UNITY Community Center the best plase yet

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UNITY Community Centerthe best plase yet
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Innovation

• True innovation is a discipline that requires
• not only discovery but also testing, evaluating,
• and promoting so that what was once
• unfamiliar becomes conventional and creates
• the foundation for further growth and
• development.

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Mission Statement

• To provide programming for youth ages 5-18
• years old, who might not otherwise have the
• opportunity to be involved in positive,
• Structured, and safe learning environment
• during the summer and out of school time.

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Goals of UNITY Community Center

• Give youth creative and innovative ways to
  interact and work with other youth in a positive
  setting and too develop the necessary social
  skills
• Increase youth participation in community
  service activities and make more aware of
  community resources.
• Increase the grade point averages, and attendance
  of participants in school.
• Increase knowledge and interest in future
  educational career choices.

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UNITY on the Inside Before
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Reading snack prep area
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Look at us Now
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Small but mighty

• 1500 Square Feet
• Plenty of Parking
• Convenient Location off of north Main Street
• Easily accessible
• Near Illinois State University Heartland
  Community College
  
  
  

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UNITY Community CenterAdult Youth Programs

• M-F 4-7pm (during the school year)
• M-F 4-8pm Summer Hours
• Mentoring/Tutoring/Advocacy
• Community Service Programs
• Meeting Room, Special events, and more

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UNITY Kids Cheer

• Were UNITY Kids
• We NEVER Give Up
• We have INTEGRITY
• TAKING us where were gonna be
• YES, yes, yes
• We shall be the best
• Were KEEPING it real
• INCREASING our abilities
• We DARE not stop
• Because were goin to the top
• Yes, yes, yes
• We SHALL be the best
• Because were UNITY KIDS!

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Jr. Chef Program

• Youth will learn about Food Safety.
• The Food Pyramid.
• Learn how to make healthy after school snacks.
• Learn table etiquette.
• Food Demonstration and Career opportunities in
  being a Chef.

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McLean County 4-H Club4-H Future Leaders

• 4-H Pledge
• 4-H Projects
• 4-H County wide activities
• 4-H Community Service projects
• McLean County Fair Participation
• 4-H Clover Buds ages 5-7.

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4-H Future Leader member works on 4-H Project for
the McLean County Fair
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4-H Future Leaders Projects 2005

• UNITY Community Center Sign
• 4-H CloverBud Jewelry Box
• Food Demonstration
• Visual Arts

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Junior Toastmasters

• A Success Communication Series
• Participants have opportunity to present 3-6
  speeches, and write their own speeches

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UNITY Veggie-Mites Junior Master Gardeners

• Teaching of basic garden skills
• Soil and water
• Ecology and Environment Horticulture
• Youth learn to create and maintain a community
  garden.

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UNITY Jr. Gardener at work

• look I have worms from our garden.

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Its watering time
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D.E.A.R(Drop Everything And Read)

• Program created to instill a life long love of
  reading materials featuring various cultures for
  youth participants to learn about.
• KWL/Venn Diagram/Crafts
• Reading logs kept by youth who participate

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Junior NewsletterKids Have Fun

• A newsletter for community room news that the
  youth participants will write.
• Program updates are featured.
• Report of grades, activities, achievements, etc.
• Upcoming events and community news

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Music Program

• Providing both instrumental and vocal music
  instruction.
• Performances throughout the county.

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UNITY Steppers perform _at_ Cultural Festival
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UNITY Steppers perform on ISU quad
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Junior Business AlliancesO A Teen biz UNITY
Veggie-Mites

• Learn basic business skills
• Create own business
• Management of own business
• ExampleCommunity garden to become a produce
  stand in Summer 2004

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Homework Time!

• Providing youth participants with homework
  assistance in reading, writing, spelling and
  computer programs.
• Community volunteers and ISU America Reads
  America Counts students aide youth with their
  daily homework
• Various donated homework help books, and online
  resources available to youth and volunteers.

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CENTRILLIO GIRL SCOUTSTroop 237

• Girl Scout Brownie Troops
• Community service projects
• Camping, Crafts, Skating, and much more

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Double Dutch Steppers Clubs

• Youth will learn self discipline and be
  encouraged to work as a team
• Leadership skills
• Travel to competitions and perform throughout the
  county.

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UNITY EBC (Exclusive Boys Club)

• Exclusive Boys club formed for the young men of
  UNITY. Ages 5-18.
• UNITY parents community volunteers help with
  the planning of events, outings, community
  service and much more.
• Young men have group discussions and team
  building exercises.

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UNITY Urban Girls

• Urban Girls is a program for young ladies ages
  12-18 residing in Normal. Focus of the group is
  to address issues or topics pertaining to young
  ladies. Offering community service opportunities,
  tutoring, mentoring, and encouragement from
  community volunteers for
• present and future endeavors.

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Urban Girls Cheer

• Urban Girls is who we are
• Urban Girls will take us far
• Urban Girls is what we GOT!
• Urban Girls we will NOT stop!
• Step
• We bring to you a brand new cheer as Urban Girls
  we stand right here
• Cause Urban Girls is WHO we are
• Urban Girls will take us far
• Urban Girls is what we got, as Urban Girls we
  will NOT stop!

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UNITY S.E. Club-Jr. Leadership

• New club formed by ISU Presidential Scholar in
  2004.
• UNITY youth who have participated at UNITY for
  over 1 year involved in orientation of new youth
  participants.
• Learning how to be leaders
• Involved in recruitment of new youth
  participants, and much more.

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UNITY Collaborators VolunteersOver 200
volunteers at UNITY since June 2003

• Town of Normal
  Centrillio Girl Scouts
• Normal Police Department
  ISU-America Read-America Counts
• University of Illinois Extension
  State Farm
• Unit 5 School District
  Illinois Prairie Community Foundation
• NICOR
  Bloomington Human Relations
• Illinois Wesleyan University
  

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UNITY Volunteers

• UNITY would not be where it is today with out the
  many volunteers who come out to support the
  innovative programs offered to the youth and
  adults.

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Urban Girls learn African dance w/Janet Z.
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Volunteers really get in the act at UNITY

• UNITY Summer Camp-Too costumes for The Eagles
  who thought they were chickens-by Michal Wynn
  play.

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Team building with summer volunteers
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UNITY Jr. Gardeners work w/Master Gardener
volunteers
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Sgt. John Merrifield-Illinois State Police

• UNITY kids learn some basketball tricks from Sgt.
  Merrifield who also plays with a traveling
  basketball team

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Summer Fun at UNITY

• Summer 2004 -Theme Choices
• Illinois State Trooper Merrifield Illinois
  State Trooper Shavers Guest Speakers

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More Summer Fun at UNITY

• Mr. Tim Howell-Guest Speaker
• Brown vs. Board of Education

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UNITY Kids learn to give back by Making a
Difference

• UNITY Youth collected canned food items that were
  donated to HSH Mission
• UNITY Youth collected old eyeglasses as a part of
  Sight Night-30 pair collected
• UNITY Youth put on a talent show to raise funds
  for Florida Hurricane victims
• UNITY Youth 4-H club members donated 100 to
  Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington,
  DC.
• Tree planting right outside UNITY
• McLean County 4-H Clubs Katrina Hurricane drive
  2005
• Special Olympics
• EBC Coat Drive

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UNITY Kids learn to give back..
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UNITY Kids plant 2 trees on Orlando Avenue.
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UNITY Kids continue to give back

• UNITY Urban Girls at Special Olympics-it is so
  cold.

• UNITY EBC collect coats for the homeless-35
  collected

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A New Year, A New Time, A New Way!

• UNITY New theme song Wake Up Everybody
• Cheers Chants If my mind can CONCIEVE it, and
  my heart can
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  BELIEVE it, I will ACHIEVE it-Willy Jolly
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  I know I can!
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  Keep your H-E-A-D U-P, Never G-I-V-E U-P
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  U-N-I-T-Y Were from UNITY
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  GOOD Job!
• Black History 365-Everyday UNITY youth will hear
  or read a black
• 
  history fact.
• 4-H Club Future Leaders-Club projects, community
  service, and more
• WELCOME TO UNITY

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UNITY Summer Camp-TOOJune to July M-TH 830-12
noon

• Chili Pepper Piñatas

• Craft-Huichol Art

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UNITY Summer Camp-TOO

• Wake UP time as part of start to morning summer
  camp activities

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Taste of Africa event-2005

• Ms. Kathy-UNITY Program Coordinator
• Dressed in African attire
• for special cultural event to
• kick off
• UNITY Summer Camp-Too

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UNITY Kids Parents, University of Illinois
Extension, Town of Normal WELCOME

• Mrs Tabitha Major as the UNITY Site Coordinator.
• ISU graduate-Theatre Education
• Minor-English

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UNITY Advisory Board Members

• Ms. LaConda Lewis- Chairperson/UNITY
  Parent
• Mr. Steve Westerdahl-
• Town of Normal Community Development Director
• Mrs. Charlotte Talkington-
• University of Illinois Extension Council
• Mr. Jim Sikora-Adhoc Illinois Wesleyan University
  Professor
• Ms. Venus Winters-
• Illinois Wesleyan University Professor

• Mr. John Elliot-
• State Farm/Kappa, NAACP
• Mr. Otis Evans-
• Bloomington Human Relations
• Mrs. Helen Leake-
• University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners
• Mr. Brian Williams-
• Community Outreach Officer Normal Police
  Department
• Mrs Essie Maxwell-
• State Farm-Secretary

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Contact Information

• Interested in being a part of UNITY or just
  dropping by..
• UNITY Community Center
• 632 Orlando Avenue
• Normal, IL 61761
• [phone]
• Email UNITYcommunitycenter_at_insightbb.com
• www.mcleanextension.org or www.normal.org