Seaholm student writes children’s book to help support displaced children

BIRMINGHAM — A Seaholm High School junior has recently published a children’s book where all proceeds go to a nonprofit he is establishing.

The book, titled “My Name is Khalil,” was written based on real accounts of his experiences in Lebanon, which ultimately revealed his passion for supporting children who are displaced.

Growing up, Kalil Wahab said, he always felt out of place because of how often he moved schools.

“I was always a new kid, and I saw these kids with strong bonds, because they grew up together, and I couldn’t really share those bonds,” Wahab said.

This feeling eventually led to his ability to connect with kids who are displaced from their home.

“My connection to all these kids comes from somewhere personal. I understand on some level what it’s like to feel out of place,” Wahab said. I think that the most important thing to me is that personal connection, and the reason why I’m doing everything is because I am trying my best to help out those kids.”

 

The experience that sparked a passion for giving
When Wahab visited his grandmother in Lebanon in the summer of 2023, he saw tent villages outside and interacted with some of the kids. He later found out from his grandmother that the people living in the tent villages had been displaced from their home country.

When Wahab returned home, he started volunteering in partnership with Team Wellness, doing backpack drives for kids in Detroit. During those volunteer efforts in Detroit, he realized his passion for helping others.

“The smile that I’d see on their face is just something that I couldn’t compare to anything else,” Wahab said.

Dani Hourani, the director of community development and governmental affairs at Team Wellness Center, said that “it’s very refreshing to work with a young man like that who’s focused on giving back at such a young age, especially in this social media world where it’s all about yourself.”

 

A foundation and a children’s book
“My Name is Khalil” is based on an experience he had with one of the kids he met in Lebanon and connected with through soccer. In the book, Wahab writes about the true story of why he gifted the kid a pair of “golden” shoes.

“Everything that I do began with that experience of trying to bring a piece of home to him,” Wahab said.

He started the Golden Shoe Foundation, a nonprofit that is awaiting status, to support children who are disadvantaged. They work with volunteers through Team Wellness to provide backpacks, food and supplies to disadvantaged kids.

All of the proceeds from “My Name is Khalil” go to support the Golden Shoe Foundation.

Wahab began writing the book last summer. It was published through Amazon KDP April 1.

“Writing the book helped me discover that need to give and why I’m doing this,” Wahab said.

“My Name is Khalil” can be found on Amazon. For more information on the Golden Shoe Foundation, visit @thegoldenshoefoundation on Instagram.