The Michigan Community Service Commission, The LEAGUE Michigan, Michigan Nonprofit Association, Michigan Campus Compact, and Volunteer Centers of Michigan, with support from the Connect Michigan Alliance Endowment Fund, Corporation for National and Community Service, Sara Ballard Volunteer Fund, and Youth Service America, announced today the distribution of more than $8,000 in mini-grant funds to support 2013 Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Day of Service projects across the state in January.
Twenty-one organizations from across Michigan received the funds to coordinate service projects that tackle critical challenges in their communities; including education, supporting veterans and military families, health, environmental stewardship, disaster preparedness, and public safety. Grants range in value from $200 to $500.
"As a result of these funds, 21 MLK Day service projects in Michigan will be supported in critical ways," said Kelley Kuhn, Interim CEO of the Michigan Nonprofit Association. "The organizations which received them will now be able to afford the necessary supplies and resources to implement service projects that will make a difference in Michigan communities."
The annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was initiated by Congress in 1994 and has been developed beyond a federal holiday honoring Dr. King into a national day of community service. In honor of this special day, thousands of service projects will take place across the country grounded in Dr. King's teachings of nonviolence and social justice. The 2013 MLK Day occurs on Monday, January 21.
"There is no service to big or too small - we encourage everyone to find a way to serve in honor of the 2013 MLK Day," said Paula Kaiser VanDam, Executive Director of the Michigan Community Service Commission. "Several Michigan service projects are seeking volunteers, including some of our mini-grant recipients. If you're interested in serving, visit www.mlkday.gov to search for opportunities in your area."
The 2013 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service mini-grant funds were made possible thanks to generous support from the ConnectMichigan Alliance Endowment, the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Sara A. Ballard Volunteerism Fund, and Youth Service America. The Michigan Community Service Commission, The LEAGUE Michigan, Michigan Campus Compact, Michigan Nonprofit Association, and Volunteer Centers of Michigan are committed to supporting volunteers on national days of service and work collaboratively to program this and other statewide service events.
Thanks to these mini-grants, thousands of Michigan citizens will be engaged as volunteers this January. Mini-grants were awarded to the following organizations:
City
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Organization
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Mini-Grant Amount
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Project Details
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Allendale
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Grand Valley State University
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$500
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Volunteer will "Craft for the Community" on Monday, January 21 as they up-cycle unwanted items into things needed by local nonprofits, including sleeping mats, diapers, and clothes.
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Detroit
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AmeriCorps Urban Safety Project
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$500
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Five vacant homes near the Detroit International Academy for Young Women will be boarded up by community members on Monday, January 21, to create a safer neighborhood for students.
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Detroit
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Christian Fellowship of Love BC - IROC
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$350
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Senior citizens and veterans will be taught numerous ways to enhance their public and personal safety at an educational workshop on Monday, January 21.
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Detroit
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Gompers Elementary-Middle School
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$469
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Students at the school will participate in a variety of age-appropriate service-learning lessons the week leading up to MLK Day. The lessons will reflect the teachings of Dr. King and youth will reflect on their projects with Timbuktu Academy students to help foster future city-wide led youth service projects.
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Detroit
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Neighborhood Service Organization
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$250
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Volunteers will gather together on Monday, January 21 to pack winter survival kits for Detroit homeless.
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Detroit
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Timbuktu Academy
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$500
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Students at the school will participate in a variety of age-appropriate service projects on Friday, January 15. Following their service projects, youth will reflect on their experiences with Gompers Elementary-Middle School students to help foster future city-wide led youth service projects.
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Detroit
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WARM Training Center
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$350
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AmeriCorps members, volunteers and students at the Detroit Institute of Technology will clean, repair, and weatherize a greenhouse at Cody High School on Tuesday, January 22.
|
Felch
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North Dickinson County School
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$200
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Students will volunteer their time during the week of January 14 to tutor their fellow students in preparation for exams. Tutor sessions will include a reflection on Dr. King's dedication and commitment to education for youth.
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Flint
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Davenport University
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$350
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Volunteers will make blankets for wounded and homeless veterans on Monday, January 21.
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Grand Rapids
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Blandford Nature Center
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$310
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A workday will be held on January 21 to help eradicate the Blandford Nature Center from invasive species.
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Grand Rapids
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Friends of Grand Rapids Parks
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$200
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On Monday, January 21, community members will help Grand Rapids Parks inventory their park clean-up tools and paint picnic tables in preparation for the warmer months.
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Grand Rapids
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NextGen Heart of West Michigan United Way
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$500
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Volunteers will support two separate projects on Monday, January 21: the creation of "reading corners" for local schools and the repair of rooms at the local YWCA.
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Hastings
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Barry County United Way & Volunteer Center
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$200
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Community members will create personal care packages on Monday, January 21, with items donated during a city-wide personal item drive January 1 through 18.
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Jackson
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Middle School at Parkside
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$200
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On January 17 and 18, students and their families will clean, revitalize, and plant a local greenhouse.
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Livonia
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Madonna University
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$350
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Students will volunteer their time on January 17 to support several projects including: cleaning up the local neighborhood center, writing letters to troops, making fleece blankets, and more.
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Mt. Clemens
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Macomb Habitat for Humanity
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$500
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Volunteers will support a local home rehab on Monday, January 21.
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Sault Ste. Marie
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Lake Superior State University Volunteer Center
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$500
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Students will create hospitality kits for homeless and economically-disadvantaged individuals during the week of January 14. Items have been donated by students during a two month personal item drive.
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Sault Ste. Marie
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Sault Area Middle School
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$500
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On Monday, January 21, students and community volunteers will support economically-disadvantaged and homeless individuals thought a variety of projects including: creating placemats, assembling hygiene kits, preparing snack packs, and assisting with a meal at the local soup kitchen.
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Sault Ste. Marie
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United Way of the Eastern Upper Peninsula
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$383
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Community members will help to assemble emergency preparedness kits for senior citizens on Monday, January 21.
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South Haven
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Lake Michigan College - South Haven Campus
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$500
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Volunteers will package bulk rice into small personal bags for distribution by the local food pantry.
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Sparta
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Ridgeview Elementary School
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$500
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Students will prepare individual packages of trail mix and popcorn to be distributed to community youth who suffer from hunger.
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|
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TOTAL: $8,112.00
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Additional information about the 2013 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service can be found at www.michigan.gov/mcsc or www.mlkday.gov.
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BACKGROUND:
The Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC) builds a culture of service by providing vision and resources to strengthen communities through volunteerism. In 2012-2013, the MCSC is granting more than $7.5 million in federal funds to local communities for volunteer programs and activities. The MCSC is funding 23 AmeriCorps 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.
Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA) serves nonprofits to advance their missions. With more than 800 members, MNA serves as a statewide network for the sector, a resource center on effective management practices, and as an advocate for the nonprofit community. For more information, visit www.MNAonline.org.
Michigan Campus Compact promotes the education and commitment of Michigan college and university students to be civically engaged citizens, through creating and expanding academic, co-curricular and campus-wide opportunities for community service, service-learning and civic engagement. For more information, please visit www.micampuscompact.org.
The LEAGUE Michigan is a program for service, service-learning and philanthropy education that builds character and empowers young people to "do good" in their community, the nation and the world. For more information, visit http://www.mnaonline.org/league.aspx.
The Volunteer Centers of Michigan strengthens, develops and connects Volunteer Centers throughout the state. Our goal is to ensure that all volunteer centers have the capacity to positively impact every Michigan community and their citizens through volunteerism. We believe that volunteer centers play a leadership role in mobilizing people and resources to deliver creative solutions to community problems. For more information, visit www.mivolunteers.org.
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