Summer camp partnerships and enrollment
Summer is on the horizon – and at SAY Detroit, we are focusing on engaging students in our six-week summer camp starting in July at the SAY Play Center at Lipke Park. Thanks to all of you, we have leaned on our partnerships to engage more young people and offer dynamic programming. SAY Detroit is partnering with Connect Detroit to hire up to 25 high school and college students to serve as camp counselors. The camp will host up to 100 students per day. To learn more, visit here.
Taking time to reflect on mental health
This month’s Wellness Wednesday focused on mental health. Alan Johns, a social worker and lead of the mental health and behavioral health program at SAY Play, empowered the 20 participants by sharing tools to help them along their individual journey. Read the news story for more information!
Celebrating mothers the SAY Detroit way
Mothers do it all, so it was their time to shine at the SAY Play Mother’s Day tea. More than a dozen moms and caregivers along with their children gathered on Friday, May 13, to enjoy tasty treats and celebrate their relationships. Thanks to SAY Detroit donors, a lucky mom (or grandmother in this case) won a raffle for a day at the spa! Thank you to all our mothers AND our donors who do it all!
SAY Play family featured in the Detroit Free Press
On a recent visit to SAY Play, Mitch Albom met a wonderful family and shared their story in the Detroit Free Press “Giving shelter, from a shelter, a mother earns this special day.”
Better Together school outreach
Earlier this month, Better Together partnered with Dossin Elementary/Middle School for a student outreach and barbecue connecting more than 200 students with 10 Detroit Police Officers and seven volunteers.
The Better Together team visited classrooms with students aged 12 and 13 years old and delivered messages of empowerment. Afterward, 30 at risk students were invited to join the Better Together team for their signature grilling program. The students didn’t know until the end of the day that Detroit Police Officers were participating – but by then they had developed mutual respect for one and other.