Featured Image: CAN Summer Camp 2021
Hello Friends,

This summer is off to a running start! We hope you get a sense of just how full our days are but we wouldn't have it any other way. In addition to summer camps, all CAN sites will continue to operate their housing stabilization and food security work. We have once again partnered with Ann Arbor Public Schools and Food Gatherers' "Meet Up and Eat Up" program by using CAN community centers as distribution sites. Not only do CAN summer camp participants get access to multiple meals a day during the summer but other AAPS students can come to a location near them and pick up meals for the week. We know food security is especially challenging for many families during the summer months and we are proud to be a part of the solution.

Thank you,
Your Friends at CAN
What Is Happening at CAN?
Summer Camp Has Started
CAN's annual six-week summer camp started on June 21st at 6 of CAN's sites serving ~130 students. This year's theme is called Strive to Thrive and is all about wellness: mental, emotional, physical, and community wellness. CAN's amazing Art & Design team designed & wrote the annual curriculum that will run summer 2021-spring 2022. Our summer camps are focused both on reversing summer loss of learning and also engaging kids in meaningful AND fun projects and activities.
A special shoutout to our amazing collaborator Jenny Harley who helped us design the logos for Strive to Thrive! They make our curriculum come to life and we are so grateful for her expertise.
Above: Students at CAN summer camp and logos of the curriculum
Musical Guests at CAN Summer Camps
In partnership with Great Lakes Performing Artists Association, we had amazing musical groups come out to CAN summer camps and perform/teach our students all about music and instruments! The kids had an amazing time listening, singing, trying out the instruments, and picking out songs for the artists to perform. The two musical groups we worked with are Duo 1717 and Westbound Situation both of which were fantastic guests!
Above: Student playing with instrument and listening to Du0 1717 perform.
HEPA Filters For CAN
One of our amazing partners, Amanda Shutko, hosted an online fundraiser to help CAN's Bryant Community Center purchase its first two HEPA room air filters. These air filters are one of many ways CAN has been upgrading our centers to better protect our staff, volunteers, and clients. Thank you to everyone who donated to that project. Since then, all of CAN's sites have installed these air filters as we transition back to more in-person activities.
Above: screenshot of online fundraiser
YourCheck Partnership
In addition to producing high-quality programs, CAN is also trying to be at the forefront of innovation, efficiency, and effectiveness in order to grow and improve. This past year, we have been working with YourCheck, an app that allows you to do background checks on yourself and share them with others, to potentially replace our current model of doing background checks on staff and volunteers. Safety AND agency are of the utmost importance to us and we believe YourChecks' model matches CAN's commitment to those qualities. The idea is that YOU get your own background check through the app and are able to see what is on there and share it with your future employer, volunteer org, etc. as opposed to them owning the background check and you never seeing it. We believe this model more accurately reflects our organization's culture and we look forward to working with them once they are out of the beta stage. We have attached a case study that we partnered on in order to better explain their mission.
Looking for Ways to Get Involved?
Sign Up to Make A Monthly Donation
If you are interested in supporting CAN one of the best ways you can do that is by signing up to be a monthly donor. Monthly donations allow us to continue doing our work despite unpredictable funding. Many of our clients rely on CAN services for their basic needs and we hope you will consider signing up so we can confidently offer these services without interruption. Thank you!
As always, please consult your tax advisers or the IRS to determine if a contribution is tax-deductible.
Community Action Network
PO Box 130076, Ann Arbor, MI 48113
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.
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