
Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Friday, October 23, 2009

Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Link to article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/05/AR2009100501296.html?referrer=facebook
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Surge in Homeless Pupils Strains Schools
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/education/06homeless.html?_r=2&hp
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Pictured above (left to right): Faye Askew-King, SOS Programs and Services Director; First Gentleman Daniel G. Mulhern; Governor Jennifer M. Granholm; Rebecca Fried, from U of M Residential College; Deborah Gordon-Gurfinkel, Creator of Telling It; and BMC, from the Ozone House.
The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Partnership Award for Campus-Community Collaboration, which is organized by Michigan Campus Compact, honors exemplary alliances that are undertaken by a college or university and a community group. Their collaborations address vital areas of public need.
This year the partnership of University of Michigan-Ann Arbor with SOS Community Services, Ozone House and COPE Alternative School was one of three finalists for the Carter Award. The other finalists were Grand Valley State University - Westown Jubilee Housing, and Kellogg Community College - HandsOn Battle Creek.
"Telling It" is a collaboration between University of Michigan's Residential College and three organizations serving runaway, homeless and high-risk youth in Washtenaw County. For this program college students are paired with children and teens ages 7-18 to engage in art projects to help increase their literacy skills, self-esteem and likelihoood of graduating school to pursue higher education. Over the years, "Telling It" has involved more than 150 college students to help more than 200 young people.
All of the finalists were recognized at the 2009 Governor's Service Awards. The "Telling It" program collaboration was given a Certificate of Tribute by the Governor Jennifer M. Granholm in honor of "the exceptional accomplishments through volunteerism, and exemplary efforts to improve the lives of others."
Click here for more information about the Carter Partnership Award. Also, to learn about the Governor's Service Awards check out the official website.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
In a special report on Parenting.com, an article explores the challenges families endure when they are homeless. Here is an excerpt from the article:
Eleven-year old Devin Bodiford's eyes blink open in the back room of a suburan Denver church. The clock reads 5 a.m. when his mother whispers that it's time to get up. His little sister and brother stir in their cots next to him. Two trash bags filled with the family's clothes are stashed in the corner; a tube of toothpaste, an alarm clock, a bottle of shampoo, and schoolbooks line the only table. For five days this has been home. In three more he will move again, to another church, to another cot in another room.
"Being homeless," the fifth-grader explains, "means you don't stay in one spot and have to move around a lot. It gets kind of confusing."
To read more of the article click here.
Friday, July 24, 2009
SOS Crisis Center received the Superior Service Award from Washtenaw County ETCS(Employment Training and Community Services). Washtenaw County ETCS is a unique government department that recognizes that community action and workforce development are essential to economic development. SOS Crisis Center was honored for being an ETCS Access Point, a place where consumers can come in and access the National Talent Bank and other job searching resources. Only 3 other agencies received the award: Jewish Family Services, Faith in Action, and Manchester Community Resource Center.