Junior Achievement Educates Amidst 2019-2020 School Year Challenges

Our community is dedicated to supporting student success by fostering an understanding of economic concepts. The programming of Junior Achievement of North Central Michigan is crucial to providing lifelong skills to students.

Junior Achievement allows teachers throughout the community to request programs to be scheduled in their classrooms. They are then matched with a volunteer who hosts several sessions in the classroom on topics related to financial literacy, work readiness skills, and entrepreneurship.

Thanks to the Kellogg Youth Fund at the Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation, over 695 students throughout various school districts and grade levels in Isabella County were able to participate in Junior Achievement programming between September 2019 and June 2020. These students were part of 35 fully-completed programs in K-12 classrooms prior to the COVID-19 state-wide shutdown of schools in March.

Since the shutdown of schools, Junior Achievement programs have adapted in Isabella County and new remote learning options have been implemented to offer sessions and resources online.

Teaching our youth to be prepared for the unexpected, financially or in the workplace, is more important than ever, and Junior Achievement of North Central Michigan will continue to work diligently to implement innovative methods of education.

Junior Achievement programming in an elementary classroom

Creating Stronger Communities by Supporting Families

Eagle Village logo. Orange stylized eagle.

Having early access to early preventative and therapeutic services can create long-term positive change in overcoming behavioral and mental health challenges. These services help to shape stronger families and healthier, more successful individuals and an important factor in encouraging families to seek out these services is by having financial assistance available.

Thanks to funds granted through the Kellogg Youth Fund and the Weisenburger Family Fund, five individuals from Isabella County of various ages were able to receive intervention and counseling services through Eagle Village.

One of these services is the Youth Challenge Weekend, where attendees confront their own challenging behavior patterns. Participants learn healthy decision-making skills and the importance of taking responsibility for their actions.

Many of those served through this program have a history of abuse and neglect, and some have been through, or are currently in, the foster care system and are experiencing difficulties. Other services include standard counseling, in which licensed therapists help with a variety of matters and are equipped to work with foster care families, histories of trauma, grief, and family challenges.

We can create lasting positive change through collaborative community efforts. By providing support to build stronger and healthier families, we help to create stronger communities.

Grant Supplements Purchase of Socks and Undergarments for Teens in Foster Care

Various packages of socks purchased for teens in foster care

Many children who come into the foster care system are in need of essential items such as clothing or hygiene products.

One organization that helps to address those needs is the Foster Closet of Isabella County.

Available to anyone that is living in foster care in Isabella County, the organization provides those necessities to children and teens that are placed into foster care.

In need of undergarments and socks for teens, a grant from the Kellogg Youth Fund helped to supplement the cost of purchasing those items for the foster closet. In total, the 99 pairs of socks and 17 packages of underwear and boxers that was purchased will go to help at least 20 teens. The grant also helped with the purchase of unisex Nike socks for sports or just regular wear.

By supplying these basic need items, foster families are then able to use those savings to help the children adapt to their new environment in other ways.

Program Uses Art and Music to Enhance Learning in Special Education

One of the most important aspects of a special education program is participation in the arts. Whether students are moderately cognitively impaired, severely cognitively impaired or severely emotionally impaired, art programs allow for creative expression and a new way to learn.

With help from the Kellogg Youth Fund, Gratiot-Isabella Regional Educational Service District (GIRESD) conducted an Artists-in-Residence program in collaboration with Michigan Arts Access (formerly VSA Michigan) during the 2018-2019 school year. All GIRESD special education classrooms in Gratiot and Isabella Counties benefited from the program.

Elementary students taking part in art and music

A total of 207 students, 17 classroom teachers and 61 paraprofessionals participated in the program. Each student engaged in eight hours of learning in either visual arts or music taught by painter Diane Clise, musician Renee Hahn or clay artist Barbara Taylor.

Two young children taking part in art and music programming

“I had a student who just started with me when Renee started coming. I was still learning about this student and he would often fuss during school time. He loved music. It was an ‘aha!’ moment when he smiled and began nodding his head to the beat of one of the songs,” one of the elementary teachers said. “After that, I began using music with him during various parts of the day. It helped him as he adjusted to the classroom.”

The program concluded with Show & Share events at each of the schools where the students demonstrated the music that they had learned, and all of the student artwork was on exhibit at the Mahoney GIRESD administration building during the month of May 2019.

Local 4-H Beekeeping Club Teaches Kids About Impact of Honeybees in Our Lives

BEElievers: two teens learning about bee keeping

Getting involved in 4-H teaches youth a multitude of life skills. Thanks to the Kellogg Youth Fund, Isabella County was able to start a 4-H beekeeping club called the BEElievers. The purpose of the club is to introduce youth to the issues that are impacting the honeybee population, deliver hands-on learning of beekeeping techniques, and to provide a greater understanding of entrepreneurial opportunities regarding the sale of honey and hive products.

Creating a label and learning what goes into the bottling and marketing of honey are vital to the sustainability of this club. The club sells the honey predominantly at the Isabella County Youth and Farm Fair in the Still Exhibit barn. During their first year at the fair, the club made over $700 in sales.

In the first year, approximately 10 youths participated regularly in the club. As the program grew, more youth, and adults helping youth, attended meetings and participated in the honey extracting process.

Teens taking part in bee removal

Participants in 4-H are four times more likely to give back to their communities, according to a Tufts University research study. The study also found that 4-H participants are also twice as likely to make healthy choices and to participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities.