Lunch & Learn

Champion the Right to Read - Lunch & Learn

Since 1891, the Michigan Library Association has led the advancement of all libraries through advocacy, education and engagement. Throughout their history, the association continues to serve as champions of access and they stand strong to protect the right to read, and promote intellectual freedom as a core value of the library profession and a basic right in our democratic society.

Their goal through the MI Right to Read (www.mirighttoread.com) initiative is to protect Michiganders’ right to read by proposing pro-active legislation that protects First Amendment Rights, opposing attempts to ban books from Michigan libraries; educate the public about the right to read; and ensure that librarians across Michigan will be entrusted to continue to do their jobs and serve the needs of all individuals and communities.

Learn more about the MI Right to Read initiative at this Lunch and Learn event.

Want to learn more?

Join us Wednesday, April 24th to learn more about the MI Right to Read initiative at this FREE "lunch and learn" event.

Details:

Wednesday, April 24, 2024 - 11:30-12:30 pm

Canton Township Administration Building - main floor board room

(1150 Canton Center Rd., Canton, 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.

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

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Plymouth Canton Literacy Council - Lunch & Learn

A great presentation by Community Literacy Council at the Plymouth District Library for the Lunch & Learn hosted by Local Impact Alliance.

Andrea Hug and Joyce Silagy of PCLC presented great facts, kept the audience engaged and answered the question. The tutors of this organization are truly making an impact in our community.

Learn more about Plymouth Canton Literacy Council - https://www.plymouthcantonliteracy.org/

Community Foundation of Plymouth is an affiliate of Local Impact Alliance.

Published in Lunch & Learn

Help Change Lives With the Plymouth Canton Literacy Council

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.

Click Here to Register

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.

Joyce Silagy has over 30 years of experience as a teacher. Her experience with Dearborn Public Schools was primarily in adult education where she taught business classes. Joyce served as Community Education Manager and Supervisor of Career and Technical

Education for Southfield Public Schools.

In 2006, Joyce became a volunteer tutor for the Plymouth Canton Literacy Council; and in 2011 helped create the ESL outreach program for Connection Church where she teaches students and facilitates tutors.

Published in Lunch & Learn

How you can help Struggling Youth

Thank you Team Growth Works for an informational session and discussion on "how you can help a struggling 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.

The Lunch & Learn sessions hosted by Local Impact Alliance are a great community resource in bringing people together and gather information.

If you have topic which you know would be good topic for discussion or you know of a speaker who would like to apeak on a topic which affects and connects community, please reach out to B Meade at 734-495-1200.

Learn more about Lunch & Learn

https://localimpactalliance.org/lunch-learn

Learn more about Growth Works

https://gwcares.org/

Published in Lunch & Learn

How You Can Help Struggling Youth - Growth Works

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 ...

Laura Reiners

Growth Works Community Relations Director

Laura is responsible for sharing the mission and services of Growth Works to communities across Western Wayne County. She works collaboratively with nonprofits, school districts, municipalities and other community organizations to support youth and families in need.

TBMills

Tiffany Borchardt-Mills - Client Services Supervisor

Tiffany oversees all of the day-to-day management of the Youth Assistance Program, working with her team to coordinate services. She has been instrumental in the growth of the program over the past five years, bringing these services to youth and families across Western Wayne County.

SWilliams

Shannon Williams - YAP Coordinator

Shannon is often the first person youth and families interact with as they enter the Youth Assistance Program. She coordinates and conducts all assessments to determine eligibility for the program; and ensure youth and families are a good fit.

Details:

Tuesday, February 13, 2024 - 6:00-7:00 PM

Canton Township Administration Building

1150 S. Canton Center Rd., Canton

Lower Level - Meeting Room E

(online Zoom option is also available)

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

Seating is limited to 32 guests.

Click Here to Register

Published in Lunch & Learn

A great community resource

The Lunch & Learn series hosted by Local Impact Alliance has been a great success in local community. The January topic "The Green Burial" was offered completely online and was well received and attended.

The community outreach committee of Local Impact Alliance handpicks the topics, speakers and venue to bring important topics for discussion in the local community.

It is great way to foster community and start dialogue in a very relaxed and open atmosphere. If you have any topic in mind or a speaker who would be great to listen to please reach out to Beth Meade at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Here is the winter line up of topics:

#February: Growth Works - A Parent's Guide to Building Teen Life Skills

#March: Plymouth Canton Community Literacy Council - Integrating Adult English Language Learners Into the community

#April: Michigan Library Association - Protecting Access to Books through the Michigan Right to Read Initiative

You can get information about upcoming topic, date, venue or watch recordings of previous topics: Lunch & Learn

The recording for Green Burial lunch & learn - Eco Burial Lunch & Learn (passcode - 8Es1@nGC)

Published in Lunch & Learn

Eco-Burial - Lunch & Learn

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.

Click here to register

4 Great Topics to Start 2024

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

Published in Lunch & Learn

FIREARM SAFETY - Lunch & Learn

Firearm Safety - Developing Solutions for a Growing Public Health Crisis

An informative talk by Dr. Laura Seewald from University Of Michigan.

Firearm injury and death has become a persistent public health crisis in the United States. Firearms are the leading cause of death among U.S. children and teens; and each day more than 120 people in the United States are killed by firearms. In 2020 alone more than 45,000 people died from firearm-related injuries.

As firearm injury rates continue to increase, there is a great need for data-driven solutions. The University of Michigan has taken the lead in this effort launching the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention in 2021. Their goal is to generate new knowledge and advance innovative solutions that reduce firearm injury.

In this Lunch and Learn, Dr. Laura Seewald from the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention spoke on the magnitude of the firearm injury problem and offered a framework for developing solutions and reducing injury, all while respecting the rights of responsible, law-abiding firearm owners. The focus was not on gun control, but rather on injury prevention

.

Thank you to those who participated in the discussion and Dr. Seewald.

Here are some pictures from the presentation.

Published in Lunch & Learn

FIREARM SAFETY - LIA Lunch & Learn

FIREARM SAFETY

Developing Solutions for a Growing Public Health Crisis

Firearm injury and death has become a persistent public health crisis in the United States. Firearms are the leading cause of death among U.S. children and teens; and each day more than 120 people in the United States are killed by firearms. In 2020 alone more than 45,000 people died from firearm-related injuries.

As firearm injury rates continue to increase, there is a great need for data-driven solutions. The University of Michigan has taken the lead in this effort launching the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention in 2021. Their goal is to generate new knowledge and advance innovative solutions that reduce firearm injury.

In this Lunch and Learn, Dr. Laura Seewald from the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention will speak on the magnitude of the firearm injury problem and offer a framework for developing solutions and reducing injury, all while respecting the rights of responsible, law-abiding firearm owners. The focus is not on gun control, but rather on injury prevention.

We hope that you will join us for this very important topic.

Details:

Wednesday, November 8, 2023 - 11:30-1:00 pm

Plymouth District Library

(223 Main St., Plymouth, MI Walldorf Room)

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.

Click Here to Register

About our Speaker

Dr. Laura Seewald is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and a Research Assistant Professor with the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention at the University of Michigan. She is also an adult emergency medicine physician at Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Michigan.

Her research on firearm injury prevention is focused on the development, testing, and implementation of emergency department-based interventions to decrease firearm violence, youth violence, intimate partner violence, and associated risk behaviors.

Published in Lunch & Learn

Create your own Pollinators Garden - Lunch & Learn

David Hammond, Founder & Executive Director of Creating Habitats gave a very informative talk on Creating your own Pollinators Garden - a Lunch & Learn event hosted by Local Impact Alliance.

Dave is on the board of Canton Community Foundation and has done extensive planting of Native gardens in Plymouth, Canton, Northville in MI and VT, NH, KY, NY, MA and RI.

Here are some pictures from the presentation which also includes informational slides if you want to start your garden.

Learn more about Creating Habitats

Dave Hammond has a fund at Local Impact Alliance called "Creating Habitats for Pollinators". You can donate below to support this community non profit.

Creating Habitat for Pollinators Fund

Here is the link to the video of the event -Create Your Own Pollinators Garden

Published in Lunch & Learn