Volunteer Groups Make Positive Impact at AFG
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This month AFG has been buzzing with several volunteer groups donating their time to projects around the agency. Sixty volunteers from five different groups worked on projects such as painting, organizing the clothing closet, and
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Ford Motor Company Volunteer Corps members paint the child care room.
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renovating the Arts & Crafts room. Melody Moore, Volunteer Services Manager, caught us up on everything that's been going in the Volunteer Department in the month of June.
On June 5th, a group from the Ford Motor Company Volunteer Corps kicked off the month. "We applied for a Ford mini-grant for a volunteer project and it was approved in April. Part of that grant included a group of volunteers who would come and do some community service at AFG," Melody explains. Throughout the day, nine Volunteer Corps members helped install four new raised beds in our garden and painted the child care room. "These volunteer projects are important because they give the community a chance to be involved and invested in AFG while at the same time brightening up the encounters the young women we serve have while at AFG," Melody shares.
This positive impact continued on June 17th when forty UAW Ford International Benefit Representatives volunteered during a daylong community service project. "UAW Ford Vice President, Jimmy Settles, believes that you should participate in the community because as you advance, you should bring others up with you," Joe Guccairdo, UAW Ford International Benefit Representative, explains. Because the International Benefit Reps were all in town, the group decided it would be a great time to get together and give back to the community. Once they decided on doing community service, they then started searching for an organization. Click here to read more.
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The Dedicated Youth Leaders of Rise N' Shine
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Last summer, a Youth Leader engages with a participant during the RNS finale.
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Starting on July 1st, AFG's halls will be filled with the sights and sounds of our Prevention Department's annual summer camp, Rise N' Shine (RNS). Three days a week, from 9am-3pm, approximately 75 girls between the ages of 4-14 participate in fun and educational workshops and field trips. This memorable six week camp is something that participants look forward to every summer and its existence wouldn't be possible without the help from a very essential group, the Youth Leaders. The ten Youth Leaders hired this summer will assist in the programs' execution by supervising RNS participants throughout their multiple workshops, helping cook and serve meals and snacks, and making sure that the participants are having fun throughout the day.
Youth Leaders must be between the ages of 16-21, have a 2.5 or higher Grade Point Average, must be currently enrolled in school, and have a number of other qualifications. "Youth Leaders must be flexible, have the ability to work in a team setting, have a positive attitude, and have the skills to work with younger children," explains AFG Youth Services Coordinator, Tiffany Edwards, who will be supervising the Youth Leaders this summer. The benefits of being a Youth Leader are a weekly stipend and weekly training's on topics such as positive youth development, employability skills, goal setting, CPR & First Aid, and team building activities. This year the Youth Leaders are funded in part by the Village Women's Club Foundation and City Connect Detroit's Grow Detroit's Young Talent Program.
Essence, a second year Youth Leader, said she is excited for another summer with RNS. "It started out as a summer job, but as the summer went on, I really started to like it. So that led me to apply again this year," Essence explains. Click here to read more.
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