Featured Image: Bryant Teen Program participants enjoying the not-so-wintery weather.
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Hello Friends, and Happy New Year!
This month has been a wonderful opportunity for everyone here at CAN to reflect on the past season of growth and gear up for a new year of serving more students and families than ever before. From kicking off the winter/spring semester of After School Program and planning for our upcoming Educational Summer Camps, to all the little victories in between, there's lots to be excited about.
We're also happy to share our involvement in the A2Zero climate neutrality initiative (more info can be found below!). There's truly no better time than the present to start working towards a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable world.
2019 was a year for the books thanks to the support of our incredible community, and we feel so lucky to join all of you in discovering what bright new adventures 2020 has in store!
Thank you,
Your Friends at CAN
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What Is Happening at CAN?
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Kids
CAN Cook with Sprouting Chefs
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Beginning in January,
Sprouting Chefs
is working with CAN Art & Design to provide scholarships for their hands-on cooking classes for kids.
This partnership is a wonderful, whole-child approach to encouraging a love of food, cooking, and wellness.
Kalia and Nevaeh had a blast at the first class of the year, learning to prepare a healthy and wholesome meal of Beef & Bean Chili, Cornbread, and Blueberry & Apple Crumble.
This collaboration is made possible through a generous donation from the
United Dairy Industry of Michigan
. Thank you United Dairy Industry of Michigan and Sprouting Chefs for sharing the joy of cooking with CAN!
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Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.
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Students at Brick Community Center observed MLK Day by watching
Kid President's video about the legacy of Rev. King and discussing the messages he represented. Afterwards, they traced their "helping hands" and filled them in with ways they could make the world a better place.
Some of their awesome ideas included:
- "not littering"
- "be kind to each other"
- "don't yell"
- "say hi"
- "love"
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The 3rd through 5th graders at Arrowwood Hills Community Center's ASP have been hard at work on their projects for the Thurston Elementary Science Fair.
These young scientists used baking soda and vinegar in plastic water bottles to inflate balloons!
Prior to running their experiments students used the scientific method to define a research question— Would the baking soda and vinegar reaction cause the balloon to pop? Would the balloon and water bottle float away? Additionally, students wrote a hypothesis, procedure, and identified their variables and constants. Then they collected data by either measuring the circumference or diameter of the inflated balloon in four trials, graphed their results, and wrote a conclusion. Finally, they created a trifold and presented their findings at the fair on January 30th. Way to go AHCC!
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Above: Chase and Jessica demonstrating their experiments.
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Students at Bryant Community Center also got in on the balloon-related fun with a hands-on physics activity that introduced the concept of
thrust—the force that pushes an object through the air.
The kids created "rockets" by taping a balloon to a straw threaded on a string, and then raced them by releasing the air in the balloon. Teams experimented with different kinds of string held at different angles to test which rocket was the fastest of them all.
Thank you to our curriculum development VISTAs for helping us make these engaging and educational STEM lessons a regular part of After School Program!
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Below: Denzel and Cruz ready and excited to race their respective rockets.
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A2Zero Climate Neutrality Initiative
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Did you know that Ann Arbor recently passed a climate emergency declaration and is working towards carbon neutrality, community-wide, by the year 2030? CAN is excited to join the City of Ann Arbor and over 50 other organizations in the A2Zero initiative to create a shared strategy for what a just transition to a climate-neutral Ann Arbor could look like.
Why is CAN involved? Climate change affects everyone, but it has an outsized impact on communities with fewer resources to adapt. Low-income communities already experience higher rates of many health conditions and more exposure to environmental hazards, and this inequality will only be exacerbated by climate change. That’s why it's so important for under-resourced residents to be included in developing equitable climate solutions.
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Thanks, University of Michigan Credit Union!
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Throughout November and December, University of Michigan Credit Union (UMCU) matched and donated 1% of total purchases made with UMCU Visa credit cards at 71 participating local businesses. This "Shop Local Give Local" campaign raised $5,000 for YouthWorks, CAN's six-week summer program designed to help teens develop important job skills and explore potential career goals.
Thank you to UMCU and to the Washtenaw County business community for your support!
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Cassidy started her
second
year as an AmeriCorps VISTA with CAN this January.
Not only is she an amazing person and colleague in general, but this past November-December, Cassidy completely ROCKED the holiday season. She jumped right in to help, engaged with clients, cleaned, and was among the last to leave every party.
She went above and beyond her VISTA duties to make sure each of CAN's kiddos received their unique holiday gifts and had the best CAN holiday party to date.
Thank you for all you do, Cassidy!
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AmeriCorps VISTA:
Make a Difference
Work with CAN for one year building capacity to help our organization dig deeper within the communities we serve and make an impact on more families in Washtenaw County.
AmeriCorps VISTA: Summer Program Facilitator
Work with CAN for 8-weeks operating CAN's free Educational Summer Camps for children & youth. 2020 SPFs are:
- Available full-time from June 15-August 7
- Passionate about being a positive mentor to children & youth
- Productive team members/collaborators, flexible, and resourceful
Program Assistants
CAN is hiring work-study students from the University of Michigan to operate CAN's After School and Food Programs for the 2020 Winter/Spring semester.
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Looking for Ways to Get Involved?
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CAN could not be successful without the help of committed volunteers like you!
Click the images or button below to learn more about CAN's ongoing volunteer opportunities or email
volunteers@canannarbor.org
to learn more.
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We have a NEW donation page!
Now you can quickly and easily give online is just a few clicks.
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Your donation will help fund much needed educational programs for over 300 K-12 students, all while ensuring that each CAN family has access to nutritious food, stable housing, and a safe, nurturing neighborhood.
As always, please consult your tax advisers or the IRS to determine if a contribution is tax-deductible.
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Community Action Network
PO Box 130076, Ann Arbor, MI 48113
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Community Action Network partners with children, youth, and families from under-resourced Washtenaw County neighborhoods to create better futures for themselves and improve the communities in which they live.
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