Applications are now being accepted for the 2026 Diana Carmichael-Owens, JD Memorial Conflict Resolution Scholarship.

Download the Application Form

The completed and signed application and the requested documents must be received by The Resolution Center by the Application Deadline of April 17, 2026.

Diana Carmichael-Owens, JD

Any high school senior that demonstrates collaborative dispute resolution skills, leadership skills or an overall ability to assist peers in conflict that plans to further their education after graduation are eligible. The Resolution Center will award up to 4 –$1,000 scholarships. Students must attend a school within The Resolution Center’s service area which include St. Clair, Macomb, Tuscola, Lapeer, Sanilac and Huron Counties to qualify.

TO APPLY:

Please fill out BOTH pages of this application completely, attach your resume and reference letter from a non‑family member in PDF or MS Word format, and submit to info@theresolutioncenter.com.

You may also print and fill out this form and remit along with a copy of your resume and reference letter to: The Resolution Center, 176 S. Main Street, Suite 2, Mt. Clemens, MI 48043.

To complete the application, the information you will need are as follows :

• Contact Information
• Describe Your Post-Graduation Goals
• Explain Your Leadership Roles
• Examples of Your Problem Solving/Conflict Resolution Skills
• Resume Attachment (MS Word or PDF preferred)
• Reference Letter Attachment (MS Word or PDF preferred)
• Signature / Digital Signature

Download the Application Form

Annual Fundraiser Supporting The Resolution Center’s Local Youth Programs and The Diana Carmichael-Owens, J.D. Memorial Conflict Resolution Scholarship Fund.

March 1 – 31, 2026

Presenting Sponsor: Russ Milne Ford • Macomb, MI

Match your ticket with Michigan’s Daily 3 7:30 p.m. Evening Drawing

31 CHANCES TO WIN!

Tickets: $20.00 each

Purchase Tickets By February 28, 2026

CASH PRIZES:
$250 SUNDAY-FRIDAY • $500 SATURDAY

Download Flyer: Print | Screen
Follow us on Facebook for March 2026 Michigan’s Daily 3 Drawing results and March Magic winners.

Rules of play:

1. Each ticket good for all 31 drawings. If your ticket number comes up on any night in March 2026, you win!
2. Winning number drawn on a weekday or Sunday receives $250. Winning number drawn on a Saturday receives $500.
3. Tickets purchased online will be mailed.
4. Do not need to be present to win. Ticket stub required.
5. If the raffle ticket number matching the Michigan Daily 3 number has not been sold, a drawing from the pool of raffle ticket stubs for sold tickets will take place between 7:35 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. the same day. The ticket will be put back in the pool of tickets.
6. Ticket Sales Support Macomb County Community Dispute Resolution Center, Inc., Diana Carmichael-Owens, J.D. Memorial Conflict Resolution Scholarship Fund, Peer Mediation, School‑based Restorative Practices, and Conflict Resolution Training Programs.

State of Michigan, Charitable Gaming License #X14463

Congrats to all the applicants! They all have an amazing future ahead of them and we were overwhelmed by their talent, community involvement and dedication to their future.

Addison Leeman – Marysville High School
Audrey Steepe – Fraser High School
Samantha Gilbert – Eastpointe High School
Shannon Fealko – Port Huron Northern High School

Applications are now being accepted for the 2025 Diana Carmichael-Owens, JD Memorial Conflict Resolution Scholarship.

Download the Application Form

The completed and signed application and the requested documents must be received by The Resolution Center by the Application Deadline of May 2, 2025.

Diana Carmichael-Owens, JD

Any high school senior that demonstrates collaborative dispute resolution skills, leadership skills or an overall ability to assist peers in conflict that plans to further their education after graduation are eligible. The Resolution Center will award up to 4 –$1,000 scholarships. Students must attend a school within The Resolution Center’s service area which include St. Clair, Macomb, Tuscola, Lapeer, Sanilac and Huron Counties to qualify.

A ceremony reception will be held at The Resolution Center’s office in Mt. Clemens honoring the recipients.

TO APPLY:

Please fill out BOTH pages of this application completely, attach your resume and reference letter from a non‑family member in PDF or MS Word format, and submit to info@theresolutioncenter.com.

You may also print and fill out this form and remit along with a copy of your resume and reference letter to: The Resolution Center, 176 S. Main Street, Suite 2, Mt. Clemens, MI 48043.

To complete the application, the information you will need are as follows :

• Contact Information
• Post-graduation Goals
• Extracurricular Activities & Community Involvement
• Problem Solving/Conflict Resolution Skills
• Resume Attachment
• Reference Letter Attachment
• Signature / Digital Signature

Download the Application Form

November 1 – 30, 2024 • Tickets: $20.00 each

Match your ticket with Michigan’s Daily 3 7:30 p.m. Evening Drawing

A Fall Raffle to support the Diana Carmichael-Owens, J.D. Memorial Conflict Resolution Scholarship Fund and The Resolution Center’s youth and school-based programs.

November 1 – 30, 2024 • Tickets: $20.00 each

Match your ticket with Michigan’s Daily 3 7:30 p.m. Evening Drawing

30 CHANCES TO WIN: $250 each Sunday – Friday & $500 each Saturday

Rules of play:

1. Each ticket good for all 30 drawings. If your ticket number comes up on any night in November 2024, you win!
2. Winning number drawn on a weekday or Sunday receives $250. Winning number drawn on a Saturday receives $500.
3. Tickets purchased online will be mailed.
4. Do not need to be present to win. Ticket stub required.
5. If the raffle ticket number matching the Michigan Daily 3 number has not been sold, a drawing from the pool of raffle ticket stubs for sold tickets will take place between 7:35 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. the same day. The ticket will be put back in the pool of tickets.
6. Ticket Sales Support Macomb County Community Dispute Resolution Center, Inc., Diana Carmichael-Owens, J.D. Memorial Conflict Resolution Scholarship Fund, Peer Mediation, School‑based Restorative Practices, and Conflict Resolution Training Programs.

State of Michigan, Charitable Gaming License #X12155

Diana has been a part of The Resolution Center family for 20 years as a mediator, staff person, and Youth Development Manager. Diana has led our Restorative Practices and Peer Mediation partnership with Eastpointe Community Schools for nearly 15 years. She has mentored and guided 1,000’s of students through troubling situations and has been able to train 100’s of students as mediators and peacemakers. She loved working with students and families within the community. Not only was she a great peacemaker, mother, wife, grandmother, sister, colleague, attorney and mentor; she was an incredible person that cared passionately for everyone. Please keep her family, students, friends and colleagues in your thoughts and prayers as we all grieve her passing.

A scholarship in Diana’s honor is being created by The Resolution Center. Look for information about it soon as well as a fall fundraiser in which the proceeds will be utilized to fund this scholarship.

More Information

Obituary of Diana Carmichael-Owens
News Article: Beloved director at Eastpointe High School killed in head-on crash
Video: Eastpointe High School mourns social worker killed in crash

Download PDF: 2023 CDRP Annual Report

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A Spring Raffle to Support The Resolution Center’s Youth and School Based Programs!

May 1 – May 31, 2023

Match your ticket with Michigan’s Daily 3 7:30 p.m. Evening Drawing

Chances to win: $250 each weekday & $500 each Saturday

Tickets: $20.00 each

State of Michigan, Charitable Gaming License #X08268

Rules of play:

1. Each ticket good for all 31 drawings. If your ticket number comes up on any night in May, you win.
2. Do not need to be present to win. Ticket stub required.
3. If no raffle ticket matches the Daily 3 drawing, a random ticket will be drawn. The ticket will be put back in the pool of tickets.
4. Tickets purchased online will be mailed.
5. Ticket Sales Support Macomb County Community Dispute Resolution Center, Inc. – Peer Mediation, School‑based Restorative Practices, and Conflict Resolution Training Programs.

State of Michigan, Charitable Gaming License #X08268

State of Michigan, Charitable Gaming License #X08268

A service supported by the Michigan Supreme Court

This is a new service supported by the Michigan Supreme Court’s Administrative Office to provide a free, quick and easy means of resolving disputes that are typically filed as a small claims or landlord/tenant case in the district court.

Through MI-Resolve, parties can resolve their disputes with or without the help of a mediator. Parties can also arrange to meet with a mediator in person or via video-conference. Mediation is a process in which a trained neutral person (a mediator) helps parties identify a solution to a dispute that best works for them. Mediators do not take sides, evaluate claims, or provide legal advice.

ELIGIBILITY

To use this service, you must:

• Live, work, or have a dispute arising in Huron, Lapeer, Macomb, Sanilac, St. Clair, or Tuscola county.
• Have an active email address and access to the internet.
• Agree to the terms listed in the Agreement to Mediate. The Agreement to Mediate is found on the registration page after parties have completed intake. We’ll send a link to register for MI-Resolve after you have entered your and the other party’s contact information.
• Be at least 18 years of age.

You do not need to have a case filed in court to use this service.

However, if you do have a case pending in court, you can still use this service to try to reach a settlement before your hearing or trial date.In this situation, a mediator will be assigned immediately but you may begin to directly communicate with the other party until the mediator joins you in the conversation space.

There is no service fee.

This service is most helpful for resolving disputes that involve:

1. claims alleging that money is owed, contract disputes, and neighborhood disputes;
2. landlord/tenant matters such as rent owed and repairs but that do not involve eviction proceedings;
3. disputes where people are not represented by lawyers; and
4. disputes between only two people.

GET STARTED

Read Full Article by Macomb Daily

For Warren Woods Tower High School 10th-grader Angel Vitale making a plaque for her dad, a pillow for herself and coasters for anyone has helped her cope with life and motivated her to attend school.

“It helps me relieve stress and anxiety when I’m working with my hands and working with machines and stuff,” Vitale said. “And it helps me come to school on Wednesdays. Sometimes I have trouble making it here.”

Vitale is one of five students at the high school participating in Scratch the Surface, part of Warren Woods Public Schools’ effort to comply with a package of new state laws that require “restorative practices” at all buildings.

The laws, which took effect at the start of the school year last September, require school officials to consider some type of restorative practices, aka restorative justice, rather than automatically suspending or expelling students for a disciplinary issue, with the only exception being if a student brings a firearm to school.

Eliminating ‘zero tolerance’ discipline

The laws were passed to reverse the “zero tolerance” philosophy enacted in the 1990s — especially after the 1999 Columbine High School shooting — that focused on punishment and reduced flexibility that “resulted in unintended consequences,” said an analysis of the law by the state House Fiscal Agency.

“With no ability to consider a student’s age, developmental abilities or intent, the discipline often does not fit the crime,” the analysis said before the restorative-practices laws were passed. “This has led to a substantial increase in out-of-school suspension and expulsion in the past few decades.”

The new laws received bipartisan support among politicians and universal support among educational organizations as well as the Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency.

Officials believe restorative practices contributes to reducing potential violence and threats in schools, among other benefits, in the modern age of mass school shootings.

“It definitely contributes to school safety,” said Nancy Buyle, school safety consultant for the Macomb Intermediate School District.

It keeps students engaged with the school community, fostering empathy and civil treatment of others, she added.

“It shows them that the staff and the whole building cares about them and want to hear their story,” Buyle said. “At the end of the day, it’s all about relationships. How do we bring people back into relationships with each other? We are hard wired to connect with each other.”

The Resolution Center in Mount Clemens already was helping six Macomb County schools in implementing restorative practices for several years. Center Director Craig Pappas said that in the 2016-17 school year, nearly 5,000 days of absences due to discipline were averted thanks to restorative justice.

Many conflicts between students start or accelerate on social media, so forcing face-to-face meetings among the parties, sometimes including their parents, can help achieve harmony.

“It humanizes the other side,” Pappas said. “You hear that the other person is human and feel empathy. For some students, it’s the first time they have felt empathy in their lives.” …

Finish Reading this article by Macomb Daily →

http://www.macombdaily.com/social-affairs/20180519/restorative-practices-aims-is-rehab-empathy-at-warren-school

Thanks to your generous support we were able to serve the following schools in 2017:

• Clintondale High School
• Eastpointe High School
• Eastpointe Middle School
• Endeavour Middle School
• New Haven High School
• Sterling Heights High School

Here’s a snapshot of 2017:

1,663 DISPUTES FACILITATED

1,378 Restorative Practices cases (adult facilitated sessions)
252 Peer Mediation cases (student mediator-led sessions)
33 Special Education Matters (matters arising from an IEP)

Types of disputes:

• 664 School Policy Violations
• 359 Attendance Issues
• 295 Verbal Altercations
• 128 Physical Altercations
• 64 Harassment/Threats
• 55 Rumors/Gossip
• 39 Belittle/Teasing
• 38 Academic Issues
• 21 Social Media

3,246 STUDENTS PARTICIPATED

Total number of students that participated in a mediation or restorative justice session

4,889 SUSPENSION DAYS AVERTED

Number of days students would have been suspended had they not participated in these programs

Thanks to your generous support we were able to serve the following schools in 2016: Clintondale High, East Detroit High, Kelly Middle School, Kellwood High School and New Haven High School. Additionally, we began servicing Sterling Heights High School in January 2017!

Here’s a snapshot of 2016:

1,059 DISPUTES FACILITATED

895 Restorative Practices cases (adult facilitated sessions)
135 Peer Mediation cases (student mediator-led sessions)
29 Special Education Matters (matters arising from an IEP)

Types of disputes:

• 489 classroom or school insubordination
• 279 verbal arguments
• 115 social media rumors/gossip
• 96 Physical altercations
• 30 Putdowns/teasing
• 29 IEP related disputes
• 21 Relationship issues

2,431 STUDENTS PARTICIPATED

Total number of students that participated in a mediation or restorative justice session

3,334 SUSPENSION DAYS AVERTED

Number of days students would have been suspended had they not participated in these programs

• By Meg LeDuc For The Voice, Jan 28, 2017  |  Read full article at The Voice: voicenews.com

David Gillis, restorative practices coordinator at New Haven Community Schools is an employee of The Resolution Center in Mount Clemens and has contracted with New Haven Community Schools as its restorative practices coordinator for the past five years.

With Gillis as a mediator, students referred for restorative justice in New Haven Community Schools talk through incidents — for instance, a fight at school or bullying on social media—express how it made them feel, admit wrongdoing and create a plan for avoiding similar incidents in the future. Gillis crafts a written plan to which both students agree and sign.

Read full article at The Voice: voicenews.com

In 2015 The Resolution Center partnered with Kelly Middle School, East Detroit High School, Clintondale High School and New Haven High School to implement Peer Mediation and Restorative Practices for Discipline.

Here’s a snapshot of 2015:

456 DISPUTES FACILITATED

Types of disputes:
214 verbal arguments, 61 physical altercations, 50 relationship issues (i.e., boyfriend/girlfriend), 46 harassment/teasing, 44 social media harassment, 41 other (i.e., property, classroom matters)

2,001 SUSPENSION DAYS AVERTED

1,244 STUDENTS PARTICIPATED

Total number of students that participated in a mediation or restorative justice session

640 ADDITIONAL STUDENTS

Came through Reflection Rooms for classroom disruptions

In 2014 The Resolution Center partnered with Kelly Middle School, East Detroit High School, Clintondale High School and New Haven High School to implement Peer Mediation and Restorative Practices for Discipline.

Here’s a snapshot of 2014:

562 DISPUTES FACILITATED

319 Restorative Practices cases (adult facilitated sessions), 243 Peer Mediation (student mediator led sessions)

Types of disputes:
148 physical altercations, 137 social media harassment, 104 verbal arguments, 67 harassment/teasing, 60 relationship issues (i.e., boyfriend/girlfriend), 46 other (i.e., property, classroom matters)

2,584 SUSPENSION DAYS AVERTED

2,101 out of school suspension days averted, 483 in-school suspension days averted as a result of our programs.

1,443 STUDENTS PARTICIPATED

Total number of students that participated in a mediation or restorative justice session.