100 Faithful Friends Donates $10,200 To Troy Family

TROY, MI — A local charity group gifted $10,200 to a struggling Troy Family, according to a press release.

Rochester-based 100 Faithful Friends donated the generous gift to Troy resident Ami O'Neill, a mother of six daughters - all adopted from China. Ami's husband, Mike, passed away four years ago. Mike lost his life after a three year fight against Neuralscarodiosis, a disease that attacks the central nervous system. Before his illness, Mike served both as a volunteer and employee at Gleaners Food Bank and the Capuchin Soup Kitchen.

In addition to the heartache of losing Mike, the O'Neill family has been scrambling to financially stay afloat. Three of the O'Neill girls have learning disabilities, one has required countless medical interventions, and one daughter recently said for Christmas all she would like was “to have her high school AP exam paid for,” according to the press release.

100 Faithful Friends sprang into action to help the Troy family. The group was created in 2015 by Lana Doneth and Steve and Nancy Benedettini. It's composed of members who donate $100 at every quarterly meeting. At each meeting, members pitch ideas of several deserving local charities to donate their lump of money and make a big impact on people in their community. Member Laurie Pickell suggested helping the O'Neill family after becoming friends with Ami through the Troy School District, where they both work.

If you'd like to learn more about 100 Faithful Friends, check out www.100faithfulfriends.org

Photo credt: Laurie Pickell, Ami O'Neill, Nancy and Steve Benedettini, Mark Pickell

Photo courtesy of Angela Fucich