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Matching Gift Update
Thanks to a generous matching gift from the Rush Group and the group's CEO Andra Rush, gifts made from October 15 through January 31, 2015 will be doubled for the girls and women we serve, up to a total of $200,000. Thanks to your overwhelming support, we have now raised over $98,000 to be matched!
Help us meet our $200,000 goal and click here to donate now!
Thank you to everyone who has donated to support our crucial programs. Every dollar truly makes a world of difference in the lives of the girls and women we serve!
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AmazonSmile
Are you shopping online this holiday season? Here is an easy way to buy the gifts you need and support Alternatives For Girls, at the same time! If you are an Amazon customer, by shopping at smile.amazon.com and designating Alternatives For Girls as your nonprofit of choice, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to AFG, for every eligible purchase you make!
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Alternatives For Girls
News
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Greetings!
As 2014 is coming to a close, we are looking back at all of the wonderful memories we have made this year. We have so many people to thank for another successful year of creating positive choices; from our donors and volunteers to the incredible young women we serve, you are helping us create powerful futures for the young women of Detroit. Thank you!
Read on to learn about a new creative project in our Shelter, how Project Giving Tree impacted the girls and women we serve, and the 26th Annual Holiday High Tea.
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Expressive Arts Group Helps Relieve Stress
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 | | The Expressive Arts Group members use the art of collage to express what inspires them in their most recent project: inspiration books. |
Last winter, the Shelter Department created the Expressive Arts Group, an optional group that meets three Fridays a month and allows the Shelter residents an opportunity to explore their feelings through art.
The idea for the group started after Erika Fox, the Shelter Department's Counseling Curriculum Coordinator, and her co-worker attended a training on Trauma Intervention. During the training, they learned ways to work with those who have experienced trauma in their lives. "A key element of working with youth who have experienced trauma is focusing on activities that will allow them to express themselves without words. Because when you experience trauma you have trouble accessing your ability to talk about your emotions, art allows you to express your feelings without having to talk about it or explain it," Erika explained.
The main goals of the group are to relieve stress, allow the young women to express emotions in a safe space, and to build confidence through the act of creating something. Ciara*, one of the Shelter residents who regularly attends the group, has learned firsthand how helpful art can be in expressing and understanding her feelings, "What I like about the Expressive Arts group is that I can express myself with art instead of lashing out when I'm angry," she shared. Click here to read more.
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Project Giving Tree Spreads Holiday Cheer
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 | | Two young women enjoy one of the many holiday parties in the month of December. |
This month, between the holiday decorations, multiple visits from Santa Claus, and gifts for hundreds of our participants from dozens of generous donors, the halls of Alternatives For Girls have been looking a lot like the North Pole. December has been a month of celebration and happiness, thanks to our holiday giving program, Project Giving Tree (PGT), and the multiple holiday parties thrown by the programs at AFG. Because a vast majority of the girls and women in our programs celebrate Christmas, we do host several holiday parties which include Christmas activities. However, throughout the month, other traditions are also celebrated in various ways.
Each year, as a part of PGT, the girls and young women of AFG create a wish list that includes items they are in need of that year. The wish lists include items such as clothing, winter boots, coats, scarves, and gloves, as well as fun items such as books and board games. Once the wish lists are filled out, they are then "adopted" by businesses, organizations, local churches, and individual supporters. This year, our generous PGT donors fulfilled over 300 wish lists, as well as additional items for dozens of families!
"Project Giving Tree is significant for our program participants because it provides them with holiday items. Sometimes a coat, a pair of boots or even a much desired toy can light up their faces," Melody Moore, AFG Volunteer Services Manager explains. "It's another way for us to demonstrate our love for them. With the help of so many supporters who adopt wish lists, they help to make this possible and add smiles onto the faces of our program participants." Click here to read more.
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26th Annual Holiday High Tea
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 | | AFG CEO, Amy Good, and Holiday High Tea Host, Shirley Maddalena (Photo courtesy of HOUR Detroit Magazine) |
On December 5th, nearly 100 supporters gathered at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham for Shirley Maddalena's 26th Annual Holiday High Tea. The event has supported AFG for many years, and this year's event raised more than $11,000 for our programs! Guests of the event enjoyed an afternoon tea complete with finger sandwiches, scones, and delicious pastries while taking in beautiful holiday décor at the Townsend. The event also featured a silent auction of new and white elephant treasures brought by guests. Some items included: Tea for Four at the Townsend Hotel, a beautiful decorated cake from the Townsend Bakery, a Murdick's Fudge basket, and much more!
AFG would like to thank the Tea attendees, auction donors, and volunteers for their help in making the event a success. To see pictures from this year's tea, click on the Holiday High Tea photo album below!
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Holiday High Tea Photo Album Click here to see pictures from HOUR Detroit of Shirley Maddalena's Annual Holiday High Tea held on December 5th!
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AFG Holiday Party Photo Album
This month, AFG hosted several holiday parties for the girls, women, and families we serve! Click here to get a behind the scenes look at the holiday fun!
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Thank you for reading about us!
Sincerely,
Amanda (Amy) L. Good
CEO
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