12/6/2023
ALPENA – In its ninth year of providing the platform for local nonprofits to participate in the global Giving Tuesday movement, the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan (CFNEM) helped 62 nonprofit organizations to raise a grand total of $336,643 on November 28. The Community Foundation held a virtual Zoom and Facebook Live event on Wednesday, December 6 to announce the final totals, and totals raised for each individual organization.
“The generosity of northeast Michigan and those who care about it shouldn’t surprise us anymore, yet we are always amazed at it,” said CFNEM Executive Director Patrick Heraghty. “It is great to see our community show up with such incredible support for the nonprofits tirelessly serving northeast Michigan. Everyone who donated on Giving Tuesday should take pride in knowing they are part of this movement.”
Giving Tuesday follows the widely recognized shopping events of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, offering a dedicated day for charitable giving as the holiday season kicks off. The hope for this worldwide movement is that people will set aside a few minutes, and perhaps some shopping money, to give back to their community through the charities and causes they support.
Sixty-two nonprofits from Alcona, Alpena, Cheboygan, Crawford, Iosco, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda and Presque Isle Counties participated in the event through the Community Foundation and its three affiliate foundations, which provided the online platform, marketing tools and all recording efforts, free of charge to the participating organizations. Every penny of each donation received went directly to the organization chosen by the donor.
Grant, the Giving Tuesday Golden Goose, who was unveiled in 2017, was presented to the Boys and Girls Club of Alpena for raising the most funds ($32,665) during the 24-hour giving event. Funds raised on Giving Tuesday will help the organization with providing a “second home” for children and teens where they can thrive through the Club’s many programs.
The amounts raised for each organization in this year’s campaign are as follows:
| Organization | Total |
| Boys and Girls Club of Alpena | $32,665.00 |
| Alpena Community College Foundation | $28,980.00 |
| Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan | $19,250.00 |
| Second Chance Animal Shelter | $17,874.00 |
| Northeast Michigan Women's Giving Circle | $15,355.00 |
| Friends Together | $14,240.00 |
| Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary | $13,145.78 |
| Friends of Hubbard Lake Center | $12,145.00 |
| Children's Advocacy Center of Northeast Michigan | $9,389.00 |
| Huron Humane Society | $8,550.64 |
| West Branch-Rose City Educational Support Partnership | $8,154.76 |
| CFNEM Community Impact Fund | $7,130.00 |
| Thunder Bay Community Health Service | $6,590.00 |
| Ogemaw County Historical Museum | $6,425.00 |
| Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative | $6,320.00 |
| Habitat for Humanity NE MI | $6,175.00 |
| Presque Isle Township Museum Society | $6,005.00 |
| Hope Shores Alliance | $5,330.00 |
| Sunrise Mission | $5,315.00 |
| Northern Michigan Children's Assessment Center | $5,225.00 |
| Thunder Bay Island Lighthouse Preservation Society | $5,110.00 |
| Alcona Humane Society | $4,950.00 |
| United Way of Northeast Michigan | $4,912.00 |
| Art in the Loft | $4,720.00 |
| Thunder Bay Arts Council | $4,365.00 |
| Crawford County Commission on Aging | $4,320.00 |
| Thunder Bay Theatre | $4,135.00 |
| Sunrise Centre | $3,810.00 |
| The Sunset Project | $3,630.00 |
| Ogemaw Hills Free Clinic | $3,350.00 |
| Alpena County Geroge N. Fletcher Public Library | $3,240.00 |
| Rayola, Inc. | $3,180.00 |
| All Saints Catholic School | $3,120.00 |
| Alpena Area Senior Citizens Council | $2,740.00 |
| Rea Family Animal Shelter | $2,610.00 |
| St. Vincent de Paul - West Branch | $2,250.00 |
| Friends of Negwegon State Park | $2,240.00 |
| Iosco County Humane Society | $1,950.00 |
| Alpena's Bird Center | $1,710.00 |
| Alpena Street Performers | $1,442.00 |
| Friends of the Deer Refuge | $1,375.00 |
| Pine River Van Etten Lake Watershed Coalition | $1,305.00 |
| Alcona Music Project | $1,195.00 |
| Northeast MI Community Service Agency | $1,145.00 |
| Northeast Michigan TNR | $1,030.00 |
| Quota International of Iosco County Charitable Foundation | $1,005.00 |
| Friends of Tawas Point Lighthouse and State Park | $975.00 |
| Lydia's Gate | $745.00 |
| Claws and Paws Rescue | $700.00 |
| AuSable Valley Animal Shelter | $530.00 |
| Liberty's Dream | $460.00 |
| Develop Iosco | $430.00 |
| Crawford County Community Christian Help Center | $360.00 |
| Huron Endurance and Resources Project | $325.00 |
| Mackinaw Area Historical Society | $300.00 |
| Harbor Lights Pregnancy and Information Center | $270.00 |
| North Central MI Community Impact Funds | $250.00 |
| Whispering Hope Ranch | $225.00 |
| Iosco County Community Improvement Fund | $185.00 |
| Cheboygan County Humane Society | $175.00 |
| Straits Area Community Needs Fund | $100.00 |
| Wawatam Senior Center | $100.00 |
| Ana's Treasures | $50.00 |
| Mackinac Straits Health Foundation | $50.00 |
| Mackinaw Woman's Club | $50.00 |
| Mackinaw Area Public Library | $25.00 |
| Cheboygan County Habitat for Humanity | $20.00 |
The Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan is a charitable organization committed to providing people who care about the future of our area with unique and effective ways of supporting their community now, and for generations to come. Its three affiliate foundations include Iosco County Community Foundation, North Central Michigan Community Foundation, and Straits Area Community Foundation. Led by a volunteer board of local citizens, the foundation oversees a group of permanently endowed funds from a wide range of donors. Gifts of all sizes from individuals, families, businesses, and agencies are invested in a balanced, well-managed portfolio to build endowments, enabling support for students and local community nonprofits now and forever.
PHOTO: Left to right, Brad Somers of the Boys and Girls Club of Alpena; Christine Hitch, CFNEM Marketing Communications Director; Patrick Heraghty, CFNEM Executive Director
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