A Message from Bonnie
Peace Family,
I never imagined in my wildest dreams that 2020 would be the year that it has been. A worldwide pandemic and unprecedented economic 
challenges. Renewed efforts for social and economic justice not seen since the civil rights movement of the 60’s, sparked by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. A presidential election that drew the largest voter turnout in 100 years. And divisions in how our democracy is viewed through the lens of race, experiences, and where we live. Events this year have revealed disparities in health, access to economic opportunities, and justice—a continuing reality that some have just been awakened to.
Like you, I have spent more time reflecting this year, trying to figure out how we at Peace Neighborhood can do more to make our community, country, and world a better place. I’ve always believed our garden of humanity is diverse, growing, and beautiful. But it’s in need of work. And while I know that not all the seeds I plant will blossom, I do believe that if we all plant seeds, nurture them with mutual respect, and do the hard work of pulling weeds, others will see our garden and feel the beauty we’ve created. Something beautiful to harvest and share.
I work to change the world for my children, grandchildren, and yours. So that they will live in a world where justice, equality, and acceptance is the norm. I am honored to work side by side with you, doing what we can to leave a better world for our children.
Tilling the soil in our community and helping it blossom has always been part of Peace’s mission. For almost 50 years, we have been working to reduce and remove the disparities that 2020 has brought into sharp focus. Our programs and services are designed to make all of us better.
The broad wraparound net that Peace programs cast allows us to address a wide variety of unexpected needs for families when they arise, and to proactively pivot programs to best tackle emerging challenges.
This fall, we pivoted after-school programs and hosted 175 elementary, middle, and high school students in person each week to ensure they stayed engaged with their education. And as I write this, we are coordinating our annual holiday support for over 250 families, ensuring they will have enough food to eat and special gifts for their kids to open.
So while 2020 has been a year like no other, some traditions still continue here at Peace. And though we still have a lot of work to
do, I remain as hopeful as ever. Because we still witness miracles here at Peace every day. All because of your continuing and generous support.
God Bless and Happy Holidays,
Bonnie Billups, Jr.
Executive Director
Pictured: Bonnie with two Peace kids at a pre-pandemic family night.
Peace Family,
Our ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic crisis is focused on mitigating the effects this is having on our families in these four major areas:
- Academic support for students navigating a full virtual courseload
- Expanded food distribution opportunities to meet increased need
- Emergency assistance to support those facing lost wages
- Mental health support for overwhelmed community members
If you are inclined to help, donations made through the secure link below will assist the youth, families, and individuals we serve with virtual learning, putting food on the table, avoiding eviction or utility shutoff, and counseling. During these difficult times, you build bright futures for those we serve.
Serving
Children, Families, and Individuals
affected by social and economic problems
Congratulations to Bernice Hardman, Peace's Family Enrichment Coordinator and Field Placement Supervisor! Bernice recently passed her state exam to become a licensed clinical social worker (LMSW). We are proud of her tremendous accomplishment, and grateful to work with such invested and knowledgeable co-workers.
Yesterday, Peace hosted our first virtual Family Reading Night—the culmination of a successful March Reading Month! Title I teachers and Building Literacy experts from the Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) joined 19 families on Zoom for a fun-filled evening. Peace delivered a delicious spaghetti dinner and literacy supplies to accompany the event.
During the event, families rotated through four breakout rooms led by AAPS educators. Participants played a literacy game, navigated online reading resources available to AAPS students, enjoyed a read-aloud, and wrote about hopes and dreams for their family.
This event built on our existing relationship with Westside elementary-school educators who helped facilitate Peace's Reading Champions program during the 2019-2020 school year. We are so thankful for Colleen McAlinden (Abbot), Emily Wark (Abbot), Lauren York (Dicken), Katie Gibson (Haisley), Katie Hughes (Haisley), and Kristin Smith (Lawton) for their support of Peace youth both in Peace programs and in school!
That Is So Awesome For All .,PEACE Center Stll Doing The Good Amen.
Love these smiling faces! HI Kayden!
Did you know that your grocery purchases can generate donations for Peace - at no added cost to you? Kroger and and Busch's both allow you to designate Peace Neighborhood Center to receive a percentage of your grocery bill when you use your Kroger Shopper's Card or Busch's MyWay Card.
If you want to help build bright futures for Peace youth, families, and adults every time you go grocery shopping, head to this Peace webpage for detailed instructions on how to sign up: peaceneighborhoodcenter.org/grocery-rewards/.
Hard at work in Wednesday's staff meeting. While Gracie Lou and Diego—our littlest Peace Family members—mostly just babble and grin, Peace staff members DO convene every Wednesday for a wraparound meeting. We discuss programs, case management, and more. This ensures that our entire staff has a holistic view of Peace programming—as well as the experiences, successes, and challenges facing the youth, families, and adults we serve.
What a precious pic!❤️💙
😍😍😍
It's official! Last week, Peace 4th and 5th graders reached over 1,000 minutes of reading at Peace for the month of March. As part of March Reading Month, we put out a challenge to our 4th and 5th graders: if they could read more than 1,000 minutes by the end of the month, they would be rewarded with a pizza and ice cream party to celebrate their hard work.
And that's not all—Peace youth across our three sites read nearly 4,000 total minutes (over 66 hours!) at Peace in March. We are so proud of the efforts of each of our youth over this past month.
YAY❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️
Our impact on
Your Community
16,000 individuals
helped through Washtenaw County
13,000 meals
in youth service
60 young adults
guided into college
The Peace Center is like a home away from home. It really is special, both in the summer and during after school programs. This place feels like it is our roots. Even as you grow, you still are with your roots.
Lauryn ComerLauren
Locations
We are in your neighborhood
Main Facility
1111 N. Maple Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
(734) 662-3564
Maple Meadows Satellite Center
880 S. Maple Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
West Arbor Satellite Center
717 N. Maple Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Peace House
1111 N. Maple Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Comment on Facebook
Bravo!
Congratulations 🦋 that's awesome 👑
Fantastic! Congratulations, Bernice.
Congratulations that means you're getting ready to go higher higher higher and higher higher higher maybe I overdid it little bit
Congratulations Bernice
Congrats Bernice.
Congratulations!!
Congratulations
Congratulations 🎉🍾🎊🎈
Congratulations! ❤
Congratulations
I love you you go girl and be blessed
Congratulations!
Congrats!
Congratulations cousin!
OK BERNICE!!!!
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