The Detroit-based Ethel and James Flinn Foundation has announced its 2025 grants. This year, the Board of Trustees awarded 60 grants totaling $3.0 million to mental health organizations across southeast Michigan.
With the goal of increasing access to effective mental health treatment for as many individuals as possible, these grants will support efforts in the following categories: Evidence-Based Practices, Capacity Building Opportunities, and Awareness, Education and Outreach Mini-Grants programs.
“We are proud to support our grantees’ efforts to expand services and strengthen our mental health system,” says Andrea Cole, President and CEO of the Ethel and James Flinn Foundation. “Our investment in their work is an investment in healthier individuals, stronger families and more resilient communities.”
Grantees are listed below.
To develop clear and equitable paths into the mental health system for all.
To train physicians to treat alcohol use disorders by implementing screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT).
To identify Veterans at risk of suicide and connect them with services by implementing Zero Suicide Program.
To develop a Dialectal Behavioral Therapy model for case management and behavioral health clients.
To establish a behavioral health urgent care center to expand continuum of care in Oakland County.
To provide evidence-based Substance Use Disorder, Behavioral Health and Women’s Specialty treatments for 350 mothers and adults.
To provide culturally competent mental health program adapted to meet the needs of immigrant and refugee women.
To support trauma-informed behavioral health for Detroit youth and their young children experiencing homelessness.
To implement summer support to ensure year-round care for children in school-based mental health services.
To pilot “Our Early Years” Infant Mental Health Program in Oakland County.
To implement a program that mitigates effects of trauma among Detroit Hispanic and African American youth.
To divert at-risk youth and assist adjudicated youth through interactive journaling.
To provide peer support services for young people.
To screen and treat co-occurring trauma, depression and substance use among justice-involved adolescent males.
To enhance children’s mental health with evidence-based practices.
To strengthen capacity to sustain and grow culturally grounded behavioral health services.
To provide behavioral health services and advocacy support for youth.
To provide immediate, effective, and comprehensive employment services to people recently released from incarceration in Michigan.
To expand access to mental health services for youth using an evidence-based Habilitation Empowerment Accountability Therapy curriculum.
To develop substance-use disorder interventions and prevention programs impacting students and families.
To support team training, certification, and retention in evidenced-based approaches for working with youth experiencing homelessness.
To embed a licensed therapist to deliver trauma-informed mental health care for violence-impacted youth.
To offer onsite, evidence-based group and individual therapy to survivors of extreme trauma.
To implement an integrated intake, records, billing system, and evaluation system.
To offer same-day walk-in behavioral health treatment to eliminate appointment barriers and streamline processes.
To expand direct mental health counseling to children with diagnosed disorders.
To enhance EHR systems to expand access, improve care, and support better outcomes.
To enhance behavioral healthcare access and improve efficiency by integrating technology and training clinicians.
To provide mental health support to people who have been wrongfully convicted.
To develop system dynamics model for adolescent mental health services in Washtenaw County.
To expand the Peer Support Program for residential treatment clients.
To co-locate integrated behavioral health hubs at four Brilliant Detroit sites.
To provide Dialectical Behavior Therapy Training for 165+ direct-care staff in residential treatment settings.
For general operating support. ACMH provides advocacy support for individual children and their families across Michigan by focusing on activities to enhance the system of services which address the needs of children with serious emotional disorders.
For general operating support. AAoM is an advocacy organization focused on addressing treatment, access and support for individuals and families living with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
For general operating support. Kevin’s Song is an advocacy organization that brings families, providers, and policymakers together to learn and share evidence-based practices to prevent suicides.
For general operating support. MHAM is the state’s oldest nonprofit organization concerned with mental illness and is the leading policy and research advocate.
For general operating support. Michigan’s Children bolsters the public policy research advocacy capacity of mental health services providers, and youth and families who receive mental health services.
For general operating support. Located in southeast Michigan, NAMI Metro’s constituent members cover the Foundation’s geographic focus of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb County.
For general operating support. NAMI Michigan and its statewide affiliates advocate at the state level for persons affected by mental illness and serve as a leading proponent on consumer and family involvement in care, treatment, and recovery. NAMI Michigan helps to strengthen local affiliates to provide support within their communities.
For general operating support. Located in southeast Michigan, NAMI Washtenaw County constituent members cover the Foundation’s geographic focus of Washtenaw County.
To support a rehabilitative model for addressing substance use disorders in Washtenaw County Jail.
To educate and support families recovering from domestic violence and related trauma.
To educate staff on best practices in behavioral health, person-centered planning, and employment support and to enhance community outreach.
To empower at-risk youth with tools to prevent violence and build peace leadership.
To provide addiction and mental health resources accessible, free, and faith based.
To promote healthier outcomes and reduce maternal mortality rates through mental health education and advocacy.
To support group co-facilitated education on breastfeeding and mental health to community members.
To provide a listening ear, books, resources, and therapist referrals to community.
To support youth with wellness kits and mental health education.
To support peer-led outreach promoting mental health education, recovery support, and stigma reduction in Western Wayne County.
To promote mental wellness through a trauma-informed, animal-assisted education program that fosters emotional healing.
To support a community and school-based book club featuring an expert panel of local therapists and physicians.
To educate students about online safety and mental health in today’s digital world.
To support families and caregivers of individuals experiencing their first psychotic episode in Wayne County.
To support the Mental Health Co-Response Program, a public health-centered model to address behavioral health crises.
To create a sustainable, data-informed youth justice system in Wayne County that prioritizes services over incarceration through strong partnerships between the County, Court, community organizations, youth and families.
Learn more about the work of the Ethel and James Flinn Foundation at flinnfoundation.org.
In 2024, the Western Wayne Suicide Prevention Coalition shared ambitious plans to strengthen mental health support across nine Wayne County school districts. Today, the coalition has a new name, new energy, and measurable progress toward those goals.
Now known as the Hope Empowerment Coalition, the group’s refreshed identity reflects its mission to reduce stigma and instill optimism. “We want to empower schools, students, and communities,” says Brian Galdes, the coalition’s Suicide Prevention Coordinator. Galdes leads the effort through a partnership with GrowthWorks, the behavioral health agency that funds his role and provides long-term support for coalition initiatives.
One of the most significant developments is the launch of Students vs. Stigma, a new student council with representatives from each of the coalition’s 19 high schools. Students are designing their own leadership structure, creating a logo, and planning initiatives — including a large event at the end of 2025 that will bring together high schoolers from across the region.
The council will also serve as a vital link to the coalition’s adult steering committee, ensuring that student perspectives directly inform decisions. “Their conversations are impressive,” Galdes says. “They are smart, wise, and deeply committed to making change.”
Districts are now implementing Hope Squad and Be Nice, two evidence-based mental health awareness and suicide prevention programs. Supported by a three-year funding commitment from GrowthWorks, these programs train student leaders to recognize when peers may be struggling and guide them toward trusted adults and resources.
Another new focus is creating supportive systems for students returning to school after a mental health crisis. Schools, hospital emergency departments, residential treatment providers, and community agencies are working together to improve communication and ease transitions for students and families. The goal is to replace past gaps in coordination with seamless, compassionate support.
The coalition’s annual November conference again reached capacity, drawing about 450 participants — including educators and health professionals from districts outside the coalition. Interest is also growing at the state level: both the Michigan Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services are exploring ways to replicate the coalition model elsewhere.
Galdes emphasizes that progress will take time. “This is a marathon, not a sprint,” he says. “But we believe that by centering student voice, supporting schools, and bringing the community together, we can move the needle on youth mental health.”
The Hope Empowerment Coalition’s work illustrates how students, educators, health systems, and community partners can come together to build resilience — and to ensure young people know that hope is within reach.
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Learn more about the Hope Empowerment Coalition.
On August 4, 2025, Trustees from the Ethel and James Flinn Foundation gathered for a powerful learning experience: a tour of the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility, followed by conversations with leaders advancing innovative youth justice solutions.
The visit, part of the Foundation’s annual retreat, offered a firsthand look at the realities faced by young people in the system, as well as the opportunities to create meaningful change.
Guest speakers included Nanci Hambrick, Matt Larson, Stacey Campbell, and Zarria Broner from The Center for Behavioral Health and Justice at Wayne State University School of Social Work, along with Melissa Fernandez, Director of Juvenile Youth Services for Wayne County.
At the center of the discussion was Wayne BEYOND, a three-year collaborative initiative launched in April 2025.
The Center for Behavioral Health and Justice leads the effort in partnership with county and court leaders, with a focus on improving coordination, building shared data infrastructure and guiding reforms with evidence-based insights.
The Flinn Foundation is among the funders supporting this initiative, alongside other community partners.
Since its launch, Wayne BEYOND has expanded significantly. Current work includes mapping schools that are most heavily contributing to the criminal legal system, evaluating key programs such as Moving Forward, Credible Messenger and Choices, and building grassroots capacity to support community-based organizations.
The initiative is also leading Michigan’s first comprehensive court-county data integration — creating a sustainable model for sharing and using information across systems.
Wayne BEYOND is further strengthened through its partnership with the Michigan Center for Youth Justice (MCYJ), which brings a community engagement focus to complement system-level data analysis. Together, the two organizations are ensuring that reforms are grounded both in rigorous research and in the voices of families and communities most affected.
For Andrea Cole, President and CEO of the Ethel and James Flinn Foundation, the tour underscored the importance of investing in this kind of work.
“Having the opportunity to tour the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility gave us an inside look at the complex challenges many young people are facing, especially around their mental health and well-being,” says Cole. “Learning about Wayne BEYOND also showed how data and collaboration can spark solutions that support not only safer outcomes, but healthier futures for youth and families. Together, these experiences reinforced the importance of investing in approaches that address mental health as a vital part of justice reform.”
As Wayne BEYOND continues, Wayne County is poised to serve as a national model for youth justice reform — one that combines research, collaboration and community voice to build a more equitable future for young people.
Learn more about the Ethel and James Flinn Foundation.
Mental health concerns are rising nationwide, but the impact is especially acute in southeast Michigan’s Black communities. Tyler Logan, Founder and CEO of Black in Public Health, sees this reality playing out every day in metro Detroit and surrounding areas.
“The behavioral health needs in our communities have intensified since the pandemic,” Logan says. “But they were already there — COVID just amplified existing gaps.”
Logan explains that behavioral health challenges — those that include both mental health and substance use — have increased significantly since 2020. In cities like Detroit, which has one of the highest Black populations in the country, those challenges are particularly visible.
The reasons are many. Social isolation during the pandemic led to a rise in anxiety and depression among both youth and adults. Financial pressures, including the rising cost of living and wage inequities, are compounding stress. And broader political dynamics, such as anti-immigration policies and the rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, add additional pressure.
“There are families being separated by deportation,” Logan says. “Even if you’re not directly affected, you’re part of a community that’s being disrupted.”
On top of this, Logan notes, the federal government has cut or threatened to cut key funding for behavioral health services, especially those embedded in schools or serving marginalized populations.
According to Logan, many local organizations depend heavily on federal dollars to deliver mental and behavioral health services. This includes in-school therapists, peer support specialists, and programs that support returning citizens after incarceration.
“With grant funding in jeopardy, some organizations may need to close programs or reduce hours. Some may close entirely,” he says.
The result could be fewer available services and longer wait times, even for people in urgent need. “Organizations that used to offer walk-in hours might now only operate one or two days a week. Staff are stretched thin, and people are still trying to access care.”
These cuts are particularly concerning for people without insurance. “If you’re uninsured, options were already limited. Now they’re even more limited,” Logan says.
Logan also highlights how recent rollbacks of DEI policies are impacting mental health in more subtle, but no less serious, ways. He shared the story of a medical student at the University of Michigan who was told — midway through a lecture — that DEI-based scholarships were being rescinded.
“Students are losing financial and emotional supports they counted on,” Logan says. “And this is happening while they’re under immense academic pressure.”
While these policy changes often unfold behind the scenes, Logan warns that their effect on students’ mental health, especially those who are first-generation college attendees or from underrepresented backgrounds, can be profound.
For individuals and families in southeast Michigan’s Black communities, accessing behavioral health services is becoming more complicated. Logan points to logistical issues like reduced clinic hours, limited staff and shrinking appointment availability as growing barriers.
“There are more people seeking help, but fewer resources available,” he says. “That creates a bottleneck, and real consequences for those who need timely care.”
Programs that were once free or low-cost may start charging fees. Others may not survive the funding shortfall at all. This is especially troubling for populations like immigrants, returning citizens and low-income families, who already face systemic barriers to care.
Even in this difficult climate, Logan sees reason for hope in the work of local organizations that continue to serve with creativity and commitment.
“These groups are innovating, finding new ways to meet community needs even as formal funding shrinks,” Logan says.
Here are a few:
While the behavioral health landscape in southeast Michigan faces serious challenges, Logan emphasizes the resilience of the region’s Black communities.
“Mental health struggles in our communities aren’t new,” he says. “But neither is our ability to adapt. We’ve always found ways to support each other.”
Innovation, partnership, and leadership, says Logan, will be essential in the coming years. “We need to lean into what we do best — working collectively, lifting each other up and navigating change together.”
Learn more about how the Ethel and James Flinn Foundation supports mental health access to diverse populations in southeast Michigan.
Members of the LGBTQ+ community in southeast Michigan face significant barriers when seeking mental health care. Too often, providers lack the training to support LGBTQ+ clients in ways that truly affirm who they are. That disconnect can lead to mistrust, isolation and untreated mental health needs.
Based in Ferndale, Affirmations Community Center has long served as a safe and affirming space for LGBTQ+ individuals and families. In addition to support groups, housing navigation and basic needs assistance, Affirmations offers mental health services that are specifically designed to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ clients.
Over time, staff at Affirmations began to notice a troubling pattern. Community members shared story after story about negative experiences with local therapists — providers who hadn’t incorporated preferred names or pronouns, intake forms that didn’t reflect their identities or environments that simply didn’t understand their needs.
“We hear stories all the time of people who sought mental health services and didn’t feel safe,” says Cate Spinney, Director of Health and Human Services at Affirmations. “People who left the therapy setting feeling as though the system was not equipped to meet their needs.”
Those conversations made something clear: many providers want to be supportive, but lack the training to offer meaningful, inclusive care.
“We want people to know they’re safe here. That’s our job,” Spinney says. “But we also know that not everyone can come to us. That’s why we’re building something bigger.”
The need for affirming care is only becoming more urgent. Spinney points to a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, court rulings that roll back civil rights protections and cultural rhetoric that has emboldened discrimination.
“Being queer or trans is not the problem,” she says. “It’s the hate we experience. It’s the discrimination we experience. It’s the legislation that strips away our rights, our bodily autonomy, our families’ rights to support us.”
These external pressures, she explains, are directly impacting the mental health of the community. “We’re going to see more suicide, more depression, more anxiety, more trauma,” Spinney says. “Because we’re creating a culture where it’s unsafe to be who you are.”
To meet this rising need, Affirmations is taking steps to expand access to safe, identity-affirming care beyond its own walls.
Affirmations is developing a training initiative for mental health professionals across southeast Michigan. The program is designed to help providers deliver care that is respectful and deeply informed by the experiences of LGBTQ+ clients.
“We’re building out a training program that would lead to an ‘Affirmations-approved’ designation, so we can send people to clinicians in the community who we know are safe,” Spinney says.
The goal is to build a vetted referral network — a resource that LGBTQ+ clients can turn to with confidence, especially in areas where affirming providers can be hard to find.
The program will offer tools and strategies for providing identity-affirming, trauma-informed care. Training topics include inclusive language, intake processes that respect clients’ identities, and the importance of cultural humility.
Clinicians will also learn how to respond when they get something wrong — a moment that can be deeply important in maintaining or repairing trust.
“You can’t be in this work without understanding the people you’re serving,” Spinney says.
Affirmations sees this training as the beginning of an ongoing process. “This isn’t a one-and-done training,” Spinney says. “We’re looking to partner with providers who are open to reflection, growth and doing this work over time.”
Spinney envisions the training creating ripples throughout the region. Each provider who completes the program brings that learning back into their clinic, practice, or school setting, making more spaces safer and more responsive to the needs of the LGBTQ+ community.
The work isn’t about perfection, Spinney emphasizes. It’s about consistency, empathy, and being willing to center clients’ experiences. “It’s not about gatekeeping. It’s about creating a standard of care that our community deserves,” she says.
Affirmations doesn’t expect to solve the care gap alone. Instead, the organization is inviting others to take part in building something better. “We want to be part of the solution, and we want you to be part of it too,” Spinney says.
For mental health professionals, that might start with training. But it also means reviewing office practices, asking better questions, and listening more deeply to LGBTQ+ clients. The need is urgent, but the path forward is clearer when shared.
“We don’t expect everyone to know everything,” Spinney says. “But we do expect people to try. That effort can be life-changing for someone who just wants to be seen and supported for who they are.”
Learn more about Affirmations Community Center.
Wayne County’s youth justice system is at a pivotal moment — reimagining how young people move through systems of care and accountability with a new vision centered on lived experience, equity and collaboration.
In October 2024, more than 40 stakeholders came together for a pair of Critical Intervention Mapping (CIM) sessions to examine challenges in the youth justice system and identify meaningful, community-centered solutions.
Participants included grassroots leaders, nonprofit organizations, behavioral health providers, and city and county officials — united by a shared goal of transforming outcomes for youth and families.
These sessions were supported by the Ethel and James Flinn Foundation and structured in partnership with The Center for Behavioral Health and Justice at the Wayne State University School of Social Work, whose facilitation helped frame a process grounded in evidence, collaboration and care.
The CIM process was built on a simple but radical idea: that those closest to the challenges are also closest to the solutions. Participants mapped six key “intervention points” in a young person’s journey — from community deflection through aftercare — surfacing structural gaps, cultural blind spots, and missed opportunities for support.
At each point, the call was clear: elevate youth and family voices, expand access to culturally responsive care, and bridge the silos that too often fragment services.
The collaborative sessions generated a framework for change, grounded in shared priorities:
The result is a cohesive roadmap for systemic change that centers equity, trauma-informed care and sustained community leadership.
While The Center for Behavioral Health and Justice facilitated the CIM sessions, their work has evolved to support systems-level transformation by strengthening data integration between court and county entities, enhancing cross-system coordination and addressing structural gaps identified through the mapping process.
The Critical Intervention Mapping highlighted significant data gaps and opportunities to strengthen connections across the youth justice continuum, particularly in tracking outcomes for youth and families.
Looking ahead, key recommendations include developing integrated data infrastructure, establishing measurement frameworks that capture youth and family experiences, and creating sustainable feedback loops between system data and community input. These strategies reflect a growing recognition that data-informed, sustainable systems change must prioritize measurable outcomes for those most impacted.
Wayne County’s youth justice reform efforts are far from over—but they are increasingly rooted in local wisdom and lived experience. By bridging expertise with empathy, systems can become more responsive, more inclusive, and more just.
This moment marks not just a phase in a project, but a realignment toward lived experience and local insight — centered on the communities most impacted and most capable of shaping a better way forward.
Learn more about The Center for Behavioral Health and Justice at the Wayne State School of Social Work. Discover the Ethel and James Flinn Foundation.
Funders of mental health programs want to put their money toward initiatives with the greatest potential for lasting impact — yet identifying those opportunities isn’t always straightforward.
Mindful Philanthropy, founded in 2020 by leaders in mental health funding, supports funders in making informed, strategic investments in mental health, helping them move from good intentions to meaningful action.
“At the Flinn Foundation, we know that mental health is foundational to thriving communities,” says Andrea Cole, President and CEO of the Ethel and James Flinn Foundation and a Board member of Mindful Philanthropy.
“Mindful Philanthropy gives funders the tools and perspective they need to invest with clarity and confidence,” Cole says. “I’m proud to serve on the board of an organization that is helping philanthropy align its resources with the areas of greatest need and potential.”
The Flinn Foundation has long been a champion of innovative mental health solutions in Michigan, and its connection to Mindful Philanthropy reflects a shared commitment to strategic, equity-focused giving.
Mindful Philanthropy’s approach is built around three pillars: convene, guide, and uplift.
Bringing people together is at the heart of Mindful Philanthropy’s work. Their in-person gatherings, like the Activate summit, bring together principal-level funders in mental health philanthropy to build relationships, share lessons, and spark ideas.
In spring 2025, the organization will launch its new Accelerate Summit, which aims to reach a broader philanthropic audience ready to reimagine how they support mental health across communities.
These gatherings foster connection among funders and meaningful dialogue across sectors — from health care to education to community development — reflecting the interconnected nature of mental health challenges and solutions.
Through research, roadmaps, and one-on-one strategic advising, Mindful Philanthropy guides funders as they explore high-impact opportunities across the mental health spectrum.
Resources like Mental Health at the Center equip funders with data-driven insights and proven approaches. Their tools help demystify the field and encourage sustained, systems-level investments.
Mindful Philanthropy is committed to surfacing and supporting effective solutions, from grassroots advocacy programs to large-scale public-private partnerships. By identifying what works and amplifying those efforts, the organization helps funders channel their resources into initiatives that create lasting change.
At a time when mental health needs are more visible than ever — and disparities more urgent — Mindful Philanthropy is helping philanthropy rise to the challenge.
“Mindful Philanthropy brings clarity and connection to a space that can feel overwhelming,” Cole adds. “Their work helps funders — large and small — navigate the mental health landscape with purpose and precision. It’s an honor to be part of a movement that’s reshaping how we invest in well-being.”
Learn more about Mindful Philanthropy at mindfulphilanthropy.org.
For half a century, the Washtenaw Area Council for Children (WACC) has been a cornerstone of prevention, protection and empowerment for families across Washtenaw County. Founded in 1975 to fill critical gaps in the child welfare system, WACC has quietly but powerfully helped thousands of children grow up safer and stronger.
From offering safe sleep education to new parents to teaching teens how to navigate social media safely, WACC’s programming evolves alongside the children it serves. Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, the organization is using the moment not just to reflect—but to look ahead and reaffirm its mission.
“We’re really proud to be a place where kids can stay safe for a lifetime,” says Tim Richey, executive director of WACC. “Our programs follow kids throughout their development, addressing the risks they face at each stage.”
WACC’s reach is wide and deep. WACC partners closely with schools—delivering 85% of its programming within classrooms — and is active in all nine public school districts across Washtenaw County.
This year, the organization expects to serve more than 11,000 students and parents through educational and prevention-focused programming.
Its work begins at birth, with infant safe sleep training and shaken baby syndrome prevention. Then comes body safety education in preschool and early elementary years — equipping kids with the language and confidence to speak up about abuse or harm. In middle school and beyond, cyber safety workshops teach students how to navigate online threats, while mental wellness and resilience programming builds tools for teens.
“We work to build protective factors not just for kids but also their parents,” says Robin Batten, program director at WACC. “Almost all of our programs include a parent component.”
That family-centered approach extends into the broader community. WACC regularly partners with churches, colleges and local businesses, offering lectures, workshops and outreach tailored to each group’s needs. “If people want to learn, we’re there,” Batten says.
While WACC’s work is rooted in child safety, its benefits ripple further — particularly into mental health. “When we prevent abuse, injury or trauma, we’re also preventing the long-term mental health struggles that can follow,” Richey explains.
Children who experience abuse or injury are significantly more likely to face anxiety, depression and other challenges later in life. By working upstream, WACC helps stop those problems before they start.
That commitment was recognized in 2024, when the organization received a mini-grant from the Flinn Foundation to support its ongoing work in prevention and mental wellness.
“It’s about helping kids stay on a positive path,” Batten adds. “And that includes reducing the chance of delinquency or community violence.”
WACC’s leadership in youth diversion — programs that help kids stay out of the juvenile justice system — is growing. In 2024, WACC became the fiduciary for the Washtenaw Alliance for Children and Youth (WACY), a countywide coalition of nonprofits and public partners focused on supporting youth development.
“Our efforts to support WACY are an extension of our child abuse prevention work,” Richey says. “It’s about reaching kids before they fall through the cracks.”
That philosophy drives WACC’s broader focus on early education and community engagement—approaches that aim to prevent problems before they escalate.
Over the decades, WACC has transformed with the times. What began as a grassroots child advocacy initiative is now a dynamic organization grounded in evidence-based programming.
“I think our programs try to make sure that all of what we’re presenting is current and relevant to what’s happening now,” Batten says. “So we wouldn’t teach a program that’s totally outdated and not relevant to the needs of our community.”
That includes teaching digital citizenship, recognizing cyberbullying and offering parents the tools to support their children’s emotional growth. WACC is also training community facilitators to deliver programs — expanding reach without overextending staff.
Looking ahead, they’re exploring how to support parents even more deeply, possibly through support groups or peer networks.
As demand for WACC’s services grows, so does the need for sustainable funding. To mark its 50th year, the nonprofit launched the Safe Kids Bright Futures Campaign, with a goal to raise $50,000 in honor of its legacy and future impact.
On April 24, the organization will host its Pancakes for Prevention event, part of Child Abuse Prevention Month, to bring supporters together and celebrate decades of advocacy.
“We’ve been one of the best kept secrets in Washtenaw County,” Richey says. “Now, we want everyone to know what we’re doing and how they can be involved with us.”