Xemplars Hand 21 Checks to Farmington, Hills Organizations

The Farmington-Farmington Hills Exemplar Club presented checks to 21 local organizations, distributing more than $20,000 Wednesday at in Farmington.

The club's director of community relations, Richard Lerner, emceed the noon meeting, with Nancy Cook and club president Steve Joppich presenting the over-sized checks. In keeping with its motto, “Give back. Be Xemplar”, the organization raises funds during the year for local distribution. Their largest annual event is the , a golf tournament held in June.

Groups receiving funds were:

Boy Scouts Ottawa District 

The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law. The Ottawa District serves the schools and churches in Farmington, Farmington Hills, Huron Valley, Northville, Novi, South Lyon, Walled Lake, and West Bloomfield.

Call to Action Coalition

This community based non-profit organization is dedicated to "breaking the silence" and addressing the pain and chaos caused by the abuse and addiction of alcohol and other drugs, as well as domestic violence.

Care House - Chuck Ludwig

Care House's mission is to be a leading resource in the prevention of child abuse and neglect, and the protection of children through advocacy, education, intervention, research and treatment, in collaboration with the community. Their goal is to see that all children are free from abuse and neglect.

Common Ground Sanctuary

Serving Oakland County adults, children and families, Common Ground Sanctuary offers a variety of programs including 24-hour crisis and referral hotline, 24-hour psychiatric screening and assessment, victim assistance and advocacy, short-term shelter care, support and education groups.

Dr. Paws Pet Therapy

Dr. Paws Pet Therapy provides a network of handler/dog teams and facilities in which these teams can perform volunteer animal assisted therapy activities. Therapy dogs and handlers can be found at Botsford Hospital every day visiting patients. Each handler pays the costs for the required training and insurance, so they can provide this valuable service at no charge.

Farmington Hills Youth & Family Services: After School Program

Serving students ages 10-15, the Youth Center provides a safe, fun, and well-supervised environment after school till 5:30 p.m. The program is open to all Farmington/Farmington Hills residents. A partnership with Farmington Public Schools enables Youth Center members to take a bus from their middle school to their choice of five different Youth Center locations.

Mayor's Youth Council

This group of teens is dedicated to bettering their city by creating programs that appeal to high school students. Members have the chance to get hands-on experience in local government by working with the City Council, while learning leadership and organizational skills.

Farmington Community Band

Founded in 1966 by R. Paul Barber and his wife Fern, this organization has grown from the initial six-member group to include an 80-member Concert Band, a 20-piece Jazz Band, Clarinet Choir, Dixieland Band, Flute Ensemble, and several other small ensembles. Membership is open at all times to any adult, and by audition to qualified high school students.

Farmington Area Suicide Prevention Task Force

“You Can Make a Difference. You Can Prevent a Tragedy.” is the mantra of this new task force. Nationally, suicide has reached epidemic proportions. Unfortunately a lot of people think it’s not their problem, but in reality it’s the entire community’s problem. The Task Force will present at 7 p.m. on Sept. 21, at Farmington Hills city hall.

Farmington Youth Assistance

Farmington Youth Assistance (FYA) is committed to preventing juvenile delinquency, child neglect and child abuse through community involvement. Covering the Farmington School District and supported by Oakland County Youth Assistance, FYA provides a variety of services and programs to enrich children and teens’ lives and help them to make positive life choices.

Meals on Wheels, Senior Transportation

The City of Farmington Hills' senior nutrition services include congregate dining and home-delivered meals. The Senior Transportation program offers curb-to-curb services for handicapped adults or those 55 and older. Reservations can be made up to 3 days in advance.

Girl Scouts

Through extraordinary field trips, sports skill-building clinics, community service projects, cultural exchanges, and environmental stewardships, Girl Scouting helps girls develop their full individual potential. Girls learn to relate to others with increasing understanding, skill, and respect, develop values to guide their actions and contribute to the improvement of society

HAVEN

Founded in 1975, HAVEN is the first and only sexual assault counseling center in Oakland County. In 1977, HAVEN broadened its services to include domestic violence counseling. Today, all of the programs at HAVEN provide specialized, comprehensive services in the areas of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Neighborhood House

The Farmington Area Goodfellows created Neighborhood House to serve the needs of local families throughout the year. Now located in the Jon Grant Community Center at Grand River and Middlebelt Roads, the Neighborhood House Food Pantry helps dozens of families to put food on the table each week. Financial assistance is available on a case by case basis, and referrals are provided to other local assistance agencies.

Salvation Army

A Christian faith-based human services organization, the Salvation Army is committed to serving the whole person, body, mind and spirit, with integrity and respect, using creative solutions to positively transform lives. They provide humanitarian services, food, clothing, disaster relief and more to families and individuals.

Samaritan Counseling Center

The Samaritan Counseling Center was established by a consortium of local churches in the Farmington, Farmington Hills and West Bloomfield in 1985. They provide professional therapeutic counseling and educational services to all God’s people seeking wholeness through emotional and spiritual growth.

Sheryl Stumbaugh – Paws with a Cause

Paws With A Cause trains assistance dogs nationally for people with disabilities and provides lifetime team support which encourages independence. Sheryl’s dog, Kahlua, recently retired at age 12. She needs a new service dog to remain living independently. The cost for a new dog is over $20,000.

Sweet Dreamzzz

A non-profit organization committed to improving the health, well-being and academic performance of at-risk school-aged children, Sweet Dreamzzz provides sleep education and bedtime essentials. The sleep kit given to students includes practical materials that their families may not otherwise be able to afford - a sleeping bag, nightshirt, and socks for warmth, a toothbrush and toothpaste for hygiene, and a stuffed animal, activity book, crayons, and bedtime book. Over 31,000 students have already been served.

Team Farmington (Special Olympics)

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports, for all children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Team Farmington Special Olympics is a sport training program for special needs children and adults that attend or have attended Farmington Public Schools.

YMCA

The goal of the YMCA of in Farmington Hills is to build strong kids, strong families, and a strong community. YMCA members share a common goal of building strong communities through active, engaged lifestyles. With a focus on providing resources for families, the YMCA community encourages members to enrich spirit, mind and body.

Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists, both black and white, free and enslaved, who aided the fugitives. Yoland Uddin and her church group have created a non-profit educational program in Detroit, where people can walk in the very footsteps of history, and travel along the route while learning about this incredible period in our history.