Thanks to the hard work of local community members, Detroit’s Devil’s Night is now a season of service. See how buildOn students are turning chaos into community through volunteerism and hope in our new blog post!

Devils to Angels: Turning Chaos into Service in Detroit

  1. Home
  2. Get Involved
  3. Devils to Angels: Turning Chaos…
October 31, 2025
buildOn in Detroit
Share
Twitter Icon
Facebook Icon
Linkedin Icon

Every October, Detroit comes alive with Halloween excitement. But decades ago, this same season was marked by fear. What began as mischievous pranks on the night before Halloween grew into something much darker. By the 1980s, Devil’s Night became synonymous with fires, vandalism, and destruction across the city.

Detroit’s story could have stayed that way. But the community had other plans.

Transforming Fear into Hope

Urban blight, which buildOn in Detroit works to combat alongside groups like Detroit Blight Busters, exacerbated the damage done on Devil’s Night, as fires set in abandoned buildings spread out of control.
Urban blight, which buildOn in Detroit works to combat alongside groups like Detroit Blight Busters, exacerbated the damage done on Devil’s Night, as fires set in abandoned buildings spread out of control.

In response to the chaos, Detroiters came together. Neighbors formed watch groups and volunteers patrolled the streets to protect their blocks, keeping a close eye on abandoned buildings, which were often targets for arsonists. By the mid-1990s, the city officially rebranded Devil’s Night as Angels’ Night, a program to prevent arson that was so successful that the city officially ended it in 2017.

That same spirit of community continues today. And buildOn students in Detroit are carrying it forward.

Service That Transforms the Season

buildOn students from multiple schools across Detroit helped volunteer at Capuchin Soup Kitchen’s annual Trunk-or-Treat event.
buildOn students from multiple schools across Detroit helped volunteer at Capuchin Soup Kitchen’s annual Trunk-or-Treat event.

This past weekend, students from East English Village Preparatory Academy and Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School joined volunteers at Capuchin Soup Kitchen’s annual Trunk-or-Treat, a free, family-friendly Halloween celebration in Detroit’s east and west sides. Hundreds of community members came out to enjoy a safe afternoon of candy, costumes, and connection.

For 11th-grade class president Eriona Long from East English Village, volunteering is about giving back and creating a safe, fun space for young Detroiters.

East English Village Prep 11th-grade class president Eriona Long helps hand out candy at the Trunk-or-Treat.
East English Village Prep 11th-grade class president Eriona Long helps hand out candy at the Trunk-or-Treat.

“We get to work with all the kids,” Eriona said. “This is what they get to do after school. They can come get candy and have fun, and high school kids like me can help out. I love buildOn and I love volunteering.”

Healing Through Service

For Kimora Williams, a senior from King High School, the event was personal.

“Seeing the kids smile makes me happy,” Kimora shared. “I didn’t always have a strong, positive family growing up, so seeing parents with their kids and seeing siblings out here together, it heals a part of my childhood.”

Kimora Williams says that she likes helping families come together to have fun since she did not always have the best family life when she was a child.
Kimora Williams says that she likes helping families come together to have fun since she did not always have the best family life when she was a child.

Kimora says she volunteers because she wants to spread smiles and give back to her community.

“I don’t see a lot of families going out and doing fun things together like this,” she added. “You see the smiles on people’s faces, especially the parents seeing their children happy, I just think that’s really great.”

“Seeing parents with their kids and seeing siblings out here together, it heals a part of my childhood.” —Kimora Williams

From Chaos to Community

buildOn students help provide younger Detroiters with a safe place to celebrate Halloween.
buildOn students help provide younger Detroiters with a safe place to celebrate Halloween.

What was once a night of fear is now a season of service. Events like Trunk-or-Treat show how far Detroit has come, and how far its young leaders are taking it. buildOn students aren’t just keeping the city safe for one night—they’re building a stronger, more connected Detroit every day.

Since 1993, buildOn has united Detroiters through service and education to ignite opportunity. In the Motor City, we’re empowering youth to transform their neighborhoods, turning one of the city’s hardest nights into a moment of hope.

Thanks to the hard work of the community, Halloween is a fun holiday in Detroit, not a night of fear.
Thanks to the hard work of the community, Halloween is a fun holiday in Detroit, not a night of fear.

This Halloween, the legacy of Devil’s Night has become something entirely different.
It’s proof that when young people lead with compassion, chaos can turn into community, and fear can give way to light.

Want to help support our transformational programs in the U.S.? Consider making a tax-deductible donation today.