Goodwill to host annual celebration

Published: Sunday, November 09, 2014 | Grand Traverse Insider

REGION – If you’ve ever wondered what becomes of the donations you leave at a Goodwill donation center, or where the money goes from shopping in one of its stores, an upcoming event will answer those questions.

Gather for GOOD, Goodwill Northern Michigan’s annual luncheon and celebration of its partners and program participants will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10 at the Hagerty Center.

During the event hosted by Ron Jolly, attendees will hear success stories from each of the organization’s focus areas: Housing, Jobs and Food, applaud community leaders and volunteers that are making a big impact in the lives of those in need, and be inspired by guest speaker, John O’Leary.

More - Click here

Courthouse Clock Bell Fund Moves Forward

October 31, 2014: TC Ticker

Grand Traverse County Commissioners gave their blessing to a citizens group that is poised to launch a fundraising effort to restore the 1899 bell at the historic county courthouse. In a 7-0 vote, the board endorsed the efforts of the organization which has generated approximately $2,700 toward an estimated bell repair bill of $10,000. Approval by the board enables the group to send contributions directly to the county treasurer. After repairing the bell, the group will try to raise more funds for additional repairs to the clock, according to attorney W. Peter Doren, who is a member of the organization’s committee. Others committee members include Karen Mauro-Doren, Ed Kalat, Alisa Kroupa, Ken Richmond, Bernie Riker and Gary Schilke. The clock has been silent since 2008. Four years earlier a malfunction in the tower atop the Antrim County Courthouse caused a 600-pound set of weights to crash through the ceiling. No one was injured, but it raised an alarm with GT officials. Preventative maintenance was done and the chimes continued until 2008. Permalink

City To Host Water Station Fundraiser

From the TC Ticker - Traverse City Business Magazine

October 17, 2014

Traverse City leaders will host a community fundraiser at the State Theatre on Tuesday, October 28 at 6pm in an effort to raise dollars for the installation of another water bottle filling station in city limits. Commissioners Jeanine Easterday and Jim Carruthers and Mayor Michael Estes have led the effort to install the new stations throughout the city to reduce waste created by plastic water bottles. Six such stations have been funded to date. At the State fundraiser, Estes will introduce a screening of documentary film Divide in Concord, a 2014 Traverse City Film Festival hit that follows the "entertaining tale of banning bottled water in small town America." While the event is free to the public, a $20 donation is recommended. Estes says an anonymous donor has agreed to match up to $3,500 in received donations - enough to cover the cost of a $7,000 station. "In a three-month timeframe, (the six installed stations) may have saved the discarding of up to 50,000 disposable water bottles in the city's waste stream," says Estes. "Imagine what another station will do." Permalink

Traverse City Turkey Trot Registration Now Open

October 16, 2014: TC Ticker - Traverse City Business Magazine

Registration is now open for the Seventh Annual Traverse City Turkey Trot, a 5K run/walk event taking place Thanksgiving Day, November 27 at 9am at Thirlby Field Stadium in downtown Traverse City. A "5 Mile Flier" is also available for racers seeking a longer route. The family-friendly event, which also permits runners with leashed dogs, will raise funds for Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS), TART Trails and TRED North. Awards will be given to the top overall male and female finishes, as well as the top age group finishers for males and females. Early bird registration, which ends November 5, is $35 for adults 19 and older and $15 for youth 18 and under. Registration will increase to $40 and $20 respectively at the end of the early bird period. Participants registering by November 15 will receive a guaranteed event shirt. A packet pick-up event featuring food and special activities will take place on the north side of Thirlby Field on Wednesday, November 26 from 5-8pm; participants can also pick up their packets on race day from 7-8:30am. For registration and more information, click here. Permalink

Several Northern Michigan Food Pantries Receive Generous Gift

From 9 & 10 news...

Posted: Oct 09, 2014 3:20 PM MSTUpdated: Oct 09, 2014 3:20 PM MST

By Katherine Ducharme, Reporter

CONNECT

 

A generous gift to several Northern Michigan food pantries today.

United Auto Workers Union retirees gave out six $1,000 checks to pantries in Leelanau, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Wexford, Kalkaska and Manistee counties.

The donations came straight from the retirees pockets.

It will help the pantries provide more than just food to those who need help.

"When you look at a family that's in need, they're often deciding what are they gonna get are they gonna get medicine or food," said Mark Nance, Core Officer of the Cadillac Salvation Army. "Are they gonna be able to send their child to school with a backpack, with clean clothes, or new clothes so this money really helps."

This is the third $1,000 donation from UAW members to these food pantries in the last year.

Unique Giving to Dog Causes

From the 3 October 2014 issue of USA Today - State by State - 6a news

COLORADO Fort Collins

Blessing of the Animals event will be held Saturday. The event at Redeemer Lutheran Church is free, but donations will be sought for the K-9 Comfort Dog Charity, The Colordoan reported. These trained golden retrievers that interact with people at schools, nursing homes and hospitals in the event of a disaster.

UTAH West Valley City

Six police dogs are getting new bulletproof vests after an Internet campaign raised more than $335,000 for the gear.

Click here for website

$250k Headed to Cherryland Humane Society

September 23, 2014 - TC Ticker

The Cherryland Humane Society in Traverse City is in line to receive a $250,000 gift from a Saginaw couple with strong connections to the area. The announcement was made late last week and as of yesterday morning Executive Director Mike Cherry had not heard the news. "I'm in awe," he tells The Ticker as we deliver the news. B.J. Humphreys, co-trustee with John Kunitzer of the Carl and Sandra Werth Testamentary Trust, confirms the donation and says the hope is to have the dispersement to the Cherryland Humane Society by the end of the year. Humphreys says Kunitzer had previous conversations with someone at the Humane Society about the gift. Sandra passed away in the fall of 2013; Carl this past January. This gift is 2.5 percent of $10 million left to several Saginaw-area charities, including nearly $7 million to the Community Foundation for an endowment to benefit education. They also gave $1 million to St. Mary's of Michigan and Covenant HealthCare foundations for cancer care, $500,000 to the National Cancer Institute and $250,000 to the Humane Society of Saginaw. Sandra was a native of Traverse City and she and Carl built a house on the Old Mission Peninsula and also had a condo in the area. They spent time here following Carl's retirement, though continued to be residents of Saginaw, where Carl was born and raised. The donation comes at a time when the Humane Society has been facing a desperate financial situation. As of early August, it had raised some $50,000. At that time, Cherry told The Ticker the $500,000 fundraising goal includes “a couple hundred thousand” to sustain operations and assist with restructuring for long-term sustainability, as well as to build up its cash reserves. He said getting to December and end-of-year-giving – a time when donations have historically been “heavy” – is critical for the nonprofit. Permalink

Community Challenge is a chance to say ‘thanks’ to Traverse Health Clinic

Published: Sunday, September 21, 2014 : Grand Traverse Insider

By Kristine Morris
Contributing Writer

Photo courtesy Sherri Fenton -

Traverse Health Clinic is noted for providing quality affordable care 

to all area residents regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

REGION – Since the mid-1970s, when it was known as the Community Health Clinic, the Traverse Health Clinic (THC) has been providing health care to the medically underserved. And though it’s gone through some changes, its mission remains the same: to provide quality primary health care services to the community, regardless of the type of public or private insurance people have – or even if they don’t have insurance.

Services are offered at an affordable cost with sliding fees based on household income and family size. Every patient is welcome and no one is turned away for lack of ability to pay.

Now it’s time for the community to give back, and the American Proficiency Institute is helping by offering a dollar-for-dollar match for gifts up to $25,000 towards THC’s Clinical Care Expansion Campaign. Funds raised will support extended provider hours at the family care clinic.

More ... click here

New YMCA Opens Monday - Announces new $3 million campaign

TC Ticker -

September 20, 2014

The new Grand Traverse Bay YMCA on West Silver Lake Road opens Mon., Sept. 22, at 5:30am, with the first fitness class kicking off at 6am. While the tennis courts, health & fitness center, learn to swim pool and hot tub are ready to go, the eight-lane competitive swim pool will not be complete until late October or early November, says Board President Lynn Schultz. The old Y facility on the Boardman River will remain open for basketball, pickleball and other court sports as will the Y facility on Woodmere, which houses its gymnastics program and childcare. Schultz says membership at the new Y is at 1,321, exceeding the board goal of 1,150 by opening day. The search for a new leader at the facility is also underway, with the first search committee meeting held earlier this week. The board parted ways with longtime CEO Tom Van Deinse in early August. Schultz said the committee expects a new executive director to be in place within six months. Earlier this month, some members upset about Van Deinse's departure were circulating petitions to require a board meeting with the general membership but Schultz says as of this week the board has not been presented with any such petition or approached about it. It is, however, meeting soon with a subgroup of the membership, but Schultz says that is a private meeting. The long-awaited and delayed opening of the new Y's doors also marks the beginning of fundraising for Phase 2 of the project – a gym and indoor running track for which the organization needs to raise $3 million. Permalink

Another $1.5 Million For Boardman River Project

From TC Ticker -

September 16, 2014

The Conservation Resource Alliance in Traverse City has been awarded $1.5 million in grant funding from Sustain Our Great Lakes (SOGL) for the Boardman River Dams Restoration Project. SOGL is a public-private partnership that supports habitat restoration throughout the Great Lakes basin. The Conservation Resource Alliance is the project manager. This grant follows more than $1 million in grant funding from other public and private sources announced in July and brings the total raised for the removal of Boardman Dam and replacement of Cass Road Bridge to $7.1 million. The local fundraising goal to complete this part of the overall project is $10.8 million. The SOGL grant requires a 1:1 match in non-federal funds. Construction at Boardman Dam, beginning with the Cass Road bridge construction, is slated to begin in 2015. Construction for removal of Boardman Dam is tentatively scheduled to begin in 2016; Sabin Dam removal is expected to occur no earlier than 2017. Permalink

Golf Benefit - Inspirational Golfer to Speak in TC

September 12, 2014 - TC Ticker

A benefit for the Traverse City Junior Golf Association and the Walking For Kids Foundation will be held Tues., Sept. 16, at 6:30pm at the City Opera House. The evening will feature DJ Gregory, who was born with cerebral palsy and told he would never walk again. He started playing golf as a nine-year-old and in 2008 set a goal to walk every hole of every round of every golf tournament. He completed the goal 11 months later, after walking nearly 1,000 miles You can watch a video about Gregory's quest here. The Opera House event is free. Permalink

Sunrise Rotary celebrates 11 years, 14,000 donated backpacks

Grand Traverse Insider - Morning Star Publishing - August 24, 2014

Courtesy photo Dozens of students and adults formed two assembly lines last Tuesday at Sabin Elementary School, filling more than 1,400 backpacks as part of the Sunrise Rotary Club’s “stuffing night.”

TRAVERSE CITY – The Traverse Bay Sunrise Rotary Club gathered last Tuesday for its 11th annual ‘stuffing night’ to load school supplies into 1,400 backpacks for distribution to deserving students. With this year’s distribution the total number of backpacks that have been donated since program inception will exceed 14,000.

“So much volunteer time goes into this project,” said club president Sean Skarshaug. “And it’s worth every minute when you see the kids as they look through the pile of colorful backpacks to choose just the right one.

“It’s our way of letting the kids know we believe in them, we’re proud of them, and we want to support their education.”

More here ...

Sunrise Rotary celebrates 11 years, 14,000 donated backpacks - Grand Traverse Insider - Morning Star Publishing

Pickleball in Suttons Bay? Fundraising Campaign

TC Ticker ... August 26, 2014
A group of pickleball enthusiasts is hoping to raise $40,000 to build two pickleball courts at Herman Park in Suttons Bay. Pickleball is a cross between ping pong and tennis. The sport has seen an explosion of new players in recent years. So far, the group is a third of the way to its goal. More info on Facebook. Permalink

August 19, 2014 via email ....

Donate $20 and send a child back to school in new shoes!

$20 = 1 pair of shoes = 1 happy child

The Father Fred Foundation is seeking donations of $20 to help send area children back to school in new shoes - and a big smile - this fall. Every $20 donated between now and Labor Day will help us provide one child with a pair of brand new back-to-school shoes.

More click here

Michael Moore, Kathleen Glynn Donate $250k to Film Fest

July 31, 2014 by TC Ticker - link below

Filmmaker Michael Moore presented a $250,000 check Tuesday evening to the Traverse City Film Festival (TCFF) board of directors to launch a new program that will bring independent, documentary and foreign films to movie theaters across the country. The check - presented on behalf of Moore and his former wife and longtime producer Kathleen Glynn - represents the last of a nearly million-dollar fund established by the duo in 1989 using profits from Moore's film Roger & Me to benefit artistic groups and nonprofit organizations. The money will be used to launch a new program, tentatively called Mike's Movie Night, that will stream independent films once a month to theaters across the United States and Canada using the State Theatre as a home base. Moore will curate the films along with other prominent filmmakers and will host live Q&As with the film's directors and cast at the events. The Q&As will also be simulcast and will provide audience members opportunities to ask questions of the filmmakers. "I wanted to do something special, something big to honor all the good over the years that has resulted from my first film," says Moore of the gift. "This donation will be used specifically to address the lack of access across the country for people who want to go to a movie theater and see a foreign film or a documentary." The quarter-million dollar donation will be overseen and administered by the festival board, which would "like to bring a little bit of Traverse City to the rest of the world," according to board treasurer and TCFF co-founder John Robert Williams. Permalink

Goodwill Looks to "Fill The Freezer"

TC Business Magazine, e-newsletter, "The Ticker", 28 July 2014

Goodwill is turning to crowdfunding site Indiegogo to "Fill the Freezer" with healthy protein. The campaign aims to help local 4-H kids and put healthy local meat on the plates of people served by the Goodwill Inn, Addiction Treatment Services, Meals on Wheels and Food Rescue by raising funds to buy livestock at the Northwestern Michigan Fair 4-H Livestock auction on August 7. Every gift toward the $5,000 goal goes toward the purchase of an animal that will feed thousands. The cost to purchase and process a pig is about $600, approximately $1,500 for a steer. Permalink

Caring for Kelsey

Bill Marsh posted this on a twitter feed ....

For five years, Kelsey Clous has been tethered to hospitals in a valiant battle against a rare blood clotting disorder. A group of supporters is coming to the aid of the Clous family as they deal with skyrocketing bills. 

We have created this fundraiser to help the Clous family with the costs associated with Kelsey’s illness.

We will also hold an event called Caring for Kelsey on August 8th at Bill Marsh Automotive on South Garfield in Traverse City, Michigan. The fundraiser will include a huge bake sale, lunch, silent auction, car wash and oil changes. The proceeds will help the family with costs (travel to hospitals, housing, living expenses) associated with Kelsey’s illness. - 

See more at: http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/caring-for-kelsey-/197124#sthash.lxfRcp5o.dpuf

Have you had experience using youcaring.com?

TC Patriot Game to Benefit Vets

From TC Ticker - link below July 3, 2014

Proceeds from the Traverse City Patriot Game – the annual football clash between the Central Trojans and West Titans on September 12 – will once again benefit Reining Liberty Ranch, a program that helps returning northern Michigan veterans. Reining Liberty received more than $13,000 last year and used the money to purchase a new horse, build shelters and piloted an eight-week veterans program. The group was selected by Student Senate leaders from both Central and West. "The students were very impressed with how the ranch used last year's money," says West football coach Tim Wooer. "But they felt another boost from this year's event will help veterans dealing with PTSD and other trauma through new support programs." T-shirts will be sold and donations accepted to raise money. A portion of the funds will also go toward an eventual permanent veterans memorial at Thirlby Field. More info about the game and fundraising efforts is available by contacting the athletic departments at either school. Permalink

Solstice Run Meets $30k Goal

June 30, 2014: TC Ticker of Traverse City Business Magazine
The recent Solstice Run – a 40-mile run through the night organized by TC-based On The Ground – met its $30,000 goal, officially launching Project Congo. The funding will launch programming in the Democratic Republic of Congo to raise awareness for female farmers and to make lives better for the Congolese women and their families. Permalink

Former Timbers Girl Scout Camp Permanently Protected

June 26, 2014: The Ticker of Traverse City Magazine

The approximately 250-acre Timbers Recreation Area – formerly the Timbers Girl Scout Camp for 50 years – will be turned over to Long Lake Township and open to the public by the end of August. The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (GTRLC) confirms that a fundraising goal of $891,300 was met with just days to spare to permanently protect the recreation area. These matching funds followed a $2.1 million grant award from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund in December 2012. The property includes nearly 9,000 feet of water frontage – 2,000 feet on Long Lake, the entire 20-acre Fern Lake within its boundary with 4,500 feet of shoreline, and approximately 2.400 on Page Lake. The property also features a network of two-tracks and trails with potential for future trails. Development of the property's management plan and activities will be conducted by the township with assistance from the conservancy. "The property was such a mystery," says Glen Chown, executive director of the GTRLC. "So many people around the lake had never set foot on it because it was a camp, and they respected the privacy of the Girl Scouts. It's so close to Traverse City and yet it's real wild country." Discussion about preserving the former Girl Scouts camp began in 2004, with negotiations to purchase the property from the Girl Scout Council in 2009. Interim buyers Don and Gerry Oleson purchased he property in 2012, holding it while the township awaited the decision on the grant award. Fundraising included an anonymous $150,000 match for all donations, a $25,000 match for donations made by, or in honor of, former Timbers campers and staff members, a $20,000 match for all donations made by Long Lake Association members, support from the Long Lake Foundation and the sale of the old troop house. Girl Scout alumnae also held a reunion and yard sale, with former scouts traveling from as far away as Alaska to support conservation of the property. Permalink