Surprise!

The highlight of Discover Summer is always a big road trip to Mackinaw Island that Children’s Services Managers Derica Scribner and Christine Morabito plan for clients.  This summer, they decided to surprise the kids with a trip to Niagara Falls, but kept the trip destination a big secret until it was time to hit the road.  Looks like this was one surprise worth the wait.  As one client put it, “This has been the best trip EVER!”  The Discover Summer program wrapped up Friday, August 17^th

A view of the falls taken by our Discover! Summer Team

iMac Pros

Check out the cool artwork that students at the Livonia Student Center created on their new Apple iMac desktop computer for the 2012 Discover! Summer t-shirt and activity schedule cover. Even cooler, is that the students raised a big chunk of the money themselves to purchase the iMac. Their interest in getting the computer started when Livonia Job Coach and Team Leader Chris Waterman brought his personal MacBook to help student Daniel B. develop and produce the Livonia student newsletter, The Roots, which is now published every two weeks. With encouragement from Children’s Services Director Peggy Allen Boch and Livonia Manager Christine Morabito, the students began their quest to raise funds to buy the computer. “We thought it would be a great learning experience for our young adult clients to work towards getting the computer,” said Peggy.

In November, Chris and Daniel wrote a formal proposal to Peggy and CEO Joe Richert for approval to purchase the new computer using funds from the Livonia Ready to Shine carwash program and matching funds from Special Tree. Chris added a touch of humor to the whole process by vowing not to shave until the iMac was officially purchased! Several inches of facial hair later, Chris took ecstatic students to the store to buy the iMac in March. The students have been using it ever since to create the Discover! Summer slide show, the Discover! Summer t-shirts, The Roots, and a variety of other projects.