The Great Lakes Bay Region (GLBR) is a hopping area full of fun activities throughout the summertime! With so much going on in the GLBR, we couldn’t possibly list every summer camp, program, or event going on! Below you’ll find some of our favorites that are sure to be a hit with any family looking for a summer camp!
Experience Art Summer Camps
Painterly Pottery is hosting sessions of Experience Art Summer Camps throughout July and August 2016. Children 8 years old and up have a change to learn how to handle clay, paint canvases, and other crafts. Each camp is five days long and are held at Painterly Pottery’s Bay City and Saginaw locations. To sign up campers, click here.
Engineering For Kids
The Engineering For Kids Summer camps engage and entertain children ages 4 to 14 years old. These camps range from Jr. Space Pioneers to Robotics: Robo Battles! Camps are held at the Midland Community Center as well as The DOW Bay Area Family YMCA in Bay City. Sessions run throughout the summer months, click here to learn more.
Summer Camps at Delta College and SVSU
From June 20th through July 28th, the 2016 Summer Camps at Delta College offer a variety of good times, learning opportunities, and creativity inspiration! Camps include LEGO® WeDo™ Junior Robotics, Space Explorer Challenge, Hogwarts Summer School, Safe Sitter®, and so much more! These camps are enjoyed by children from first through eleventh grade. Click here for a complete list of camps and registration info.
Saginaw Valley State University also has summer camps and clinics ranging from day to overnight camps. Children in second grade up to 12th can participate in camps focusing on fine arts, sports, SMEK and STEM. To find a camp for you, click here!
DOW Bay Area Family YMCA Summer Camps
The DOW Bay Area Family YMCA is hosting a variety of summer camps the next few months. These camps include STEM programs, camps specially designed for preschool-aged children, aquatic activities, health & wellness focused programs, and sports camps. Breakfast and lunch are included with all camps as well! Click here to learn more about the Summer Camps at the Bay City YMCA.
Midland Center for the Arts Summer Camps ’16
Art, history, music, science, theater- the Midland Center for the Arts Summer Camps for 2016 has got them all! From toddlers to teens, these programs are sure to be a blast! Want to read more about what camps are being offered this year? Click here to view their brochure!
Zoo Camps
The Children’s Zoo at Celebration Square in Saginaw have created Zoo Camps that combine outdoor play and education in a fun environment! Each camp includes several activities and crafts, snacks, and a Zoo Camp t-shirt. Children ages 5 to 13 can learn how to be a zookeeper, explore animal habitats, and create their own conservation project! To learn more about the camps, click here.
Saginaw Township Recreation Summer Day Camps 2016
This summer, Saginaw Township Recreation is offering six different themed camps for children ages 4 to 10 years old. Campers will participate in activities, games, and crafts in either a morning or afternoon session. There is also assistance for families who need help with care of children before and after the camps! Check out the summer camp themes and how to register for them here! Saginaw Township also have a variety of summer youth programs available. Click here to learn more.
Mid-Michigan Children’s Museum Summer Camps 2016
Starting June 20 and until August 18, The Mid-Michigan Children’s Museum will play host to a diverse mix of summer camps! Children ages 5 to 10 can enjoy learning to how bake, making music, and creating new friendships. Register for a summer camp session by clicking here.
2016 Play Greater Summer Camps
The Greater>Midland organization has planned specialty, aquatics, sports, dance, theater, and other premier camps for the summer of 2016! Campers can experience multiple activities (some that are themed), group games, crafts, and other adventures all through June, July, August, and September. Click here so you don’t miss out on these camps!
BAY CITY, MI — Bay County Toys for Tots has a new distribution home this holiday season.
Bay County’s campaign coordinator Jeff Jarvis said the Dobson family of Bay City has donated the use of its building at 3787 E. Wilder Road in Bangor Township where Toys for Tots officials will organize their annual toy distribution. He said the toys will be distributed before Christmas.
“The building is just for us to collect and sort the toys,” he said. “It’s not someplace that we’re going to be all year round.”
Toys for Tots and The Bay City Times are teaming up this holiday season to help make the holidays brighter for Bay County children.
Toys for Tots had previously operated out of downtown Bay City’s historic Dunlop Motor Co. building at the intersection of Washington and McKlinley avenues since 2011. The building had been available to Toys for Tots organizers while owners worked on leasing the property, but Jarvis learned this summer a finalized lease meant he would have to find a new home for Toys for Tots.
Jarvis said Toys for Tots is grateful the Dobson family offered to let the organization use the building.
“It’s very appreciated,” he said. “We’re so glad to have such giving people in the community that are allowing us to use the facility like that.”
More than 400 families already have applied for assistance since the Toys for Tots campaign began Monday, Oct. 28, Jarvis said. He said the locations for people to apply for the program have not changed.
Bay County residents can apply from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at Suite 2 of the United Way of Bay County building at 909 Washington Ave. in downtown Bay City, or from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at United Bay Community Credit Union at 209 N. Mable St. in Pinconning. The deadline to submit applications, which are available on the Toys for Tots website, is Monday, Dec. 16.
Applicants are required to provide their most recent Department of Human Services notice of case action, a driver’s license or state ID, birth certificates for each child receiving toys, and proof of income if not receiving financial assistance at the time of application.
Toys for Tots also is teaming up with the Bay Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Menardsthis weekend to fill a bus with toy donations.
A Fill the Bus event takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, in the Menards parking lot at 2864 E. Wilder Road in Monitor Township. Toys and monetary donations are accepted.
“Last year, we collected about 160 toys, but I’d like to do more this year,” Jarvis said.
Monetary donations to Toys for Tots also can be made online or by check to: Bay County Toys for Tots, P.O. Box 35, Bay City, MI 48707-0035. Volunteer applications and forms to serve as a drop box location are available at baycountytoysfortots.org. For more information, contact the organization at 989-892-8687.
Families with a loved one who has suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury are directly effected by the changes to that loved ones personality, behavior, and physical ability. No one can wave a magic wand and make the acceptance of these changes easy for any one. Family members will find that they need to spend additional time with the TBI Survivor, helping them both physically and emotionally has they come to terms with the changes. This additional time needed to care for the family member can cause strains on other relationships throughout the family.
Many of our clients family members will express that they have stress, guilt, and anxiety due to the additional time they need to commit to their family member.
The biggest challenge that we have noticed families facing is being able to fully understand what the Traumatic Brain Injury has done both physically and mentally to their loved one. If you are caring for a newly diagnosed Traumatic Brain Injury Survivor this video will help you to better understand what they are now facing:
Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury
At Dobson Healthcare we are here for your family as you start the process of caring for a loved one with a Traumatic Brain Injury; helping you to keep life as normal as possible. The staff at Dobson can easily assist you with finding such things as the right physician for your loved ones needs or the best gym for them to utilize in your area while they are in their recovery.
The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) and their network of state affiliates, including self-advocates, families and volunteers across the nation, will mark Brain Injury Awareness Month this March. A brain injury can happen anytime, anywhere, to anyone – a brain injury does not discriminate. In fact, 1.7 million Americans sustain a brain injury each year. Early and equal access to care for all is our goal. We will be sharing with you ideas on how to promote brain injury awareness in your community.
Make sure to check back on the site during the month for ongoing updates!
To find out more about the Michigan affiliate click here
Many of our clients and their families have benefitted over the years from the current no-fault auto insurance that is required in the State of Michigan, with the proposed changes on the table for the legislators we want you to consider what would happen if we were to lose these benefits. If you haven’t suffered a catastrophic injury from an accident the true cost of your care and recovery is hard to wrap your head around, but for those who have they can tell you about how quickly the cost of care piles up. With a proposed cap on the benefits many in Michigan will quickly exhaust their benefits in the years to come. To find out more about what these proposed changes would mean to you and your family we suggest you check out this article.
If you would like to write to your representatives in support of keeping the current no-fault insurance standards in the state, you can find out more information on the CPAN website.
Dobson Healthcare Services, Inc is pleased to continue to be a supporter of the Leadership Bay County program, operated through the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. This program takes 25-30 local businessmen and women annually and educates them on local issues while growing them into the leaders of tomorrow for our community.
Each year the participants of this program spend a year learning about Bay County, examining the community’s agriculture, history, educational options, local government, law enforcement, the local natural resources, local arts and culture and the area’s human needs and services that are offered. In addition to learning about the economics’s of Bay County, participants also work on a class project that is aimed to benefit the local community.
This year the Leadership Bay County class have chosen a project to benefit the Good Samaritan Rescue Mission. The rescue mission is a wonderful organization based in the Bay City Community. In the last year they have provided over 17,437 nights of safe lodging for women, children, and men from the community who would otherwise have no where else to go. In addition they serve over 42,685 meals annually to the hungry in our community. The Rescue Mission averages an occupancy around 48 daily.
This years leadership class has chosen to raise funds to benefit the courtyard that the male guests can access. The classes goal is to create a tranquil and inviting place for the mean to utilize during their stay at the Rescue Mission.
The primary method of fund-raising for the class is through an annual silent auction that is held during the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Dinner on March 23rd at the DoubleTree Hotel in Bay City, MI.
Currently the Leadership Class is actively looking for items to be donated to the silent auction, if you would like to donate to this auction you can contact Tara Cox at (866)-866-8984 or through email at taracox@dobsonhealthcare.com
For more information on the Good Samaritan Rescue Mission
For more information on the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce
You can find the Leadership Bay County Class on Facebook
Dobson Healthcare has had an active member in the last four years of the Leadership Bay County program that is operated through the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. Previous years attendees have included:
Jenna Schrumpf (’07-’08) Danielle Clark Verlinde (’08-’09) Laura Langhart (’09-’10) Tara Cox (’10-’11)“YOU NEED TO FIND A CASE MANAGER”, says the nurse, social worker or discharge planner. As reality begins to “hit you between the eyes” following the brain injury of a loved one, many terms will be “thrown at you” and often you, the survivor are so overwhelmed that even the decision of when to take your next breath, seems difficult. For the next few months, I will attempt to assist you in understanding some of various words and phrases you will hear through this sometimes difficult journey.
Let’s start with the term CASE MANAGER:
A case manager is a health care professional, typically a nurse, rehab counselor or a social worker whose job is to manage your loved ones health care services and advocate (be the voice of) their client, your loved one. Their goals for their clients include but are not limited to:
1. Help their clients enjoy the highest quality of life possible
2. Maximize the use of available benefits, resources and services
3. Assist them to live as independently as possible and smoothly help to integrate them back into the community when able
Case managers do these things to assist their clients to recover to the best of their ability. It is the case manager’s responsibility to achieve these goals in a cost-effective way assuring the health and safety of your loved one. In short, you and your case manager have the same goals. A good case manager has the knowledge, skills and experience to accomplish these goals. Case management typically should start within weeks of the injury but, it can begin and end at any time throughout the lifelong recovery process.
The big question for all survivors is Where do I find one? How do I find one? Contact your state brain injury association or the Brain Injury Association of America for names of local case managers, check your yellow pages under rehabilitation, google “case managers” in (your town/state), ask health care professionals, pharmacists, your insurance company, etc. When your loved one is in the hospital, an inpatient rehab facility or day rehab program, there will be an “in-house” case manager/social worker who will do your “negotiating” for you. Your health insurance company may provide a case manager to oversee reimbursable medical services but long term, after discharge you may still need a case management advocate on your team.
REMEMBER…YOU ARE THE BOSS! A case manager can and should be interviewed by you just like any member of your loved one’s “team”.
You or your loved one will then become their “employer”. Some things to consider when interviewing a case manager are:
1. Is he/she licensed in her profession?
2. Is he/she a certified brain injury specialist? (CBIS) (not mandatory but very helpful)
3. How long has he/she been representing brain injured victims?
4. How many families has he/she helped?
5. ASK FOR REFERENCES
6. Does he/she sound informed about brain injury?
7. Does he/she seem to understand the issues you are facing?
8. What are the costs?
9. Will you and your loved one feel comfortable working with this person for weeks, months and, possibly, years?
10. How frequently will he/she communicate with you and how? In person, phone, email, and/or fax?
Keep in mind that your case manager works for your loved one. You have the right to “fire” them if you do not feel they are working in your loved ones best interest.
As a side note, look for a support group for TBI families and victims. Ask ICU/CCU nurses, physicians, friends to put you in touch with other families who are experiencing or have experienced the same “journey” you and your loved one are traveling right now. They will be thrilled to help. Again, we can only keep what we have by giving it away and especially for TBI survivors and their families, as they all wish they had the knowledge that only comes from going through the very unfortunate experience that they have.
Source: Successfully Surviving a Brain Injury-A Family Guidebook by Garry Prowe
Dobson was a proud sponsor of the Main Entertainment Stage for the 37th Annual YWCA Riverside Art Festival, held in wonderful downtown Bay City, MI along the river this past weekend. This years festival featured over 100 artists from all over the state of Michigan and beyond. As a company that was founded by a female, we are proud to be a sponsor of several events throughout the year of our local YWCA.
For more information on the YWCA Of The Great Lakes Bay Region check out their webpage! www.ywca.org/baycounty