“Full STEAM Ahead”

Dear Peace Family –

I might be dating myself by referencing an old children’s book classic, “The Little Engine that Could”, but the central theme “I think I can, I think I can . . .“ resonates when I think of all the ways Peace’s Summer Camps give young people the chance to explore new experiences and find out what they’re capable of. Whether it’s skating down a ramp at the Ann Arbor Skatepark, recording a podcast, helping to design a new picnic table, traversing a zip line, or learning about the brain at a visit to the University of Michigan’s Neuroscience Department.

This Spring, Peace Staff have been busy planning another full summer of activities for our 2024 Summer Camp programs—incorporating opportunities for learning and exploration around Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math. Traditional Tuesday trips to Silver Lake will include a component around exploring the Lake’s ecology. Special interest clubs including Robotics & Legos, Nature & Park Rangers, Gardening Club, Podcasts, and Health Cooking will highlight science and math concepts. And local field trips will take Peace Campers to the Leslie Science Center and Hands On Museum.

Two Transformational Road Trips will include a Civil Rights Tour to Memphis and Montgomery, Alabama for middle and high school boys—and a road trip up north to The Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, where elementary schoolers will learn how freighters navigate the historic channel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes.

This Spring, we will also be celebrating four Peace Alumni, who started at Peace as young campers and are now graduating from college:

• Ruhi is graduating from Grand Valley State with an interdisciplinary undergraduate degree in Global Studies & Social Impact, with a double minor in Anthropology and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies;
• Mobin is graduating with a BSE in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and will be attending graduate school at UM’s School for Environment and Sustainability after taking a gap year;
• Terra is graduating from Tennessee State with a BS in Health Information & Management; and
• Alex is graduating from Central Michigan with an undergraduate business degree (BBA) in Logistics Management.

At Peace, we love to launch life-long learning. With your support, we can provide another memorable summer filled with transformational learning experiences that open up a world of new possibilities for our young people—inspiring them to find their greatness and dream big.

With Appreciation,

Bonnie Billups, Jr.
Executive Director

Read our 2023 Annual Report and discover how Peace utilizes your donations. Check out our Stories and Snapshots and learn about the breadth of Peace’s impact over the past 50+ years.