Spring Eagles’ Nest
September through May, Eagles’ Nest is offered to children, first grade through fourth grade after school from 3:15 – 5:00.
Senior Citizens Balance Program
Certified Balance Instructor, Gabby of Yoga Bellaire John R. Rogers Elementary School Gym. $2.00 per session, bring cash. Registration forms are available online, Bellaire Public Library, Bellaire Senior Center, and Bellaire Commission on Aging. Questions? Call Grandma Dee at 231-377-7077 Upcoming Classes Registration and Waiver BYI Senior Balance Program Spring 2026Download
Crafts
Craft Class, Grades 4-8 Initiative Coordinator: Ms. Eva Crawford UPCOMING CLASSES Registration and Waiver BYI Crafts Classes 01.06.25Download
Lego
Lego Club, Grades 3-8. Initiative Coordinator: Peggy Stevens. Upcoming Classes Registration and Waiver BYI Lego SpringDownload
Archery
Classes are held at the Bellaire Conservation and Shooting Club. First priority enrollment. Classes limited to six (6) students.
New Things Coming to Bellaire Youth Initiative in Antrim County
from https://www.9and10news.com/2023/04/20/new-things-coming-to-bellaire-youth-initiative-in-antrim-county/ Click to view video A benefit in Alden is helping out local kids in Antrim County. The PK Store in downtown Alden is shutting down and final sales are happening April 28 and 29, and then again on May 5 and 6. All proceeds from these sales will go to help the Bellaire Youth Initiative. The youth initiative offers several free activities for kids in Antrim County, and for the first time in the county’s history this includes free swimming lessons. These swimming lessons start in May for first through fifth grades at the Shanty Creek Resort. “This is so important. We live with all of these lakes around here, and we want to make sure that we never, ever lose another child in the water,” Dee Lynch, Bellaire Youth Initiative President, said. For more information about the sales happening at the PK Store, click here. And if you would like to register for the swimming lessons, click here.
Spring Swimming Lessons
This free program is open to non-swimmers or low-skill swimmers in grades K-5. Each student must attend all four (4) swimming classes. Parents must commit to sending their child to all four lessons. Parents/guardians provide transportation. Lessons taught by Certified Water Safety Instructors.
Cooking
Cooking Classes, Grades 4-12 Initiative Coordinator: Grandma Dee Lynch Lead Coordinator: Chef Rodriguez Assistant Coordinator: Corrine Dowd Upcoming Classes Registration and Waiver BYI - Cooking Student permission and waiver form 25-26Download BYI Cooking Spring 2026Download
Snowshoeing
Grades 5-12 Location: Side door by 5th grade room at Elementary SchoolInitiative Coordinator: Corrine Dowd, with volunteers Linda and Greg Biehl BYI has snowshoes available. Be sure to write on your your shoe size and if you need of snowshoes on your application Upcoming Classes Registration and Waiver BYI snowshoeing 2026Download
Young chefs transform fresh ingredients into classic treats
BELLAIRE – It’s not surprising that so many kids are enrolled in the Bellaire Youth Initiative (BYI) cooking class. Now in its third year, the class is a great opportunity, with kids from fourth- through ninth grades being trained by two seasoned teachers, “Grandma” Dee Lynch and Scott Udell, a local chef known for his barbeque. The 16 kids attending the class spend five weeks learning to make salsa, spaghetti sauce, applesauce, and zucchini bread. According to current BYI board chair Bryan Hardy, all of the group’s class offerings are intended to provide step-by-step instruction to connect kids with the real world skills that used to be taught as part of a school’s regular curriculum. Since home economics classes are no longer offered in most public schools, the young chefs are savoring the opportunity of learning to navigate a kitchen. “We enlighten them about how life used to be,” Hardy said. “Doing things step-by-step from start to finish helps them understand how life used to be.” He added that all the offerings are meant to provide the kinds of practical education that the local school board cannot afford to offer. Other BYI classes have included biking, guitar, sewing, performing arts…