Growing Hope Market

Come and join us! At the Growing Hope Farm, work alongside the Teen Leadership Summer Program.

Each participant will receive a farm tour and produce to take home!

Dates: June 25th, July 9th, July 16th and August 6th

Time: 9:30am – 11:30am

Location: 922 W. Michigan Ave

Free Stock Photo of Farmers Market | Download Free Images and Free  Illustrations

Annual Corn Roast July 27th

Join us on Saturday, July 27th from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm for the 2024 Corn Roast to help raise funds for the Center!  Tickets can be bought at the door and are $10 for adults and $5 for children.

 

Senior Center is hiring!

We have one position available:

  • Special Projectors Coordinator full-time, $19/hour

You can apply online through Indeed
https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Ypsilanti-Senior-Center/jobs/l-Ypsilanti,-MI
or contact the Senior Center directly.

Quilt Raffle Time!

Our quilters have been busy quilting this past year. Every year, our group of expert quilters volunteer their time to create beautiful quilts for us to raffle. Unfortunately due to Covid, they have not started meeting together yet but they worked separately to make us some.  Here are this year’s quilts:

 

 

 

Tickets are $6 for one ticket, $15 for three tickets, $20 for 5 tickets, or $40 for 10 tickets.  For every ticket you buy, there are three chances to win! The winning tickets will be drawn on Sunday, November 7 from 3-5pm at the Ypsilanti Senior Center and will be shown live on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ypsiseniorcenter. If the weather cooperates, we will hold the raffle on the patio of the senior center, so you can come and social distance in the park. We hope to have a few speakers from 3-4, and we will be selling last-minute tickets at that time. We will then pick the names at 4pm. You do not need to be present to win. We will call the lucky winners to let them know.

If you would like to support the center but are not interested in winning a quilt, you can donate by visiting this link.

The funds we raise during the Quilt Raffle help support the center in the following ways:
· Replace funds “lost” due to COVID-19
· Provide low cost meals to our community seniors
· Offer affordable classes in arts, crafts, exercise and more
· Providing a large meeting place for all types of community groups
· Support all the new programs we are offering
· And much, much more!

To obtain tickets, call 734-483-5014 or email ypsiseniors@sbcglobal.net.

We thank you for continued support in helping us serve our community!

Intergenerational storytelling – how being “Homebound” affects us all

An original podcast featuring conversation and stories between one of our cultures most under-utilized natural resources…our elders, and our culture’s juniors, those in search of their own chairs, young folks whose own stories are just beginning!  This intergenerational conversation is part of the activities of the Ypsilanti Senior Center.

Limelight, LLC, a Michigan-based theatre consulting company founded by Jessica “Decky” Alexander, will be releasing the first episode of a new podcast entitled, Homebound: A Dialogue for the Ages on November 9, 2020. The podcast, a collaboration between Limelight, the Ypsilanti Senior Center through its Intergenerational Partnership and Generations United, features conversation and stories shared between our culture’s elders and youth. Homebound: A Dialogue for the Ages will be available for streaming on a variety of platforms with new episodes released every Monday. A teaser for the first episode can be heard here.

In the new reality of COVID 19, older adults are more than likely confined to single space,
housebound, less able to socialize or move with ease (and without fear of infection) throughout
the community or neighborhood. Young adults have begun to experience similar isolation, many
of them for the first time. With Homebound , Limelight celebrates the impact of intergenerational
interaction as members of both generations confront the “new normal” together in conversation,
seek solutions through sharing their stories, and sometimes find common ground.

New episodes of Homebound will be available every Monday starting November 9, and can be
streamed from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Stitcher among
other streaming services. More information can be found on the Limelight website,
www.limelightlive.org/homebound. Homebound is mixed and produced by Eric Minni,
conceptualized and directed by Decky Alexander, and supported by the production team Tyler
Calhoun and Catherine Coffey-Burns.

Call for Volunteers!

The Ypsilanti Senior Center recently became an officially recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization.  As such, we have the great opportunity to raise funds to both continue and expand the work that we do as a community-based organization to support and enhance the lives of local families—particularly older adults.  The Ypsilanti Senior Center’s mission is to create great experiences for older adults in a welcoming environment that encourages learning, active engagement, fitness and healthy living, and this focus is even more important today. Though the doors of the Senior Center building remain closed during this current pandemic, we are working harder than ever behind the scenes (and from the parking lot) to continue to provide essential services that help keep our community healthy, informed, and connected.

Join the volunteer team and help us reach more seniors with services!  The Senior Center is supported by a fun group of old, young, and differently-abled folks who all want to make life easier for our city’s seniors. Do you have some fantastic fundraising ideas? We can use you. Do you love social media and are always in the know? We can use you. Interesting in assisting with rentals? We can use you. Got some time to put some retired expertise to work? We definitely can use you.

Here are the specifics on how you can help:

With the establishment of the 501(c)3 organization, the board and staff of the Ypsilanti Senior Center are striving to personalize and professionalize the marketing communication and fundraising efforts of the Senior Center in order to drive awareness of services, connect with seniors who need assistance, and secure renewable funding.  The board and staff have finalized a brand image (logo package, letterhead, etc.) and brand mission statement, as well as have created a new WordPress website; however, we need assistance with the creation and execution of marketing collateral and fundraising.  Overall, our goal is to increase the Senior Center’s fundraising capacity as well as replace income that normally would have accrued from facilities rentals to expand who we serve and what we provide.

We are seeking people who can:

  • Lead or contribute to the development and launch of direct fundraising campaigns, including letter, phone, and email campaigns. Help us reach those who can support seniors!
  • Lead or contribute to the development and launch of fundraising events. The Senior Center has traditionally run 3-4 community-building events that have a fundraising component; however, we are seeking to expand and differentiate these events. Help us create exciting, fun events that provide substantial income to allow the Senior Center to expand its services!
  • Research and write grants that will support the current operation and activities of the Senior Center. Help us find those resources out there that already exist!

To join us, please contact:

Monica Prince, Executive Director
734-483-5014
ypsilantiseniors@gmail.com

We are incredibly excited about the future and the opportunities that await! We hope you will consider joining us on this journey.

Quilt Raffle!

2020 Quilt #1It’s Quilt Raffle time again! Every year, our group of expert quilters volunteer their time to create beautiful quilts for us to raffle.  This year, with COVID-19 shutting the building, the Going to Pieces Gang was unable to finish the joint quilt.  However, we’re delighted to say that one of the members came to the rescue with a beautiful quilt that he had made just for fun, which you can see here!

In all, there will be three quilts raffled. Tickets are $5 for one or $10 for three ($30 for all 10 tickets). For every ticket you buy, there are three chances to win! The winning tickets will be drawn on Sunday, August 30 from 3-5pm at the Ypsilanti Senior Center, and will be shown live on our Facebook page on https://www.facebook.com/ypsiseniorcenter.  If the weather cooperates, we will hold the raffle on the patio of the senior center, so you can come and social distance in the park.  We hope to have a few speakers from 3-4, and we will be selling last-minute tickets at that time.  We will then pick the names at 4pm.

The funds we raise during the Quilt Raffle help support the center in the following ways:

  • Replace funds lost due to COVID-19 & social distancing regulations
  • Provide low cost meals to our community seniors
  • Offer affordable classes in arts, crafts, exercise and more
  • Providing a large meeting place for all types of community groups
  • Support all the new programs we are offering
  • And much, much more!

To obtain tickets, contact ypsilantiseniors@gmail.com, and we will mail you a set of tickets!  If you’re just interested in supporting the Senior Center with a donation, please visit our Donate and Support page where you can give a gift via PayPal.  Thank you for your support!

 

 

Virtual Cooking Classes!

Learn to make new, tasty recipes via virtual cooking classes offered through the Ypsilanti Senior Center!  Join Chef Jeff as he creates easy-to-make dishes you can try in your own home.  Set up your phone or laptop in the kitchen, and start cooking!

This month’s recipe was Michigan Cherry Chili.  Download the recipe here, and watch Chef Jeff’s YouTube video to learn how to put it together!

Michigan Cherry Chili

We Care Connect Memory Cafe Radio Interview

The Ypsilanti Senior Center sat down with WEMU to talk about the Senior Center’s “We Care Connect” Memory Cafe in April 2019.  We Care Connect is a safe and judgment free environment that provides as a respite from the constant emotional turmoil brought on by dementia. This opportunity is provided to caregivers and persons living with memory loss to engage in social conversation, creative and entertaining activities, and develop friendships for mutual support.

Read the Concentrate piece on it on https://www.secondwavemedia.com/concentrate/features/memorycafe0499.aspx and listen to the full interview on https://www.wemu.org/post/otgypsi-memory-cafes-maintain-social-skills-local-seniors.