Representatives from nearly two dozen area charities received checks today totaling more than $1.25 million from donations raised at the seventh annual SAY Detroit Radiothon, broadcast on WJR-AM last December.
The distribution ceremony at the Fisher Building, an annual event since the Radiothon’s inception, included several first-time recipients, including Avalon Village, FoodLab Detroit, Yad Ezra, A Beautiful Me, and Building Better Men.
Mitch Albom, who founded SAY Detroit in 2006, presented the checks with Dr. Chad Audi, president of Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, as well as representatives from several major donor organizations. Members of SAY Detroit’s Board of Directors also participated in celebrating the efforts of various local charitable organizations.
“Today we share the generosity of the wonderful people and companies in Metro Detroit,” Albom said. “Thanks to them, we broke our previous Radiothon record. This enables us to operate our numerous SAY Detroit initiatives. And, as per our tradition, we share a chunk of this generosity with other organizations, large and small, who, like us, are dedicated to helping Detroit’s neediest.”
Since its first broadcast in 2012, the annual Radiothon has raised over $5.7 million to help the poor, the homeless, families without houses, children and mothers without medical care, students hoping to reach the college of their dreams, and veterans who have hit hard times.
The 2019 SAY Detroit Radiothon will be held Dec. 12th at The Somerset Collection mall in Troy.
2018 RADIOTHON CHARITY DISTRIBUTION:
- Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries Women and Children’s Shelter, $50,000
- College for Creative Studies/Detroit Dream Scholars, $30,000
- Cass Community Social Services, $25,000
- SASHA Center, $12,500
- Bing Youth Institute, $10,000
- DRMM Genesis House II, $10,000
- Humble Design, $10,000
- Westside Cultural & Athletic Club, $10,000
- COTS / Bright Beginnings Day Care Program, $10,000
- Michigan Veterans Foundation, $10,000
- LA SED INC, $10,000
- Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries Teen Day Care, $10,000
- Notes for Notes, $7,500
- Mother Batie’s Kitchen/United Sisters of Charity, $7,500
- D2N/EVO Detroit, $5,000
- Buckets of Rain, $5,000
- *St. Luke AME / A Hole in the Roof Foundation, $5,000
- *Avalon Village, $5,000
- *Food Lab, $5,000
- *A Beautiful Me, $5,000
- *Yad Ezra, $5,000
- *Building Better Men, $5,000
SAY DETROIT INITIATIVES:
- SAY Detroit Play Center at Lipke Park, $600,000
- SAY Detroit Family Health Clinic, $100,000
- Working Homes / Working Families, $130,000
- SAY Detroit Tomorrow Fund (endowment) $200,000
* Denotes 1st time recipient
