MCSC - 2012 Global Youth Service Day Mini-Grants Engage Youth in Service Across Michigan

2012 Global Youth Service Day Mini-Grants Engage Youth in Service Across Michigan

Contact: Jamie Wilson 517-335-7875

Agency: Community Service Commission

The Michigan Community Service Commission, The LEAGUE Michigan, and Youth Service America announced the distribution of $8,000 in mini-grant funds to support 2012 Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) projects across the state this April.

Nineteen organizations from across Michigan received the funds to coordinate service projects that tackle critical challenges in their communities; including education, economic opportunity, supporting veterans and military families, health, clean energy and environmental stewardship, disaster preparedness, public safety, and childhood hunger. Grants range in value from $100 to $500.

All of the projects funded by the mini-grants incorporated youth in the planning process and/or will engage youth as volunteers.

"These funds will support critical components of 19 different GYSD service projects in Michigan," said Kari Pardoe, Director of The LEAGUE Michigan. "Now these organizations can afford the necessary supplies and resources to implement projects that will make a difference in their communities."

Global Youth Service Day is an annual volunteer event that celebrates and mobilizes the millions of children and youth who improve their communities each day through service and service-learning. Established in 1988 by Youth Service America, GYSD is the largest service event in the world and is now celebrated in more than 100 countries. On GYSD, children and youth address the world's most critical issues in partnership with families, schools, community and faith-based organizations, businesses, and governments. The official dates of 2012 GYSD are April 20, 21, and 22, but many projects will occur outside of those dates.

Several mini-grant recipients are currently seeking volunteers. "We encourage everyone - particularly youth - to find a way to serve as part of the 2012 Global Youth Service Day," said Paula Kaiser VanDam, Executive Director of the Michigan Community Service Commission. "Young people in Michigan have much to offer in the form of their talents and resources and GYSD is a great opportunity to engage them." If you're interested in serving as a volunteer, visit www.gysd.org to search for opportunities in your area.

The 2012 Global Youth Service Day mini-grant funds were made possible thanks to generous contributions from the Michigan Community Service Commission, The LEAGUE Michigan, and Youth Service America in an effort to engage more volunteers in national days of service. Thanks to these mini-grants, hundreds of Michigan youth will lend their considerable resources to addressing critical issues in their communities this April.

The 2012 GYSD mini-grants were awarded to the following organizations:

	City	Organization Name	Project Description
1	Battle Creek	United Way of Greater Battle Creek	Youth will volunteer to help cleanup and plant an existing community garden.
2	Bay City	United Way of Bay County	Youth will help coordinate a new student vegetable garden and will participate in spring planting.
3	Carson City	Carson City Crystal	Youth will volunteer to package food that will be provided to the Kids Against Hunger organization.
4	Detroit	Youth United	Youth will recruit volunteers and participate in a community-wide park and street cleanup in their neighborhood.
5	East Lansing	St. Thomas Aquinas Parish School	Youth will make American Sign Language alphabet and common word flashcards. The flashcards will be sent to students at the Hope for the Deaf School in Liberia, West Africa.
6	Grand Rapids	Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore	Youth will clean up the playground and yard at a local school.
7	Grand Rapids	Camp Fire USA West Michigan Council	Youth will beautify a local camp, engage students with disabilities, and educate fellow youth about garden use through the creation of an accessible garden.
8	Grand Rapids	Palmer Elementary	Students will participate in a trail mix packaging service project to benefit Kids Food Basket in Grand Rapids.
9	Grand Rapids	Crossroads Middle School	Crossroads Middle School students will volunteer at Kids' Food Basket, Humane Society of West Michigan, and receive education about clean water.
10	Grand Rapids	Blandford Nature Center	Youth will be engaged in removing invasive species from the local nature center.
11	Grand Rapids	American Red Cross of West Michigan	Youth will help coordinate mini-project stations for local veterans and their families. Mini-project stations include a canvas tote station, pillow case station, photo booth, and preparedness education station.
12	Grand Rapids	Heart of West Michigan United Way- Schools of Hope	Students will be educated about the importance of native plant species in West Michigan and work to perform invasive species removal in city parks.
13	Jackson	T.A. Wilson Academy	Students will visit several Jackson elementary schools and work with younger students to clean the grounds and school environment.
14	Kalamazoo	Seeding Change/Great Lakes Peace Jam	Youth will be engaged in service at several locations in the Kalamazoo area as one component of the 10th Anniversary Great Lakes PeaceJam Youth Conference.
15	Kalamazoo	Communities in Schools- Kalamazoo	High school students will be paired with a younger student who will become their literacy buddy. Older students will teach their buddy how to read a book out loud and practice their reading skills.
16	Lansing	Northwest Lansing Healthy Communities Initiative	Youth would assemble and distribute emergency preparedness packs for senior citizens who live in a local complex for seniors.
17	Lansing	Allen Neighborhood Center	Youth will assemble garden box kits that will be delivered to neighbors in the community surrounding the Allen Neighborhood Center.
18	Sault Ste. Marie	Students United of Sault Area High School	High school students will act as volunteers at a high school orientation for incoming students from the local middle school. As part of the orientation, students will participate in a fashion show and clothing drive.
19	Wyandotte	Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency	Volunteers will beautify the grounds of a local homeless shelter for families while educating youth on the importance of environmental stewardship.

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BACKGROUND:

The Michigan Community Service Commission builds a culture of service by providing vision and resources to strengthen communities through volunteerism. In 2011-2012, the MCSC is granting nearly $8 million in federal funds to local communities for volunteer programs and activities. The MCSC is funding 24 AmeriCorps programs, 20 Learn and Serve programs, and seven Volunteer Michigan grantees. The Governor's Service Awards and Mentor Michigan are also premier programs of the MCSC. The MCSC is housed in the Michigan Department of Human Services, whose mission is to assist children, families, and vulnerable adults to be safe, stable, and self-supporting. The Corporation for National and Community Service grants the federal funding the MCSC administers.

The LEAGUE Michigan is a school and web-based program for service-learning that builds character and empowers K-12 students to "do good" through service-learning in their community, nation and world. Their website, www.learningtogive.com, is full of resources for students, teachers and community partners and contains; among other things, over 1,400 lesson plans related to service-learning that are made by teachers for teachers and are all aligned to state standards.

Youth Service America improves communities by increasing the number and the diversity of young people, ages 5-25, serving in substantive roles. Founded in 1986, YSA supports a global culture of engaged youth committed to a lifetime of service, learning, leadership, and achievement. The impact of YSA's work through service and service-learning is measured in student achievement, workplace readiness, and healthy communities.