Page 8 - 2025 Summer Our Hands

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

THANK It's been an amazing 2025 of generosity and support from our community and
YOU corporate partners across the state! To learn how you can get involved with our
Samaritas programs, contact Opal Maye at Opal.Maye@samaritas.org

A Win for Small
Businesses
Our Power West Team
showed up in full support of
this amazing opportunity for
small businesses in Muskegon
and Kent Counties to apply for
Grant Helps Digitize Adoptee History a $5K+ grant now through May
We received a $200,000 Capacity building grant from the Michigan 31. One hundred businesses
Health Endowment Fund, to help Legacy Adoption Services digitize will be selected, with winners
and locate Adult Adoptee Medical and Social History records. announced this August.
This is our second RISE event
and we’re grateful for these
Acrisure volunteers collected moments to raise awareness,
and packaged Family Care build community, and connect
Kits for refugee families with incredible changemakers.
Samaritas is thankful to Acrisure for
supporting Samaritas through the Girl Scout Troup 77615
Comcast RISE initiative to uplift Provides 16 Birthday Cake Kits
refugees in Grand Rapids. Acrisure A big shout-out and thank-you to Girl
volunteers collected and packaged Scout Troop 77615 from New Haven
Family Care Kits for refugee families. for their thoughtful donation of 16
We're especially grateful for the out- birthday cake kits.
of -state Acrisure volunteers who
traveled to Michigan from as far Each kit includes a box of cake mix, a
away as Arizona, Vermont, and can of Sprite (used as a substitute for
Oklahoma to help enrich Samaritas eggs and oil), frosting, and candles—
post-resettlement refugee project.
everything needed to make a birthday
feel special. These kits will be offered
to families we serve to help them
celebrate upcoming birthdays.
Thanks to Troop 77615, more of our
foster families will experience the joy
and warmth that come with a birthday
celebration.
Titus 2 Women’s Ministry
80 Easter Baskets
Delivered to Teens Spruce Up Visitation Rooms
We're giving the Titus 2 Women's
Thanks to DTE Ministry of the Lifequest Urban
Thanks to the Project Outreach Center a big thank you and
Good Friday Drive—a an even bigger shout-out for sprucing
partnership between up our foster care parent visitation
Samaritas and DTE’s rooms at our Grand Rapids office.
West Michigan office—
we were able to deliver Compassion in Every Care Kit
80 Easter gift baskets to Service knows no age limits as community partners came
tween and teen foster together this spring to assemble Care Kits. Valentina, a
youth in our care. sixth-grader at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Plymouth,
This thoughtful effort initiated a donation drive, creating 41 Care Kits for refugee
helped relieve financial children as part of her Confirmation service project.
stress for foster families Meanwhile, Jake Piper and his team at Community Choice
during the holiday Credit Union dedicated their “Give Big” day to assemble 23
season. We’re kits for seniors at Detroit’s Gateshead Affordable Living.
especially grateful to Additionally, college students from MSU’s Alpha Xi Delta
the DTE employees and sorority and WSU’s Refugee Support Network club
volunteers across organized drives to benefit foster care children and
Michigan who made it refugees. These inspiring efforts showcase the power of
possible. community and compassion in action.

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