Lunch & Learn

About Our Speaker:

Debbie Mikula, Executive Director

Michigan Library Association

Since June 2019, Debbie has served as the Michigan Library Association’s Executive Director. She places a high priority on any organization or project that creates a sense of place, showcases a community’s authentic heritage, and contributes to the economic prosperity of a region. Libraries are no exception.

She is a passionate advocate of arts and culture in the state and on a national basis – having led the Arts Council of Greater Lansing, ArtServe Michigan, Michigan Association of Community Arts Agencies, and the League of Historic American Theatres. 

Click here to register

Did you know that our local community has an amazing group of people who gather at community libraries to work with residents interested in honing their English language skills?

For nearly 40 years, the Plymouth Canton Community Literacy Council has been training patient volunteers with a love of people and sense of humor to work with our ESL residents to help them feel more confident with their reading, writing and conversational skills.

If you are looking for an amazing volunteer opportunity or if you would like to learn more about the classes offered through the Literacy Council, we hope you will register for this informal discussion.

Details:

Wednesday, March 20, 2024 - 11:30-12:30 pm

Plymouth District Library

(223 S. Main Street, Plymouth, MI)

This is a FREE event, however, we ask that you register.

This event is part of the Local Impact Alliance's "Lunch & Learn" program.

Bring your lunch and feed your mind.

About Our Speakers:

Andrea Hug became the Executive Director of the Community Literacy Council in 2017. She received her B.A. from Albion College in Economics and Communications and her M.A. from EMU in Education. She taught at Livonia Public Schools and substitute taught at P-CCS. She served on the board of P-CCS Parent Council for four years. 

When Andrea is not helping English language learners with their conversational English language goals, she enjoys volunteering at the Humane Society of Huron Valley.

A parents', grandparents', teachers' and counselors' introduction to local program for at-risk youth

When a child is acting out, showing signs of at-risk behavior, experimenting with drugs and alcohol, where can a parent turn? For Wayne Country residents, they can turn to the Youth Assistance and Diversion Program - a service of Growth Works.

This unique program provides an opportunity for a child to improve decision-making, take responsibility for their actions, and gain tools to navigate life.

The Growth Works team works with youth ages 11-17.5 to support young people and their families. The goal is to be a positive adult figure and meet each kid where they're at. The team members feel this is an opportunity to plant seeds for future growth.

Whether you're a parent, teacher, counselor or concerned citizen, we invite you to join us the EVENING of February 13 to learn more about how we can help our young people be the best version of themselves.

About Our Speakers ...

Eco-Burial Gives Michigan Residents Lower Cost, Environmentally Friendly Option

The way we live impacts the world. So does the way we die. It isn't death that creates ecological problems, but rather the processes for dealing with our deceased.

Each year, in burying the deceased, Americans use:

•   20 million feet of wood
•   4.3 million gallons of embalming fluids
•   1.6 million gallons of reinforced concrete
•   17,000 tons of copper and bronze
•   64,500 tons of steel

Although cremations have the reputation as being an eco-friendly option, they tend to have an extra-large carbon footprint. Each year in the U.S., cremations release over 250,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere - the equivalent of burning over 30 million gallons of gas. And that doesn't even include the mercury from burning dental fillings.

But there are greener ways. Natural (or "green") burial is one of them. A green burial is one that encourages the natural process of decomposition. That means no embalming, no non-biodegradable caskets and no burial vaults. Conservation burial takes it one step further and combines land conservation with natural burial.

Details:

Wednesday, January 17, 2024 - 11:30-12:30 pm

EXCLUSIVELY ON ZOOM

This is a FREE event, however, we ask that you register.

This event is part of the Local Impact Alliance's "Lunch & Learn" program.

Bring your lunch and feed your mind.

About our Speakers

Peter and Annica Quakenbush live in Grand Rapids and founded Michigan Burial, LLC.

Peter Quakenbush is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences at Western Michigan University. Annica is a birth doula and photographer.

Together they are working to establish Michigan's first conservation burial ground.

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4 Great Topics to Start 2024

1. January: Green Burial Gains Traction
2. February: Growth Works - A Parent's Guide to Building Teen Life Skills
3. March: Plymouth Canton Community Literacy Council - Integrating Adult English Language Learners Into the Community
4. April: Michigan Library Association - Protecting Access to Books through the Michigan Right to Read Initiative