Work Groups Get to Work
It’s a sticky Wednesday afternoon in June but nearly 100 educational professionals are crammed into three workgroups- virtually that is. All this, in participation with the Michigan Department of Education’s…
Blog
Public Policy in Defense of Black Lives
Oftentimes, we enter into our work of public policy advocacy with many goals on the forefront of our agenda, both individually and organizationally because we know the greater real-life impact…
Protest is Advocacy, Advocacy is Essential
I am horrified by our systematic police brutality and unwarranted excessive use of force with the rest of the state and nation, and I am ever-challenged to help change the…
Foster Care Awareness Month: Make Sure All Kids are Counted
May is Foster Care Awareness Month, and this year our children, youth and families in care are facing so many additional challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic. As we look…
Setting Ourselves up for Opportunity Now and Later
Okay, I know things are grim and honestly getting grimmer. This will run its course with much destruction in its wake, and I’m sure we will be talking about how…
Real-life Stories Provide Insider’s Look at the Consequences of State Budget Battles
Budget disputes have consequences. Just ask young Michiganders like Diego Garcia, Alexis Caples, Nicole Calver, or program providers like Patty Sabin, or a mom, Shelley Garcia. In a series of…
One Youth’s Life-Changing Experience and why Michigan Should Expand CASA to Help More Children in the State’s Care
I was born in 1989, and by 1994, I was in the family court system in Kent County. I have six brothers and sisters. From 1994 to 2002, three of…
Resolve to Do the Right Thing in 2020: Michigan Must Restore Plans to Expand CASA Program for Children in State’s Care
We all agree that the child welfare system in Michigan is overburdened. Case workers often have too many and too complex cases for any one person to handle. The system…
A Young Adult’s View: Budget Cuts Should be Reversed in Afterschool Support
If I did not have the afterschool program when I was at Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo, I would definitely not be where I am today. I was a…
An Adoptive Mother’s Viewpoint: Why Defunded Family Support Group Should be Reinstate
I remember it like it was yesterday. I was talking to a stranger that instantly felt like a friend. It was our first contact and somehow it felt like I…