Creating Safety Seminar at Trinity Health Livonia

The Suicide Prevention Coalition kicked off 2023 with the Creating Safety Seminar at Trinity Health Livonia! This presentation was designed for school counselors, behavioral interventionists, psychologists, social workers, and mental health advocates to recognize suicide warning signs and help someone in crisis. The Suicide Prevention Coalition will be bringing great resources and trainings throughout 2023 as we look to support more students Wayne County!

Thank you Kelly Mays, Hegira Health, for presenting this important information, and to Brian Galdes, Suicide Prevention Coordinator at Growth Works for you leadership in this work.

Livonia Youth Commission

Growth Works is proud to share that CITx Program Manager Lindsey Manza has been appointed by Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan to the Livonia Youth Commission. We are grateful for the opportunity to help promote academic leadership, citizenship and community involvement through recognition, events, or programs which enhance the quality of life for present and future generations of our community.

The commission takes part in various events and programs, including:

  • Distributing seedlings to Livonia and Clarenceville fourth grade students during Arbor Day week to promote the students’ responsibility to the environment.
  • Purchasing prizes for Livonia Spree Family Day to be passed out to children who participate in events and contests at the Spree.
  • Selecting Spree Memorial Scholarship Award recipients, in conjunction with the Livonia “Spree” Anniversary Committee, for graduating high school seniors. 
  • Awarding Honor Certificates to all graduating high school seniors with a 3.0-grade average encouraging as well as recognizing academically above-average students.
  • Monetary sponsorship of Livonia high schools’ “Senior All Night Graduation Parties” inviting students to complete their graduation ceremonies back at their schools with their classmates.

Thank you, Lindsey, for your service to the Livonia community.

Mock Interview with Students

Growth Works’ Human Resources Associate, Alyxandra Culver, visited Edsel Ford High School in Dearborn to help conduct mock interviews for Mr. Pletzke and Ms. Morrison’s 12th-grade English Classes.

Mock Interviews provide students an opportunity to practice, receive feedback and improve their skills. A mock interview also helps students develop interview strategies, enhance your communication skills, and answer challenging questions with the support of their peers. Growth Works is committed to supporting our educational partners and providing resources to help students across western Wayne County succeed in their educational and career paths.

Thank you for partnering with Growth Works!

2022 Annual Report

On behalf of the Board of Directors and Growth Works staff, I am pleased to present our Annual Report for fiscal year 2022. We hope it will enhance your understanding of the services we provide in the Western Wayne County area.

Originally founded in 1971 as a youth drop-in center, the agency provided a safe environment
for local youth to keep them engaged in positive activities and reduce the likelihood of delinquency.
Although we look very different today, our agency’s mission of restoring hope, supporting change and improving lives is our guiding light amid the ever-changing needs of the communities that we serve.

As we look back, we feel proud of the things we’ve accomplished so far. From building new relationships, to creating new programs, our staff have been working tirelessly to move this agency forward.

As we grow, we will continually strive to have a consistent voice, a clear purpose and a coherent strategy that will enhance the services that we offer and provide a more diversified workforce, inclusive and welcoming environment for staff and those we serve.

Warm regards,

Nick Griswold, Growth Works CEO

Growth Works 2022 Annual Report

Brian Galdes heads up Suicide Prevention Coalition

Growth Works is excited to announce their new hire, Brian Galdes, as the Suicide Prevention Coordinator for the Western Wayne Suicide Prevention Coalition. As we bid farewell to Syndee Malek, we want to thank her for all her hard work in leading the coalition and we know Brian will continue her tremendous work.

This Coalition seeks to address youth suicide prevention, support their mental health, and in turn aim for zero completed youth suicides within the Western Wayne School Districts served. Over the past year, this initiative has helped train over 3,000 school staff members in seven school districts. We’ve implemented three major conferences as well as a lecture series to provide ongoing professional development for school mental health teams. Overall, the coalition represents 6,500 school staff members serving over 65,000 students.

The Suicide Prevention Committee started through a community health needs assessment initiated by St. Mary Mercy in 2015. This resulted in a suicide prevention forum developed through a collaboration of stakeholders in the seven participating school districts. With support from Trinity Health Livonia, the Flinn Foundation, and the Growth Works board of directors, we are pleased to announce that our agency will continue to support the coalition’s efforts for the next two years. We are grateful for the opportunity to support the staff and students represented by the coalition and we look forward to taking this work to the next level. 

“It is an honor to have this opportunity to continue to work with the Western Wayne Suicide Prevention Coalition in this new capacity,” Galdes said.  “This coalition will provide school districts powerful tools and resources to address adolescent depression and reduce the risk of suicide through the combined efforts of the coalition partners.”

Under the guidance of the district team lead, partner organization(s), and Coalition members, Galdes will support the school districts in implementing evidence-based programming, policies, and strategies that target risk and protective factors associated with youth mental health.

Brian Galdes is the former Superintendent of Schools with South Redford School District and brings with him a passion and dedication for this effort that is unmatched. He has been in the coalition since its inception and he participated in Trinity Health Livonia’s Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) which identified youth suicide as a priority for our area and we know he will do great things in this new role.

If you want to learn more about the Coalition, contact Alice Reinke, Alice.Reinke@gwcares.org.