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Blog Post

Youth in Transition to Adulthood

by Sunny29

If you or someone you know has a youth (ages 14-26) with either chronic, long-term illness and/or developmental disabilities, you may be interested in this support group.

Thursday, April 13th
6:30-8:00 p.m.
Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living
3941 Research Park Drive, Ann Arbor

This particular group of youth who are transitioning to adulthood face many extra challenges in the realms of education, employment, medical coverage and life skills. This month's theme is Employment and Summer Job Hunting Skills! Staff will be on-hand to cover topics such as: where to look for employment, how to fill out an application, interviewing, how to dress for success, work etiquette, disability rights on the job, and more! AADL has many online resources that can be found in our Job Search Toolkit.

Please send your RSVP to Cynthia Barcome at barcomec@ewashtenaw.org or call 734.544.6874

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Blog Post

Preschool Registration through the WISD

by Sunny29

Registration for the 2017-2018 school year is now open for all preschool programs at the Washtenaw Intermediate School District! Children who attend a high quality program in the year or two before kindergarten are better prepared for school academically, socially, and emotionally.

Be sure to visit the JUMP page for a full schedule of baby playgroups and preschool story times and kid friendly events all year long! These AADL programs are always free and open to anyone.

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Blog Post

Teens Using Drugs: Education Series

by Beth Manuel

The Dawn Farms Education Series, "Teens Using Drugs: What To Know and What To Do" meets again this month. This is a free, two-part series that will be presented from 7:30-9:00 pm Tuesday, April 4th (part one, "What to Know"), and Tuesday, April 11th, (part two, "What to Do"). The programs will be held in the "Exhibition Room" on the first floor of St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Education Center at 5305 Elliott Drive, Ypsilanti. The sessions are presented by the Dawn Farm Youth & Family Services team. This program is targeted primarily to parents/caretakers of teens & young adults but is inclusive of other family members, teens, professionals, students, people who sponsor or support teens, and others interested. Please contact 734-485-8725 or info@dawnfarm.org or see the link to Dawn Farm for further information.

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Blog Post

Need a Picture ID?

by Beth Manuel

If you've been asked for a picture ID and have been unable to produce it, you may likely be able to get a Washtenaw County ID Card. Applicants must appear in person at the Washtenaw County Vital Records Division. There are point values attributed to a broad range of documents that can serve as proof for applicants to get a picture ID card when they may have been unable to get ID in the past. The cost of the card is $25.00 and is for all ages. Check out the Washtenaw County ID Project on Facebook to find out about events to promote the ID card. Community members are encouraged to get a card in an effort to de-stigmatize it for those who have no other identification card options.

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Blog Post

Support for Young Parents or Parents-to-Be

by Beth Manuel

The Corner Health Center offers support to young people, including parents or parents-to-be in a variety of ways. Here are some groups they offer that may be of interest to you or someone you know!

Mom Power:
A parenting group for young adults and their children

Who: Moms (under age 26) and their kids ages 0-6
What: A 10-week parenting program
Where: The Corner Health Center, 47 N. Huron St., Ypsilanti
When: Wednesdays April 19th-June 21st 4:30-7:15 pm

Meal and childcare are provided for each session. Participants earn points for the store at each session.

If interested, please contact Nicole Neverman at (734) 714-2226 or nneverman@cornerhealth.org

SOAR Mentoring Program:
A source of connection, support, and encouragement for new and expecting moms

Who: Parents who are pregnant or have a child under the age of 1
What: A mom support group and mentoring program
Where: The Corner Health Center
When: Regular monthly group meetings and weekly contact w/ mentor in person or via email, texting, or phone

Meal, child care, transportation, and $20 stipend is provided for each monthly session. Also, we’re always on the look-out for high quality mentors ☺

If interested, please contact Nicole Neverman at (734) 714-2226 or nneverman@cornerhealth.org

Safe Baby Class:

Who: Expecting moms (under age 26)
What: A 2-hour class on car seat safety and safe sleep
Where: The Corner Health Center
When: 1st Tuesday of each month from 1-3:30 pm

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Blog Post

Power Outage Warming Centers

by Sunny29

Given the number of residents without power and lows reaching -1* with windchill on Friday, three warming centers will open in Washtenaw County.

The Red Cross will have two overnight centers:

Washtenaw International High School: 510 Emerick St. in Ypsilanti

Bates Elementary School: 2704 Baker Road in Dexter

Lincoln Consolidated Schools will open a daytime and overnight warming center:

Lincoln High School, 7425 Willis Road in Augusta Township

The school is offering bathroom facilities, running water and shower facilities, and meals to residents in need. Aramark is serving a free meal at 6 p.m. Friday. Showers are available at 7 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. Saturday. People must bring their own towels and toiletries. Anyone wishing to sleep at the high school must be there by 10:30 p.m. and leave by 9 a.m. Saturday. The Red Cross is providing cots and blankets. Additional site guidelines for Lincoln are listed here at the schools website.

To learn more about local emergency shelters, contact the Red Cross.

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Blog Post

FestiFools and AADL: Something New!

by manz

Our fellow robots, the time has come to change things up and we at AADL are retiring our robot suits for something new. We want to help keep things fresh for FestiFools fans! This year AADL is hosting multiple building workshops for ALL AGES to help us make two community puppets, and for you to make your own costumes or instruments for the big FestiFools event on Sunday, April 9.

This year we are bringing a big, bright, yellow sun puppet to join in whatever fun the official FestiFools organizers have planned for Ann Arbor! We’ll accompany our GIANT sun on Main Street with all of us decked out in our brightest sunniest YELLOW costumes as we march to fantastic beats. Onlookers will see so much YELLOW parading down Main Street! (Robots are always welcome at FestiFools, AADL just isn't hosting workshops to make them.)

We will have opportunities to papier–mâché, paint fabric, make a sunshiney costume with capes and masks, make a drum, and more. We are SO excited to have you join us in helping make FestiFools even more foolish and bright this year!

Festifools Workshop: Community Puppet Building Sunday, March 19 from 1:00-3:00
All ages will work together to help make a GIANT sun puppet that we’ll all march down Main St. at the BIG FestiFools event on Sunday, April 9! It will march alongside a mysterious surprise creature that you will help create in bits and pieces. While you won’t be making your own puppet at this workshop, you’ll have a chance to work together to be a part of something BIGGER that all will see.

FestiFools Workshop: Costume Making Sunday, March 26 from 1:00-3:00
Create your own costume to be worn while marching down Main St. at the BIG FestiFools event on Sunday, April 9! We are bringing a GIANT sun puppet to FestiFools and we need you to be the yellow rays to go with it. We’ll have supplies for capes, wings, hats, masks, and more – many golden yellow supplies to help make us into bright glowing orbs.

FestiFools Workshop: Make Instruments with Drummunity Sunday, April 2, 2017 from 1:00-2:00
Lori Fithian of Drummunity will help us make simple percussive instruments.
Meet back up with us on April 9 at the BIG FestiFools event ready to march along playing your instrument while wearing the most yellow sunshiny costume you can come up with. Picture a GIANT yellow sun with many marching alongside beaming with gold and playing music.

FestiFools Workshop: March with Drummunity Sunday, April 2 from 2:15-3:00
Lori Fithian of Drummunity will lead us in making the most of our unique musical instruments, getting us in the FestiFools spirit with a mini march.
Bring your own instrument or come to the instrument-making workshop right before this. Then meet back up with us on April 9 ready to march along in the BIG FestiFools event, playing your instrument while wearing the most foolish yellow costume you can come up with.

Meet Up and March Over to FestiFools! Sunday, April 9 at 3:30pm
Calling all fools! Meet us in the lobby in your most foolish costumes ready to march over to Main Street and join in the FestiFools fun from 4:00 - 5:00 pm. We library fools are all wearing yellow to surround the sun! So dress in yellow, dress in costume, be silly, and bring your instruments! Get ready to make some noise and spread some cheer in downtown Ann Arbor!

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Blog Post

It's Not Too Early to Think about Summer Camp!

by Beth Manuel

Do you know a young person who would be interested in having a camp experience this summer? If so, now is the time to complete a campership application on behalf of a child who has dreamed of the opportunity to go away to camp. The Washtenaw County Camp Placement Association believes that attending a summer resident camp is a unique life experience that provides children an opportunity for growth in social, emotional and physical well-being. Their mission is to connect at-risk youth to camps through community support. WCPA is the only camping program that accepts referrals from teachers and counselors in all Washtenaw county schools, as well as human service agencies throughout the county. Applicants must be entering Grades 5 through 12 in the fall following camp. WCPA takes referrals and applications from now and throughout the summer-please keep this opportunity in mind for kids who could use it.

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Blog Post

Symposium: Law Enforcement and Black Americans

by Sunny29

Washtenaw County Public Health along with multiple community partners including the Sheriff’s Office, University of Michigan, and the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative, is hosting a Symposium on March 23rd called “Violent Interactions between Law Enforcement and Black Americans: A discussion on the Historical Context, Current Events, Public Health Impact, and the Quest for Solutions.”

-- Thursday, March 23rd--
1420 Washington Heights
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
School of Public Health building II, Auditorium

The overarching goal is to have a solution-oriented discussion regarding violent interactions between police and blacks. he intended audience will be Washtenaw County community members, medical students, public health professionals, social scientists, legislators, and law enforcement.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Brian Williams, a trauma surgeon and a very dynamic speaker from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Williams cared for multiple police officers who were killed and injured from targeted shootings in Dallas, TX, in the summer of 2016.

If you have questions about this event, please contact Stephen Wade, MUP, Health Equity Policy Analyst: wades@ewashtenaw.org or (734) 544-6829.

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Public Event

Community Vinyasa Yoga

Saturday May 13, 2017: 10:00am to 11:00am
Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room
Grade 6-Adult