4 Fun 4 Wheelers of Michigan Community Services
Community Services Rep.
Natalie Henderson
Donations and volunteering are done as a club and as individual members.
At every meeting we have donation cans out for postage for boxes to Our Troops and The Children’s Tumor Foundation. We continue to donate clothes to Purple Heart as they come in.
Donations and volunteering are done as a club and as individual members.
Our members volunteer at races, Region C and EC4WDA functions thought out the year. They also donate money and trophies to the Junior Racers Program.
Ongoing donations to Purple Heart of clothing and other useful household items.
2011
February: Members attended SUV 4 Adventures Road Rally & Food Drive. Members donated food items to be taken to the Road Rally. We donated $50.00 to Makenna Devine for a fundraiser to Benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital “Kids Helping Kids”.
March: Donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Makenna Devine and a group of her friends are doing a Kids Helping Kids fundraiser on their own. They did a raffle, bake sale and collected donations for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Members donated to our Children’s Tumor Foundation fund we collect through out the year. Member Amy Laitala is a teacher at Siebert Elementary School for Special Needs Kids, they held a penny war between classes to raise money for the Midland Humane Society. After three weeks of penny wars the students (K-5) raised $1, 345 all in change! Not too shabby for elementary kids. My classroom placed in the middle out of 27 classrooms I was pretty proud of my kids!
April: On Saturday, April 30, the club sponsored their first road rally/food drive at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Temperance MI. It was great to see the support offered by the members, their participation, donations of money, food, and participant prizes. The club raised a total of $186.05. All donations went to the churches God Works program that feeds the needy on Wednesday evenings at the church. There was also a table full of non-perishable food donated to the food pantry that is given to families in need. Each participant went home with a prize and what prizes were left were donated to the Region C Raffle Bucket for the fall awards banquet.
May: During the month of May member Amy Laitala’s classroom did another can drive to help with the Midland County United Way. Her classroom donated several bags of food to be donated to families in Midland County. Also, Amy and her friend Amanda have been making fleece-tie blankets to donate to the local domestic violence shelter in Mt. Pleasant. We've had fun selecting different patterns that we thought women and children would like. We're hoping that the blankets are a comfort to the women and their children during a difficult time. So far we have made and donated 6 blankets. We're planning on having another blanket making day and inviting more friends to help make blankets.
September: Donations were given by our club and members and members showed up to help Harold Devine Jrs Eagle Scout project. The project was to build a split rail fence around the newest half-acre of land that was donated recently to the Falling Waters Park in Spring Arbor Township, Michigan. Miscellaneous groundwork was needed to clear the area where the fence was built.
October: Our club made a donation to the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Several members donated items to the Region C fundraiser Raffle Bucket and purchased tickets on the Raffle Bucket. Members also bid on and Nancy Garneau won an auction item Betty Boob on a Chopper that benefited the Region C Jr. Racers Program. Amy Laitala has been nominated for the EC4WDA Connie Benner Community Service Award and Harold Devine Jr has been nominated for the EC4WDA Lou Straightwell Land Use Award.
2010
February: 4 Members attended SUV 4 Adventures Road Rally & Food Drive. Members donated food items to be taken to the Road Rally. We sent a support box to the Troops and one of our members daughter’s Girl Scout troop gave us support letters to put in our Support Boxes the troops. Donations made to the postage fund to send Support Boxes to the Troops.
March: We sent a Support Box to the Troops. We collected old cell phones and donated them to LACASA who supports and shelters victimized adults and children, educates the community and encourages positive action.
April: A member’s daughter along with 5 of her friends did a Bake Sale to help children here in the states they raised over $1,000.00 and were in the Local Jackson paper. One of our Members is a Special Needs teacher and her 7th grade class wrote letters to the troops and another member’s daughter’s class wrote letters to the troops.
July: This summer one of our members works with and teaches special needs kids and here is what they did over the summer. Her work Partners Empowering All Kids (PEAK) participated in several community service projects. We participated in the Youth Community Service Day on July 20th along with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe youth program. Our students delivered grocery bags to houses in the nearby neighborhoods asking community members to donate non-perishable food items to the Isabella Community Soup Kitchen and the Red Cross Food Pantry. A few days later our students went back out to the neighborhoods and collected the grocery bags filled with food. We delivered all the food collected from PEAK students and Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe youth program to Island Park where students were treated to a picnic and games, for all their hard work. We collected enough food to fill up two full-size delivery vans and two pickup truck beds!
We also had two penny war challenges to raise money for the Mt. Pleasant Discovery Museum and for a PEAK student battling cancer. We raised $688.76 for the museum. Along with the penny war we also sold glow in the dark necklaces and water bottles to raise money for the family of the student battling cancer. We were able to raise $949.13 for the family!
All of the students and staff at our PEAK site made and wore pink friendship bracelets to show our support and love for our friend battling cancer. At this point he seems to be cancer free and onto the road of recovery!!!
October: Our club made a donation to the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Donations were also made to our postage fund that sends support boxes to our troops.
November At our monthly meeting we collected toys and donated them locally in Michigan. Members attending the EC banquet in PA donated toys for Toys For Tots. At the EC banquet in PA, members purchased raffle tickets on Drag Racing Track and 2 baskets full of goodies from Butler County PA to benefit the Children’s Tumor Foundation. We sent support boxes to the Troops.
2009
November At our monthly meeting we collected toys and donated them locally in Michigan. Members attending the EC banquet in PA donated toys for Toys For Tots. At the EC banquet in PA, members purchased raffle tickets on an Avon purse full of goodies and a Snap-On 3 Piece BBQ set to benefit the Children’s Tumor Foundation. We sent support boxes to the Troops.
December We sent support boxes to the Troops. Donated to the One Of Our Own Fund.
2008
January - A member paid for postage and donated 2 filled boxes to the local post office to be sent to our troops. We donated to the One Of Our Own Fund.
February - One of our members Granddaughters husband is in Iraq and they are paying postage for 10 boxes to be sent to him and his company. Members donated items to help fill the boxes. And the club donated postage to send 4 boxes. We will be collecting items through our May meeting. Two of our members attended the Road Rally/Food Drive put on by SUV 4 Adventure and took donated canned goods that members donated. We donated to Camp Cheerful, which is a camp for disable kids and adults.
May - We donated Children’s Tumor Foundation. To help one of our fellow Region C racers son/grandson. Two of our members Natalie & Mara Henderson will be doing their annual children’s charity fundraiser to help raise money for the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Mara sells AVON and donated 2 purses full of goodies to be raffled off and proceeds will benefit the Children’s Tumor Foundation
. Members Fred & Nancy Garneau, Mara Henderson and Don Smith volunteered to be at the Lima Jamboree to help promote our sport and EC4WDA.June, July, August, & September - We are busy with our race season. Through out the Region C race season our members contribute to the Junior Racers Program by making donations of money or trophies to be refurbished and given out at races or as end of the year awards. They also volunteer to help with races they attend and on July 12th & 13th we put on our annual race in Norwalk Ohio at the Firelands 4 Wheelers race site.
October - Club members donated items to the Raffle Bucket and purchased tickets for the Raffle Bucket that was raffled at the Region C Awards Banquet in Milan Ohio. These funds supported the Region C fundraiser for the Children’s Tumor Foundation.
November - Club members donated items to fill boxes to go To the Troops. The club paid for postage on 2 boxes. Toys were donated by club members for Toys for Tots to go to Dubois PA for the EC4WDA and for the Michigan Toys for Tots. From the funds collected through out the year at club meetings an additional donation was made to the Children’s Tumor Foundation.
2007
November - Individual members donated to the Toys for Tots drive at the EC4WDA Fall Meeting and Banquet in Dubois PA.
December - We donated toys for Toys for Tots in Michigan
2006
LACASA (safe house for abused women & children) in Michigan, members continue to donate cell phones and we have a donation can at each meeting. One of our members helps at the shelter.
Beekman Therapeutic Riding Center (for children with special needs) in Michigan. We have a donation can at each meeting. Some of our members went to a Garage Sale and purchased tickets to their BBQ fundraiser. One of our members works at the center.
In February we gave to Spina Bifida.
In March we donated to St. Jude’s. We give annually to St. Judes Children’s Research Hospital. One of our member’s daughter, Mara Henderson has been doing an individual fundraiser for the past 3 years. This year she raised $1,800.00 for St. Jude’s. Mara has been involved with St. Jude’s since she was in the first grade and is now a Senior in High School. Mara will do her fundraiser again in 2007 with hopes of increasing her total.
In May we donated to a fundraiser done by the Boys Scouts of American. A family in our membership has 2 Boy Scouts. Individual members also donate during their yearly popcorn sale. Members Fred & Nancy Garneau volunteered to be at the Lima Jamboree to help promote our sport and EC4WDA.
So far in 2006 we have sent 28 care packages to Capitan Ryan Spodar and his group. He is the son of Ron and Dottie Spodar, Region C members with Tiretown 4 Wheelers. We enclosed letters letting him and all the troops know how grateful we are for their bravery, the sacrifice that they and their families are making to keep our country safe and free. We also let them know that we are keeping them along with their families are in our prayers. We have had more than one soldier we have corresponded with return home safely. Thank God.
Through out the Region C race season our members contribute to the Junior Racers Program by making donations of money or trophies to be refurbished and given out at races or as end of the year awards.
2005
LACASA (a safe house for abused women & children) in Michigan, members continue to donate cell phones. From our ongoing donation can at each meeting, we were able to purchase one of their large items needed at the shelter. One of our members helps at the shelter.
We give annually to St. Judes Children's Research Hospital. One of our member's daughter, Mara Henderson has been doing a individual fund raiser for the past 2 years and this year got donations in the amount of $1,500.00 for St. Jude's, matching her amount from 2004. Mara has been involved with St. Jude's since she was in the first grade and is now in High School. She will do her fundraiser again next year with the hopes of increasing her total for 2006.
One of our members Mike Henderson along with his wife Natalie, who are also Associate Members of EC4WDA, (D & S Engine Specialists and Motor City Muscle) were involved with The Stone Soup Project along with WCSX (a local radio station) that does a fundraiser benefiting The Children's Leukemia Foundation Of Michigan. The motor is done and the 1965 Pontiac GTO will make its debut at the Woodward Dream Cruise on Saturday August 20, 2005. The car will be raffled off with all the proceeds going to The Children's Leukemia Foundation Of Michigan. Tickets are $25.00 each and you can purchase tickets online at the WCSX website www.wcsx.com.
In April & May we gathered donations from our members to make care packages to send to our troops. What an overwhelming response I got from my club, we will be able to send close to if not more than 40 boxes to the troops. We had one soldier we sent to and he has since returned home safely, Thank God. So now we have address of 2 new soldiers. We have sent them each 3 boxes and are getting ready to send them a second round of boxes. We enclose letters for our members letting them know how grateful we are for their bravery and to let them know that they are all in our prayers. We got help from this web site, www.operationmilitarypride.org/packages.html. It helps with what can and cannot be sent to certain areas by typing in the soldier's zip code.
Through out the Region C race season our members contribute to the Junior Racers Program by purchasing 50/50 tickets or making donations of trophies or money.
Links to Groups that need your support!
