Helping Empower Youth Transforms Atlanta’s Water Vendors

ATLANTA — Warmer temperatures are good business for young Atlantans who make money selling water, also known as “water boys.”

In October 2023, 11Alive told the story of three water boys who turned their business into a registered and successful business. Behind them was the Helping Empower Youth, or Hey!, program that made this possible.

Mekhi Wilson is 19 years old and co-founder of Water Boyz in the Hood. He began by trying to envision a better life for his future and that of his family. He took to the streets with his friends and a case of water.

“I grew up in a family of five, six or seven siblings. My mother was a single mother, so I couldn’t really have it all,” Wilson described. “I wanted to go to school, and my way of getting around is: I got a case of water, I went to Northside Drive and I started selling water.”

Over the years, competition arose and the rush of water boys took over the town. While some considered them a nuisance or fought to ban their presence, the group Helping Empower Youth wrapped their arms around the boys and turned them into businessmen.

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Through the program, teens were able to get answers to questions like, “What does an LLC mean, or a C Corp, or a Benefit Corp?” What does a budget look like? Have a personal account over a professional account.

During this workshop series, one of the gifts they were given was to have their business registered with the Secretary of State, the City of Atlanta, and their Business Licensing Office.

Hey! co-founder KaCey Venning said the organization specifically created Hey! Hydrate! to help water boys develop legitimate businesses. Four years later, the program reports that 18 of them have acquired LLCs.

“Now I run my own business,” Mekhi said. “And so, I walk around with my water daily, because we have our own brand of water now. So, I walk around to different stores in and around and try to get my orders there.”

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Tips from Hey! not only made him a business owner, but also a high school graduate – he was not enrolled in school when he entered the program. His goal was to earn money for his family, but his mother dreamed of him finishing his studies.

Meanwhile, Mekhi finds success every summer and brings a new group of water boys facing the same fate. Many young people who come to Hey! home on Atlanta’s west side live 300 percent below the poverty line.

Venning said the biggest need right now is money and mentors. The program is currently full. $10,000 would help them hire five more young men to teach them how to sell water through wholesale and e-commerce. To donate, visit Hey!