Section B


Message from the President


T


his month’s edi- tion of Commu-


nity Connection is devoted to youth and


how they are shaping the communities in which we live. When I think of young people I immediately think future. Having just come back from the Detroit Re- gional Chamber Policy Con- ference on Macinac Island where there was hardly a young person in the crowd, it occurred to me that everything we talked about for those three days was about the world we are cre- ating for our young citizens in Southeast Michigan.


It seems inherent in


great leaders to attempt to build a better place than the one that was left to them. I’m not sure we could always say that about past leader- ship, but given the extreme urgency of the point in which we now find our- selves, I believe young people of our region and, yes, our city should have optimism for the future.


David Girodat


RIVERVIEW HIGH SCHOOL’S Everybody Gives A Darn (EGAD) Grand prize winners of the S.H.O.T.S. program.


As you will read about


in articles like the one about the program that Fifth Third Bank did in conjunction the Detroit Red Wings, our young people are already starting to build stronger commu- nities through their own sweat equity. The program, entitled Students Helping Others Through Service (S.H.O.T.S.) was emblemat- ic of the community service projects that are taking place in schools through- out our region. These young people saw a need in their community and decided to do something about it. They were led by dedicated teacher/advisors and supported by loving involved parents and they made a difference in the lives of individuals and a community.


From tutoring middle


school kids to filling goody pacs for local troops in Iraq, these groups of students designed, raised funding and executed service projects that they felt were important. And these young people weren’t worried about issues of politic or feasibility or who received the gratitude in the end. As teams they just wanted to do some- thing that was good for their community. We hap- pened to recognize them through the S.H.O,T.S. program but they received their reward before long before the project was even submitted for consider- ation of our judges. These young people experienced the immense pleasure and satisfaction of being in ser- vice of others for the sole purpose of making it better.


Our future is in good


hands with the youth of Southeast Michigan. Stories abound of the openness to new ideas and innovation that our youth embrace on their way to the future. Here’s hoping we adults show equal courage as we strive to “leave this community a better place than was left to us.”


WATERFORD MOTT HIGH SCHOOL’S National Honor Society Indepen- dent Studies group.


Fifth Third Bank, Detroit Red Wings encourage student volunteerism with S.H.O.T.S. program


L


ast fall, an initiative led by Fifth Third Bank and the Detroit Red Wings encouraged Southeast Michigan high school students to volunteer in the community. The S.H.O.T.S. program (Students Helping Others Through Service) is an initiative designed to en-


courage high school students to volunteer their time and efforts while creating a competition among the student groups with monthly and overall winners taking home several great prizes.


Individual student groups of four to six, or their teachers logged onto


DetroitRedWings.com to register their team and kept the judges updated on their progress. The selection committee included several local celeb- rities such as local Hockey Town favorite Steve Yzer- man, Steve Grunwald from 99.5 WYCD Detroit’s Best Country, Pat Caputo from 97.1 and the Oakland Press, Dr. Darrius from 97.9 WJLB, Spike from the Mojo in the Morning Show on Channel 95.5, and Trevor Thompson from FOX Sports Detroit.


Each month a school


was selected. Monthly win- ners were Romulus High School’s Interact Club and Waterford Mott’s National Honor Society and River- view High School EGAD.


The grand prize winner


was Riverview High School EGAD. Each member of this club was honored on the ice at a Red Wings game in March, received a laptop computer, a pizza lunch at the school and a goody bag filled with great Fifth Third Bank and Red Wings gear. Fifth Third Bank also pre-


sented a check for $530 to the school for seed money for their 2010- 2011 service project. In addition, each member of the club received a $50 gift card.


Riverview’s “Everybody Gives A Darn ” is a community service oriented


group, created to benefit active military personnel units with a Romulus alumnus serving among them overseas. Through fundraising activities such as bowling nights, restaurant promotions and casual clothes days, they were able to raise money to send over 20 large boxes filled with personal hygiene products, recreational materials and non-perishable food to the troops. The school also sold paper stars to honor veterans and current soldiers. The stars are on display in the school’s lobby. Congratu- lations to the EGAD team: Alysha Rec, Audra Rec, Emily Goddard, Ashley Cox, Cody Carpenter and Jessica Cichowlas.


The Romulus Interact


Club chose to volunteer at Corey Elementary School’s Game Night. The Interact students arrived early to set up the board games in the cafeteria and prepared to make the games mean- ingful for the elementary students for the two-hour time slot. The focus was to demonstrate that learning is fun and by working to- gether to provide a powerful team building experience for the young people. A positive example was set in that students of all ages had fun while focusing on learn- ing and working coopera-


ROMULUS HIGH School Interact Club. See S.H.O.T.S. page B-2


THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE


June 9-15, 2010 A positive change factor for youth


By Shelly Norman-Hill Since 1995, more than


21,000 children and youth have benefited from after-school pro- grams, leisure services and en- richment opportunities because of the Youth Development Com- mission. It is committed to en- suring that children and youth have access to quality programs that create positive outcomes in their lives. The Commis- sion partners with many major organizations such as Michi- gan Neighborhood Partnership, Communities In Schools, Don


Bosco Hall, Children’s Aid So- ciety, Detroit Tigers, and Youth Ville just to name a few, to ensure we provide holistic ser- vices to our youth.


Fifty percent of the children


in the city of Detroit live in pov- erty. Over the years, millions of dollars have been invested in easing the effects of poverty on children. The Youth Develop- ment Commission believes that it is important to address the root causes of poverty so that intergenerational poverty can be interrupted. Non-profit organi- zations are often able to identify


and address those root causes, including the lack of opportu- nities for young people to grow and play in a safe, constructive environment.


As an intermediary organiza-


tion, the Commission helps to leverage the work of other non- profits. According to Shelly Norman-Hill, Commission pres- ident, “We do this by linking many area non-profits that work in isolation by creating connec- tions, providing training, tech- nical assistance and resources


See Positve Change page B-2


Young Detroit Builders: Helping to rebuild its communities


After 15 years of helping young


Detroiters to transform their lives, Young Detroit Builders (YDB) contin- ues to fulfill its mission. Founded in 1993, Young Detroit Builders is a non- profit organization that works with youth to rebuild Detroit neighbor- hoods through its YouthBuild Detroit/ AmeriCorps program, Partnership for Permanent Supportive Housing, and Detroit Construction Career Center. In addition, YDB is also implement- ing two new businesses in the areas of repair and maintenance and decon- struction.


David F. Girodat President, Fifth Third Bank, Eastern Michigan


YouthBuild Detroit is a 10-month


full-time comprehensive program that provides on-the-job construction training, GED preparatory education, career and life skills development, leadership development, and counsel-


ing to young adults. Trainees build affordable housing for families while they learn. Students may earn Ameri- Corps educational awards for college and national construction certifica- tions.


When students first enter the pro-


gram, they are required to complete three weeks of orientation, referred to as Mental Toughness Orientation. It includes three weeks of workshops, physical training, testing, community service and construction prep. Once in the program, trainees spend half of their time in the classroom preparing for the GED examination and the other half learning construction skills.


Giving back to the community is an important component of the Youth-


See Young Builders page B-2


YOUNG DETROIT BUILDERS students building a prototype of a temporary Haitian shelter.


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