Rotary helps kids in foster care
Many children enter the foster care systemwith nothing, or just a few necessities in a garbage bag, and the Mount Clemens Rotary Club is trying to make things better for them.
Jessica Johnson is spearheading the club’s Foster Youth Project.
She said that 2020 seemed at first to be a “mess in terms of being able to participate in any type of service projects” but members brainstormed and came up with a way to help children in the foster care system of the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.
“Normally, this time of year brings the Rotary club’s collection of backpacks for Turning Point,” Johnson said. “However, with the uncertainty of children going to school, we are transitioning into a new idea this year. While we have been staying at home and staying safe, there are children out there still going through issues, and because of COVID-19, the system has struggled with restrictions and protocols that they’ve never had to deal with.”
Rotarians contacted Kimberly Borja, Child Welfare Director at the DHHS, and asked her to be a speaker at last week’s meeting.
“Foster children have nobody. It breaks my heart,” club president Valerie Miller said. “Our motto in Rotary is ‘service above self.’ We just gave away $60,000 to community groups, and we are still going to give Christmas gifts to all the children in Turning Point, but we wanted to reach out to the foster care children also. Kim gave me a list of needs, and we took up a collection at Rotary.”
The collection quickly
grew to more than $1,200.
The list included items for the new DHHS building in Clinton Township, where parents can see their children and interact with them in the visitation rooms.
Workers requested the children have available to them: a play kitchen and tool bench, Little Tikes basketball hoop, chalk, bubbles, picnic tables, vinyl wall decorations and a television with DVD player.
“We told Kim that when she came to be our speaker, to bring a big truck,” Miller said. “It makes me feel very proud of this generous group.”
“The visitation rooms are where our families can have parenting time,” Borja said. “They can interact with their children, bring in dinner or do schoolwork together, and whatever we can do to make that environment family friendly and more appealing, we do. We can always use gift cards to
different places for relatives or parents to take the kids to.”
She suggested movie theater passes, gift cards to cider mills and the Sea Life Aquarium at Great Lakes Crossing, zoos, C.J. Barrymore’s and Airtime Trampoline and Game Park.
DHHS also needs gift cards to stores for children who go into foster care or to a relative who may not have personal care items or clothing for the children.
“We appreciate the Rotary reaching out to us and asking us to speak at their luncheon and asking what they could do to support us,” Borja said.
Kiwanis adds music elements to inclusive playground
The Kids At Play Project - Michigan, a 501(c)3 for an inclusive playground at River Bends Park in Shelby Township, is entering its next phase.
The project is spearheaded by the Kiwanis Club of Utica-Shelby Township.
The Shelby Township Lions Club coordinated donations from other Lions clubs and added benches in the park after applying for and receiving a $100,000 matching grant.
The Kiwanis club also receives support from the Kiwanis Club of UticaShelby Township, ShelbyMacomb Daybreakers, Shelby Golden K and Metro Detroit Young Professionals, and the Kiwanis youth groups, Builders and Key Clubs, college Circle K, and other community groups.
Phase 1 of the Kids At Play Project raised $205,000 in 2019, and six pieces of equipment and a safety surface were installed last October.
The Phase 2 build in 2021 is for Rhapsody Outside Music Instruments for everyone, including the county’s more than 19,000 children with special
needs, about 4,000 of whom live near the park. There is no other all-inclusive, multi-generational playground within a 20mile radius.
Not surprising, raising money for the project has been hampered by the COVID-19 situation.
Kiwanis fundraisers rescheduled for 2021 include a River Bends Park “Run, Wag & Roll” Celebration; adult game night and raffle; Shoe Drive For Your Soles, and Shop for Charity Program.
Supporters can help now by going to: SHOP.com/ KidsAtPlayProject.
People can also go online and “vote” for the project – through Sunday, Sept. 27 – at bit.ly/VOTEKidsAtPlay. If the project gets the most “votes,” the Kiwanis could eventually receive $25,000.
“There are 48 entries this year,” project coordinator Linda-Ann Heldt said. “We have joined this contest for five years. In 2018, we were number 15, and in 2019 we came in as number 11. It is our year to become number one in 2020. The top 10 votes will go on to the second phase of the judging and the winner will be announced on Oct. 7.”
Heldt can be reached at 586-491-0720. See facebook.com/KidsAtPlayPMI.
American Legion Post offers food pantry
American Legion Victor I. Rieck Post 351 and Trinity Lutheran Church operate a food pantry from the north parking lot of the church at 45160 Van Dyke Ave., Utica.
Recently, a distribution drive served veterans, seniors and families in need with more than 100 boxes made up with foodstuffs including frozen food, eggs, and meat.
Randy Van Assche is the Sons of the American Legion commander for Post 351.
“We were gifted an eight-by-eight-by-eight walk-in freezer,” he said. “Then someone donated an abundance of food, so we had to give it away. There were eight cases each of chicken, pork and beef, and even ice cream. It was a beautiful turnout, a lot of great people helped. Now we are getting ready for our Thanksgiving and Christmas drive where we give away a laundry basket full of food.”
To donate nonperishable food items for the holiday drive, contact Van Assche at 586-764-4498 or rjv7@att.net. Drop-offs are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays at the Legion post at 46146 Cass Ave., Utica or at Trinity, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The vets are also collecting new toys to distribute during the holidays.