Arab American and Chaldean Council gets $250,000 United Way grant

The Arab American and Chaldean Council has received a $250,000 grant from United Way for Southeastern Michigan to support the construction of a $2 million art and adult learning center in Detroit, the council announced Thursday.

The Detroit nonprofit’s Artisan & Adult Learning and Training Center, to be completed this spring on Seven Mile Road just east of its headquarters, will house a gallery and workspace for artists. It will also house a computer lab, program office, conference room and café.

The development of the learning center is the third phase of the human service organization’s Community Neighborhood Development Initiative, also known as the Seven Mile Project, launched in 1999.

The initiative focuses on the economic development in the Seven Mile Road and Woodward Avenue area. Other efforts included a council headquarters renovation, the opening of a youth center and renovations of storefront facades.