roach said the deep connection between the surgeon and the boy surprised him a little bit.

Dentel decided to honor Novak's memory by funding the new space at MCHS.

He always referred to me as The Bear, to kind of overlook him, and him The Cub because he was like a son to me. So, thats where the name came from. The Den is a place for safety. Its a place for everyone to get energy, to transform, to unite, Dentel said.

At the end of the day, its a recreation space for our young people. For them to play games, for them to hang out, for them to have that space that they can come to and just be boys, Roach said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.