Detroit Arsenal wins Army Community Partnership Award with L'Anse Creuse Public Schools

By Lisa KlebbaJanuary 12, 2021

Detroit Arsenal Army Partnership Awards
CYS Middle School and Teen Director Alex Gravlin, Detroit Arsenal Garrison Manager Carrie Mead and L’Anse Creuse Central Middle School Principal Andrea Glynn pause for a photo after the Army Partnership Award Ceremony. (Photo Credit: Steve Ball) VIEW ORIGINAL

The U.S. Army Garrison - Detroit Arsenal Child and Youth Services Division and L’Anse Creuse Public Schools were recently announced as one of the winners of the 2020 Army Community Partnership Awards, which will be presented in a virtual ceremony Jan. 13.

Ten U.S. Army installations and their public partners were selected for the award using six criteria such as demonstrating partnerships that improved quality of life for Soldiers and their families and building stronger community relationships.

"We are go very grateful for our partnership with L’Anse Creuse Public Schools,” said Tanya Blatz, CYS coordinator. “Together we are striving to make a difference for our military, DoD and partnership families.”

The Detroit Arsenal CYS and L’Anse Creuse Public Schools formed a partnership where CYS offers Middle School and Teen after school and summer camp programs at L’Anse Creuse Central Middle School. The partnership offers military and Department of Defense families the opportunity to better integrate our military children in our surrounding community.

The school provides facility space where staff offer an enriching program for all military, DoD, and partnership youth in 6th- 12th grades. CYS utilizes LCPS classrooms, the gymnasium and outdoor fields. This partnership provides quality care through the Army youth program service areas to include: the arts, character and leadership development, education support and career development, sports, fitness and recreation, and health, wellness and life skills. The partnership allows the CYS MST program an opportunity to offer services that instill character, leadership development, sense of community and resiliency skills in our future young leaders.

“The partnership between the Detroit Arsenal and the L’Anse Creuse Public School System has benefited numerous youth over the last 6 years,” said Alexander Gravlin, CYS middle school and teen director. “We would not be able to run quality, available and affordable care to our military, DOD and partnership youth without the facilities and dedication L’Anse Creuse has committed to the Detroit Arsenal Youth programming. Our children are very lucky to have a space to call their own to be shared by their friends of all military, DOD and civilians alike. We feel very fortunate to have a place where these youth and teens can express themselves in a safe and educational environment.”

Other awardees included partnerships signed by various Army organizations, including commands, installations and state National Guards. Eligible partnership agreements included memorandums of understanding, memorandums of agreement, cooperative agreements, educational agreements, leases or licenses, mutual aid agreements, and intergovernmental support agreements.

The other winners of the Army Community Partnership Award were Fort Lee, Virginia for a computer-aided dispatch intergovernmental support agreement; Yakima Training Center, Washington for a joint fire response team; Georgia Army National Guard for developing a COVID-19 care facility dashboard; North Dakota National Guard Partnership in Prevention; Fort Hamilton, New York for joint law enforcement support; Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia for an autonomous vehicle study; U.S. Army Garrison Daegu, South Korea for a mutual aid agreement; Fort Huachuca, Arizona mutual public safety support; and Fort Meade, Maryland with a Community Covenant Agreement.

The virtual ceremony will start at 11 a.m. EST at https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_MjRlYTcyMjgtZGVkMS00OWJhLTk4NmUtNWFhNzk3YjdmZGZk%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2221acfbb3-32be-4715-9025-1e2f015cbbe9%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22c0b19bd4-7b31-4045-a43c-eec39d1dcb02%22%2c%22IsBroadcastMeeting%22%3atrue%7d