IN THIS ISSUE

Eastern Market Farm Stand  

 

For the

second year in a row, AFG will be hosting an Eastern Market Farm Stand! The Farm Stand started on June 23rd and will be at AFG every Tuesday from 2:30-5:00pm until September 29th. The Farm Stand will sell a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables every week and is open to the public. Every Eastern Market Farm Stand will accept Cash, Credit/Debit Cards, Bridge Cards, and Double Up Food Bucks. We hope to see you there! 

 
Open House Dates

Each month at Alternatives For Girls, we open our doors and  invite our community in to get to know us. In just one hour, visitors learn  more about what we do and our history, hear about volunteer opportunities, and tour our facility. For more information to reserve your spot, please contact Volunteer Services Manager, Melody Moore, at (313) 361-4000 extension 280.

Upcoming Dates

Thursday, July 9 at 10AM

Monday, July 27 at 5:30PM

 

JUNE 2015
Alternatives For Girls
News


Summer is here and we are so excited to get outdoors and enjoy the sunshine! Our Rise N' Shine summer camp starts next week and the campers can't wait to get started.  

Read on to learn about what's been going on in Adventure Club, hear from our Peer Educators about their recent community service project, and learn about a recent event that raised awareness around youth homelessness.  

Adventure Club Helps Girls Overcome Fears and Practice Leadership Skills
Adventure Club Hot Air Balloon
The Adventure Club anxiously waiting for their  hot air balloon ride to begin.  

"The hardest part of the trip was overcoming my fear of heights. I was nervous before but once we got in the hot air balloon and started going up, I got the hang of it and thought 'This is so cool!'," Maribel shares as she remembers the recent hot air balloon ride she took with AFG's Adventure Club. The club allows the young women in our Prevention Department to experience the joys of nature through adventurous outdoor experiences and is able to do so through a generous grant from the Born and Raised Detroit Foundation. In the past, Adventure Club trips have included rustic camping, skiing, and even a trip to Costa Rica!

 

This year, the Adventure Club has been busy, with trips such as archery, scuba diving, tubing, and even a hot air balloon ride! Maribel is just one of the members of Adventure Club, which serves middle and high school aged participants (between the ages of 11-18) who have excellent or improved grade point averages, exhibit positive behavior, and demonstrate leadership skills. "We try to include as many middle and high school aged participants as we can, especially those who have never experienced these types of activities before.," Gabrielle Dowdell, Prevention Youth Leadership Coordinator who works closely with the club, explains. The trips are planned with input and ideas from the club members and research done by Prevention staff members.

Adventure Club Ski Trip
Adventure Club members make snow angels during ski trip.  

 

Although there were as many favorite trips as there are Adventure Club members, one common thread that ran through all of the recent experiences was learning how to do something new. "On the hot air balloon ride the girls helped inflate and deflate the balloon, they learned how to properly roll up the balloon, disassemble the basket, and put it away, and they even learned how the gases and gauges work," Gabrielle explains. Rosa, another Adventure Club member, described her experience during the archery trip, "I was excited to learn something new. They showed us how to aim, how to hold the bow and arrow so we wouldn't hurt ourselves, and let us get a lot of practice."

 

Another common thread was leadership. "Developing leadership skills is a core principal in the Prevention Department. Adventure Club gives youth an opportunity to practice those skills. Many of the girls lead by example." Gabrielle explains. Click here to read more. 

Peer Educators Give Back to Dearborn Animal Shelter 


Recently, AFG's Peer Education program completed another

community service project with the Dearborn Animal Shelter. Last year, the Peer Educators (PEs) helped give the animal shelter's dog park a

PE's Make Dog Treats
Peer Educators work together to make homemade dog treats for Dearborn Animal Shelter.

facelift by painting animal paw prints on the ground, painting the fences, and sprucing up the sign. "The Peer Educators really wanted to work with them again so we reached out to them and asked 'What can we do? How can we help?' And they said that we could make water bottle enrichment toys, which are used to teach dogs portion control, and treat bags for the dogs!" Ruthie Davis, Peer Education Program Manager, explains.

 

After discovering the shelter's needs, the PEs collected empty water bottles and ingredients to make the homemade dog treats. Then during two Saturday afternoon's here at AFG, the group made a couple hundred homemade treats and a couple hundred water bottle enrichment toys!

PE Makes Dog Treats
One PE kneads dough for homemade dog treats. 

 

Nicole and Sharnelle helped make the homemade treats and had a lot of fun making them with their fellow PEs. "We made the treats from scratch, so we had to use flour, brown sugar, bouillon cubes, and other ingredients. We had to put the bouillon cubes in the microwave so many times because they wouldn't melt," Sharnelle smiles remembering. Because they were multiplying the ingredients in the recipe to make several batches, it took a while to get the right proportions. "Once we figured it out, they were awesome! I think the challenges that we did come across made it more fun while we were making the treats." Nicole agreed and added, "My favorite part was rolling them out with the rolling pin and cutting out the treats with the stencils. They looked so cute!"

 

Once the treat bags and toys were complete, the PEs delivered them to the animal shelter and got a tour of the building. "When we took them to the shelter, we were able to feed the treats we made to the dogs. It was so fun!" Nicole shares. The community service project was such a success that many of the PEs can't wait to do it again. "I would love to try to use different ingredients next time!" Sharnelle exclaims.

 

"Pedal For A Purpose" Raises Funds and Awareness for Youth Experiencing Homelessness
All across the nation, the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) is leading a project to facilitate inter-agency collaboration and services supporting homeless youth. In 2014, NAEHYC conducted a needs assessment of youth experiencing homelessness right here in Detroit. The assessment surveyed youth between the ages of 16 and 24 and found that the top three barriers they were facing were access to transportation, clothing, and jobs. In response to the survey and its results, NAEHYC organized a task force to address issues faced by homeless youth, known as the Detroit Task Force on Youth Homelessness.

The Task Force has members from a wide range of programs and services for youth, including schools, youth agencies, homeless coalitions, law enforcement, public policy makers, and many others, who are led by youth from the community. "The Task Force's main goals are to bridge the gap between the three main barriers youth face and to spread awareness within the community. We try to bring everyone together at the table to provide resources, initiatives, and local policy at a grassroots level to respond the needs of the youth," Courtney Smith, Detroit Youth Task Force Coordinator and AFG Youth Board Member, explained.

 

On June 13, the Task Force held "Pedal For A Purpose" to raise funds and awareness around the top barrier faced by youth experiencing homelessness: transportation. The day started with 15 Eastern Michigan University students, alumni, and Ypsilanti locals biking from Ypsilanti to Detroit. After the 40-mile bike ride, the bikers concluded their journey at a community event held here at Alternatives For Girls! Approximately 60 people attended the community-wide awareness event, which include a youth panel discussion facilitated by Councilwoman Raquel Castaneda-Lopez, a speech about youth homelessness in the community from Judge Perkins, and a screening of the film "The Homestretch".

 

"A big highlight from the event was the youth panel. What better way to speak about the needs of youth than with the youth themselves? They are the experts in their own lives. Watching the young people come together and have the courage to share their lives with strangers, it was really touching," Courtney shared. Click here to read more.

           Hot Air Balloon
Adventure Club Photos
Click here to see photos from all of the exciting Adventure Club field trips, including scuba diving, archery, and a hot air balloon ride!

Lemonade Stand
Lemonade Day Photos
On June 6, our after school  participants hosted their own lemonade stands on Lemonade Day and they raised $300! Click here to see pictures from their first successful entrepreneurial venture!
Thank you for reading about us!
  
Sincerely,

Amanda (Amy) L. Good
CEO