Detroit Mayor Dave Bing to attend Angels' Night anti-arson events

(Courtesy of MLive.com)
by Gus Burns

DETROIT, MI -- Although it's called singularly Angels' Night, the event has evolved into a three-night, public-private partnership to keep the streets of Detroit clear of arsonists.

There are thousands of volunteer patrols across the city, increased police and fire presence, temporary curfews in place and a number of alternative activities planned to try and keep mischievous youth off the streets.

Mayor Dave Bing's office announced he plans to visit several Angels' Night events beginning Tuesday night.

Beginning at 5 p.m., Bing will attend a roll call of state police, Detroit firefighters. Detroit police and Wayne County sheriff's deputies at Cobo Hall.

Upcoming Event: UDM Titan Tip Off - Free, Food Prizes, Games - Thur 10/24/13 @ 6PM

(Courtesy of University of Detroit Titans Basketball)

FREE EVENT - University of Detroit Mercy - Titan Tip Off

DETROIT (10/17/13) – After a pair of postseason appearances for both the University of Detroit Mercy men's and women's basketball teams, it is time to get ball rolling again in Calihan Hall with the 2013 Titan Tip-Off on Thursday, Oct. 24 starting at 6 p.m. The event is FREE and open to all students, alumni, and Titan fans.

Victims of domestic violence have places to turn for help

(Courtesy of The Arab American News)

DETROIT — October is domestic violence awareness month, and it’s important to remind victims they are not alone, and there are many others who share the same stories as them. 

For many Arab American women, it can be difficult to come forward and discuss domestic violence openly, because the community is so conservative and the subject is a cultural taboo. 

These women still have several places to turn to throughout metro Detroit for help and should take advantage of the services many of them offer victims.  

Domestic violence is an issue that impacts all communities. According to the Domestic Violence Resource Center, one in four American women (25%) has experienced domestic violence in her lifetime. In addition to being physical, domestic violence comes in other forms, including sexual, verbal, emotional, economic or spiritual abuse. In terms of financial abuse, a spouse could try controlling all the financial assets in the marriage. Prohibiting your partner from going to school, or driving is also domestic violence.

Michigan Radio: A peek inside a Detroit makerspace for kids

(courtesy of Detroit Free Press)
by Zak Rosen of Michigan Radio

Metalworking, arts and crafts, robotics.

All of these activities are part of the emerging makers movement sprouting up all over the world. With its do-it-your-self ethos, hobbyists, craftspeople and everyday tinkerers are getting together in old warehouses at kitchen tables and online to prototype new ideas and re-invent old ones.

The Mt. Elliott Makerspace sits in the basement of Church of the Messiah. A big, old, stone church on Detroit’s eastside. When I walked in, six-kids were playing chess.

The fact that elementary and middle schoolers are playing chess on a rainy Sunday afternoon is cool in itself, but there’s more.

The game is life size.

Michigan Senate approves tougher penalties for youth cigarette sales

(Courtesy of MLive)
by Jonathon Oosting

LANSING, MI -- The Michigan Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a bill that would toughen penalties for minors who attempt to buy cigarettes and individuals that sell to them.
Michigan's Youth Tobacco Act makes it illegal to sell, give or furnish tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18. It is also illegal for a minor to attempt to purchase, possess or use tobacco in a public place.

Under current law, persons who violate those rules are guilty of a misdemeanor and can be punished by a $50 fine. Senate Bill 311 would increase those fines to $100 for a first offense and up to $500 for subsequent violations.

Death tallies belie true impact of kids' gun injuries

(Courtesy of Detroit Free Press)
by Michelle Healy - USA Today

Gunshot-related injuries are well known as a leading cause of death among children and adolescents, but other aspects of the health toll they inflict get much less attention, including injury severity, the need for major surgical intervention, and high care costs, a new study says.

The burden of these adverse outcomes is particularly common for older adolescent males (ages 15 to 19), who accounted for the majority (83.2%) of children who suffered gunshot injuries in the study reported in November's Pediatrics, published online today.

The study provides "a broader look" at the disproportionate and negative effects beyond fatalities that are associated with firearm use, says emergency medicine physician Craig Newgard, lead study author.

GM Foundation Donates $50,000 to Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit to Fund Youth Programs

(Courtesy of 3BLMedia.com)

DETROIT – The GM Foundation is donating $50,000 to the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, also known as MOCAD, to make possible new art education programs for area middle and high school students.

The Foundation has a long-standing history of supporting community arts programs in the area and across the country. In the last three years, the Foundation has supported Detroit-based nonprofits and cultural institutions like MOCAD with grants totaling $23.2 million.

McKeesport Youth CAST looks to Detroit for inspiration

(Courtesy of Trib Live)
by Michael DiVittorio

McKeesport's Youth CAST Leadership Program met on Thursday evening to discuss how programs and initiatives in Detroit can benefit people here.

Youth CAST — Community and Schools Together — wants to establish a range of services that focus on creating a high-quality extended academic environment and a positive social and emotional learning experience for grades 6-12.

Upcoming Event: 5-Week Workshops: (Oakland Univ) Math Camps bring STEM fields to precollege students - 10/19/13 - 11/16/13 @ 8-11AM

(Courtesy of Oakland University)

Math Camps bring STEM fields to precollege students

By Eric Reikowski, media relations assistant



5 Week Math Workshops for Pre-College Students (Grades 7-12) on Saturdays



Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics – the so-called STEM fields – are the building blocks of many rewarding 21st-century careers. 

As part of an ongoing community-wide effort to promote STEM-based education, Oakland University's School of Engineering and Computer Science will host a series of mathematics camps aimed at highly motivated precollege students.

SASHA Center Grant Award - African American Self-identified Survivors of Sexual Assault

(via Ericka Murria)

SASHA Center receives a competitive grant to continue culturally specific services to African American self-identified survivors of sexual assault!

SASHA Center has been awarded an OVW Grant to Enhance Culturally and Linguistically Specific Services for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking Program.

Detroit – SASHA Center is pleased to announce it has received a $268,000 grant from the Department of Justice - Office on Violence Against Women. SASHA Center will use these funds to support the ongoing peer education support group series using non-traditional approaches to assist African Americans in addressing critical issues and concerns related to being sexually assaulted.

McDonald’s Celebrates Black History Moments on Canvas

(Courtesy of Natalie Stavale of Marx Layne & Company)

Detroit-area McDonald’s restaurant owners are pleased to honor Black History Month in 2014 with the return of “McDonald’s Celebrates Black History Moments on Canvas,” an exciting art contest aimed at high school students. 

Now through Dec. 20, 2013, we’re asking metro Detroit high school students to submit original works of art capturing a significant moment or figure in black history for a chance to win up to $5,000 in cash prizes and a month-long gallery exhibit in February 2014.

We hope you’ll encourage high school students in your life to enter this exciting contest. It’s a fun way to learn about black history and win prizes. Let’s celebrate the history, heritage and accomplishments of people of African descent!

Entering this contest is easy.

9th Annual Detroit Uncorked Puts Fun In Fundraising

(Courtesy of PR Newswire)

Ninth Annual Detroit Uncorked Puts Fun In Fundraising, Exceeds Records In Supporting The Children's Center Of Wayne County And Detroit Wine Organization

- Netting nearly $80,000 in net proceeds, the ninth annual event increased corporate sponsorships by 86%, tripled gross proceeds for silent auction and hosted more than 700 guests

- The Ninth Annual Detroit Uncorked, presented by Ford Motor Company, was held at The Westin Book Cadillac, downtown Detroit, on Friday, September 27, 2013

- Lisa and Bill Ford served as distinguished event hosts and Jay Towers served as emcee for the sold-out VIP Reception

DETROIT -- The Ninth Annual Detroit Uncorked, presented by Ford Motor Company, raised nearly $80,000 net proceeds to benefit The Children's Center and Detroit Wine Organization. The event hosted more than 700 guests, tripled gross proceeds from the silent auction and garnered unprecedented corporate support which increased 86% from 2012. Since its inauguration, Detroit Uncorked has raised over $530,000 for The Children's Center of Wayne County.

Nearly one in 10 U.S. youth admits to sexual violence

(Courtesy of Reuters.com)
by Andrew M. Seaman


(Reuters Health) - Almost one in 10 U.S. teens and young adults admits to having coerced or forced someone into sexual behavior, according to a new study.

Nine percent of youth reported committing some sort of sexual violence, researchers found. That included kissing or touching someone while knowing the person didn't want them to or forcing someone to have sex.

"Hopefully it really does start a conversation about sexual violence in adolescents," Michele Ybarra, the study's lead author from the Center for Innovative Public Health Research in San Clemente, California, said.

"I think we've sort of assumed that it doesn't really start until adulthood," she told Reuters Health.

Detroit Bus Company Pivots to Serve Youth, Relocates to Historic Factory

(Courtesy of Xconomy.com)
by Sarah Schmid

The Detroit Bus Company, a transit startup founded by Andy Didorosi in 2012 to try and solve some of Detroit’s myriad public transportation issues, announced last week that it has consolidated its operations. It has moved from a depot in Ferndale, MI, and office in downtown Detroit to a historic factory in Hamtramck. (Though Hamtramck is technically a separate municipality, think of it like Detroit’s Vatican City: It’s tiny, and it’s completely surrounded by Detroit.)

Didorosi is a firm believer in “put your money where your mouth is” when it comes to businesses that want to help move Detroit forward. It’s important to him to have his operations entirely within the city limits, he says.

Meet 10 Michigan 'game-changers' honored by the Detroit Pistons

(Courtesy of MLive)
by Dustin Block

AUBURN HILLS, MI – Online voting is up and running for the Detroit Pistons 2013 Game Changer of the Year award.

The Pistons selected 10 finalists for the annual award designed to honor people making a difference in their communities. Along with the award, announced Nov. 25 during the Pistons game vs. Milwaukee Bucks, the winner will receive a 2013 Chrysler 300C John Varvatos Limited Edition.

Finalists for the award include:

POWER Embraces and Engages Youth with What’s the Math in This? Expos Michigan

Michigan -   Fifth grade is usually the time when students either develop an affinity for math related topics and careers or they start to do just enough to get by in school. POWER addresses some of the root causes of this trend and help youth to make meaningful math connections through its What’s the Math in This?

 

Expos. Trust, engagement, and relevance are very important to youth in grades 5-9.

5 Reasons You Should Visit Detroit Right Now

(Courtesy of RoamRight.com)
by Kristen Alana

Amanda Williams wrote a great article here on the RoamRight blog last month about three places all travelers should visit in Middle America. Her choices of Chicago, St. Louis and Pittsburgh were good. I have been to all three and each have wonderful things to offer visitors.

However, her article got me thinking about other places in the Midwest that are often underrated or undervalued as tourist destinations and as soon as I did I realized Detroit is the number one place I would recommend.

Detroit has been the recipient of a lot of bad press lately and it doesn't have the best reputation but a recent visit to the city showed me there is a lot more going on in Metro Detroit, meaning Detroit and the suburbs that surround it, than anyone is giving it credit for. So, here are five reasons that I believe you should visit Detroit, right now.

Government shutdown: Kids feel pain of budget impasse

(Courtesy of Detroit Free Press)
by Marisol Bello, Jeff Burlew, & Liz Crawford

Children are the collateral damage of the government shutdown as it heads into Day 3.

Children from the Head Start program at the Edward C. Mazique Parent Child Center join supporters and members of Congress to call for an end to the partial federal government shut down and fund the comprehensive education, health and nutrition service for low-income children and their families outside the U.S. Capitol October 2, 2013, in Washington, DC. / Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images (via USA TODAY)

The federal shutdown has forced pre-kindergarten classes to close. Patients with incurable diseases have been turned away from a federal hospital. Millions of America's poorest children are at risk of losing baby formula and healthy meals provided by federal programs.

Children with cancer kick away their pain

(Courtesy of The Detroit News)
by Michael H. Hodges

When his 2-year-old Sara was being treated at UCLA for leukemia 32 years ago, Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg says, she’d tell the doctors, “No medicine today, please.” Then the toddler would turn to the 5-year-olds in the clinic and tell them not to cry.

Film festival free for kids 12 and younger

(Courtesy of The Detroit News)
by Jocelynn Brown

Jason Sudeikis and Amanda Seyfried supply voices for the animated 'Epic.' (Blue Sky Studios)

MJR Digital Cinemas is hosting a free Fall Childrens’ Film Festival for children ages 12 and younger.

“It’s kind of a good-neighbor thing that was started years ago,” says Robin B. Hansen, director of marketing and promotions for Bloomfield Hills-based MJR Digital Cinemas, about the festival which started nearly 20 years ago.

Films will be shown every Saturday and Sunday, starting today, and running through Oct. 27. Advance tickets are not available. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis up to theater capacity, which ranges anywhere from about 100-250 seats. Admission for anyone older than 12 is $1.

The film lineup will be: