There are child care and full-day Head Start programs and early Head Start for babies, toddlers and preschoolers, computer skills training, GED classes and parent support groups. The EZ Ride program is rolling along with its fleet of 32 vans. It provides zone and low-income residents with transportation to jobs, doctor's appointments, child care and the grocery store. Thirteen of the vans run on compressed natural gas and are considered environmentally friendly. JOBnet has purchased 32 computers and put them into agencies in and out of the zone so zone residents can post their resumes on the Internet and look for jobs.
Employers can also access the system.
And on Oct. 13, a busload of high school juniors and seniors pulled out of the Butzel Family Center for a long weekend in Atlanta to check out the city's historically black colleges. Organizers hope the trip inspired them to dream big. After two layoffs and more than three years on the line at DaimlerChrysler's Detroit Axle plant, Pinkney says she realized she needed a better education than the one she got at Denby High School. While still at Chrysler, Pinkney paid off her bills, saved her money and when she was ready, asked for a year's leave of absence. I didn't know how I was going to do it.