Monthly Archives: June 2012

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Fresh Eyes Program Gives a Hand Up

Job training programs very often address useful jobs that will lead participants to quick employment. What they don’t do is show people how to achieve jobs that are more creative and perhaps less mainstream.

The Y’s Fresh Eyes program does just that. It’s an employment training and enrichment program for young people who are looking for work. More that 50 youth ages 18-21 have served in the program. It uses arts skills to show youth how to change their approach to finding a job, how to shine in an interview setting and how to craft an attention getting resume.

They worked with Y-Arts director Margaret Edwartowski to in weekly improve classes,w hile her husband taught them about media creation, digital music composition, and resume writing. Students also worked with the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit to beautify their spaces, and will work for CAID producing video segments about their work. The eventual goal of the program is to get them into a “forever” job with what they have learned.

“They  really enjoy the arts arts programming in general, ” Margaret says. “For many of them, the world was as big as their block. It’s been a  broadening of horizons across the board.”

Previous sessions have focused on performance poetry and video production. Not only have student gained job skills, they have improved literacy, creativity, and their self-image. The program ended with a showcase June 28.

 

 

 

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Teens Discover Path to Success

Sometimes, young people need a little help to maximize their potential; they can be successful if someone helps them see the way there. That’s the mission of much of what the Metro Youth YMCA does, including last weekend by sponsoring the MYCAN Teen Success Fest held at the Wayne County Community College District – Taylor Campus. MYCAN stands for Metro Youth College Access Network, and the focus of the event was showing teens college opportunities that exist for them and the career paths they might think about pursuing.

Participants toured programs offered by  WCCCD for auto and aviation mechanics and law enforcement careers. The school offers relatively low-cost programs that can prepare a student for those jobs in considerably less time than they might spend on a bachelor’s degree program. Y-Arts instructor and local entertainer Stevie Soul led a workshop on music industry careers.

For those interested in a four-year degree program, colleges and universities participated in a mini college fair. Eastern Michigan, University of Michigan, Western Michigan, Marygrove, Ferris State, University of Detroit Mercy, and Central Michigan all participated, as did host school WCCCD.

Of course, there’s a lot more to a successful college experience than simply choosing a program and getting in. Students need family support, financial guidance, and problem solving skills to make the most of their academic efforts. To that end, Y staff led a problem solving and team building exercise and Inga Wilson, Y-Arts Instructor, led an improv workshop to help kids learn to work together and think on their feet.

A parent panel talked about supporting their kids on the home front, and a representative from the Wayne County Sheriff’s office talked about internet and cell phone safety. Jennifer Wallace discussed the real costs and economic benefits of college and the various financial aid options that are available.

College graduates can expect to earn thousands of dollars more over a lifetime than their peers with only a high school diploma. Because of that, it’s important that teens understand college is within their reach if they work hard in high school. The MYCAN event shows them how to make all the puzzle pieces of a college plan fit, as well as helping parents — many of whom may not have attended college themselves — learn how to support their child as they make a better life.

 

 

 

 

 

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Arts Camps Provide Skills for Summer

Imagine being a tween or teen and honing your artistic skills in the heart of a major city, learning from professionals in the field.

That’s the opportunity available for young people this summer at arts camps offered by the Boll Family YMCA. Younger students can participate in the “Arts Buffet” camp, which lets 11- to 15-year-olds experiment with pottery, visual arts, dance and theater. A lot of arts classes and camps for this age group are very specialized and don’t allow kids to experiment with different media; the two-week arts buffet camp gives them a good tatse of many different at forms. “As an artist, it makes me feel good to offer hat osrt of vaired programming,” says Maragaret Edwartowski, Y-Arts director.

The media camp, which is for high school students, lets them use the city as their backdrop for real filmmaking projects. They will conceive, shoot, edit and screen a short film of their own making, using the Y’s high-tech media lab. “Even though it seems very specific, it encapsulates things you’d get from other forms of art, as well as reinforcing that collaboration idea using project-based learning — and they do get quite a lot of camera work out in the city,” Margaret says.

Both camps specifically reach out to older kids because there are fewer quality summer options for them, especially with arts camps.”This lets is include this underserved age group and get to show them how many different things they can do here,” she says.

The Arts Buffet Camp runs  from 9 am to 4 pm, July 9-19 with a showcase/exhibition on July 20 and costs $350 for members and $400 for non-members. Media Arts Camp runs  9 am-4 pm July 23 – August 9 with a screening on August 10.
Cost is $525 for both members and non-members. For more information, contact Margaret Edwartowski at medwartowski@ymcametrodetroit.org.

 

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Community Runs for One of Their Own

It was a news story that has transfixed the community: a father dead, a mother and son critically injured, allegedly at the hands of their oldest son and brother.

But, of course, the Cipriano family is not merely a headline: they are people, people suffering unimaginable pain. To the members and staff of the Farmington YMCA, mother Rose Cipriano is also one of their own. Rose was a trainer a the Y and swam on a master’s swim team.

The Cipriano family was well-known and loved in the community long before tragedy struck, and so friends wanted to do something to help the family through this difficult time. April Tini is one of those friends, and along with Jenny Birmelin, Rose’s swim coach, they settled on the idea of a run to raise money for a trust for the Cipriano children.

“They were very active in the Farmington community and beyond; they knew so many people and touched so many lives with their warm ways and community involvement, that everyone around town wanted to do something to help the family during this difficult time. The Cipriano 5K turned out to be the solution!” April says.

The final tally is still being counted, but thanks to generous sponsors and entry fees, the race generated in the neighborhood of $60,000 for the Cipriano Children’s Fund.

The race was a tribute as much as a fundraiser; Rose’s son Tanner gave a speech at the beginning of the race and designed the logos for the shirts. Jenny says one of her favorite moments was the evening of the race, when “slowly, I watched the Y’s parking lot go from 50, to 100, to 200, and climb to 2,094 participants and another hundred or two volunteers and spectators.” Many participants didn’t know the Cipriano family but were touched by their story and wanted to show support.

According to Farmington Y senior program director Leana Parker, a volunteer committee of about 35 people coalesced around getting the run together with only 5 weeks of planning. They were able to give away 150 prizes to runners courtesy of their sponsors. “It was very awesome to see the amount of people willing to help,” she says.

One thing that sets the Y apart from other places is that it is a true community — people care for each other in very real ways. So it’s not surprising that they stepped up to help one of their own. April Tini says they went above and beyond to help honor their coworker and friend. “The staff at the YMCA was truly amazing, doing anything and everything that was asked of them….they went the extra mile to help from every angle, and they jumped at the chance. They were terrific!”

Jenny says Leana and Pam Horetski were “amazing volunteers — they responded to our dozens of emails all day long, attended all of our planning committee meetings on Monday nights and also answered the hundreds of calls/emails that they were fielding from interested Y members. In my view, Leana should be the next Employee of the Month and be given that parking space she deserves.”

When a tragedy like the Ciprano family’s happens, people want to help in some way. The Run for Rose gave the community a way to show support whether they know the family or not, and used the power of the YMCA community to do it.

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Y Boosts Basketballer’s Confidence

Everyone knows that sometimes all that kids need is a little boost of confidence to spark their success. The Y provided that for PJ, a child who has blossomed into a talented basketball player thanks to the encouragement he found at the Y.

PJ has been diagnosed with anxiety and had been struggling with social situations, says his mom, Lynn Ingram. He wanted to try basketball and finally worked up the courage to join the Y’s team with a friend.  He was smaller and younger than every other player on the team and he was the least experienced basketball player. Lynn says, “It was tough to watch.  He couldn’t dribble well, would always throw the ball to an opposing player, and didn’t get a shot off the entire season….until the last game.”

With only 10 seconds left, he received a pass from a teammate, threw the ball up, and…. it went in!  In a moment straight from a tear-inducing sports movie, his teammates carried him off the court on their shoulders.  “It was a great moment,” Lynn says.

That one shot boosted his confidence enough that he practiced all summer and signed up again the following fall…unfortunately, though, he at first signed up too late to be on a team with his friends from school. He refused to go into the gym that first practice. His mom knew how much PJ loved to play, so she decided to ask for help. “I sent a long letter to the Plymouth YMCA, explaining his condition and asking that they make an exception to the maximum number of kids on the team so he could play with his buddies.  After I submitted some paperwork, they let him play.  And it has changed his life.”

The growth he’d experienced from his time at the Y was obvious in his very first game with his new team. In the first minute of the first game he scored a layup, and ended up scoring 10 points that first game. “I can’t tell you what this did for his confidence,” Lynn says.

She says that while his school team has also been helpful to him, it was the Y where he discovered his passion for sports that allowed him to build his confidence and achieve a goal, and where the people involved were willing to accommodate his anxiety and the sensitivities that go with it. “He wouldn’t be the talented player he is today if not for the Y giving him that opportunity to grow and learn,” his mom says.

 

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Downriver Run Racks Up The Years

For the 35th year, around 400 people will be jogging along the banks of the Detroit River this evening for the annual Downriver 5K to support the YMCA.

The run has been an effort of many people throughout the years, but Downriver Y board member Fred Karn was one of the runners in the very first race, and shortly thereafter joined the board and has been a board member ever since.

The run began as a way to capitalize on the running craze of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Karn said, and just a handful of runners turned out that first year. Runners took a back road and then ran along alleys in Wyandotte so the city would not have to close the streets. Back then, the Downriver Y was a shared brick building on Fort Street in Wyandotte; today, it’s a beautiful, huge facility on Northline Road in Southgate.

They’ve tried may different ways to attract people and make the race successful over the years. Now, 35 years later, the run is still in downtown Wyandotte, but much like the Y itself the course is much nicer. Runners use the golf course at BASF Park, which offers beautiful views of the Detroit River and passing sailboats and freighters. “it’s very picturesque, and really very special,” Karn says. It’s a family affair, too; there is a quarter mile run for the youngest kids, a mile run for older kids, and a 5K for the adults.

There is always a honorary chair of the run who helps draw participants, which has ranged from a state championship-winning hockey team coach to a wheelchair athlete. The race also brings in funds from sponsorships, including support from longtime sponsors BASF, Henry Ford Health System; Lincoln Park Rotary Club and KSP Insurance (Karn’s firm), along with Citizens Insurance Co.

All this adds up to thousands of dollars worth of scholarships for the Strong KIds Campaign, Karn says. Race day was cool and rainy, but they’re hoping for a good turnout to bring together the Downriver communities and support Y programs for deserving families.

 

 

 

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A Lifetime of Helping Others

Phil Lawicki is only 32, but he has spent much of his life helping others. It began when he was 13 or 14 and would meet his sister Jennifer, who has severe cerebral palsy, at the school bus. Both his parents worked, so he would come straight home after school, help get her off the bus and into the house, and sometimes even make her dinner.

“I just love her to pieces,” says Phil, who describes himself as very family-oriented. He even repeated his senior year of high school when his family had to move in order to get Jennifer into a safer high school. “I would do it again in a minute for her,” he says.

He did eventually head off to a technical college in Plainwell, outside Kalamazoo. However, a streak of bad luck combined with the recession meant he struggled to find a job he could keep. He needed something to do and dropped off a resume at the Livonia YMCA.

“Julie (volunteer coordinator Julie Allen) called, and it literally saved my life,” he says. He’s an important part of the Y now, helping with laundry and some maintenance tasks. “I started two weeks before Christmas last year, and I have never been happier,” he says. For her part, Julie says “When I thank Phil for his attitude and dedication, he thanks me.”

Phil still helps care for his sister, and enjoys watching hockey and working with electronics in his spare time. He’s also quite likely the only volunteer at the Livonia Y to have served lunch to Bill Clinton.

He took a cooking class in high school, as, he admits with a smile, a way to meet girls. During his reelection campaign, Clinton visited his school and had lunch there. Phil, with his outgoing personality, was selected to greet the president and serve him lunch. Clinton shook his hand and tipped Phil a dollar. “I told everyone, hey, he puts his pants on one leg at a time just like us,” he says, adding, “The difference is, when he’s doing it he’s running the country.”

Phil has found the Y a very welcoming place. “I love it…it’s a great place, and I encourage everyone to join,” he says.