2011 Detroit Pistons Mini-Grants: College Access Event Examples

2011 Detroit Pistons Mini-Grants
College Access Event Examples
In April, the Detroit Pistons and Mentor Michigan awarded 11 mini-grants as part of the
first-ever Detroit Pistons Mini-Grants. The Detroit Pistons Mini-Grants were made
available to Mentor Michigan thanks to funds acquired through ticket sales from the
"Mentoring Night at the Palace" Detroit Pistons game on January 22, 2011. Mentoring
programs utilized mini-grants to host structured match activities throughout the spring
and summer that promote college access and encourage mentees to think about post-
secondary education. Below are a few profiles of the 2011 Detroit Pistons Mini-Grant
college access events held across the state!
The H.O.P.E. Mentoring Program – MYOI

On Friday, June 10, MYOI and the Midland/Isabella DHS hosted a panel presentation in
which three former foster youth who successfully managed the transition from the foster
care system to college shared their stories and wisdom. The event was titled “From
Foster Care to Success: College and You!”
Three young women affiliated with the Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative (MYOI)
spoke at the event, sharing their experiences and offering advice to current foster care
youth, their caregivers, and service providers, as
well as give practical information on scholarships
and grants. Youth in foster care, parents,
guardians, caseworkers, DHS personnel, and
members of the community were all present at
the event.
Panelist Sara Cometto advised foster youth in

the audience to “make a decision of where you
want to be with your life and take charge! Dream
big. Dream extremely big. You’re going to do
wonderful things.” Panelist Danielle Starnes
discovered her passion as a cosmetologist and
encouraged foster youth to explore all the options for post-secondary education,
including 4-year colleges and universities, 2-year colleges, and technical and vocational
schools. Panelist Angela Hoffman, a recent graduate of Michigan Technological
University, stressed the importance supportive foster parents and others in her
transition to college and called upon all the caring adults in the audience to make a big
difference through a simple card, letter, or phone call.
The event was a huge success, providing inspiration, advice, and practical information
for foster youth making the transition into college!
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washtenaw County
BBBS of Washtenaw County hosted their University of Michigan Scavenger Hunt in
June 2011. The campus scavenger hunt enabled participating matches and youth on
the waitlist to explore the University of Michigan Campus while learning about classes
offered at the university, what it means to be a student, and campus opportunities and
options. The program stresses the importance of promoting the college-going culture
and increase a child’s interaction with and knowledge of the higher education system in
order to create the goal and interest in attending college. The campus scavenger hunt
showed the Littles within the program that college is attainable and allowed them to
explore their academic and extracurricular interests from a college positive perspective.
Twenty-five matches, ten volunteers, and ten youth on the waitlist were able to
participate in the scavenger hunt, which included five sites and six clues. With each
successive clue and destination the matches completed activities such as finding their
favorite class in the U-M course guide, asking a college student a question, or finding
books in the library in order to gain the next clue and destination. One of the stations
also included a community service project, highlighting the importance of volunteerism
and giving back. Each location across campus had volunteers who helped the match
with the site’s activity, shared campus fun facts and statistics, provided the next clue,
and gave college/school themed prizes! The campus scavenger hunt concluded with
food and drinks and the distribution of prizes including U-M apparel and books. One
participant exclaimed that it was the best group event they had ever been to!
Winning Futures
Winning Futures took high school students on a college tour at Oakland University. The
goal of the college tour was to expose students to the benefits of continuing education
and get them excited about pursing higher education and their career goals. For many
of the students, this trip was their first time on a college campus.
During the event, students went on a guided tour highlighting

important campus offices, various classrooms and classes,
and the athletic offerings in the OU gymnasium! The students
not only got to witness the academic environment, they also
got a great “snapshot” of the social environment that college
life offers. They toured the dorm rooms, ate lunch in the
campus cafeteria, and had a chance to visit several student
organizations. One of the participants exclaimed “This place
is so cool, it’s like a little world except it is safe.” The day
ended with a GREAT inspirational talk by Dr. Reginald
McCloud, Director of Pre-College Programs.
In addition to the college tour, matches participated in two sessions, “Preparing for
College 101” and “Preparing for College 201” to help the students think strategically
about their career goals, how college can help them get there, and the financial aid
available to make college a realistic option. Four of the students that went on Oakland
University tours with Winning Futures this year ended up applying and will be attending
in the fall!
Bethany Christian Services
Bethany Christian Services invited matches, as well as unmatched youth from their
waiting list, to a campus photo scavenger hunt activity at Grand Valley State University.
The purpose of this event was to not only teach mentees about resources available to
attend college, but to also allow mentor matches to tour a college, have fun, and truly
see what it is like to be a college student. Participants toured campus, taking pictures of
important campus locations, and talked with GVSU students at the five informational
booths around campus. At the end of the photo scavenger hunt participants gathered in
a room on campus for lunch, reviewed the answers of the scavenger hunt and
discusses their experiences on campus. Lastly, participants made vision boards based
on their experience at GVSU as well as their hopes and dreams for attending college in
the future and/or their future career. Pictures taken at the event were developed and
provided to participants to add to their vision boards. Creating the vision boards
challenged youth to really think about going to college, their desired career, and the
steps they need to take to get there! Additionally, youth were provided a welcome bag
from GVSU which included financial aid and admissions information, including foster
care specific financial aid options and scholarships!
BBBS Michigan Capital Region

On Wednesday, June 1, Big Brothers Big Sisters
Michigan Capital Region hosted the agency’s first
Graduation Celebration at Perspective2 Gallery in Old
Town Lansing. The event honored Littles in the program
graduating high school and the success of their matches.
Bigs and Littles matched from three to eleven years were
in attendance, as well as families of the Littles.
Former Michigan State University football player TJ

Duckett addressed the group, congratulating and
encouraging them to continue on the path to success and
give back to their communities. Additionally, AmeriCorps
Members serving within the agency presented college
resources to assist the Littles in preparing for higher education, including: college
applications, financial aid information, and awareness of the Michigan College Access
Portal.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Gratiot & Montcalm Counties

Big Brothers Big Sister of Gratiot & Montcalm Counties held a Big/Little/Kids Connection
activity at Alma College on May 21, 2011. The intent of the activity was to tour the Alma
College campus and to make the Littles aware of ‘life after high school’. It was a
beautiful, warm and sunny day in Alma, Michigan when the Littles met at the Dow
Science Center for a demonstration and visit of the Planetarium. At the conclusion of
the Planetarium portion of the tour, participants were treated to lunch in the Alma
College dining hall, where the selection impressed the Littles in the group!
A Big Sister in the group, also a current Alma College student took the group on a tour
of the campus, giving them an up close and personal look at life as a college student.
They visited a dorm room, the campus library, a classroom, and a lecture hall. The
Littles were amazed that college students have to cross campus outside to get to the
various building during their school day. The Littles were also given access to the Rec
Center, the Performing Arts building, and the football stadium to experience the “fun”
side of being a college student. The event was a great success as the Littles in the
program are now excited about “life after high school” and can actually see themselves
as part of a college campus!
Big Brothers Big Sisters in the Heart of Michigan

Big Brothers Big Sisters in the Heart of Michigan took mentoring matches on a
Scavenger Hunt at Central Michigan University. The Scavenger Hunt helped make
being on a college campus a reality for Little Brothers and Little Sisters, many of whom
have only dreamed about college. College campus scavenger hunts are a great way to
tour the campus and learn fun facts about the school! College students served as
models and showed the Littles that college can be a reality and not just a dream.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Jackson County

Matches from the Michigan Center Classroom to Classroom program of Big Brothers
Big Sisters of Jackson County went on a college tour of Eastern Michigan University to
encourage college access. The Classroom to Classroom program matches Michigan
Center High School leadership students with students in a fourth grade class at Keicher
Elementary.
A total of 23 mentors and 21

mentees were able to attend the
event. The high school aged
mentors were able to experience
being on a college campus, and
the fourth grade students were
greatly impacted as well. Prior to
the trip, when the fourth grade
class was asked how many of
them were going to college only
half of the students raised their
hands. Throughout the college
tour, the Jr. Bigs proved to be
great role models, and knowing that their Bigs are attending college in the near future
encouraged the fourth graders to do well in school and learn that college is an
attainable goal! After the trip, many of the mentees exclaimed “I am definitely going to
college now,” indicating a positive change in their attitudes toward college. This activity
highlights the importance of promoting a college going mindset with mentees starting as
early as elementary school and continuing through high school graduation!

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2011 Detroit Pistons Mini-Grants

College Access Event Examples

The H.O.P.E. Mentoring Program – MYOI

Panelist Sara Cometto advised foster youth in

During the event, students went on a guided tour highlighting

BBBS Michigan Capital Region

Former Michigan State University football player TJ

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Gratiot & Montcalm Counties

Big Brothers Big Sisters in the Heart of Michigan

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Jackson County

A total of 23 mentors and 21

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