By Victoria Mullen, WKTV
The gift of song has always been Thomas Carpenter’s saving grace. His deep baritone-bass voice has opened doors many times, and he delights in singing at church, for Dégagé, nursing homes, Heartside Art Studio and Ministry, and other organizations that help the homeless.
He sang when he was in the military. And he even sings on the street.
Music has always been a big part of his life.
“My mother sang when I was little,” said the Detroit native. “I had a sister who was a musician. She and I sang in church. She was an alto who could sing tenor, so we could sing all the parts.”
Carpenter, 62, said he grew up in a God-fearing family.
“We couldn’t hang out in the summer. We had to go to summer school or Bible school. Dad was a disciplinarian.”
When his parents and older sister were eventually diagnosed with cancer, he became depressed and started using drugs. Through a series of misfortunes, he eventually became homeless.
“One day, someone stopped me on the street and fed me,” said Carpenter. “We went to a revival and I sang, ‘Just a Closer Walk with Me’.”
His singing led to a scholarship at Marygrove College in Detroit where he was a voice major with a concentration in classical music. One of his classmates was Madonna, who was studying to be an opera singer.
“God was trying to help me out,” Carpenter said. “But I got careless and squandered the scholarship.”
Carpenter has lived in the Heartside district for seven years and is thankful to many organizations. Mel Trotter gave him shelter when he was homeless. Dégagé helped arrange his mother’s funeral and transport for her body to go back to Detroit.
He helps out wherever he is needed.
“I had worked at a shelter before, so I had experience,” he said. “I needed to turn the lemons into lemonade, so I volunteered without actually taking a job there. Whatever needed to be done, I just stepped up. And then I went to have surgery on myself at the Veterans Hospital.”
When he came back, Dwelling Place provided him with a low-rent apartment.
“They saw how I interacted with people and developed a position, ‘resident engagement mentor’, so that’s what I’m doing for Dwelling Place.”
He also serves on the board there.
“I work primarily in fund development and resident engagement, and I have a mentor who’s a lawyer as I need to know more about the laws of the land.”
And the First Methodist Church of Grand Rapids, which partners with Dégagé, has opened the doors for him to come in and do special music for their services.
He finds the work rewarding on many levels.
“When someone who has been broken or lost or defocused receives the help from Dégagé, my joy is when that person brings another person,” he said. “Or when I see them putting the same tools and resources to someone who is in the same situation they were in. When I see that, I get charged up.”
Listen to Carpenter’s VOICES conversation here.
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