This year, The Children’s Foundation broke records and made major announcements. Together, with donors and community organizations, The Foundation is finding new, significant opportunities to impact the health and wellness of children and families in Michigan not only today but for generations to come.
Thank you for your support – because of you, The Foundation has much to celebrate. Here are the Top 10 Moments of 2022:
10 – Two different million-dollar donors see impact of their gifts.
The Patricia Rodzik Endowed Chair for Youth Behavioral Health named Children’s Hospital of Michigan’s Dr. Matt LaCasse to fulfill this role that will help guide mental health research and evaluation, and guide health care policies, strategy, programming.
The Ashok & Ingrid Sarnaik Endowment to Create Ladders of Opportunity for Youth presented two fourth graders with $2,500 scholarships which will be used toward future enrichment activities, and educational and vocational endeavors. This is the first of many scholarships which will be awarded to students in the Detroit Public Schools Community District.
9 –Foundation initiatives impact more children and families!
Through its grantmaking efforts, the Jamie Daniels Foundation shared they are now supporting more than one-third of Michigan’s students pursuing higher education with collegiate recovery support. A total of nine colleges and universities in Michigan are now receiving funding from the organization!
First Tee – Greater Detroit continues to grow its reach across the metropolitan area and has now implemented year-round programming to engage young golfers in youth development efforts including healthy cooking to facilitate better athleticism and learning STEM skills by building Lego robotic golfers!
8 – Involvement with Rocket Mortgage Classic enables opportunities to impact more youth: During the week of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, The Foundation supported the tournament’s “Changing the Course” initiative, which seeks to provide every Detroit resident with access to Internet, technology, and digital literacy, by sponsoring its Youth Golf Clinic, winning the Celebrity 313 Scramble, and sharing The Foundation’s mission during a nationally televised message.
7 – The 6th Annual Derby for Kids is a record-breaking success: On Saturday, May 7, nearly 500 guests gathered at the Country Club of Detroit in their most festive and fashionable derby attire to raise more than $150,000 in funds for adolescents struggling with substance use disorder and mental health issues. That is the most attendees The Foundation has hosted, and most funds raised at this single event since Derby for Kids began in 2017.
6 – Donors like Reem continue to impress with their generosity and drive to help those in need: In less than three months, 16-year-old Reem Siddiqui raised $12,000 to help kids with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) receive life-saving treatment. Her gift will provide approximately 400 patients with roundtrips to and from the hospital, eliminating a barrier to maintaining health, care, and comfort. It is donors like Reem who enable The Foundation to fulfill its mission.
5 – New Esports Lounge creates unique opportunities for Detroit youth: The Children’s Foundation helped fund a first of its kind Esports Lounge which was revealed in March at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan’s Lloyd H. Diehl Club. This lounge will give Detroit youth the opportunity to learn from experts about the sports and Esports industries, potentially leading to college scholarships and professional careers in the industry. Youth development and mental wellness will also be provided to club members as part of programming.
4 – Inaugural class of Detroit Philanthropic Youth Council begins: The DPYC is a comprehensive program that aims to empower Detroit high school students as young philanthropists learning, eventually to award organizations of their choice with a total of $50,000 in grant funding. The inaugural class of the DPYC, consists of a bright and passionate group of high school juniors from three local high schools. The cohort will have the opportunity to identify a community need, review grant applications from community initiatives that work to meet that need, and eventually decide which programming they wish to support.
3 – Adolescent Addiction Recovery Center (AARC) announced: The Children’s Foundation is philanthropically supporting a new, outpatient recovery center to close a gap in resources available to youth struggling with substance use disorder, which is now accepting patients. Lead donors enabling the center include the Jamie Daniels Foundation, the Georgie Ginopolis Endowed fund, and supporters of The Foundation’s Derby for Kids event.
2- The Foundation announces its next President & CEO, Andrew Stein: The Board of Trustees recently announced it has named Andrew Stein as The Foundation’s next president and chief executive officer. Stein has the right blend of experience, relationships, passion, and personality to fit The Foundation’s needs and lead its path forward.
1 – More than $7 million awarded in grant funding this year! From music therapy services to hospitalized children to providing vision screening and eyeglasses in an underserved high school; from pet safety programming to innovative research studies and more. This year, The Children’s Foundation awarded more than $7 million to 170 different grants all to address unique needs that improve the health and well-being of children and families in Michigan and beyond!
