Dearborn Heights Montessori
Center
Saturday,
October 22 is National Make A Difference Day—a day of doing good. Millions of
volunteers will unite in a common mission to improve the lives of others, and
we invite you to join us in DHMC’s 2011 Make A Difference Day literacy project.
We
would like to extend our ongoing commitment to children, families, and literacy
to include those who have far fewer opportunities than we do, and we hope you
will take part. We will be donating new books to the Family Literacy Program, a
local program that provides books and literacy services to needy children from
birth to age 18. Last year, through its book ownership program and literacy
outreach work, more than 1000 Detroit-area families were served. The Family
Literacy Program is one of the activities of Capacity Developers, a 501(C) 3
non-profit with the mission of providing support to low-income individuals and
families who fall outside the government safety net.
What
is our plan? We hope that DHMC parents and children will together select a new
book to donate to this wonderful program. It could be a current favorite, one
that has been special to the child in the past, or simply one that seems especially
appealing at the time of selection. (The project has a particular need this
year for board books.) Perhaps the children could help with the purchase by
contributing a portion of their allowance to purchase the book, or older
children could earn some of the cost by raking leaves or doing an extra chore.
Our hope is that there would be a sense of personal involvement. We also
encourage children who can write to inscribe the book with a gift message, or
to include a short note.
Make
A Difference Day falls at the end of the DHMC Parents Association book fair
week. This will be a very convenient venue for book purchases, but new books
from any source are equally welcome.
We
will provide a book collection box in the office area, and also donation forms
that may be used for tax deduction purposes. The project will end on Friday,
October 28.
CDI is hosting a benefit evening at Crave Lounge in Downtown Dearborn to honor and support The Hope Fund, a mentoring & coaching program for aging-out foster youth, at-risk and low-income families.