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Community Corner

12 Days of Giving: ACCESS

Join us every day until Christmas for a new way to give time and money locally. Today, we showcase ACCESS.

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Website: www.accesscommunity.org

What they're all about: ACCESS is a community services agency formed in 1971 to address issues of social inequality and access to health care and employment, and provide support to those in need in the area.

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Forty years later, the organization is as strong as ever, but spokeswoman Kate Casa said there are some aspects of ACCESS people may not know about.

“ACCESS is not just for the Arab American community, it’s for everyone that needs assistance or help,” she said. “Our services are available to everyone in the community, and we encourage anyone who needs help to come by.”

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From eight facilities in metro Detroit, ACCESS operates 100 programs aimed at helping people procure employment, health services, emergency services and educational services.

Medical services including child health care services, refugee assessment, adult and family counseling, counseling for victims of crime are available; a comprehensive community health care center on Maple Street has served the public for several years.

ACCESS’ Employment and Training department has assisted more than 12,000 job seekers during the past year; programs that aim to help residents find training, use computers to look for work, tap into training and referrals and prepare to take the GED are made available.

The Youth and Education division offers tutoring in several subjects, recreational opportunities and outreach into schools, while Social Services offers referrals and assistance through two centers in Dearborn and a satellite office in Hamtramck. Emergency food assistance, rental assistance and homelessness prevention services are also provided.

How to help: Casa said ACCESS has many business and foundations which support its efforts, but, donations from the community are imperative to the organization’s ability to meet its goals.

“The reason people should support ACCESS is because we offer services that will help them today, but also because our services help empower people to build a better life,” she said.

Individuals can donate to ACCESS by going to the group’s website, which allows people to choose a program to support, or make a general donation.

Checks and membership applications can be sent via mail to ACCESS, ATT: Development Department, 2651 Saulino Court, Dearborn, MI, 48120.

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