Executive Directors Quarterly Blog – July 2021

We will Continue to Support our Community

Millions of people who worked from home over the past 16 months learned there was no playbook of how to shelter in place.

As for the Community Foundation, we never stopped working; we continued to monitor the community’s needs every day throughout the pandemic. As a result, we faced challenges and found solutions to many critical needs.

We awarded grants to agencies that supported the homeless, domestic violence, food programs, crime prevention, veterans emergency needs, education, and sports. In addition, we worked with Venture North to provide small business grants that continue to struggle.

We filled local Blessing Boxes with food from generous donations, delivered 20 cases of hand sanitizer to non-profit organizations because of a generous donation from Walmart, and we had weekly zoom meetings to find ways to support non-profit organizations during this pandemic.

As summer arrived, our Youth Advisory Committee rented space at the YMCA Community Garden, where fresh vegetables are now growing to donate to senior citizens and veterans.

Scholarships of nearly $100,000 were awarded to graduates and continuing education students.

The Cadillac Area Women’s Giving Circle approve $20,781 in grants to support projects and programs for women and girls in the Greater Cadillac Area.

Over the past 16 months, we addressed many challenges, thanks to our partnerships and generous donors.

The Cadillac Area Community Foundation will continue to provide community support; during this path of our new kind of normal.

Happy summer! Doreen

July Blog

REASONS TO GIVE
Donating to the causes you care about not only benefits the charities themselves, but it can also be deeply rewarding for you too. Millions of people give to charity regularly to support causes they believe in, as well as for the positive effect it has on their own lives.
So, we reached out and ask, why do you donate, and hear is what they had to say:
It makes me feel good
I am happier when I know I helped someone
I enjoy supporting my charities I am passionate about
I felt we had a moral duty
Tax benefits
Teaching my children about generosity
Giving back to our community is the right thing to do
It is rewarding
I care about people
Sense of obligation of giving back
I want to make a positive impact on our community
Personal connection with a cause
To be a part of something good

And the #1 reason why donors stop giving…they don’t know how their gift is being used.
In the news in May, our Youth Advisory Committee granted $5000 to buy basketballs, footballs, coloring books, jump ropes, puzzles, etc. for students to stay busy at home. They passed out these items at the CAPS food distribution and the YMCA dinner pick-up. In June, we put a list of our scholarship recipients in the newspaper, over $100,000 to scholarship went to our 2020 Graduating Class through-out the ISD School District. In July a postcard was sent to our donors letting them know the Foundation has contributed over $100,000 to our community specifically for COVID-19 relief through the support of donor-advised funds, unrestricted funds, and donations.
Keeping our donors in the loop of how their gifts are being used is important to us too.
Thank you for your continued support! Doreen

June 2020 Blog

Acts of kindness during COVID 19 Crisis

It is evident that during a crisis people and businesses step up.  Schools close, jobs lost, working from home becomes the new normal, and shelter in place is in effect.  So much for the normal life, we once knew, we are now living through a public-health crisis, an economic one.   But there is good in our country, charity is off the charts, that makes us busier than ever.  Philanthropy comes in all sizes, billionaires, celebrities, community donors are reaching in their pockets to support our country during this time of uncertainty.

Here the short list of good things being done locally and globally:

The local restaurant donated dinners have been donated to our frontline workers.

Free Meals at McDonald’s for frontline workers.

U-Haul has announced 30 days of free self-storage to all college students who have been impacted by schedule changes at their universities.

Distrilieries are making hand santizer.

Cadillac Casting Donates Medical Supplies to Munson Healthcare

TrainingMask Donates Face Masks to Essential Workers.

Comcast, Charter, Verizon, Google, T-Mobile, and Sprint have signed a pledge to keep Americans internet-connected for the next 60 days, even if people cannot afford to pay.

Amazon hired 100,000 more workers and giving raises to current staff to deal with coronavirus demands.

Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores purchased and had 100,000 PPE masks delivered for use by the City of Detroit. The surgical-grade masks will be provided to Detroit police officers, firefighters, bus drivers, and other city workers serving the public.

Famous musicians like John Legend, Keith Urban, and Pink play free concerts for people isolated at home.

Consumers Energy donated $1.8 million to small businesses.

Restaurants are offering curbside service.

DTE Energy Foundation donations went to Michigan Community Action (MCA), Michigan Foundations, and the Michigan Association of United Ways (MAUW) to help communities through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

MEDC donated to 2,700 small businesses around Michigan, they were awarded a total of $10 million in grants.

$2.65 million funds will enable foodbanks to secure the resources they need to serve the most vulnerable members of the community during this difficult time.

Kellogg Donates Over $10 Million to COVID-19 Hunger Relief.

BASF donated $25,000 to Gleaners Southeastern Michigan Food Bank.

Dow is donating $500,000 from the Dow Company Foundation to support the work of community foundations and economic development corporations in Midland, Bay, Isabella, and Saginaw counties.

DuPont donated a total of 120 gallons of hand sanitizer to MidMichigan Health and Midland County EMS.

Coca-Cola Company in partnership with MakersRespond, a nonprofit created to rally makers, manufacturers, and markets to address pandemic-related domestic shortages of PPE, donated 65,000 plastic face shields to the state of Michigan to help protect front line workers.

Ann Arbor T-shirt Company has partnered with Saline’s Sisu Mouthguards to produce and donate 25,000 plastic face shields for light-duty use. The priority will go to healthcare professionals at under-supplied medical facilities.

Cadillac Area Community Foundation has assisted non-profits, by giving out 2000 face masks, and granting $50,000 for emergency needs in Wexford and Missaukee Counties, $30,000 to Oasis FRC, $500 to Veterans Serving Veterans Food Bank, $1000 YMCA printing project, $5000 in for youth activities, $2000 to homelessness needs, $3000 Munson Healthcare Cadillac Hospital Patient Needs Fund, and $3000 Community Hope, Good Neighbor Food Pantry.

Missaukee Area Community Foundation has assisted by granting $3000 Community Hope, Good Neighbor Food Pantry, $500 to Missaukee County Cooperative Ministry for a Healthy Home Project, and $1000 Munson Healthcare Cadillac Hospital Patient Needs Fund.

The good news: There’s no shortage of opportunities for each of us to help in substantial ways.

A few things you can do today:  donated blood, purchase dog food for shelters, check in on our neighbors, friends, and family, volunteer at food distribution, shop for senior citizens, read to a child over ZOOM, congratulate a high school senior, support your local restaurants, and/or support with a donation at your foundation, where they are working with our non-profits daily.

We are in this together, and we will rise above this together!

Stay Safe, Doreen