General operating support.
Friends, those are three words that make nonprofits weep tears of joy. The Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation has gifted 826michigan with such resources, and we assure you–—it makes so much of the magic in our spaces happen. For instance, unrestricted gifts—–the awesome definition of general operating support—–make it possible for 826michigan to keep on the lights that students need when they write. They also help fund the paper that students write on and the computers that they use for general research during the tutoring program. Even more amazingly, general operating support helps to employ the staff that recruits and teaches and leads our 3,200 students. General operating support, my dear friends, is EVERYTHING.
This year, the only restriction that the Erb Family Foundation has placed on their most recent——and very generous–—gift to 826michigan is that it be used to support our work in Detroit. To that end, we have moved with swift enthusiasm to design powerful and impactful service for our first full year of programming with TWO centers fully operational during the entire school year! (It’s true that we’ve been doing work in Detroit for five years, but we hadn’t been at 100% capacity in running programs throughout Detroit and Washtenaw County until Fall 2017.) It is thrilling to be able to offer students in Detroit exactly what our students in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor receive with the help of funds that prioritize service being done–—with no restrictions.
Frankly, we’re into the second semester of the school year and cannot help but remain giddy over the entire gift. Best of all, we are reminded through the generosity of the Erb Family Foundation that the gift they made available to 826michigan is simply part and parcel of what they do. Just visit their website and you’ll see the dozens and dozens of large grants that were awarded last fiscal year for local arts and education organizations that embody the foundation’s mission to “nurture environmentally healthy and culturally vibrant communities in metro Detroit, consistent with sustainable business models, and supporting initiatives to restore the Great Lakes Ecosystem.” 826michigan is honored to be among those acknowledged as contributing to a vibrant community through our work and take seriously the job of putting the general operating support we have received from the Erb Family Foundation to work for the benefit of our 3,200 students.
Thank you, Erb Family Foundation! We celebrate you as our Supporter of the Month!
