FOCUS Detroit Zoo Visit

Baldwin Students Take Field Trip

All kids love the zoo, and there are several great ones in Michigan. This fall, students from Project FOCUS Out-of-School Time Programs in Baldwin, took a field trip to the Detroit Zoo. They even had the opportunity for special experiences most people never get to enjoy thanks to Mike Reed, a zoologist at the Detroit Zoo.

Mike, who summers in the Baldwin area, was able to provide the students from both the elementary and junior high school unique behind-the-scenes experiences. They were able to learn how the zookeepers prepare food for the animals at the Zoo’s Commissary. “It was nice to go to the back rooms to see how they operate the zoo,” said Tabby, a 6th grader at Baldwin Junior High School. “I liked looking in the freezer to see what the animals ate.”

Some of the highlights for the elementary students included seeing a tiger and brown bears, the reptile house, the gorilla exhibit along with the “Comparing Primates” interactive piece and the walk-through of the “Outback Experience” where kangaroos and wallabies were freely roaming, which delighted the kids! “I liked seeing the flamingos best,” said Zaelyk, a first grader at Baldwin Elementary.

The junior high school students were excited to see the butterfly house and many animals they would never see in Baldwin. 

Site Coordinator, Cecelia Hamilton, said, “By having these experiences, we want students to start thinking about the many interesting career opportunities available to them.”

generous community donor allowed for Jersey Mike’s sub meals to be provided for all the students for dinner and a local Wesco donated five dozen donuts and bottled water.

Evan, a kindergartener, said, “My favorite part was the kangaroos… and the donuts!” 

 

 

 

Generate Generosity

Join Caring People Like Leighan

For Leighan Campeau, giving back to her community has always been a priority. She has seen the needs of her neighbors and works to help them through donating and volunteering at TrueNorth.

“We always thought it was important to give and to help people,” says Leighan about why she and her family support TrueNorth. “My husband and I feel like we are very fortunate in circumstances and in life, and so that’s why we want to make sure we always help people.” Leighan and her husband have been long-time donors at TrueNorth and have started giving monthly to make an even greater impact. 

Leighan has also started giving through her time by volunteering at TrueNorth’s Food Center. From being a friendly face helping participants, to stocking shelves and helping wherever is needed, Leighan continues to better her community. She has volunteered over 225 hours since starting in early 2023. Leighan says, “The need is great…being able to help out makes me feel good.”

Not only does Leighan personally help her neighbors, but she also gets her two sons involved to teach the importance of giving back. Leighan and one of her sons most recently helped pack backpacks for Tools for School this past summer–helping provide school supplies to area children in need.

“It just helps us all realize together that there is a need,” reflects Leighan on the importance of volunteering as a family. “There are others that struggle, and if you can help out, you should.”

You can join caring people like Leighan by supporting TrueNorth’s Generate Generosity campaign. Launching on Giving Tuesday, join us for a day of volunteerism at the TrueNorth Service Center. Our goal is to engage 100 donors and 300 volunteers by the end of 2024, and we need your help! Donate or volunteer today to personally offer a hand up to our neighbors in need.

Hay Art Event

Brings the Community Together

“The Fremont Harvest Festival Hay Art is one of the Fremont community’s favorite events each year,” says Karen Baird, Executive Director of the Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce. “Since the inception of the Hay Art competition, the Fremont Area Chamber and the community has donated over 70,000 pounds of food to TrueNorth’s Hunger Prevention programs. We are grateful for the giving community that we have supporting this event!”

The Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Hay Art competition during the Fremont Harvest Festival, where local businesses and organizations transform bales of hay into creative works of art. Community members vote for their favorite works of art by donating shelf-stable food items. The donated food helps support the efforts of TrueNorth Community Services’ Hunger Prevention programs.

Events like this engage our local businesses and organizations, strengthen our community and help bring residents together. This collaboration help build and sustain strong, vibrant communities which are essential for supporting neighbors in times of need.

In total, 5,886.25 pounds of food was donated during the competition. This year, Fremont Middle School won the Hay Art Competition (pictured above far left), by donating 1,934.75 pounds of food.

“These donations make a tremendous difference in the lives of hundreds of food-insecure families and serve as a powerful reminder of our community’s compassion and resilience in the face of challenges,” says Mike Voyt, TrueNorth’s Hunger Prevention and Children’s Services Director.

Mentoring Matters

Kurt & Anthony’s Shared Friendship

“[The mentoring program is] really fun, it’s a good way to learn life skills and meet new people”, says 14 year old mentee Anthony. Anthony and his mentor Kurt have spent the majority of their summer months enjoying the outdoors. From kayaking and paddleboarding, to fishing and swimming, they have embraced the beautiful Michigan weather. Anthony even caught his first ever fish on one of their outings together.

Kurt and Anthony are paired in TrueMentors community-based mentoring program. They initially met this past January, however, it wasn’t until June when they became an official mentoring match. Getting together approximately once a week, they have enjoyed everything from sharing meals together, riding carnival rides and even built a boat out of cardboard and duct tape (that lasted for a short while above water!). This fall they are looking forward to attending some football games and visiting the pumpkin patch together.

Kurt has enjoyed the fact he has been able to develop friendship and trust with Anthony. If you are debating getting involved as a mentor, Kurt has this to share “It’s a great opportunity to be a resource for the community- to help inspire and empower the growth of a child- to lead toward successes in life.”

In addition to community-based mentoring, TrueMentors also offers TrueBlue Academy at Newaygo and White Cloud Public Schools and Parks in Focus. New this fall, TrueMentors, along with Newaygo Elementary, is also launching Lions Together, a mentoring program focused on matching boys ages five to eight with mentors which meets weekly throughout the school year. To learn more about TrueMentors or to become a mentor, contact Serena Lafferty at (231) 924-0641, ext. 174 or slafferty@truenorthservices.org.

Fall at Camp

A Place for Community

A program of TrueNorth Community Services, Camp Newaygo prides itself on being the community’s camp. Along with being a popular location for school tripscommunity meetings, and weddings, Camp Newaygo hosts events that allow our community to come together and enjoy the outdoors.

Not only do these events give families a fun outing, they also thrive on the community support of local businesses, organizations and individuals. This fall, Camp’s annual, 3-day Halloweekend Festival will come together thanks to donations from local farms of pumpkins and apples, groups decorating spooky cabins throughout October, and plenty of volunteers helping facilitate the fun during the event.

Camp Newaygo hosts Girlfriends’ Getaway – a 3 day retreat the first weekend in both October and May. Local women and folks from across Michigan come to enjoy a weekend of relaxation, activities and great food-thanks to Ridge Catering. Camp features local vendors and businesses by contracting with massage therapists, artists and local fitness instructors – all adding to the experience of the retreat.

With talented staff and excellent facilities, Camp Newaygo also partners with other, local organizations for programs and events. For the second year in a row, Lang Lodge at Camp will be host to the Newaygo County Influential Women in Leadership Luncheon. With on-site catering and staff who excel creating phenomenal experiences, Camp Newaygo makes a great partner for organizations looking for a place to host events, parties and fundraisers. Partnering with the luncheon specifically also aligns with Camp Newaygo’s mission to “continue (their) tradition of supporting opportunities for girls and women.”

These are just a few of the many community events that Camp Newaygo hosts. If you are interested in getting involved in your community at Camp Newaygo as a community supporter, contracted vendor, or participant, you can learn more at campnewayg.org/events or contact Scott at slakin@campnewaygo.org.

Matthew’s Story

Matthew Secures a Healthier Future

“It’s impossible when you’re in a car,” says TrueNorth Housing Resource Center participant Matthew about managing his health issues while living in his car. “I’ll be honest, I didn’t think I had any chance of getting any apartment anywhere.” Thankfully, Matthew did find a place to call home after working with TrueNorth Community Services. Receiving guidance and encouragement throughout his housing journey enabled Matthew to be where he is today – safely housed and looking forward to a brighter future.

November is Homeless Awareness Month – raising awareness to help people just like Matthew who face homelessness and housing insecurity. Matthew had been living out of his car for over a year after he left his past place due to it not being accessible for him. With the current rise of housing needs in addition to the decreased availability of rentals, he was unable to find another place to call home.

Matthew eventually went to a medical rehabilitation facility after a hospital visit because of his poor health. He has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, stage 3 kidney disease, prostate cancer and type 2 diabetes. At the facility, Matthew worked with TrueNorth and his rehabilitation caseworker to help find him safe housing for when he was ready to be discharged. Matthew spent about six weeks at the facility getting his strength and overall health back on track. When it was time for him to be discharged, he unfortunately still did not have a place to go even after putting in multiple applications for income-based and senior housing.

The next day, however, TrueNorth found a local hotel willing to participate in our hotel voucher program. Matthew describes how he felt getting out of his car and staying in the hotel: “I felt great, but at the same time I felt that this was temporary. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to spend the rest of my life there.” Thirty days later Matthew found his new home. While he was excited at first to have his own place, he was hesitant to go because he didn’t know how he could afford rent and all his medical bills. With guidance from TrueNorth, Matthew felt comfortable moving into his new apartment that will ultimately set him up for a healthier future.

Today, Matthew is living in his senior apartment where he can focus on his health. He is set up to receive Meals on Wheels and even received a box of healthy food from TrueNorth thanks to their Farm to Home Boxes program. Along with these resources, Matthew is receiving physical therapy and has nurses checking in on him. Now, Matthew can focus solely on his health without his previous stress and anxiety from not having a place to call home. “I call it a miracle,” says Matthew when reflecting on his housing journey.

You can make a difference in the lives of people like Matthew. Whether you donate, volunteer, advocate or help in any way you can, you can help those in need find the safe, affordable housing they need to thrive. Click here to “GET INVOLVED” to ensure the health and well-being of our community during Homeless Awareness Month and beyond.

Trevor Thrives at Project FOCUS

Looking Forward to Fall Programming

As summer approached, Trevor’s parents were looking for positive and meaningful experiences for Trevor and his two siblings. Twelve-year old Trevor had already attended White Cloud’s Project FOCUS Rural Grit program last school year, and with the program offering a summer session, his parents knew this would be a good fit for their kids. After Trevor’s mom told him he would be attending summer programming, he was even more excited for summer to begin.

“I’d heard really good reviews about it from other kids,” Trevor said. “I think it’s cool, because we get to do these really fun experiments… like, I heard next week, we’re going to get to go on our computers and code drones and fly them!” Trevor really likes summer programming because he gets more time in the day to do fun and cool things. He loves arts and crafts and enjoys wood carving and whittling. Trevor was particularly fond of a craft project they did this summer where they collected rocks, sticks and other natural material from outside and used them to make sculptures.

He’s also looking forward to school-year programming this fall. Since Trevor has made several new friends this summer, he is looking forward to continuing those friendships throughout Project FOCUS. Trevor credits the homework help and tutoring time at Project FOCUS for helping him turn his grades around from 5th grade to 6th grade. He said, “The only real reason I passed math this year was because of the help I got!”

Jackie’s Story

Empty Bowls Helps People Like Jackie Thrive

“If it wasn’t for TrueNorth I don’t know what I’d do. You guys have been lifesavers on more than one occasion,” says TrueNorth Hunger Prevention participant Jackie. Having a multigenerational, 11-person household with the continued rising cost of living has made making ends meet challenging for Jackie and her family. But, through the resources from TrueNorth Community Services, Jackie’s family has received the food and support they need to move forward.

Jackie has been participating in TrueNorth’s Hunger Prevention programs for over 10 years. From coming to the Food Center to picking up free summer meals for her grandchildren and great grandchildren that live with her, Jackie always makes sure her family is taken care of.

Jackie’s love for her family extends to others who are in a similar financial situation as her. She helps pick up food for eight other families who are not available during certain programming times and face transportation barriers, ensuring their families have food to put on their table. “You guys always help me when I need it. So, I try returning the favor to other people,” says Jackie. “I can’t see people struggle
because I struggle, and I know what that’s like.”

Living on her fixed income while taking care of her family has been challenging for Jackie. However, she knows how to use her resources to make the most out of what she has. Receiving meat and fresh vegetables from TrueNorth’s Food Center has helped Jackie’s family tremendously since purchasing those items for 11 people is unaffordable.

Besides coming to the Food Center and picking up summer meals for her family, Jackie also participates in TrueNorth’s Senior Thanksgiving Luncheon and receives a Senior Harvest Basket. Being able to come and socialize with community members at the Senior Thanksgiving Luncheon has helped Jackie feel a part of TrueNorth and her community.

“Words can’t say how much I appreciate you guys,” says Jackie when reflecting on her overall experience with TrueNorth. “TrueNorth helps a lot more people than they know. I hear everybody talk about ‘well TrueNorth helped me here’ or ‘TrueNorth helped me there.’” You can help people just like Jackie by making a gift to TrueNorth’s Hunger Prevention programs. Your support means our neighbors will have peace of mind knowing they have reliable access to the nutrients they need to thrive.

We need your help to reach our $25,000 goal. Without compassionate people like you, many in our community would go hungry. You can also make an impact by attending TrueNorth’s signature Hunger Prevention fundraiser, Empty Bowls. This event brings caring community members like yourself together to help our neighbors who struggle with food insecurity. Join us for a simple lunch of delicious soup and bread and take home a hand-painted bowl as a reminder of all the empty bowls in our community. Empty Bowls will take place on Thursday, October 3 at the TrueNorth Service Center in Fremont and on Friday, October 4 at the VFW Post 4249 in Newaygo. Soup will be served between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm at both locations.

Donate today and register for Empty Bowls to make a difference right here.

Summer Meals Program

Summer Meals

In its second summer of partnership with Holton Public Schools, our Hunger Prevention Programs have distributed over 46,000 meals to area youth as part of the Meet Up and Eat Up initiative.

Local resident Scott Raterink is grateful for the meal support: “It’s been real helpful. I’m 65, we’ve adopted five kids, the youngest is 12 and I’m on disability. This [program] really helps out a ton.”

The summer to-go meal packs are assembled at the TrueNorth Service Center and distributed weekly every Thursday morning. Each child in the household received 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches and a gallon of milk. Many children go hungry during the summer when access to school-day meal services is unavailable. Filling the summer hunger gap is important because hunger is linked to summer learning loss, also known as summer slide. Stopping the “summer slide” among kids from low-income families could save up to $50.6 billion in reteaching costs, equal to approximately 10% of the current U.S. spending on K-12 education. The final distribution for summer 2024 took place today.

“We are deeply thankful for the opportunity to partner with Holton Public Schools in delivering this remarkable service. It is striking the difference this program makes in improving the lives of families every week” said our Hunger Prevention Director, Mike Voyt.

Mentoring; Easier Than You Think!

Be a Mentor. Pass it On.

At its core, Mentoring is simply about building a relationship with a child and being available to listen and support. It’s as easy as taking them fishing, window shopping at the mall, or playing catch in the park. With eleven local children currently on the waiting list, we have a great need for adult mentors. We hope our “Be a Mentor. Pass it On.” campaign can help fill this void.

“There is overwhelming evidence of the positive impact having an adult mentor can have on a child,” said Serena Lafferty, TrueNorth’s Youth Mentoring Specialist. Due to the importance mentoring plays on the life of a child, TrueNorth is committed to mentoring programs and has offered mentoring services since 1976. Today, operating under TrueMentors, we offer a variety of one-to-one, and group mentoring programs to Newaygo County youth.

If you, or someone you know, might be interested, please contact Serena today at (231) 924-0641, ext. 174 or slafferty@truenorthservices.org. You can also help us by spreading the word and sharing our campaign messages on social media.

Contact Us

(231) 924-0641

6308 S. Warner Ave
PO Box 149
Fremont, MI 49412

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