The Guidance Center

09/14/2025

Our Grape Expectations for Kids Dinner will be held in this stunning Grosse Pointe Farms mansion this Thursday, September 18. This historic photo gives you a glimpse of how The War Memorial appeared in 1949. Its elegance continues to beckon 76 years later.

Following the end of World War II, a number of memorials dedicated to those who sacrificed their lives in the name of freedom were established throughout the United States, including The War Memorial in Grosse Pointe Farms. The building was formerly the Russell A. Alger Jr. mansion, named “The Moorings,” and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.⁠
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On the banks of Lake St. Clair, this Italian Renaissance-style villa designed by New York architect Charles A. Platt was built in 1910 for Alger Jr., vice president of the Packard Motor Car Co. and the son of his namesake, the former Civil War general, Michigan governor, U.S. senator, secretary of war, and lumber baron. After Alger’s death in 1930, the home later served as an annex for the Detroit Institute of Arts from 1936 to 1948.⁠
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Full Article: https://www.hourdetroit.com/.../the-way-it-was-grosse.../
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Writer: Bill Dow⁠
EIC: ⁠
Photography: The War Memorial

Following the end of World War II, a number of memorials dedicated to those who sacrificed their lives in the name of freedom were established throughout the United States, including The War Memorial in Grosse Pointe Farms. The building was formerly the Russell A. Alger Jr. mansion, named “The Moorings,” and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.⁠
⁠
On the banks of Lake St. Clair, this Italian Renaissance-style villa designed by New York architect Charles A. Platt was built in 1910 for Alger Jr., vice president of the Packard Motor Car Co. and the son of his namesake, the former Civil War general, Michigan governor, U.S. senator, secretary of war, and lumber baron. After Alger’s death in 1930, the home later served as an annex for the Detroit Institute of Arts from 1936 to 1948.⁠
⁠
Full Article: https://www.hourdetroit.com/the-way-it-was-articles/the-way-it-was-grosse-pointe-war-memorial-1949/
⁠
Writer: Bill Dow⁠
EIC: ⁠
Photography: The War Memorial

09/14/2025

Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Donating just one pint of blood can save up to three lives. It’s a small act of generosity that has a lasting impact on patients facing surgery, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses, or traumatic injuries.

The Guidance Center will be hosting a fall on Thursday, September 25 from 9am-3pm at the Kari D. Walker Conference Center in Building 4 on our Southgate campus.

Why donate?
• You can help save lives in our community.
• It takes less than an hour, but the effects are immediate and profound.
• Many donors also report feeling a sense of pride and fulfillment, knowing their contribution directly helps others.
• Giving blood may offer health benefits for donors, such as maintaining healthy iron levels.

Those who sign up to donate during this drive will also receive a $10 Amazon gift card!

We encourage you to sign up, roll up your sleeve, and be part of this life-saving event if you are able. Even if you are unable to donate, you can still support the cause by spreading the word and encouraging friends, family, or colleagues to participate.

Please click on the link below to sign up, and use sponsor code "guidancecenter"
https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/find-drive

Color your fall with kindness. Give blood!

09/13/2025

Join us for our Screenagers film series at the MJR Southgate next month: October 2 will feature the "Screenagers Elementary School Age Edition" Film and October 23 will feature the “Screenagers Under the Influence" Film. These powerful documentaries cover the tremendous impact of screentime on young developing minds and how to overcome screentime addiction, peer pressure, and substance use and to build healthier connections to family, friends, and society.

Doors open at 4pm and the films will begin at 4:30pm. All guests receive one free small popcorn and small drink.

Register at https://www.guidance-center.org/community-calendar-event/film-series/2025-10-23/

09/13/2025

It's not too late to enroll! Prepare your child for preschool with our Head Start and Early Head Start programs. PLUS we are now offering an enrollment incentive!

New this year: fully enroll your child by September 30, 2025 and your family will be entered into a drawing for a $100/$50/$25 gift card or gas card! (All required documents must be submitted and approved. One entry per family. Winners will be contacted during the first week of October.)

Children who are 3 years old by September 1, 2025 may be enrolled in Head Start. Babies and toddlers 6 weeks to 2.5 years old may be enrolled in Early Head Start. All of our sites offer full-day center-based and home-based options, provide free nutritious meals, and accept children with special needs and disabilities.

Call 734-785-7702 for more information on enrollment, or call a Head Start/Early Head Start site near you:

Belleville: 734-785-7708
Lincoln Park: 313-381-0976
River Rouge: 313-928-6200
Romulus: 734-785-7792
Taylor: 734-785-7713

Enroll your little one today!

09/12/2025

The silent auction for our Grape Expectations for Kids Dinner opens soon, and you will have the chance to bid on numerous auction items to support our Kids-TALK Children's Advocacy Center. Included among a number of trips, luxury items, and adventures is a Supercar Track Xperience with Xtreme Xperience: Start Your Engines!

Feel the thrill of 600+ horsepower beneath your fingertips as you take the wheel of the world’s most iconic supercars — Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Audi, and more — at some of the best racetracks in the country. This high-octane package includes a $1,000 gift card to be used toward your own Xtreme Xperience at any of 40+ driving destinations, including two in Michigan.

Get revved up for this and many other amazing items... bidding will open early next week!

09/12/2025

If you or someone you know is in crisis, support is available. Call or text 988 anytime or visit www.988lifeline.org

***dePrevention ***dePreventionWeek

Behind every su***de statistic is a person, their story, and a life that mattered.

In honor of ***dePreveventionWeek we are looking at the stats. These numbers can be heavy, but they also remind us of the urgent need to come together.

You are a part of the solution. Let's shift the narrative to a conversation. Let's reach out, listen without judgment, and remind someone they're not alone.

Let's talk about the ones we lost, without embarrassment or condemnation. They were more than the struggles that overtook them. Their story matters and can help the next person. It's time to turn your grief and pain into power and support.

This is why we do what we do. Our programs, advocacy, and NAMIWalks are to help. Help those that are still with us, help those that are struggling and want it to end, and to help their families and friends.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, support is available. Call or text 988 anytime.

***dePreventionWeek Kevin Fischer

09/11/2025

If you are planning on visiting our Southgate campus in the coming days, please note this construction update:

Starting on Friday, September 12 the east and south side lots of Building 4 (Doors B, C and D) will be under construction. There will be no parking available in those lots for the duration of this phase, which will last 3 to 4 days (weather permitting).

Access to Doors/Lobbies B, C and D are still available via the sidewalk only. Please plan for standard precautions for hazards on the parking lot surface; construction workers will do the same for pedestrian traffic.

We appreciate your patience and will post further updates as construction progresses.

Thank you!

09/11/2025

Our gratitude continues as we acknowledge the Southgate Hero sponsors of our Grape Expectations for Kids Dinner and our excitement builds as event day at The War Memorial is in one week!

Big thanks to Homespun Furniture; Henry Ford Health; DTE Energy Foundation; BASF; Angels, Saints & Stuff; Main Street Physicians - Chris DeAngelis, DO, Sarah Wilson, MD, and Jennifer Burgtorf, NP; Republic Services; Finazzo Construction - Johnpaul & Liesa Finazzo; Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber - Downriver's Business Network, The Information Center; Trentwood Farms; Molly's Grape & Citrus Company; von Staden Architects; Genoa Healthcare Pharmacy; CASS Sheetmetal; Andy & Wanda Giancamilli; Tom & Laura Huot; David & Diane King; and Patrick & Monica Southward.

Thank you to all of these generous sponsors for supporting the mission of our Kids-TALK Children's Advocacy Center to give children the safe and happy childhood they deserve!

09/10/2025

The silent auction for our Grape Expectations for Kids Dinner opens later this week, featuring an array of amazing items including a 3-night stay in Myrtle Beach! You and up to 4 guests will enjoy the Sheraton Broadway Resort Villas in a one bedroom unit including a full kitchen, dining area, washer/dryer, private balcony and whirlpool tub in master bath.

This premium resort is steps from Broadway at the Beach and only a short drive from Family Kingdom Amusement Park and the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk. Inside the resort, guests can take advantage of the 24-hour gym and the sparkling outdoor pools. The lazy river is always tempting, and Splash Cove's waterslides and interactive water features are hours of fun. A game room and miniature golf are also on the property.

This item and many more await guests of the Grape Expectations for Kids Dinner AND bidders at home who aren't able to attend! Auction and bidding information will be posted soon. Proceeds from this event support our Kids-TALK Children's Advocacy Center and their crucial work to help child victims of abuse and neglect find the support they need to heal.

09/10/2025

Su***de can affect every one of us. By raising awareness, reducing the stigma and encouraging action we can help to reduce the instances of su***de around the world.

If you or someone you know is in crisis text, call, or chat 988 or www.988lifeline.org (deaf, hard of hearing, or hearing loss: https://988lifeline.org/deaf-hard-of-hearing-hearing-loss/; Spanish: https://988lifeline.org/es/inicio/ )

Contact The Guidance Center at 734-785-7700 to speak to an intake specialist and begin your mental health journey today.

***deprevention ***dePreventionDay

09/09/2025

It was an honor to have Judge Karen Braxton visit the Kids-TALK Children's Advocacy Center in Midtown Detroit to tour the facility with The Guidance Center President & CEO Laura Huot. Judge Braxton has dedicated more than 12 years to the 3rd Judicial Circuit Court, presiding over juvenile delinquency, child custody, abuse, and neglect cases.