So, This is Christmas: A Benefit for Detroit Public Schools at PJ's Lager House

Did you have a place to sleep last night? Did you have food to eat before you went to bed? If you did, you should take a second to appreciate that because according to a 2018 study from U of M, around 600 Detroit City Students did not have a place to sleep last night and around 36,000 children in Michigan public schools are facing homelessness and/or housing insecurity right now. Many of these children are also going to bed hungry. The US Department of Health and Human Services reports that 1 in 6 children in the US are currently hungry and and more than 13 million US children are food insecure, meaning that their next meal is not guaranteed. Can you imagine how hard it would be to learn if you were hungry or to concentrate if you didn't know where you were going to sleep at night? Each one of these obstacles takes away a child's opportunity to get a good education. There are many factors that contribute to the success of a community, but none are greater than the way that they take care of the next generation. We have to support everyone in our community that needs support so that we can all move forward and be successful together. One of the best ways that we can do this is to use our power to gather together to make a difference.

Veronica and Sarena from PJ's Lager House have stepped up and gathered a unique group of Detroit's artistic community to use their talents to help raise money and supplies for Detroit Public Schools. This Sunday, December 16th the Lager House will host So, This is Christmas: A Benefit For Detroit Public Schools. The night will feature 15+ local vendors, a photo-booth, and live music and DJ sets from some of the most talented Detroiters around. This includes Miz Korona, Willa Rae, and Eddie Logix. There will also be food from Pietrzyk Pierogi, Funny Burger and Voodoo Cafè.

Cover is $5 and they are asking for everyone to bring one of the following supplies to donate at the door. The party starts at 11 a.m. this Sunday and goes well into the night! You can find a full list of performers and set times here.

SUGGESTED DONATION ITEMS:

Hygiene Products
Facial Tissue
Disinfectant wipes
Cough Drops
Tampons All Absorbances
Maxi Pads All Absorbencies
Condoms All Size
Dial Antibacterial Pump Hand Soap
Vitamin D Supplements

Basic Supplies
#2 Pencils
#2 Beginner
#2 Mechanical Pencils
Lined Paper
Folders
Staplers
Color Pencils
Markers
Crayons
Chalk
Rulers
Safety Scissors
Scissors
Non-Toxic Glue
Non-Toxic Paints
Paint Brushes
Paper All Sizes
Construction Paper

Books and Audio Books
Hip-Hop High School by: Alan Lawrence Sitome
T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. AKJ BOOKS
Kendra Coe Booth AKA BOOKS
House That Crack Built AKJ BOOKS
Money Hungry AKJ BOOKS
Bitten: Dangerous Girls & The Taste of Night R. L. Stine AKJ BOOKS
Dope Sick AKJ BOOKS
Always Running AKJ BOOKS
What’s Happening To My Body Book For Girls by: Lydia Madaras/ Area Madaras/Simon Sullivan
The Hunger Games AKJ BOOKS
Changing Bodies, Changing Lives 3rd edition by: Ruth Bell
Monster: The Autobiography of an LA Gang Member AKJ BOOKS
What We Saw by: Aaron Hartzler
I am Malala by: Malala Yousafzai
Beloved by: Toni Morrison
The Bluest Eye by: Toni Morrison
New Workbooks, Coloring Books & Activity Books (all ages, non-secular)
Blank Mole Skins and Journals
Monthly Planners and Calendars for 2019

Miscellaneous
DDOT Transportation Passes
SMART bus transportation pass
Amazon Gift Cards For Teachers To Purchase Their Own Supplies

~S 

Playground Detroit Presents: Holiday Recess

This weekend Playground Detroit is bringing together lots of bands, people, and local companies to help out some of the Detroit Public Schools. For three years now the organization has hosted a holiday party to collect money, art supplies, and musical instruments for the schools. The event is called Holiday Recess and this year it will be happening on Saturday, December 12th.

The event will feature music, food, drinks and an awesome raffle. The lineup for the evening includes Red Pill, Valley Hush, Racehorses Are Resources, DTCHPLNES + DJ Todd Modes and DJ Ryan Spencer. In addition to the music, there will also be an art display featuring over 20 artist. Check out the full list here. For access to all of this it only costs $10, plus that will get you in on the raffle, and you'll get food and drinks! In addition to the price of admission, Playground Detroit is asking that you also bring some items to donate. Don't worry, we're sure you'll have at least some of the items laying around the house. They're asking for:

Free Materials:

Take-out Styrofoam items, Cardboard for sculpture, Toilet paper rolls

Used/New:

Construction paper, drawing paper, recycled paper, Drawing pencils, Elmers glue, hot glue sticks for cardboard sculptures, Tools. Paint, Acrylic, watercolor, palate knives, Pens, Pencils, Colored pencils, Erasers, Markers, Fine tip pens, Fabric, thread, needles for soft sculpture, book binding, Scrap materials such as buttons, Styrofoam, CDs to make mosaics etc., Rulers, Meter sticks, Measuring devices, Scissors, Wire, Masking tape, Papier mache mix, Microphones, Mic stands, Cords, Guitar picks, Headphones, Instruments, Accessories

The products and proceeds from the party will go to Central High School, Detroit Community High School and Detroit Experiencia Preparatory Academy.

Holiday Recess is happening this Saturday at the Detroit Pickle Factory, located on the city's east side at 2120 Bellvue St. For more information on this event and to get the inside scoop on those raffle prizes, head over to the Facebook event page here. To pick up your tickets in advance, click here.  

~C