Holidays oftentimes bring out the spirit of giving and there hasn’t appeared to be a shortage of it. For many area non-profit and even corporate organizations, investing into the community it serves are traits that are fully activated year-round.
CNS Healthcare, a private, non-profit provider of integrated behavioral and physical health services, aimed to make the holiday less heavy. It utilized its resources to lighten the load normally associated with the holidays to purchase and help distribute 2,500 turkeys which also came with care packets filled with information and resources related to behavioral health. The giveaways kicked off the organization’s Season of Caring while also providing the community with resources for comfort and support.
“The holidays can be trying for many, both emotionally and economically,” said Michael Garrett, president/CEO of CNS Health Care. “It’s a good way to be indoctrinated into the community and a great way to build trust.”
Garrett hopes this act of giving back to the community through the organization he leads begins a deeper conversation about mental health, particularly in communities of color.
“We’re an organization that believes companies have a responsibility. You need to contribute to the individual needs of that area and how you can make your community better.”
He takes pride in his team engaging with and getting to know the different community groups and home associations so it can be a source and force for greater good.
Organizations striving to create positive community impact are something Michelle Reaves, executive director at DAPCEP, passionately pursues every single day.
Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP) is an educational non-profit organization which prepares underrepresented pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade students for STEM careers.
On Giving Tuesday, DAPCEP welcomed the opportunity to be recipients of generous community donations to in return provide scholarships to Explorer students and cover the $100 semester tuition for 40 DAPCEP pre-Kindergarten through second grade students.
“With exposure to STEM as early as pre-Kindergarten, students become more comfortable with and are not intimidated by tech experiments, terminology and formulas,” said Reaves. “Early STEM access nurtures a student’s critical thinking, creativity, confidence, communication and collaboration – important skillsets that will help that young person succeed not only in STEM but in all their academic endeavors.”
Reaves understands how crucial community support and funding is for an organization she leads so that it may continue to be a resource for the community it serves.
“As a non-profit organization, we see a need. It’s crucial for us, for those that work in the community and see our students — we can see the benefit of how this kind of exposure, what can happen and where your career can lead. It’s imperative that we give back.”
Giving means that her organization’s work continues to focus on underrepresented communities and making sure everyone understands the importance of STEM and how it impacts our daily lives.
“If we didn’t understand before the COVID pandemic, we certainly should understand it now on how important it is for a diverse population and diverse thought being at the table around issues that are related to us [people of color].”
Reaves understands how the organization’s support to our community year-round is thanks in part to community support itself.
“Funding is critical to DAPCEP’s success. We are so grateful for the ongoing support from our forty-plus corporate, school, university and community partners. Without such support, we would not be able to make our robust programming feasible for the number of area youth we serve,” said Reaves.
Giving back to the community also is evident in corporate entities such as the Rocket Community Fund and its Volunteer Engagement and Giving program. It leverages its employees to invest in the community. One of its initiatives allows teams members to advocate and raise money for causes they care about through its 2021 Community Challenge.
Corporate community effort also extends into companies such as AT&T Michigan through its Believe Detroit initiative, a community and employee engagement aimed at promoting educational opportunities, academic achievement and a path to self-sufficiency for the Detroit community. “We asked ourselves how can we make a bigger impact in Detroit,” said David Lewis, president of AT&T Michigan, where his team is focused on reaching out to the community to ask for its wants and needs. “It’s been a labor of love. We’ve been able to invest a lot, over $1 million over the last three years in the city of Detroit and making that kind of impact. Believe Detroit is about talking to the community, figuring out what the needs are, and strategically making the impact that the city deserves and needs.”
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