Water balloon fights and crafts
Water balloon fights and crafts
AmeriCorps program gives kids activities during the break
| CAPTION: Daily Mining Gazette/Kurt Hauglie Mallory Aubin gets soaked during a water ballon fight Friday at the George Gipp Arena in Laurium. Mallory is one of the mentors in an AmeriCorps project which provides summer activities for elementary school students. |
By Kurt Hauglie, DMG Writer
LAURIUM — Michele Sackson needed something to do for her AmeriCorps project, and after giving it some thought, she realized there was a blank spot in the community that needed to be filled.
There is a Great Explorations summer education program at the various Copper Country schools, but Sackson said it’s only for middle school students.
“That leaves the whole elementary (school) program that has nothing,” Sackson said. “There’s a gap and I needed to fill the gap.”
The program Sackson oversees at the George Gipp Arena from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday began June 12, and it provides a variety of activities for children including crafts, games and even water ballon fights.
“It’s summer fun,” Sackson said.
Sackson was hired through Michigan State Extension to develop mentoring programs for 4H, and although 4H wrote the grant for the program, Sackson said it’s funded through AmeriCorps.
“I do everything AmeriCorps does,” she said.
For the program, Sackson said she has to complete 1,300 hours of service in a year. As part of that, she received training in citizenship, first aid and CPR.
But there’s more to the program than just the service, Sackson said.
“At the end of the year’s commitment, I’m also awarded a $4,600 education grant,” she said.
Although Sackson said she isn’t certain what she’ll do with the education grant, she is leaning toward something technology-related.
“The intelligent part of me says computer science because that’s where the world’s going,” she said.
For the program at the Gipp Arena, Sackson said she has some middle and high school students helping her out.
“The premise of the program is to have high school and middle school kids design and present the program,” she said. “I’m the responsible adult.”
She obtains whatever supplies and equipment the students need for their activities and provides general oversight, Sackson said.
One of those middle school students is 12-year-old Mallory Aubin who said she heard about the program from Sackson who was attending a recent C-L-K Kiddy Carnival.
“Michele was asking if anyone wanted to help out,” Mallory said.
She helps decide each days activities, Mallory said, and she’s involved with fundraising efforts for the program.
Mallory said her parents had no concerns about her getting involved with the mentoring program.
“They didn’t care as long as I didn’t have anything else I had to do,” she said.
One of the program participants is 9-year-old Bradly Sackson-Hodges who said he particularly enjoys the skateboard activities.
The program gets him away from his house, too.
“If I weren’t here I’d probably be with my dad helping fix the house,” he said.
Sackson said she chose to do her project in Laurium because she heard from a community official that a large percentage of the students at C-L-K schools live in the village.
“That’s why I thought I should be here,” she said.
Kurt Hauglie can be reached at khauglie@mininggazette.com
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