Fall Newsletter 2014

Bound Together
Fall Newsletter - October 2014
167 West Pike Street Pontiac MI 48341 248-334-3827
www.boundtogetherpontiac.org
Fall Newsletter - October 2014 - Page 2
In this issue
Our mission is to nurture self worth and academic growth for
Pontiac elementary school students performing below grade level.
Notes from the Director
Celebrations
Volunteer
Reflections
Tutor, Parent and Students
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Karaoke for Kids Fall Fund Raiser
Social Media
Wish List
Page 6
Page 6
Page 7
Notes from the Executive Director... Jane Porter
The year is in ”full swing” with 22 children participating and 62 tutors on board. The Kids
Café is well managed with menus, shoppers, cooks and clean up crews!
We have welcomed new tutors and welcomed back many tutors from last year. This winning combination of “seasoned” tutors PLUS new tutors adds an atmosphere of excited anticipation in making a real difference in the
life of a child (as well as enriching our own lives) This is a “win-win.”
The routines are being established and the pairing up of tutors and
students (learning partners) is taking place.
Thank You to the parish of All Saints Pontiac. They allow
Bound Together to use the rooms it requires to accomplish the work
that needs to be done.
Thank You to St. Philips, Rochester. They continue to plan
the menu, complete the shopping and the organizing of the cooking/
clean up teams and schedules. This means so much to these children and their families. Many groups have stepped forward to partner with St. Philips and Bound Together. These are: Christ Church
Cranbrook, The Bank of Birmingham, St. Stephens-Troy, and most
recently, Notre Dame Prep. These much anticipated meals are
greatly appreciated by the children! They always ask, with excitement ,“What is for dinner tonight,” and secondly, “What is for dessert?”
In the classrooms, we continue to utilize the “Triumphs” curriculum. Both the children and the tutors are becoming familiar with
the work sheets and accompanying books. In the later part of October, we will “introduce” an iPad component to the tutoring time. Children will be assigned a number and that number will correspond to
an iPad that they will have use of for 20 minutes, only one day a
week. That way we will rotate the iPads. They are downloaded with
Continued on page 3
LEADERSHIP
BOARD MEMBERS
BOUND TOGETHER STAFF
Gail Hunger
President
Roz Miller
Vice President
Steve Wogaman
Treasurer
Janice Benkert
Ron Caughran
Dyann Hayes
Rev. Karen Johanns
Ged Youngman
SUPPORT STAFF
Jane Porter
Executive Director
Bonnie Moulik Program Assistant
Tutor Volunteers
Kids Café Volunteers
Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you
Fall Newsletter - October 2014 - Page 3
Continued from page 2
5 educational “games” (math and reading)
appropriate for grades 1-6 These applications
came highly recommended by several elementary teachers. This was made possible by
a grant from the Village Club Foundation of
Bloomfield Hills, and additional help from the
Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities of SE
MI.
We enjoyed great
success with our last year
incentive rewards and have
decided to continue this
practice. The children hand
their books in at the end of
each session, with a paper
filled out by their tutor indicating the amount of stamps.
There is a possibility of
earning 2 stamps per session. The kids check these
book and understand what is
expected and in some cases
when only one stamp is given (or in rare cases—no
stamps) they think back and understand the
cause and effect. They turn in their books for
prizes with 12 stamps = a choice from the 1
Page Box, 24 stamps = a prize from the 2
Page box etc. As the number of pages increase, the value of the prize also increases.
We now also offer
an incentive to complete Chapters and
Units found in their
binders. After a
Unit (comprises of
many chapters) is
completed, a child
can select from a
bin of donated
Beanie Babies.
We are planning many fun events for
the children. There will be a Halloween Party,
Thanksgiving Meal Celebration and a
“Shopping Day” (where the children can
choose gifts for family members generously
donated by the AAUW of Birmingham.) The
gifts are wrapped and sent home to go under
the tree. We will enjoy a Christmas Party,
complete with Santa, scheduled for Dec. 17.
All are invited!
Great things are happening, thanks to
everyone - from donors, tutors, cooks and
parents. It truly is a labor of love.
Celebrations






Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you
Fall Newsletter - October 2014 - Page 4
Serving children of Pontiac
20th
Anniversary
1994
1994--2014
Donate
Tutor or
Cook
“There is a word in South Africa - UbuntuIt is the recognition that we are all bound
together in ways that can be invisible to the eye;
that there is a oneness to humanity; that we
achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with
others, and caring for those around us.”
President Obama at Nelson Mandela’s funeral
Bound Together
167 W Pike St. Pontiac MI. 48341
248-334-3827
www.boundtogetherpontiac.org
Help
make a
difference
Free Tutoring/Mentoring/Meal program every
Tues., Wed., and Thurs. throughout the school year.
Art classes two Mondays a month with dinner.
in
the life of
a child.
"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than
the way in which it treats its children."
Nelson Mandela
Fall Newsletter - October 2014 - Page 5
Reflections on Bound Together
What Bound Together means to me...
As a tutor...
My thoughts about tutoring are simple ones: I love the
energy and honesty of the kids; I get more in return
than I can give to the students; I believe that the kids
will remember and value their time with Bound Together;
and it is a way to respond to our call to help our neighbors.
Glen Anderson
As a parent...
At Bound Together my girls have something
to look forward to after school. They are disappointed when the program is over for the
year. The program staff go above and beyond to help our kids succeed.
Alethia (a mom)
As a cook...
Over the years, I've worked on any number of outreach programs for kids at risk in our
communities, but I've never enjoyed and felt the
sense of accomplishment I do with
Bound Together.
It's an extremely well organized program
that is really making a difference in the lives and
education of the kids involved. Whether you volunteer as a tutor, cook, shopper, menu planner or
in some other capacity, it soon becomes apparent
that the kids are making progress on many levels
and they love the program. It doesn't get better
than that!
Marilou Wieringa
As a student
I like coming to Bound Together because I get to eat with my friends…..
I like Bound Together because I have a nice tutor…..
I like coming to Bound Together because I like art club…..
I like Bound Together because we get to go to the gym and have snacks….
I like math now cause I can do the multiplication table up to 7…..
I like coming to Bound Together - we have parties too
I like Bound Together because a have a puzzle book to do
(after our binder work)...
Great things taking place at 167 W. Pike St. Pontiac!
Fall Newsletter - October 2014 - Page 6
Karaoke for Kids
On September 12, 2014, we hosted our Fall Fund Raiser
“Karaoke for Kids,” and celebrated the 20th Anniversary of
Bound Together! Thank you to all who helped “staff” the evening, bought
tickets, attended, and sold raffle tickets.
It was such a fun event. The venue was
beautiful (Sylvan Lake Community Center.) We dressed the room up to celebrate the coming of fall with themed tablecloths and center pieces. Posters also
were displayed to remind folks of our
mission and purpose. The food was fantastic from NYA Catering and the DJ,
Chip Staley, was very entertaining!
We also welcomed Michael Whitted, who travelled from
North Carolina to be part of the festivities. Michael and his wife
Julie presented Bound Together with a “Pledge Challenge” to
highlight our twenty years of serving the children of Pontiac.
Their foundation will
match up to $20,000 in
donations to help secure
a bright future for Bound
Together. How amazingly
generous! I am happy to
say we are well on our
way, and hopefully we will reach the mark.
The night also revealed the hidden talent that
resides in this area. It was like being in the audience of
American Idol or The Voice!
We had a Live Auction featuring a week stay at a
luxury condo in South Beach FL. We also were given a
fun packed package from the MGM Grand Detroit to provide an exciting get away for a couple. There were a variety of Silent Auction baskets that were won by 8 happy
winners! We also made the drawing for our raffle. 1st
Prize was an iPad, 2nd Prize was a $100 Gift Certificate
and 3rd Prize was an iPod Shuffle. Thanks to everyone
who bought and sold tickets.
Thanks to the generosity of many, we are closer
to achieving our goal.
Social Media - Bound Together
To gain more support for the work that takes
place at Bound Together, we have a Facebook page. The page is updated weekly to
tell “our story” to anyone who is interested. We are asking folks to
click the “Like” button to gather more friends (and supporters) of
Bound Together. https://www.facebook.com/BoundTogetherPontiac
Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you
Fall Newsletter October 2014 - Page 7
What we believe:
We believe Bound Together provides a safe, welcoming
and comfortable place to learn and grow.
We believe that Bound Together takes Pontiac elementary school students after
class and provides to them, the tools they need to be successful both
academically and in their families.
We believe we can reach out and give a child a chance at individualized attention.
We believe we can give them the nutrition they need to succeed.
We believe we can give them hope,
because they know we’re all standing behind them.





Bound Together is a lifeline for the children and their future.
Wish List






Additional Tutors
(contact director@boundtogetherpontiac.org)
Additional Kids Café Folks
(contact director@boundtogetherpontiac.org)
Copy Paper (Letter size)
Books of Stamps for mailing
Snacks (Juice Boxes and Granola bars)
Ink Cartridges for HP8600 Plus
Yes, I am able to help at this time.
I have enclosed my donation of:
$
$
25
50
$
75
$
Name
Address
Phone
Email
Please make checks payable to Bound Together
and mail to the address below.
Or donate online at www.boundtogetherpontiac.org via Paypal
If you have questions or would like to learn more
about Bound Together, please call us.
167 W. Pike Street Pontiac, MI 48341
248-334-3827 www.boundtogetherpontiac.org
www.boundtogetherpontiac.org
248-334-3827
167 West Pike Street
Pontiac MI 48341
www.boundtogetherpontiac.org
Fall Newsletter October 2014