Helping Children

We were pleased to participate in The Guidance Center's 5K Walk this past Saturday.  The fundraiser benefited programs for children and families.

The Guidance Center located in Southgate and Lincoln Park is one of the great local resources to help parents and children.  They have early childhood programs, many Head Start sites, and services for children and youth.  Services are available for other eligible family members, as well.  For help, you can call them at (734) 785-7700.

We help people best when we work together to strengthen families, support parents and help children to grow up healthy.

Benefits for Seniors

Older Americans miss out on more than $20 billion worth of benefits each year according to an article in the latest AARP newsletter. You can check to see if there are benefits you or a loved one might be eligible for.

You can go online yourself, or you can call The Information Center at (734) 282-7171 and ask for a Senior's Benefit Check Up. A specialist will go online for you while you are on the phone. To do it yourself, just go to benefitscheckup.org, which is the National Council on Aging's free comprehensive online screening site, featuring more than 2,000 public and private programs for low-income Medicare beneficiaries.

For more information about all local services available for seniors at any income level call The Information Center at (734) 282-7171.

DTE Summer Jobs

The DTE Energy Foundation is funding 333 summer jobs for metro Detroiters ages 14-24. These 6 week positions will start in July, are part of a program called Grow Detroit Young Talent, and are funded by a $500,000 grant to the non-profit City Connect Detroit.

To apply, find out how to participate, or to offer other job opportunities call (313) 879-1476, or visit online www.growdetroitsyoungtalent.org.

Unemployment Mortgage Assistance in Michigan

Help for the Hardest Hit is a federally funded mortgage assistance program that may be able to help you or someone you know. Monthly mortgage help is available for qualified unemployed homeowners for as long as 12 months. You may be eligible for this mortgage assistance if:

• You own and occupy your home in Michigan
• You are receiving Michigan unemployment insurance benefits
• Your mortgage service provider participates (see list on website listed below)

For more information and to apply, go online at stepforwardmichigan.org,

or call toll-free (866) 946-7432.

Work At Comerica Park This Summer!

Anyone 18 years of age can work at Comerica Park where our Detroit Tigers play, during the summer doing clean up.

· The candidates chosen must be hard working.

· Must have transportation to get to the ball park.

· Send Resume before Friday April 6th 10am

Interviews are taking place currently.

Contact: Jeffrey Durr
Business & Employment Specialist,CBSP
The Information Center
734-282-7171 ext. 7811
JeffreyD@theinfocenter.info

Preventing Child Abuse

Child abuse is a tragedy that can be avoided. We can help by supporting the things that contribute to the healthy development of children, and are actually “protective factors.” Protective factors help parents cope with the challenges of parenting and other parts of life, especially when they are under stress.

Research has shown that these protective factors are linked to a lower incidence of child abuse:

• Nurturing and attachment of child with parent

• Parents’ knowledge of parenting, child and youth development

• Parental resilience

• Social connections

• Concrete (material) supports for parents

• Social and emotional competence of children

Child abuse and neglect can be an unintended consequence of family crisis, a parent’s stresses such as those that are experienced from unemployment, or other personal difficulties such as substance abuse.

Some of the ways that The Information Center and other agencies we work with in this region can help are:

• Connecting parents with food pantries and clothing closets

• Providing referrals that connect people with the right services that can help them

• Providing immediate assistance and support in the event of an eviction or other emergency

• Supporting the family throughout a crisis

• Linking family members to jobs, job training, transportation, and other resources that lead to economic security and self-sufficiency

• Providing access for health care, child care support and other services

• In short, stepping forward to intervene and help when a family problem or emergency is happening.

On the other hand, ignoring the problems and thinking they are just going to go away, is one of the surest ways for problems to compound and grow until they are unmanageable. That is when child abuse is most likely to occur.

For help, call The Information Center's Helpline at (734) 282-7171. Watch this blog for details on the upcoming Strengthening Families Conference on April 20th.

It was my honor to receive a Community Service Award from the Southgate Rotary Club last evening.

Rotary is one of the largest international humanitarian service organizations in the world with 1.2 million members and 33,000 clubs. All of these fine people are committed to helping make the world an even better place by addressing literacy, disease, hunger, poverty, lack of clean water and other environmental challenges.

I was truly touched by the honor and how nice everyone from the Southgate Rotary Club was, last evening. Thank you.

Most importantly, there is a lot of work to be done. There is a lot of genuine need for families and children, and others who need our help. The staff and volunteers of The Information Center are all such an incredible mix of professionalism and local community connection, and each day I am inspired by how they go above and beyond in their efforts to help others. I want nothing more than to give them the fullest measure of resources that they need, to do more of the good work that they do in the community, for the people who truly need help.

Call (734) 282-7171 for free assistance, or to make a charitable donation to a wonderful community organization. The Information Center, Inc. is a non-profit organization (501(c)(3) serving residents of the Downriver and surrounding communities since 1975.