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December 21, 2017, Detroit – In its Winter 2017 newsletter, the Dominican Literacy Center (DLC) points to a number of ways that it is building partnerships with other organizations to make the Detroit community stronger and more resilient.

• Tyra Thompson, in her Coordinators’ Corner, writes of the partnership she has developed with other organizations in the Samaritan Center, where the literacy center is located, to increase the use of preventive health services among all people in Detroit. The Improving Minority Wellness and Equity for Life Project involves the Dominican Literacy Center and other agencies, such as Michigan Community Dental Clinic, Michigan Works, Friends of Parkside Mercy Primary Care, and Healthy Detroit. “We all share the common desire to create sustainable, effective linkages between the clinical and community settings,” Tyra wrote. “Our work has been centered on creating a seamless referral process for community access to the essential services we all need for healthy, productive lives: health and dental care, education, and employment.”

• Shawntai Brown writes about the Dominican Literacy Center’s partnership with Marygrove College. Students in the master’s program of Literacy Learning, led by Dr. Diane Brown, work with the adult learners to help them achieve success in reading and writing. “So far, Marygrove students have learned the unique differences between adult and child learners,” Shawntai writes. “Feedback from the DLC participants helps the graduate students know how to best proceed in creating quality lessons and programming. This is a partnership we hope will show continuous benefits for all involved.”

• Tyra also writes about the literacy center’s partnership with Grow Detroit’s Young Talent, a “city-wide summer jobs initiative for youth.” Eliyah Boyd, a junior from Ben Carson High School of Science and Medicine, spent the summer working at the literacy center. “Eliyah’s job was to assist with community outreach, as well as day-to-day operations of the Center,” she writes. “As such, he joined me as I went out doing outreach and recruitment.” In addition, Eliyah initiated the center’s library and created the Stages of Solar Eclipse bulletin board in the study room. “He was a delightful addition to our team this summer, and his internship was a positive experience for us all,” she concludes.