Every kid wants to be a superhero. But for Ewan Drum, 8, of New Haven, the dream’s his reality. Twice a month, the young crusader and founder of nonprofit Super Ewan, Inc., puts on a red cape and ventures out with one mission: Help feed the hungry and clothe the homeless.
“I want to dress up as a superhero while I help the homeless, because Superman wears a cape when he helps people,” Ewan says. And he brings his own league: super mom/director Angela Drum, “web Jedi” dad James Drum and grandma Mary Cechovsky – the Wonder Woman of sandwich making. Ewan’s sidekicks are siblings Josephine, 4, and Crosby, 2.
Angela says her eldest son’s connection with people has always been pretty super.
“Even when he was a toddler, we would go to a Tigers game, and he always insisted on putting a dollar into the change cups or even just talking to people.”
In May 2014, Ewan pitched a more proactive plan: “When I’m a teenager, I want to dress up like a superhero and take food and clothing to the homeless.” Mom countered: Why wait? “We gave it a couple weeks, made a plan and picked a Saturday.”
What began as a project out of the family minivan became a nonprofit that July and now receives help worldwide. Money donations fund the meals the Drums pass out on Super Ewan’s “adventures” – what Ewan calls the family’s trips to Roosevelt Park in Detroit and the space behind the Chesterfield Motor Inn.
In summer the grub’s grilled hot dogs; in winter, peanut butter and jelly or a bowl of warm chili. Each sack lunch comes with chips, fruit and a treat. Angela guesses they dole out 150 meals a month. They pass out clothing and toiletries, too, while Ewan chats up the adults or plays catch with his youngest “Super Friends.”
“(His) vision is to see red capes helping people all over the country,” Angela says. “He’d love it if people put on a cape and gave even five lunches away.”
Ewan’s advice? “If you try, you can succeed and achieve your goals.”
Super Ewan, Inc.
Join Ewan’s “adventures” at the following locations:
Detroit: Noon, fourth Saturdays, Roosevelt Park, near Vernor Highway and Michigan Avenue
Chesterfield Township: 2 p.m. second Sundays, behind Chesterfield Motor Inn, 50900 Gratiot Ave.
Donate or learn more: 586-214-7788, superewan.com
