SUMMER BLAST WAS BACK WITH A BANG

SUMMER BLAST WAS BACK WITH A BANG

Community Unlimited’s Summer BLAST program is back with a bang! After one week of “vacation” (if you can call getting ready to educate and entertain over two hundred kids of all ages a vacation) the formidable staff of CU is back in action.

Malinda Olmsted is the site director for the high school, where over thirty students are enrolled in credit-recovery activities. Visits to local colleges are also planned, to acquaint the future graduates with the college campus and activities that are available. The garden club is planting a butterfly garden in the courtyard of the high school, and joining the middle school in a vegetable garden.

At the middle school, Cher Troup, interim site director, is very excited about the upcoming summer and the activities that are planned for the kids. “We are just so excited to be back!” she said in an interview. “We have so many things planned, and the kids are great. Our teachers are the best; we have Ronda Fisk, Dawn Morris, Kyle Miller, Nick Martin, Kim Palmerton, Hannah Burdick, and Sherry Smurr. They have so much experience to share, and are looking forward to a great summer!” Approximately sixty-five middle schoolers have signed up as of the first week of the program. Activities include the gardening club, which has started a vegetable garden behind the middle school building. A part of the harvest will be donated to the Union City Food Bank. The rest will be canned and sold at the Farmer’s Market later this summer. Another popular group is the Inventors Club, where a few inventions are being re-invented and many others are coming up from Original Thoughts.

Site Director Emily Dibert is staying busy at the elementary school, with over one hundred kids participating in Summer BLAST. Keeping everyone in line are foster grandmas, as well as CU staff Marcia Stuart, Tim Minor, Lance Wilkinson, Kelly Smeltzer, Alisha Gaylord, Ali Baklund, Kandice Harrington, Emily White and Joe Good. Joining the party for this summer is intern Alona Gaylord, who is filming a documentary on the program. The free breakfast and lunch program has been extremely popular at all the schools; however, probably the most fun place to be an observer is the elementary. Some of the younger students can barely see over the counter to get their bagged lunch! Their excitement is evident; one young lady was overheard saying, “We get oranges? COOL!!!” After eating, they clean up and take to the afternoon activities, from the playground to doing arts or learning cooking, or so much more. On Wednesdays, the afternoon is filled with towels and swimsuits as the schools join together on buses to travel to Coldwater’s Heritage Pool. Friday has field trips to many interesting sites, such as Kalamazoo Valley Museum and upcoming trips in June to Coldwater’s Popcorn Theater, Little River Railroad Depot Tour, and Binder Park Zoo. Earlier trips have included Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, and Full Blast in Battle Creek.

For more information on upcoming trips and activities, call Julie Dibert at 517-741-4656, or check the website at www.communityunlimited.org. Volunteers are welcome, and new ideas for activities are also appreciated!

STUDENTS GET FIRST-HAND LESSON IN ICE SAFETY

Middle School students in the afternoon BLAST program learned about Ice Safety in preparation for the Adventure Club’s upcoming ice fishing trip, from a real expert: Deputy Steve Foster of Branch County Sheriff’s Department. Thursday, January 22, Deputy Foster spoke to over four dozen kids and adults, giving examples from his own long history with the BCSD Diving Team. Deputy Foster gave descriptions of the various types of ice, and how to tell whether ice is “safe” or not; he emphasized that while there is no such thing as “Safe Ice” (unless it’s in a glass!), there are many ways to be prepared for safety. “If you’re going to be on the ice, at some point, some day, you WILL get wet,” he told the students. “The important thing is to be ready and know what to do if you or someone else does go in.”

Deputy Foster stressed that the most important thing is to never go on the ice alone. After that, the most important thing to remember, and sometimes the hardest, is to NOT PANIC. He reminded them to never go on bad ice to save someone, toss a rope or hand them something (even your fishing pole, the hook hurts less than the freezing water!) to help pull them out of the water and onto the ice. If you do go into the water, he explained how to get out onto the ice, how to stay warm until you do get out, and how to spread out on the ice to minimize breakage when you get out. Deputy Foster explained the different ways to stay warm, between wearing a life jacket and not wearing one; and reminded them that the safest way back to shore is usually the same way that you went out, so go back the way you came.

Val Rossman will be taking the Adventure Club on an ice-fishing trip the first Thursday in February (weather permitting). They have been busy building their own ice-fishing poles, and with this lecture on ice safety they are now ready to go! Linda and Bob Burgett of Hank’s Landing have generously donated tackle and supplies to this project and the kids in Adventure Club are very appreciative of their assistance.

Community Unlimited’s 21st Century BLAST program runs at all three Union City schools. Before-school activities run from 6:45 to 7:45 AM, and after-school activities from 2:50 to 4:50 PM. Students can sign up for either or both sessions. For more information you may contact Youth Director Julie Dibert at Community Unlimited, (517) 741-4656; or visit the website at www.communityunlimited.org. Community Unlimited is a nonprofit organization funded in part by Michigan Department of Education 21st Century Learning Centers; Community Foundation Alliance of Calhoun County; Branch County United Way; United Way of Greater Battle Creek; and receives in-kind support from Union City Schools and the Village of Union City. Donations are tax-deductible.

Ice Fishing with Community Unlimited BLAST Program

As the leader of the Thursday Adventure Club with Community Unlimited, Val Rossman’s goal is "no kid left inside". Her activities get kids outside, and involved in outdoor activities and the environment. On Thursday, February 5, Rossman and Ronda Fisk took fourteen middle- and high-school students ice fishing at Union Lake.

In preparation for the ice-fishing expedition, the kids built their own rods these past few weeks. They had to read & follow a set of directions, measure, drill, cut, sand etc. The poles are made out of dowels, paper clips, and safety pins. The students worked on tying several fishing knots before-hand; most decided "improved clinch knot" was easiest. The bobbers were even handmade, from small corks from Hensley’s. Part of the project included a safety lecture from Officer Steve Foster, of the Branch County
Sheriff Office and Dive Team; this was attended by not only the participants of the trip but also the thirty other middle-school students in the afternoon BLAST program.

Bob and Linda Burgett of Hank’s Landing donated line, hooks and bait for the project and gave all the kids a bag of chips when they left. The Burgetts are having an ice fishing tournament on February 21, and there will be a prize for the kid who catches the biggest fish using their homemade fishing pole.

Pastor Dan Wheeler of the Union City Wesleyan Church helped out, as well as John Heator and Ben Adams, who lives on the lake. Rossman provided hot chocolate, which went pretty fast!

Unfortunately, there were no fish caught. It was too cold for even the fish, and they had not been biting the last couple of weeks. Another trip for later in February is in the planning stage, hopefully with better results. There was a minimum of 16 inches of ice on the lake to drill through; the kids had fun auguring holes and were very happy that Ben Adams brought his power auger!

More fishing activities are planned for the spring and summer, as well as opportunities for getting the kids involved in river/lake stewardship and environmental issues. Previous events have included geo-caching, rock climbing at Climb Kalamazoo, and cross country skiing; an upcoming trip will involve downhill skiing at Timber Ridge.

Community Unlimited thanks Pastor Dan Wheeler, John Heator, Ben Adams, and Bob and Linda Burgett of Hank’s Landing for their support and assistance in this adventure!