Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Here are upcoming events and activities for the weekend and beyond:
1) New World Day at Hunter Park this Saturday!! Full schedule at bottom of post.
2) New Pattengill Spring Concert plus Fabric and Yarn Donation Friday
3) New Three Energy Efficiency Events on June 16
4) New Jazz Concert for LSD Band Students on June 11
5) New Fenner’s Awesome Summer Camps
6) Youth Service Corps – Summer Option for Teens
7) Eastside Living – An Aging in Community Initiative
8) New Evaluating Lansing’s Implementation of ADA
9) New Learn about hosting International Students at Unity Church
10) Everybody Reads Offerings
11) Michigan Summit on June 12
12) Mid-MEAC First Friday Luncheon on June 4
13) Mobile Pantry on June 19
P.S. ANC is thrilled to join with refugee serving organizations to create World Day at Hunter Park. This joint celebration of World Refugee Day and the Hunter Park Music Fest feels very timely and special, given the large number of refugees whose richly diverse traditions, music, dance, and cultural practices enliven and strengthen Lansing generally, the Eastside in particular. Hope you can join us for the fun this Saturday!
1) From this Week’s Capital Gains (Thanks, Suban, et al!) Editor’s Pick: World Day at Hunter Park
By: Suban Nur Cooley, 6/2/2010
With a plethora of events occurring this weekend thanks to Be a Tourist in Your Own Town, your options for a fun-filled Saturday are limitless. What not to miss, however, is World Day At Hunter Park, at 1400 East Kalamazoo St.
Enjoy world music and dancing, get a taste of some global fare, partake in arts and crafts activities with the kids or take a dip with a free swim! Festivities begin at midday and will continue until 8:30 p.m. Be sure not to miss some amazing performances by Orquesta Ritmo, the Burundian Choir and Sailors-DeLancey Jazz Orchestra to name a few.
This event, hosted by the Immigrant/Refugee Consortium (ten organizations serving refugees in Lansing) and the Allen Neighborhood Center, is “designed to celebrate the rich mix of humanity that resides on the Eastside and throughout the City.” And in case you’re wondering, entry is free.
The full schedule of activities and entertainment is at the bottom of this page!!
2) RSVP Fabric and Yarn Donation at the Pattengill Spring Band Concert, Friday – June 4
From Pattengill Band Boosters Communication
We’ve been fortunate to have dedicated and skilled help with our uniforms this year. Many of you note that as our students participated in the Band Festival in March, Pattengill Band not only excelled in their performance, they looked WONDERFUL! Many middle school bands do not have uniforms, but they require investment of time in their appearance and condition. We were fortunate to partner with a volunteer group, Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) who have members who are skilled seamstresses. In thanks for their help with our uniforms, we collecting fabric donations (cotton only, please; no polyester) and yarn (any kind) for their other efforts of making gifts for seniors who otherwise have no Christmas, and school children in need of mittens and hats. These donations should be brought to the spring concert. If you have fabric for projects that you’ve not used, or can pick up some fabric, and yarn, this is a way we can give back to them as they continue to help others. For more information contact: Becky Murthum; Pattengill Band Boosters,517.775.9634 murthum@msu.edu
3) Three Free Energy Efficiency Events on June 16
Three events on June 16 offered by Senator Carl Levin’s Lansing office in partnership with Allen Neighborhood Center
The Lansing office of U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and the Allen Neighborhood Center will sponsor three events on Wednesday, June 16 to educate residents and service providers about several federal, state and local programs that promote energy efficiency. All events are free and open to the public.
The first workshop kicks off at noon on June 16 at the Foster Community Center and is geared toward workers in the building and trades industry who are interested in learning more about energy efficiency training programs and incentives to share with their clients. A resource fair at the Allen Street Farmer’s Market will run from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. with representatives from several organizations available to answer residents’ questions about energy efficiency programs. At 6:00 p.m. that evening, a workshop for homeowners interested in making energy efficiency upgrades to their home will be held at the Allen Neighborhood Center.
Representatives from Lansing Community College, the Lansing Board of Water and Light, U.S. Department of Energy, Michigan Community Action Agency Association, Consumers Energy, Building Science Academy, and Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, will speak at the workshops about energy efficiency tax credits, rebates and programs and will be available to answer questions at the resource fair. The public is encouraged to attend these events. Details follow.
Workshop for Service Providers, Home Builders, Laborers and Contractors
Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.,
Foster Community Center, Room 213, 200 North Foster Avenue, Lansing
Presenters: Building Science Academy, Lansing Community College, Lansing Board of Water and Light, U.S. Department of Energy, Laborers’ International Union of North America
RSVP is encouraged as space is limited. Please contact Levin’s Lansing office at (517)377-1508.
Resource Fair for All
Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.,
Allen Street Farmer’s Market, 1619 East Kalamazoo Street, Lansing
Booths: Building Science Academy, Lansing Board of Water and Light, Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, Michigan Community Action Agency Association, Consumers Energy, Michigan Energy Options/ANC Weatherization Enrollment Program
RSVP is not necessary.
NOTE: In the event of rain, this event will be held in room 213 of the Foster Community Center.
Workshop for Homeowners
Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Allen Neighborhood Center, 1619 East Kalamazoo Street, Lansing
Presenters: Lansing Board of Water and Light, Consumers Energy, Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, U.S. Department of Energy, Michigan Community Action Agency Association
RSVP is encouraged as space is limited. Please contact Levin’s Lansing office at (517)377-1508.
NOTE: In the event of rain, this event will be held in room 213 of the Foster Community Center.
4) Jazz Concert at Pattengill for LSD band students, parents, and supporters
Band students from Lansing School District are invited to a special jazz performance in the Pattengill Middle School auditorium on June 11, from 1-2 PM. The Peter Nelson Band will be performing, with special guest Mike Sailors, local jazz headliner. Following the performance, members of the Peter Nelson Band will offer one-hour masters classes by instrument to band students. Students are asked to bring their mouthpieces and their own instruments if they have them. This event kicks off JAM: An Eastside Summer Jazz Series, funded by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. The series will include three separate performances at Gone Wired Café on E. Michigan Avenue (June 25, July 16, August 20) and two performances at the Allen Street Farmers Market. At each performance at Gone Wired, local jazz bands will present free two-hour concerts, followed by a one hour jam session in which young audience members are invited to participate.
The purpose of the series is to support young jazz musicians (both the performers and students), and to strengthen the jazz music scene on Lansing’s Eastside. We thank the New Leaders Council of Michigan, a youth advisory group to the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs for funding; and Pattengill’s Kirk Sulzman (Principal) and Tawnya Hicks (Band Director) for their support and use of Pattengill’s excellent facilities for the kick off event.
5) Fenner Invites Kids to Enjoy the Best Summer Ever
Fenner Nature Center, located in the heart of the greater Lansing area, would like to invite children of all ages to explore nature this summer through a series of one-day through four-day programs and day camps. There is something for everyone, as programs are available for toddlers through seventh graders, and are scheduled from mid-June through the beginning of August. Fees vary by program and scholarships are available for qualified Lansing residents.
Campers will help plant a camp garden that they can return to over the course of the summer during the “Roots and Shoots” camp. While doing this, they will learn about plants and how important they are to the world. During the “Flying Frenzy” and “Animal Adventures” camps, participants will get up close and personal with some of Fenner’s abundant wildlife – and learn about how they are able to survive in the wilds of an urban park. For the artists who love nature, “Nature’s Art” promises to inspire the painter, sculptor, or writer in every participant.
If that wasn’t enough, campers can also choose to get wet and go green through camps designed to scientifically explore the wonderful world of water and how we can all leave less of a mark on the Earth through camps like “Water, Water, Everywhere” and “Go Green.” For the most adventurous, “Survivor Camp” will teach survival skills such as fire building and identification of poisonous plants. The final week of day camp, “The Best Week Ever,” will bring back the most popular activities from all of the other camps to send the summer out with a blast!
Each camp will provide a wide array of fun and exciting activities including games, exploration hikes, interactions with live animals, and arts and crafts to provide meaningful opportunities for children to learn about the nature in their own backyards. These camps are designed to be fun for everyone, including participants who have had very little exposure to the outdoors. If your child has never experienced a summer day camp in nature, Fenner Nature Center is the place to spend the best summer ever!
To register for one or more of these adventures, or for more information, call 517-483-4224 or visit the Friends of Fenner Nature Center website (www.fofnc.org) to download a brochure.
6) Youth Service Corps Plans a Fun and Productive Summer
Members of ANC’s Youth Service Corps are planning an exciting summer! Three teams will meet every Tuesday and Thursday between 11 am and 1 pm at the GardenHouse to:
· Raise produce inside and outside the Hunter Park GardenHouse to either take home to their families or sell at the Allen Street Farmers Market;
· Look in on the 2’X2’ Garden in a Box kits that they have distributed to neighbors throughout the Eastside;
· Build and distribute custom-sized raised gardening beds to neighbors;
· Participate in International Peace Jam Activities;
· Learn more about Eastside Parks as part of a Pride of Place project;
· Hit the Hunter Park pool after their 11 am – 1 pm sessions as often as possible!
Undoubtedly, they will take in a Wharton show (courtesy of Wharton’s Seats for Kids), and perhaps schedule a beach or waterpark adventure to finish off the summer. The YSC are joined during the summer by young teens from the Refugee Development Center, providing an opportunity to build friendships with young people from other cultures and countries. If you would like to find out more about the YSC or to join, call Neil Byrne, YSC Coordinator, at 367-2468, or email him at neilb@allenneighborhoodcenter.org.
7) Eastside Living
ANC, with Lynne Martinez of Martinez Consulting is launching a new project called Eastside Living. Eastside Living will involve creating a whole system of social supports to enable older neighbors to age comfortably and happily on the Eastside. Some of these supports might include daily phone calls to folks living alone, several rides each week to appointments or grocery shopping, deep discounts for seniors with carefully selected carpenters/handymen/ electricians, assistance with renting rooms to college students/young professionals, and much more. In order to determine what seniors living on the Eastside might like to see in this program, we are conducting a survey. You can link to the survey at http://www.allenneighborhoodcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Eastside-Living-Survey.pdf or call Lynne at 485-2950 to have a copy mailed to you. If you are a neighborhood organization leader, Lynne can also provide you with several copies of the survey to pass along to seniors in your neighborhood that you think might want to weigh in. Thanks so much for helping us gather input from older neighbors. And warm thanks, as well, to the City of Lansing Planning and Neighborhood Development Office for start-up support for this exciting new project.
8 ) Evaluating Our Community’s Implementation of the ADA
NEWS RELEASE
Contact Person:
Great Lakes ADA Center
800-949-4232 (V/TTY)
adata@adagreatlakes.org
How do people with disabilities in Michigan rate their community’s implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act? The Michigan ADA Steering Committee, in conjunction with the DBTAC: Great Lakes ADA Center, is conducting “The ADA in Your Community” Poll to find out the answer to this question!
The Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA) was signed into law in 1990 – twenty years have passed for communities to remove physical, programmatic, and attitudinal barriers that prevent people with disabilities from becoming active participating citizens. A great deal of progress has been made, but there is still need for further compliance. “The ADA in Your Community” Poll asks Michigan citizens to identify how they view their community’s current implementation. There is also opportunity for them to provide opinions and ideas about how accessibility can be improved.
People with disabilities, their family members, and their advocates are invited to complete the ADA Poll so that their voices are heard when accessibility issues are being addressed in their communities! The Poll is available online at: www.adareportcard.org Print copies and alternative formats are available on request.
To request the ADA Poll in an alternative format, or for additional information, contact Peter Berg by phone: 800-949-4232 (V/TTY) or e-mail: pberg@uic.edu
“The ADA in Your Community” Poll is a project of the DBTAC: Great Lakes ADA Center and is being implemented in five other states beyond Michigan: Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio. The ADA Poll’s purpose is to provide a place where voices of people with disabilities, family members, and advocates can be heard. The ADA Poll is being conducted by staff from the Indiana University’s Institute on Disability and Community, Center for Planning and Policy Studies.
Sent by: F Paul Miller, Community Inclusion Specialist, Michigan Disability Rights Coalition
paul@prosynergy.org, (517)333-2477×314
9) Promoting Global Peace & Understanding
Introductory Meetings
Interested in hosting a high school student from another country? Plan to attend one of several Introductory Meetings Promoting Global Peace & Understanding and Global Education.
Marvin Pease, CETUSA (Council for Education Travel USA) Area Manager will be presenting at three meetings at:
Unity of Greater Lansing, 240 Marshall St. Lansing, MI 48912
Monday, June 7th 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 10th 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday, June 15th 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Host International High School Students (1 semester – 5 months or school year – 10 months)
35 Countries to choose, 355 International High School Students to choose
Contact: Dr. Phyllis L. Jolly, CETUSA Community Coordinator, (517) 337-3802,
phyllis_jolly2008@yahoo.com for further information.
10) The News from EveryBody Reads
Michigan Author, A.J. Hutchison Visiting ER to Sign, Corruption at Jamestown Prison
Friday June 4th 5-7PM
Please join us as Michigan author, A.J. Hutchison shares her premier novel, Corruption at Jamestown Prison. The murder of a female officer working in an all male prison, followed by three male officers deaths, caused a red flag for governmental investigation. Murder led to drugs and other findings. The involvement of one female officer and her experiences working with the FBI inside the prison depicts experiences not common to the general public. As the events of the investigation transpire, the reader will be compelled to continue reading to the end.
The Ingham County Ramblers Coming to ER, Saturday June 12th 5 – 7PM
“A Special Arrangement & Engagement” for our local FANS!
(2) sets of – Blues / Rockabilly / Country / Roots / Reggae, from “a nice band you can take home to Mom, as long as Mom’s got whiskey!”
Follow us here on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/inghamcountyramblers
~ or on ~ MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/inghamcountyramblers
Martin (electric guitar, vocals) / Ervin (acoustic guitar, vocals) / Roger “Kidd Cincinnati” (harmonica) / Ellen (bass) / Mitch (drums)
Genre: Blues / Rockabilly / Country / Roots / Reggae
Please PASS this Event on to other people (Friends, Family Co-workers and Neighbors), by using the “INVITE PEOPLE TO COME” feature on the right-hand side of this notice *
11) The Michigan Summit: Blueprint for Change
East Lansing at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center on June 12, 2010
The Michigan Summit is about rebuilding Michigan with visionary ideas and people power from the ground up. Frustrated with the slow pace of change and political gridlock? 2010 Summit is the place where democracy will come alive as Michiganders join to create the change Michigan needs. INFO: www.themichigansummit.org
The Michigan Summit Agenda9:00 a.m. – Welcome David Holtz, Progress Michigan and Karen DeMott, The Michigan Summit
9:25 a.m.-10:15 a.m. Whoever Tells The Story, Writes the History Katie Orenstein, Founder and Director of the OpEd Project, talks about why marginalized voices and women in particular tend to write themselves out of the story, and how to reverse this trend. The most crucial factor in determining history is most often not the distinction between what is fact and what is fiction, but who tells the story.
10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m. Winning The Battle For Change. Winning doesn’t come easy or often enough. It takes passion, organization, dedication, funds, strategy, education and great volunteers. Our panel explains how successful campaigns achieved victories for equality, health care reform, stem cell research and what it can mean for change in 2010 and beyond.
· The Lessons of One Kalamazoo’s Victory For Equality, Jon Hoadley, former Campaign Director, One Kalamazoo
· How Health Care for America Now Won in Michigan John Freeman, Michigan Director, Health Care for America
· Defining Michigan: The Battle Over Stem Cells
11:15 a.m.-12:15 a.m. Blueprint for Change A powerhouse panel of Michigan leaders outline their vision of a 2010 reform agenda for Michigan that creates good-paying jobs, strengthens our communities, improves education, protects families, enhances the environment and expands freedoms.
· Creating Michigan Green Collar Jobs Carla Walker-Miller, CEO, Walker-Miller Energy Services & member Michigan Businesses for Clean Energy
· Michigan’s Health Care Reform Challenge State Rep. Kate Segal (invited)
· The Elliot-Larson Civil Rights Act II State Rep. Woodrow Stanley (invited)
· Transitioning to An Innovation-Based Economy Sam Singh, The New Economy Initiative (invited)
12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Lunch with Keynote Speaker: Van Jones, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress
1:30 p.m.-2:45 p.m. Breakout Sessions
Michigan’s Freedom Fighters
Michigan is not Arizona: Welcoming Immigrants Susan Reed, Michigan Immigrant Rights Center
Fundamental Freedom: Defending The Accused Tracey Brame, Associate Dean, Cooley Law School
The New Freedom of Choice—Growing Older At Home Dohn Hoyle, Executive Director, The Michigan Arc
Empowering People In the Redistricting Process Christina Kuo, Executive Director, Common Cause
Michigan Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Equality in 2010
Putting Michigan to Work
The Millennials Look At Their Future for Work Roosevelt Institute Campus Network
Retooling for the Green Economy Dana Sevakis, Executive Director, the Apollo Alliance, Luke Canfora, State Director, Repower Michigan
Help Wanted: Jobs in Local Economy Donele Wilkins, Executive Director, Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice
When Less is More. How Energy Conservation and Efficiency Are Michigan Job Creators, Tremaine Phillips, Energy Program Associate, Michigan Environmental Council
Growing Up, Not Old—The Future of Michigan Cities
The Great Urban Debate: Resizing Cities Mayor Dayne Walling, City of Flint, Dan Kildee, CEO of Community Progress, Tahirih Ziegler, Executive Director of LISC Michigan
3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Great Skills, Great Training Workshops.
· Really Good Grassroots Organizing State Rep. Sarah Roberts, John Freeman, Health Care for American Now, Dessa Cosma, Planned Parenthood of Michigan
· Meet the New Press Darci E. McConnell, President & CEO McConnell Communications, Inc.
· Creating and Powering Your Message Mark Fisk, Byrum & Fisk Advocacy Communications, Joe DiSano, Mainstreet Strategies
4:30 p.m.-5 p.m. The Road Ahead Flint Mayor Dayne Walling and Amanda Stitt, Executive Director, Michigan Voice
The standard registration fee is $40. Sliding-scale discounted rates are available for $25 and $15 for students and lower-income participants. Lunch is provided at the event. Register at www.themichigansummit.org
12) Mid-MEAC First Friday Luncheon is a Field Trip
Mid-MEAC members are invited for a tour of the Granger Recycling Center, Wood Street Landfill, electric generating station, and Granger Meadows Park on the first Friday of June, JUNE 4th, at noon. A box lunch will be provided, but we need an accurate count of attendees, so please rsvp this time. Tour will begin promptly at noon, from the Granger Meadows Park east parking lot, which is on Granger Meadows Lane, west of Wood Road, south of State Road.
Rick Galardi, DeWitt Township Supervisor, and Tonia Olson of Granger will discuss the development of Granger Meadows, with a focus on the public/private working relationship and subsequent results. They will discuss the area zoning, planned uses for nearby properties yet to be developed, and the positive regional impact of planning efforts of DeWitt Township. There will be a bus tour of the Meadows, and ample opportunity for questions. Please reserve your spot by June 1 by contacting Andrea Davis at 517-371-9736 or adavis@grangernet.com.
13) MOBILE FOOD PANTRY
City of Lansing HUMAN RELATIONS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT & the Mid-Michigan Food Bank ANNOUNCES the distribution of FREE, fresh, non-perishable food items.
When: Saturday, June 19, 2010, (From 9:00 am to 11am)
Where: Letts Community Center, 1220 W. Kalamazoo, Lansing, MI 48915
Who can participate?
• The disadvantaged and vulnerable.
• Senior citizens on fixed incomes.
• Families/individuals with limited or low income jobs.
ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST BRING A VALID STATE IDENTIFICATION CARD OR DRIVER’S LICENSE
If you or someone you know must choose between buying food and filling prescriptions, please tell them about this important program. Participants should bring a box or bag to carry food.
For more information, call the City of Lansing Human Relations and Community Services Department at (517) 483-4477
