Tag Archive for: Charitable Giving

Image showing an autographed Justin Abdelkader jersey.

#MMGivesBack: Stand Up for the Cure

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Each month, our staff selects a local charity to support through our #MMGivesBack program. Our goal is to give back, get involved and make a difference.

In honor of Loan Officer Shawn Norden and her passion for breast cancer awareness, we have selected Stand up for the Cure (SUFTC) Muskegon as this month’s charity.

“As a breast cancer survivor, I learned very quickly the importance of early detection,” Norden said. “It is not a cliché. Finding breast cancer early offers you less invasive treatment options and a much greater probability of survival.”

“My wish is that every woman has the same access that I did for finding breast cancer early – that is why I Stand Up for the Cure,” she said.

The event – the fifth in Muskegon – is slated for Saturday, July 13, at Harbour Towne Beach.

SUFTC’s mission is “to help women find breast cancer early – when it’s more treatable – through education, awareness, screenings and research while building a supportive, compassionate community.” The event aims to introduce non-paddlers to the fun and healthy sport of standup paddle boarding.

According to the organization, “Seventy-five percent of the funds raised at the 2019 event will go to local programs managed through Hackley Community Care, with the remaining twenty-five percent going to Van Andel Institute to fuel Dr. Carrie Graveel’s research into triple-negative breast cancer, which is the most aggressive and deadly form of the disease.”

“We help those right here in our community every day,” Norden added. “This is a huge reason why I support SUFTC. Of course, we want to end breast cancer forever – but until that happens, we need to help those afflicted by this horrid disease.”

Online registration is now open.

As part of this year’s event, Michigan Mortgage will be giving away a Red Wings jersey autographed by Muskegon’s very own Justin Abdelkader.

If you’d like an opportunity to win, stop by our office (6207 Harvey Street, Suite B) between now and July 12. The cost to enter is $10 for one chance and $20 for three.

If you’re planning to attend the July 13 event, stop by the Michigan Mortgage booth for your chance to win. All proceeds will go directly to Stand Up for the Cure.

The winner will be announced at noon on July 13. You need not be present to win.

If you have questions related to the giveaway, please call Shawn Norden at 231-557-9414.

“I am so grateful that our community has embraced this event and all it stands for,” Norden said. “We would not be able to be successful without our very generous sponsors, participants and the community as a whole.”

Muskegon Event Details
Location: Harbour Towne Beach, Muskegon
Date: Saturday, July 13
Time: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Activities: Kid’s Paddleboard Race, 5K Expert Race, Relay Races, Fun “Sea of Pink” Paddle, Yoga on the Beach, Free Breast Health Screenings, Live Music, Catered Lunch & Happy House, a Silent Auction and much more!

For more information about this year’s event, click here.

Kids' Food Basket logo

#MMGivesBack: Kids’ Food Basket Muskegon

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“Kids’ Food Basket is a grassroots, community solution to childhood hunger. We engage all who care about children reaching their full potential – in school and in life. We began over a decade ago by serving 125 kids each school day through our Sack Supper program and now serve nearly 8,000 kids each weekday in West Michigan.”

Our January Employee of the Month, Danielle Woodring, recognized the work Kid’s Food Basket Muskegon is doing in our local community and asked that we get involved.

“I volunteered with Kids’ Food Basket in the past and fell in love with their mission to ensure children in our community do not go hungry,” she said. “They support numerous local schools and prepare thousands of sack suppers on a weekly basis.”

“Without them, children go hungry and our community suffers.”

According to the Kids’ Food Basket website, “1 in 5 Michigan children are affected by hunger and thousands of West Michigan children are food insecure — they can’t count on having access to good, nourishing food every day.”

That’s why they do what they do: nourish thousands of children to help them reach their full potential.

“Consistent, nutritious meals support cognitive development and help children focus by meeting critical health needs.  With healthy calories we can lessen the risk of conditions such as diabetes and obesity. Healthy calories also help children avoid behavioral issues such as irritability, aggression and anxiety,” according to the Kids’ Food Basket.

“I feel like no child should ever go hungry,” Woodring said. “Finding where their next meal is coming from is not something a child should ever have to worry about.”

“The Kids’ Food Basket has so many different opportunities to volunteer,” she said. “Anyone can get involved and raise awareness about childhood hunger.”

This month, Michigan Mortgage employees were excited to donate supplies and assemble Supper Packs to donate to the organization. Employee’s children got to pitch in by decorating the paper bags that the pack suppers are distributed in. 

If you’d like to get involved, visit their website.

A Night of Pearls Event Brochure

Hometown Highlight: TCM Counseling

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TCM Counseling is not unlike so many of the amazing non profit organizations that organically came about when a need arose in the Tri Cities area.

For 40 years, TCM Counseling has been providing accessible and affordable professional therapy services along the lakeshore. TCM’s mission: to offer help and healing for all, by providing accessible and affordable professional counseling services.

“Our unique business model enables us to maximize donations and help everyone who calls or walks through our doors. No one is ever turned away,” said Sarah Lewakowski, executive director.

In 2017, TCM provided over one million dollars of mental health services on a budget of $406,000.TCM is able to turn a $1 donation into $3 worth of counseling. The organization depends on every generous dollar received, with the great majority of that money going directly to client care.

With offices in Grand Haven and Holland, TCM helps with issues affecting adults, children, teens, and families, including but not limited to depression, anxiety, stress, trauma, parenting, marriage counseling, addiction, sexual abuse, conflict, coping, communication, ADD/ADHD and more. Partnering with over 50 therapists, all in professional practice, they will find the best counselor for each individual’s needs.

“To me, my counselor has been an angel in disguise. She has faithfully listened and shared her wealth of knowledge with me. Prior to meeting her, I had thoughts of suicide, as it seemed there was no way out due to a very difficult divorce, complications from a car accident and being told that I would never work again as a nurse. She helped me pick up the pieces of my life and put them back together again, all while showing great compassion and understanding,” said one client of her experience with TCM.

On November 8, “A Night of Pearls Down to Earth Fashion Event” fundraiser will offer a magical evening at Porto Bello Restaurants Grand Ballroom to raise funds for needed counseling, and to support awareness of current mental health issues. All proceeds will go to TCM to support their efforts, including the growing School Outreach Program.

For a fun filled evening with upscale fashion show, music, cash bar silent and live auction, as well as a raffle drawing go to tcmcounseling.org for your tickets or to learn more!

Reimagine Challenge Logo

Supporting the #ReimagineChallenge

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The Reimagine Project is a community-wide initiative to rebuild the iconic Imagination Station in Grand Havens Mulligan’s Hollow. The goal is to reimagine the current play structure at Mulligan’s Hollow so that it will meet the needs of future generations, with accessibility to all, built with the best, most durable products. The saying “it takes a village”, couldn’t be more true in this beautiful community wide effort.

The project will be designed by over 100 local children, much like the original structure, constructed by 2,500 volunteers, 27 years ago. Over 1,500 volunteers will contribute to the construction and the community will fund the project 100 percent.

There are many ways to contribute to the Imagination Fund. Visit their website to learn how. Opportunities to give include: a picket for the fence, sponsor a component of the new play-space, purchase the Grand Haven-Opoly game, give through the Reimagine Real Estate Challenge or become a lead donor.

At Michigan Mortgage we are excited to have had the opportunity to participate in the Reimagine Real Estate Challenge, when we were challenged by Ryan Miller with Michigan Insurance Group to donate to the local fund. Thanks to Unsalted Living and Capstone Real Estate, who initiated this challenge to our local real estate and affiliated companies. Excited to accept the $500 Challenge, we in turn, challenged Jake Hoogeboom with @Home Realty in Grand Haven, who kept the ball rolling, by challenging Angela Hyde with @Home Realty. And, the challenge continues. We are so excited to see how much money is raised by our local real estate leaders.

Imagine living in a community so willing, enthusiastic and able to give when a need arises. We can’t wait to see the student lead designs moving forward! It takes a village of giving, industrious individuals to make change and we live in one of those communities! Michigan Mortgage loves West Michigan.