Outreach

The Holy Name preschool class has chosen the Adult Day Service program at Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan for its 2022-23 outreach partner. The Adult Day Center provides respite for families and caregivers of adults with disabilities. Our students and the participants at the Adult Day Center are going to be Art Pals this school year. The preschool students will create artwork and cards to share with the seniors at the Adult Day Center, and the adult participants will send seasonal art projects that they make at the center to the preschool students. The joy of creativity, connection, and receiving a gift of art is sure to bring many smiles. We are excited about this opportunity to spread love and kindness.

Consider sharing in our students' experience by volunteering or supporting Catholic Charities and their Adult Day Center:

Adult Day Center/Auburn Hills
3300 S. Adams Rd.
Auburn Hills, MI 48326

Kaitlyn Cooke
248-537-3300, ext. 3803

ccsem.org/senior-citizen-services/adult-day-health-services/

This year, Holy Name's kindergarten classes will be learning about the Epilepsy Foundation.

The Holy Name first grade classes will be working with Camp Casey in 2022-23. Camp Casey provides horseback riding programs to children with cancer, rare blood disorders, and other life-threatening illnesses. It is their mission to help every family affected by childhood disease experience the joy of horses.

Through one of their programs, Horsey House Calls, Camp Casey delivers "horse camp" to the homes of children who are too sick to attend regular summer camp. Team members surprise the camper by bringing a horse to their home for an afternoon of fun. Activities include grooming and a safety lesson, individual rides, games, an arts & crafts project, creating hand-made horse treats, and a pizza party.

The first grade students have been asked to do chores to raise money for Camp Casey. In the winter, the students will use the money they've earned to purchase items needed for these home parties. The students then plan to deliver the supplies and visit the "Hero Herd," which is what Camp Casey calls its horses.  

You can find out more about Camp Casey and its programs at camp-casey.org.

Camp Casey: Delivering Happiness on Horseback
25882 Orchard Lake Rd., Ste. 207
Farmington Hills, MI 48336
877-388-8315
[email protected]
camp-casey.org

 

The Holy Name second grade classes are partnering with two organizations this year: United Community Family Services, located in Troy, and Santo Niño Clinic, located in Anapra, Mexico.

United Community Family Services guides, supports, and empowers individuals to achieve self-sufficiency with dignity and hope through its supplemental food income programs, by ensuring fair and equal treatment for all, and by helping to improve the quality of life for people of all ages by offering hands-on learning experiences. In November, students are delivering Birthday Bags (gift bags with cake mix, frosting, sprinkles, etc.) and other food items from the organization's Food Drive list to the food pantry.

The Santo Niño Clinic is located in one of the poorest communities in Juárez, Mexico. Since 2003, a group of Catholic nuns has been running a haven of care, hope, and love for children with physical and mental disabilities. The sisters provide various forms of therapy (massage, physical, speech) and special education to about 20 children. Our students will focus on this clinic in March 2023.

For more information about/to help these organizations, contact:
United Community Family Services                         Santo Niño Clinic
2033 Austin Dr.                                                             260 Sombre Verde
Troy, MI 48083                                                               Anthony, NM 88021
248-528-0130                                                                 915-526-4181
[email protected]                                          [email protected]
ucfamilyservices.org                                                     proyectosantonino.org

  

The Holy Name third grade classes have two outreach partners for 2022-23: St. Anne's Mead Senior Community and Meals on Wheels. Through these partnerships, our third grade students bring joy to others and experience the fulfillment that comes from helping to provide for the needs of others.

During their visit to the St. Anne's Mead Senior Community on Dec. 14, students will make gingerbread houses and share in joyful conversation. The elderly residents at St. Anne's love to interact with the students and share memories of Christmas when they were young. St. Anne's Mead was the first facility of its kind in the region to offer assisted living and extended care under one roof. They strive to offer the highest-quality care with a personal touch in a vibrant, interfaith community. A wide variety of programs are designed to keep residents as independent as possible for as long as possible.

In their partnership with Meals on Wheels, Holy Name students make cards for special occasions such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Valentine's Day. The cards are then delivered, along with meals, to bring joy to people who are homebound. Students decorate the cards and write kind and uplifting notes that are sure to bring smiles to the faces of recipients. 

Consider sharing in our students' experience by volunteering with or supporting St. Anne's Mead Senior Community and/or Meals on Wheels.

St. Anne's Mead Assisted Living & Memory Care                 Meals on Wheels
16106 W. 12 Mile Rd.                                                                  c/o Birmingham NEXT
Southfield, MI 48076                                                                   2121 Midvale St.
248-557-1221                                                                                Birmingham, MI 48009
stannesmead.org                                                                           248-203-5270
                                                                                                         mealsonwheelsamerica.org

The Holy Name fourth grade classes are partnering with the Penrickton Center for Blind Children. This unique center offers free care to children who are blind and multidisabled, with the goal of bringing them joy and working with them to gain independence. Through our students' outreach activities, they grow in awareness and understanding of the needs of children their age with disabilities, and have an opportunity to practice virtues as they support and interact with members of the center.

During a field trip to the Penrickton Center, a staff member will conduct a hands-on presentation that teaches our students about blindness and the multiple disabilities that students at the center may have, which helps the Holy Name students step into the shoes of these children and gives them an understanding of the difficulties disabled students have to endure and overcome each day. Our fourth-graders are grateful for the blessings they have, and grow in empathy for those who are different than them. Our students also tour the center and see where the Penrickton Center's students spend their time playing, learning, eating, sleeping, and getting ready for the day.  This exposure helps the Holy Name fourth grade students discover the many ways children with disabilities are similar, and gets them to think about the challenges the disabled students have and the resources they need to do activities able students often take for granted. A special part of the experience is that our students are able to meet and interact with some of the students at the center. The visit is full of joy, fun, and discoveries. During past visits, several students have said they want to do more to help the center, and maybe volunteer at the center in the future.

The Penrickton Center houses 33 children ages 1 to 12 year-round, Monday through Friday (including nights). The center provide its services free of charge to its families, thanks to the generosity of many donations, big and small. The Holy Name fourth-grade classes offer financial support to the Penrickton Center by raising money through their mini-society project sales. They are able to support a cause for which they have seen firsthand those who benefit.

The Penrickton Center welcomes visitors. Tours are available, and anyone can volunteer to stuff information envelopes that help the center raise awareness and raise much-needed funds to support its programs. Individuals 18 years of age or older are able to volunteer with the students.

Consider sharing in your child's outreach experience by touring, volunteering, or supporting the Penrickton Center for Blind Children.

Penrickton Center for Blind Children
26530 Eureka Rd.
Taylor, MI 48180

For more information, visit penrickton.com or call 734-946-7500.

The Holy Name fifth grade classes partner with Gleaners Community Food Bank. This local organization assists families and individuals in need by distributing food to hundreds of soup kitchens, shelters, and food pantries. Gleaners also offers nutrition information and runs a garden to provide fresh vegetables to those in need. Through our students' outreach activities, they grow in awareness and understanding of the needs of  others, and practice virtues as they support and interact with members of the organization.

One activity the students participate in is a field trip to visit a Gleaners facility. During this trip, a staff member directs them in a hands-on experience at the garden. Our students learn about the impact this garden has on those in need, learn about the process of gardening, and help prepare the garden and plant. The students have fun and are grateful for the blessings they have. 

Gleaners welcomes volunteers. Consider sharing in your child's outreach experience by volunteering or supporting Gleaners Community Food Bank.

Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan
2131 Beaufait
Detroit, MI 48207

For more information, visit gcfb.org or call 866-453-2637.

The Holy Name sixth grade classes have chosen to partner with Mary's Mantle. This organization is a Ctholic residential program for homeless expectant women from all walks of life, and witnesses the love of Christ by promoting the dignity of life. Mary's Mantle provides a safe, faith-based, and caring environment that supports the transition into motherhood, including extended aftercare for continued personal growth and integration with the community. The staff at Mary's Mantle helps these women set goals, find jobs, and pursue an education, promoting long-term change and the well-being of mother and child, and setting the women up for future success.

Our sixth grade students make prayer cards, pray for the mothers and babies (each Holy Name student receives a photo of a baby that they will pray for), and conduct a collection of needed items, usually around Christmas. The students hope to visit Mary's Mantle in the spring, to tour the house and pray the rosary outside, by their statue of Mary.

Please consider sharing in our students' experience by volunteering or supporting Mary's Mantle:

Mary's Mantle
P.O. Box 365
Southfield, MI 48037

For more information, visit marysmantle.net or call 248-376-5338.

 

For 2022-23, the seventh grade students and teachers have chosen to partner with Forgotten Harvest. Forgotten harvest is a food rescue, not a food bank, that works to fight hunger and food insecurity in metro Detroit by rescuing fresh, healthy food that would otherwise go to waste. They deliver 144,000 pounds of surplus food five days a week to local charities, providing families in need with fresh and nutritious food free of charge. 

Holy Name's seventh grade students will perform service work at the Forgotten Harvest Farm in Fenton in the spring. At the farm, volunteers help with a variety of tasks, from spring cleanup to weeding, planting, field cleanup, rock removal, harvesting vegetables, or even building picnic tables. 

For more information about Forgotten Harvest's programs, volunteer opportunities, and other ways you and your family can get involved or help, visit forgottenharvest.org.

Main Office                                                               Forgotten Harvest Farms
15000 Eight Mile Rd.                                              9153 Major Rd.
Oak Park, MI 48237                                                 Fenton, MI 48430
248-967-1500


 

The Holy Name eighth grade classes are partnering with Angels' Place, an organization that provides life-long nurturing, Christ-centered homes, communities, and services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Angels' Place staff works to enhance their clients' lives by creating an environment of love and compassion, coupled with an atmosphere of acceptance, dignity, friendship, and the potential for personal growth and independence. Our students enjoy their partnership, through which they have an opportunity to bring joy to others and experience the sense of fulfillment that comes from helping others. The Holy Name students are looking forward to throwing a Christmas party for Angels' Place residents on December 7.

Consider sharing in our students' experience by volunteering with or supporting Angels' Place.

Angels' Place
29299 Franklin Rd., Ste. 2
Southfield, MI 48034
248-350-2203
angelsplace.com