Know Your Org: Year in Review

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"Know Your Org" is an informational series designed to spotlight some of the wonderful organizations in our community. This month, we are reviewing all the excellent institutions we've written about so far this year.

Fleece and Thank You

Fleece and Thank You is a non-profit organization that aims to provide comfort, hope and connection to children in the hospital. The organization aims to provide a comforting blanket and a video message of hope to every child (ages 0-18) admitted to the hospital for an inpatient stay.

To get involved, you can volunteer to help at their warehouse or prepare a blanket at home using their blanket kits and create a video to accompany it. You can contact Fleece and Thank You at 313-451-3665 and visit their website.

Fred Hart Williams Genealogical Society

The Fred Hart Williams Genealogical Society is the oldest African American genealogical society in Michigan. They are dedicated to preserving African American family histories and stories. The society meets digitally, hosts speakers and takes an annual field trip to a historical site or organization.

You can become a member of this group via their website. For general inquiries, email infor@fhwgs.org.

Friends of the Rouge

The Friends of the Rouge has a mission to restore, protect and enhance the Rouge River watershed through stewardship, education and collaboration. They host annual events and educational opportunities for the community to learn about and take action on the declining health of the river and its surrounding ecosystem.

The Friends of the Rouge also have regular volunteer opportunities to restore the watershed. Check out their website for more information on how to get involved. You can contact the organization by phone at 734-927-4900 or by email at friends@therouge.org.

Dawn Farm

Dawn Farm is an addiction treatment center located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Their goal is to assist addicts and alcoholics in achieving long-term recovery. Dawn Farm provides a continuum of services, including withdrawal management, family therapy, transitional housing and much more.

If you or a loved one is struggling with substance use, you can call Dawn Farm at 734-669-8265 or email intake@dawnfarm.org. If you are interested in volunteering or donating, email donation@dawnfarm.org or visit their website.

Foster Closet of Michigan

The Foster Closet of Michigan is a free resource that provides primarily clothing, as well as some books, toys, and hygiene products, for children in foster care. These resources are also available for kids experiencing financial hardship in the community.

The Foster Closet always needs help assisting shoppers, organizing, and replenishing the shelves and foster closet space. For more information or to inquire about donating or volunteer opportunities, call 734-421-6300 or visit their website.

Canton Cares

Canton Cares is an organization established to fund projects, programs and support for residents. They support both community programs and individuals.

The organization receives funds to support the community through donations, fundraising, sponsorships and nonprofit grants. These funds are used to provide financial support for youth programs, senior services, veteran programs, individuals affected by tragedy or natural disaster and more. Canton Cares works with the Canton Community Foundation as its fiduciary, which holds and distributes funds.

If you know a Canton resident in need or a Township employee who deserves honoring, you can contact Laura Mortier at laura.mortier@cantonmi.gov. If it is something they would typically fund, she’ll send you a form to get more information.

Three Cities Art Club

The Three Cities Art Club is a local art club, whose name refers to Canton, Plymouth, and Westland; however, people of all ages across Metro Detroit are welcome to participate. Local artists gather monthly at the Plymouth District Library to exhibit their artwork, try new techniques or learn new things.

Anyone can attend the meetings for free up to three times. After attending the third meeting, you must join the club to continue; the membership fee is $30 per year. There’s one large, juried art show that takes place each year around November, which does not require membership for submissions.

If you’d like to know more about the Three Cities Art Club or want to attend one of their monthly meetings, visit their website.

Food Assistance Programs

There are several food assistance programs available locally that are ready and willing to help. If you need help getting enough food for yourself, your family or someone you know, here are some organizations that can assist:

If you are not in need of assistance at this time but would like to help, most of these organizations accept donations of food or funds and have volunteer opportunities. Contact one near you and see how you can assist.

Canton Chamber of Commerce

The Canton Chamber of Commerce is an organization dedicated to ensuring the economic vitality and vibrancy of the business community in Canton. They also run programs that include workshops, networking events, a sustainability project, a Made in Michigan CEO speaker series and a community gift certificate program.

The Chamber aims to cover many aspects of the development of professional Canton, including providing educational programs through their Canton Chamber University and connecting and empowering business leaders and residents through their Leadership Canton program.

You can become a member of the Chamber of Commerce through paid membership. Otherwise, you can get involved by participating in their fundraising events.

To stay informed about the Chamber's activities, visit their programs and events page or subscribe to their monthly newsletter. If you’re looking for work or have job openings to post, you can visit their career center page.

First Step

First Step is a non-profit that provides services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Services include providing shelter, counseling, advocates and individualized safety plans.

First Step also has a program called Community Response, which houses advocates within the police departments. These advocates are contacted to engage with people who have reported domestic or sexual violence to the police.

The quickest way for people in need to connect with First Step is to call their 24-hour crisis line at 734-722-6800. First Step has many volunteer opportunities and accepts donations. To view their donation guidelines, visit their website.

Dress for Success

Dress for Success is a global organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence. The Michigan location has been around for 26 years.

Dress for Success Michigan provides developmental tools to help women from all walks of life thrive in the workplace and in everyday life. These developmental tools include providing professional attire as well as workshops and events that focus on various aspects of professional and personal development, including career coaching, resume building and financial literacy.

You can get involved with the organization through volunteering or by making a donation through their website. To inquire about their services, volunteering or scheduling drop-offs for clothing item donations, you can call their office throughout the week at 734-712-0517 or email michigan@dressforsuccess.org.

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