October 2022

Newsletter

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Entrepreneurial spirit motivates students

Amber Mitchell is a busy bee. 

As a member of the SAY Play community, she shares her entrepreneurial spirit and a love of science as a full-time educational assistant and program manager of the gardening initiative. This summer, the fruits and vegetables grown in the SAY Play garden were sampled during the day by students and leftovers were sent home.

She didn’t except to fall in love with teaching kids, but she did — she looks forward to seeing the students each day. She enjoys understanding how they learn, and helping them find confidence in themselves. This fall she started teaching STEAM classes in the DEEP, and wants to make sure the students are exposed to math and science through practical skills and a career-oriented mindset.

Outside of her work with SAY Play, she runs HoneyGirl Skincare, an all-natural skin care line designed from honey. She is also launching an urban garden business with her brothers. They plan to grow fresh fruits, vegetables, and spices on land in the city. There will be a space for bees, and in the future, an open-air market.

If you would like some great tips from Amber on how to prepare your garden for spring, click below!


A Time to Help & Cass Community Social Services

On Saturday, Oct. 22, A Time to Help volunteered at Cass Community Social Services. Their primary task was shredding old documents and organizing the office.

Cass is a leader in devising programs and creating jobs to enhance lives of underserved citizens. It also helps people through its tiny homes community for low-income individuals. Read more ››


adolphus baseball friends

Adolphus, Johnethian, and Antwan SAY Thank you!

You help students like Adolphus, a sophomore at Osborn High School in a neighborhood where 91% of its population is economically disadvantaged. That’s not stopping Adolphus. He maintains his required athletic GPA, was named All-City for his contributions to the Osborn baseball team last spring and is the starting quarterback for the Knights football program this fall. SAY Play will continue to help him with his studies, his athletic adventures, and his mental awareness. We are eager, with your help, for him to realize his future career goals: to become a marriage counselor.


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Wellness Wednesdays meetup highlights survivors during breast cancer awareness month

September saw the move of Wellness Wednesday lunches to the Ernest T. Ford Recreation Center in Highland Park, reaching the community surrounding the SAY Health Clinic.

In October the monthly luncheon and support group was at capacity with 25 female community members discussing breast cancer awareness. Read more ››


Robotics is back at SAY Play

SAY Play engage in extracurricular activities in arts, sports, music, and science as both carrot and reward for completing their after-school homework and study time. One of our longest-running programs elementary students enjoy is robotics — this year, seven students are working together on FIRST® Lego League (FLL) teams. Challenge practices and robot-building on Mondays and Wednesdays are organized by an all volunteer team of engineers from Cooper Standard and Ford. 

SAY students learn coding and blue tooth connectivity. Their fall competition is on November 19. We can’t wait to share with you their results! Stay-tuned!

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