Hello, and welcome to 2022!
I hope that everyone had a safe and healthy beginning of the New Year. I’m extremely optimistic that this will be a year that allows us to get back to a more normal everyday environment.
As it relates to The Children’s Foundation, we are off and running into 2022.
We have some exciting announcements coming shortly regarding our focus on mental health. These new developments along with our upcoming Child & Adolescent Behavior Health Summit, scheduled for April 12 at the Inn at St. John’s, will allow us to reach many different audiences to discuss the diverse mental health issues that face our youth and their families.
This should be a watermark year for our affiliate the First Tee-Greater Detroit. With CEO Matt Kjorstad in place, we are actively developing new relationships in Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland Counties.
Our relationship with Children’s Hospital of Michigan has never been stronger and we have some exciting programs being developed in conjunction with CEO Kathy Donovan and our Executive Director of Development, AJ Quackenbush. We are currently raising funds to create a Child Life & Facility Dog program at the hospital, which has proven to be very popular throughout the country. As a dog lover myself, I can’t wait to meet our new four-legged partners.
We also plan on launching the first Mobile Health Clinic for Detroit Public Schools students which will be a collaboration with several of our community partners including the Ronald McDonald House. Stay tuned for both programs to be launched in the year ahead.
The Jamie Daniels Foundation continues to evolve as a major funder of collegiate recovery programs in the state and is now taking a more active role in advocacy in our community with Voices for Non-Opioid Choices – a nonpartisan coalition to create non-addictive choices for pain management. Chris Perry, executive director, is leading us in this advocacy, as well as fundraising initiatives and the important grant process.
I am looking forward to a robust year and working with all our Trustees, staff, and community partners. Our chair, Luanne Ewald, is leading the way as it relates to volunteer leadership and Trustee development.
I look forward to keeping you posted on our initiatives. As I like to say…Onward!
Lawrence J. Burns
President & CEO
