Celebrating 25 years by giving back through volunteerism

Over a hundred residents and staff of Henry Ford Village recently supported local causes in the greater community in celebration of the Village’s 25th anniversary.

The week of volunteerism kicked off with a visit to Salina Elementary School in Dearborn, where residents and staff presented students supplies and donations collected by the Village. The school supplies took 3 SUVs to deliver to the school. Dearborn’s Walmart also generously donated one-thousand dollars towards the supplies, and Staples donated supplies as well. The donation not only provided over 400 students with educational materials, helped the school launch a new book club and purchase new computers.

“We are one big family,” said Village resident Mary Eileen Hogan, who participated in several of the volunteering efforts. “It was wonderful to see so many of us coming together to assist and make our community a better place.”

The next day a group visited the Children’s Hospital of Michigan, and visited with the young patients. They assisted the children with arts and crafts and presented them with new toys and games.

“The residents at Henry Ford Village believe strongly in today’s youth, and go above and beyond with their generosity and commitment to provide for a brighter future,” said Heather Scott, who is the Administrator for the Village’s Health and Rehab and Assisted Living Departments. Scott worked alongside the residents to organize this week of giving.

Extending from the Village campus, which contains the historic Henry Ford Birthplace Park, a large group picked up trash alongside Greenfield Road, from Ford Road to Warren Road, the following day in appreciation for their neighborhood.

As the week continued, Village residents and staff prepared a meal for families staying at a local Ronald McDonald House, assisted them with housekeeping duties, and delivered household goods. The Village also visited Friends For Animals of Metro Detroit, where they played with the animals up for adoption and presented donations raised by Village residents.

The week came to a conclusion with a “Family Fun Day” Carnival held at the Beaumont Center for Exceptional Families. The Henry Ford Village team helped set up for the event, assist with games and activities, serve food, and even work the petting zoo.

“It is a great feeling to give back to the community,” said Hogan. “I’ll never forget the looks on the faces of the amazing children and families that we met that day.”

“When you have such a large, tight knit community like ours it is amazing how much you can get done. This week gave us even more motivation to provide help to those is need for another 25 years and beyond” said Scott.