Back in (ASP) Action!

With the new school year comes a new semester of Afterschool Program at CAN! This month, each of our sites embarked on another year of ASP and we are thrilled to have the students back in the community centers. September is truly a month of new beginnings and new faces! We've seen a 67% increase in attendance at our Arrowwood Hills ASP, attendance at Hikone ASP is almost DOUBLE since last year, we welcomed 12 new kiddos to Brick ASP, and a new site director at Creekside!

Afterschool Program Highlights

Students created colorful, sensory-safe necklaces and bracelets that double as fidgets and breathing exercise props. After choosing and stringing their preferred beads and charms, CAN's Director of Behavioral Health led them through a breathing exercise using the beads as a guide. 

Teen program is in full swing! Teens across multiple CAN sites have come together for activities including the one pictured above, a movie night at Hikone!

This semester, CAN kiddos continue to explore music and performance through activities like creating theater masks, crafting instruments out of recycled materials, exploring collage while researching instruments, and reflecting on the connection of music and emotion through painting. We can't wait to rock out this fall!

Urgent Need for Grocery Store Gift Cards!

In recent weeks, our emergency food pantries have faced an alarming shortage. Through our amazing partnership with Food Gatherers, we are serving double the amount of food compared to just two years ago, and there has been an astonishing 400% increase over the past four years. We've seen the need for support in our community skyrocket. Sometimes, the reality is, there are not enough resources in our community to keep our 6 food pantries open. CAN's Bryant Market reported having to close every Tuesday in the past month due to not having food to serve until we receive our next delivery. When our shelves are bare, we want to ensure that families still have access to food by distributing gift cards to help them purchase essentials. Together, we can make a direct impact, allowing us to empower families in need and ensure that no one goes hungry.

How You Can Help

September Spotlight!

Green Baxter Court Community Center is becoming CAN's 4th Resilience Hub! Through this exciting partnership with the City of Ann Arbor's Office of Sustainability and Innovations and thanks to The Environmental Protection Agency, GBC will not lose power when the grid goes out. One of the most notable benefits of this opportunity is that we will be able to prevent the food in our emergency pantry from spoiling if we lose power to our fridges and freezers!

CAN has a new Director of Creekside Court Community Center! Courtney Vanderbilt has been working with children, youth and families for 20 years. Raised in southeast Ann Arbor, she spent much of her youth actively participating at the Bryant Community Center where she developed a love for community. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and 7-year-old son, taking walks, baking and trying out new TikTok recipes!

Welcome, Courtney!

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PO Box 130076

Ann Arbor, MI 48113

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Community Action Network partners with children, youth, and families from under-resourced Washtenaw County neighborhoods to create better futures for themselves and improve the communities in which they live.

Community Action Network

info@canwashtenaw.org

www.canwashtenaw.org

(734) 994-2985

PO Box 130076, Ann Arbor, MI 48113