Public Relations Director

(517) 335-7875 - office

734-646-1515-cell
greenefarmerc@michigan.gov

Detroit, Michigan - Today, Michigan Community Service Commission Executive Director, Paula Kaiser VanDam, was on hand to recognize the 3^rd Annual 2009 National Learn & Serve Challenge at Detroit's Service Learning Academy (DLSA).  VanDam will join 250 students in a kick off celebration at the DLSA at 3:00 p.m.  During the celebration, she will present a proclamation from Governor Jennifer M. Granholm recognizing Learn & Serve Challenge Kick Off.

"Service learning provides an opportunity to learn and reinforce academics while addressing community needs," said VanDam.  "This type of unique programming is a perfect way to build a foundation of civic engagement to provide students relevant and important learning experiences."

The Learn & Serve Challenge Kick Off, which runs from October 5-11, encourages students to engage in service-learning activities that address the needs of the community in five critical areas: community renewal, education, energy/environment, health, and safety and security.  This year-long challenge is a national sustained, focused effort to promote youth civic engagement and service-learning, a hands-on teaching method that engages young people in solving problems within their schools and communities as part of their academic studies.

"It is critical that we provide students with educational experiences that are not only meaningful, but engaging," said Eylastine Davis, DLSA Superintendent.  "Our academic service-learning component allows the classroom teacher to focus on academics, while also giving the students real life, real world experiences to apply what they have learned."

To commemorate this week, the Detroit Service Learning Academy students collected 1,500 toiletries from the community which will be donated to the Grace Center of Hope of Oakland County.  A representative from the Center will be on hand to accept the donation.  This activity kicks off DSLA's service-learning efforts by helping students focus on the needs that exist around them and on their ability to address those needs.  Teachers will be working to incorporate these types of service into their normal classroom curriculum.

Learn and Serve America is the nation's largest source of support for service-learning.  Last year the program supported 1,700 grantees across the country that engaged more than 1.4 million students who served 27.9 million hours with more than 124,000 community partners. 

Additionally, Learn and Serve - Michigan, managed by the Michigan Community Service Commission on behalf of the Michigan Department of Education, supported 22 programs, which included 1,305 teachers engaging 35,531 students in nearly 1.1 million hours of service learning.  For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/volunteer or call (517) 335-4295.

BACKGROUND

The Learn & Serve Challenge is a signature event of the National Service-Learning Partnership, made possible with support from State Farm Companies Foundation, and Lead Organizing Partners which include SEANet - the State Education Agency K-12 Service-Learning Network, America's Promise Alliance, Camp Fire USA, Campus Compact, The National Service Clearinghouse, National Youth Leadership Council, and Youth Service America.  In Michigan, the Learn & Serve Challenge is supported by the Michigan Community Service Commission.

The Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC) builds a culture of service by providing vision and resources to strengthen communities through volunteerism.  In 2009-2010, the MCSC is granting more than $8.2 million in federal and state funds to local communities for volunteer programs and activities.  The MCSC is funding 19 AmeriCorps programs and 20 Learn and Serve programs.  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 federal funding that the MCSC administers to its programs.

The Detroit Service Learning Academy prepares students for academic success, lifelong learning, leadership, and meaningful service to the community. Since 1999, the Detroit Service Learning Academy (DSLA) has provided a first-class education in a clean, safe and nurturing environment.  The DSLA is a public school academy, more popularly known as a charter school.  The school's charter to operate is granted by Lake Superior State University(LSSU) trustees.