CAN Green Baxter Court

GREEN BAXTER COURT

School Year Programs • Summer Programs • Residents Council • Many Thanks • Volunteering at Green Baxter Court

Green Baxter Court, a public housing site for low-income families, is located on Green Road adjacent to Baxter Park, one of many playgrounds in Ann Arbor's extensive public park system. The community is comprised of 23 single-family town houses, and is served by the AATA Bus Line. The Ann Arbor Housing Commission owns and maintains the property as well as the physical housing structures. Additionally, they deem eligibility criteria, per the federal Housing and Urban Development requirements.

Community Action Network (CAN) offers programs and services at Green Baxter Court and Hikone via on-site community centers. All families residing in these communities are eligible for this support.

School Year Programs

Most of Green Baxter Court's programs are youth driven. The after school program component is offered Monday through Thursday, and includes structured and unstructured programs, including:

an hour of homework help each day
one-on-one tutoring by the America Reads Program
Boy and Girl Scouts through the local councils
weekly gym nights at the kids' elementary school
weekly baking activities
occasional movie and treat nights.

Serendipity Books also provides a large selection of new books which the youth can pick from each week. Unstructured activities include:

creative play with Legos and blocks
educational computer games
original art projects, and
drawing and coloring

Many other activities are available on a more intermittent basis. For example:

opportunities for teens to participate in support groups and can seek guidance, as needed, for summer employment opportunities
environmentally-themed field trips offered through Inner City Outings, a subsidiary of the Ann Arbor Sierra Club. Recently the youth explored the Leslie Science Center
the Ann Arbor YMCA provides membership and class opportunities for any interested families at GBC

Summer Programs

In the summer months, CAN provides a free 6-week theme-based summer camp for any youth 5 years or older living at Hikone or Green Baxter. Youths participate in a variety of experiential learning opportunities, where having fun is of utmost priority. Specific events include trips to nearby parks and pools, Wild Swan Theatre plays, nature centers, and the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum. The youth also do a variety of fun projects and on-site activities.

CAN works to identify scholarships, per the youths' interests, for various other mainstream camps through the Ann Arbor Rec & Ed, Ann Arbor Art Center, and YMCA's day and overnight camps.

Resident Council

Youths are not the only ones who have fun in the GBC Community - adults participate too! Many attend monthly community meetings to discuss needs of the neighborhood or simply chat with their neighbors. A Resident Council of community leaders identifies discussion topics and brainstorms and helps implement community-building activities.

Recent activities put on by the Resident Council include:

a monthly social night
weekly cooking endeavors, and
planting and maintaining a community garden full of exotic flowers.

Another regularly scheduled event involving Resident Council assistance is the distribution of food on site. Once a month, GBC receives a pallet of food from Food Gatherers. Resident Council and other community members are integral in the setup of a mini grocery-like setting at the Community Center for all residents to access.

Many Thanks

The many great happenings at GBC would not be possible without the time and energy of many wonderful staff, interns and volunteers. Many thanks to:

America Reads
Ann Arbor Public Schools
Ann Arbor News
Ann Arbor Rec & Ed
Ann Arbor Art Center
Ann Arbor Rotary Club Northeast
Ann Arbor YMCA
First Congregational Church
Food Gatherers
Great Saulk Trail Boy Scout Council
Greenhills School
Harvest Mission Community Church
Huron Valley Girl Scout Council
Martin Luther King Elementary Principal Kevin Karr and staff
Martin Luther King Elementary PTO
Midwest Financial Credit Union
Pfizer
St. Francis Catholic Church
Target Corporation
University of Michigan School of Social Work
University of Michigan School of Nursing
University of Michigan School of Public Health
University of Michigan English Department
University of Michigan Project Serve

Volunteering at Green Baxter Court

Those listed above help make Green Baxter Court a thriving and successful community. We are grateful for their support, and are always looking for more volunteers. If you are interested in helping out at Green Baxter, please look at the list below. Thank You!

GBC Wish List

Cook dinner – via the Make a Meal program, you, as an individual or part of a group, call our center director to schedule a day for you to bring dinner in. You are then responsible for planning a meal, purchasing all of the ingredients, making the meal, and delivering it to GBC on your scheduled day. Sound simple? That’s because it is! Make-a-Meal is a fairly uncomplicated way to provide a great service and have a big affect on the lives of kids.
Volunteer during homework time. When? 4pm – 5pm, Monday – Thursday
Install a light fixture on the ceiling of our conference room
Install shelving in our community center
Teach (children) at or community center
Piano lessons
Class on basic first aid skills
Class on self-defense

Maurice Cheetham
Community Center Director
Green Baxter Court

Phone: 734-622-9590
Fax: 734-677-3309