Episodes

  • Michigan Groups Who Help Veterans

    Michigan Groups Who Help Veterans
    Feb 21 2025
    Feb. 21, 2025 ~ The Michigan Freedom Center, also known as the Michigan Armed Forces Hospitality Center, has been helping military veterans since 2011. The MI Freedom Center has been a place where volunteers have provided care, comfort, and courtesy to traveling military and their families, ranging from active-duty military personnel, to veterans, to NATO Forces, reservists, and the National Guard. Col. Mike Grieger joins WJR Michigan Voices. Volunteers of America Michigan President and CEO Aubrey Macfarlane talks about Volunteers of America's programs funded by federal grants to help veterans get back on their feet. These programs for veterans include case management, employment training, suicide prevention, transitional housing, and other supportive services for veteran families.
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    21 mins
  • Providing Feminine Hygiene Kits and Education Assistance

    Providing Feminine Hygiene Kits and Education Assistance
    Feb 14 2025
    Feb. 16, 2025 ~ Lacey Catarino is the founder and executive director of The Clean Love Project, which she started in her home in 2015. The organization was officially established as a nonprofit in 2017, and is dedicated to helping women and young girls to feel clean, loved, and empowered. The organization mainly distributes hygiene kits in the Detroit area to those who are homeless, living in poverty, or are survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars is a nonprofit dedicated to providing scholars with the tools and opportunities to graduate from high school and college. The Next Level Scholars Program offers comprehensive support, including FAFSA workshops, SAT prep, and academic resources to guide scholars through the college admissions process and their continued success. Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars (DRDFS) has been helping local students prepare for life after high school for 35 years. Program Director Jill Marecki joins Michigan Voices.
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    28 mins
  • Granting Wishes and Helping Foster Children

    Granting Wishes and Helping Foster Children
    Feb 7 2025
    The Rainbow Connection is the only wish-granting organization based in Michigan, granting wish experiences for children, along with emergency support, special programs and events, and a scholarship program for wish children who move on to college. Since its founding, the organization has granted more than 5,000 wishes across Michigan. Executive Director Ingrid Todt said the organization is celebrating its 40th year. Kevin Roach is the CEO of MCHS, a metro Detroit nonprofit celebrating more than 100 years of serving vulnerable youth in the community, is leading the way in new, modern approaches to addressing everything from foster care and adoption to the mental health crisis. The organization serves thousands of individuals through residential treatment, foster care, adoption, and other programs.
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    28 mins
  • Valentine's to Veterans, Helping Rouge Park, and Suicide Prevention with First Responders

    Valentine's to Veterans, Helping Rouge Park, and Suicide Prevention with First Responders
    Jan 31 2025
    Feb. 2, 2025 ~ Since 2015, students across the region have made hundreds of cards each year to show love and appreciation to veterans at the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center along with VA doctors, nurses, administrators, and staff. Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-6) joins Michigan Voices to talk about the Valentine's for Veterans program, which she started a decade ago to honor her late husband, Congressman John Dingell. The Gilbert Family Foundation announced a $430,000 three-year grant (the largest-ever grant in the organization's history) to Friends of Rouge Park to expand community programming in Rouge Park, the largest urban park in the state of Michigan. Rouge Park is a green space that spans nearly 1,200 acres and serves as a symbol of Detroit's ongoing efforts to preserve natural beauty while fostering community connection. JJ Velez, director of public spaces for the Gilbert Foundation, joins Michigan Voices. Frontline Strong Together is a program for first responders and their families, as more police and firefighters die of suicide than in the line of duty. This is a statewide program offering training peer support and counselors among the police and firefighters, as they are much more likely to reach out to one of their colleagues than a mental health specialist. Ali Amirsadri, associate department chair of psychiatry at Wayne State University, and Mike Matten, firefighter and member of Frontline Strong Together, join Michigan Voices.
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    28 mins
  • Hospice Services and Helping Southeast Michigan Youth

    Hospice Services and Helping Southeast Michigan Youth
    Jan 26 2025
    Jan. 24, 2025 ~ Hospice of Michigan (HOM) is the original and largest hospice location in the state. The nonprofit raises more than $5 million each year to cover costs for the uninsured and underinsured for hospice services. HOM offers a broad range of services to enhance the quality of life at the end of life, grief support and counseling, and caregiver education and support. Ruth Moore-Lilly, volunteer program manager at Hospice of Michigan, said the organization needs volunteers for its programs in Southeast Michigan. Junior Achievement of Southeastern Michigan (JASEM) started 75 years ago in Detroit back in 1949 and has served more than 2 million young people across the region. Jason Lee, president and CEO of JASEM, spoke about the $1.5 million in renovations and improvements, the first major upgrades to Junior Achievement Finance Park in Detroit in 15 years. The first group of students will be visiting and receiving life-changing financial literacy lessons there this month.
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    26 mins
  • Helping Young People and Community Outreach

    Helping Young People and Community Outreach
    Jan 19 2025
    Jan. 18, 2025 ~ Junior Achievement of Southeastern Michigan (JASEM) started 75 years ago in Detroit back in 1949 and has served more than 2 million young people across the region. Jason Lee is the president and CEO of JASEM and he talked about the $1.5 million in renovations and improvements, the first major upgrades to Junior Achievement Finance Park in Detroit in 15 years at the Downtown Detroit campus. JA Finance Park is a mini "town" inside the building with storefronts, classrooms, virtual reality career exploration opportunities, and a place where students can learn how to budget, buy homes, pay taxes, and so many other critical financial skills needed to succeed. Nolan Kare is the President of Miracle on Tilson Street, an organization that just gained its state non-profit status. The Miracle on Tilson Street started during the pandemic when a group of neighbors on Tillson Street in Romeo, Michigan thought they would decorate their homes for Halloween. After hundreds of people came to visit, the group began to charity outreach to members of the community who needed financial support. In 2024, the group helped nearly a hundred local families with food and other necessities and the group hopes to expand in 2025.
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    25 mins
  • Helping Military Families and Small Businesses

    Helping Military Families and Small Businesses
    Jan 12 2025
    Jan. 12, 2025 ~ Folds of Honor is a nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of military members who have died or been disabled while serving in the United States Military. Since its inception in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded over 52,000 scholarships totaling over $240 million in all 50 states. It was founded by Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, the only-ever F-16 fighter pilot with three combat tours in Iraq and PGA Professional. Racheal Allen, CEO of Operations School, is the only small business support hub in Oakland County that serves minority business owners. Launched in 2019, O School serves more than 1,200 entrepreneurs per year free of charge, helping them get their businesses legal, branded, operational, noticed, profitable, and ready to scale.
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    29 mins
  • Helping Bees and Those Who Need Home Repairs

    Helping Bees and Those Who Need Home Repairs
    Jan 5 2025
    Jan. 5, 2025 ~ Bees in the D is a trusted group of educators focused on pollinators, specifically honeybees, and provides a model for beekeeping nationally. Through global education and our nationally recognized urban beekeeping model, the group increases knowledge about pollinators and is a recognized advocate for honeybees. The nonprofit provides honeybee hives and beekeeping training for schools, businesses, and local municipalities. Founder Brian Peterson joins Michigan Voices. Mission Possible of Oakland County, also known as Faith in Action of Oakland of Oakland County, has worked in 42 communities in Oakland County and beyond to provide home repairs to those who cannot afford to get them done themselves. Board of Directors chair Jackie Smiertka joins Michigan Voices.
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    27 mins