Governor Snyder presents DRMM with The Outstanding Volunteer Program Award!

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries was honored to receive the Outstanding Volunteer Program Award at The Governor’s Service Awards, which were held on July 23 to pay tribute to the exemplary volunteer service of those who are making a difference in our communities. Since 1909, the Mission has depended on volunteers to meet the needs of the city’s homeless population. Today, more than 11,000 dedicated volunteers serve with the Mission, giving 40,000 hours each year.

Image of Rachel Williams being presented the award by Governor Snyder

More than 200 volunteers will come together to seed 500+ vacant lots with wildflowers in attempts to raise neighborhood awareness.

On August 10, 2013, Mitch Albom and Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM) will join forces with the Detroit Blight Authority and Bill Pulte to help beautify more than 500 vacant lots in the Brightmoor neighborhood in Detroit.

Carrying on from the successful 100 Houses events, which Albom and DRMM debuted and organized in 2012, the organizations will come together as part of the Detroit Blight Authority’s second blight elimination project.

The 500+ lots, which rest in an unsafe area of the city and span 14 city blocks, will be seeded with wildflowers by more than 200 volunteers. By partnering with Mitch Albom and DRMM, Pulte hopes to attract volunteers from all over metro-Detroit and possibly the entire state, and raise awareness about blight elimination and its ability to improve safety and quality of life in the City.

“We’re trying to put forth a model for the rest of the city in terms of how blight elimination should be done,” said Pulte in an interview with the Detroit Free Press. “It makes sense to do it in a concentrated, effective manner. Focus on an area, leverage the cost savings of doing it in a specific area, and find areas that can benefit from it…if we’re able to scale this model across the rest of the city, it will change Detroit’s landscape as we know it—financially and safety-wise.”

Pulte and the Detroit Blight Authority began removing blighted structures, debris, trash, and brush in the Brightmoor area in early June. It is part of a 5-step plan that Pulte and the Detroit Blight Authority have embarked on to eradicate blight from the City of Detroit. The project on Aug. 10 will be one of the last efforts in the Brightmoor area to remove and eliminate blight.

“Bill’s project is very similar to what we began with the 100 Houses project last year,” said Albom. “By working together and encouraging people from all over to come out and volunteer their time to help rejuvenate Detroit neighborhoods, the community will be greatly impacted and we will begin to see real results. We’re very excited to help in every way we can.”

Volunteers will begin gathering at 9 a.m. on Aug. 10 for on-site check-in at Outer-Drive Burgess Park, located on W. Outer Drive in between Burgess and Chapel streets. Starbucks will be providing free coffee during morning registration, and the first 150 volunteers to check in will receive a free Blight Elimination t-shirt. The event will conclude at noon with a free lunch provided by the Blight Authority.

Volunteers should dress comfortably and weather-appropriately. Work gloves are recommended for every volunteer to bring, and all volunteers must be wearing closed-toed shoes in order to participate. Volunteers will be divided into 30 teams to tackle the 500+ lots. On-site security will be patrolling the area during the entire event.

To register to volunteer for the event, go online at https://drmm.org/volunteerevent.htm and register under the project name: Blight Elimination – 100 Houses Event. For more information contact Rachael Williams, Director of Volunteer Services for Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries at (313) 993-4700, ext. 4715 or email her at rwilliams@drmm.org.

All media requests should go to Dr. Chad Audi, President (313) 993-4700.

Detroit, Mich. July 22, 2013– The Michigan Department of Human Services (DHS) is pleased to announce that Bethune Elementary/Middle School in Detroit is the recipient of a $10,000 donation from Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM) and its partner, S.A.Y. Detroit. The purpose of the generous donation is to ensure that all students attending Bethune have a new school uniform to wear to class for the upcoming 2013-2014 school year.

The announcement was made at a school assembly before Bethune students, teachers, and staff on Monday, July 22.

“Research tells us students have better attendance records in schools where the children wear uniforms,” said Maura Corrigan, DHS Director. “Improving school attendance is one of the missions of our Pathways to Potential program. This generous donation will help us toward achieving that goal.”

Currently, more than 800 students attend Bethune, a member school of the Education Achievement Authority (EAA) and also a DHS Pathways to Potential school with an on-site success coach.

“It is essential that we remove barriers that hinder our students’ progress,” said Antoinette Pearson, principal at Bethune. “To some, providing uniforms seems simplistic, but lack of uniforms impacts attendance, discipline, and achievement. We are so grateful for this wonderful donation!”

The Dress Them For Success program began as a recent grassroots project by DHS employees to personally assist students and client families who were struggling to provide uniforms in the urban core school districts.

That effort, which raised more than $10,000, initially through donations by DHS employees, has now expanded with outreach by former State Sen. Bill Hardiman to include partners like Detroit Rescue Ministries. “It’s through the generosity of our donors that we are able to donate this $10,000 to provide school uniforms for these children,” said Dr. Chad Audi, President of DRMM. Those donors include the S.A.Y. Detroit charitable group, founded by noted author, columnist, and broadcaster Mitch Albom.

For more information on the Department of Human Services and Pathways, please visit www.michigan.giv/dhs

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries is honoring over 400 graduating clients on Thursday, June 20th at DRMM’s Banquet Hall at 3606 E. Forest in Detroit. The ceremony will begin at 11 AM and will be followed by lunch for all guests.

With friends, family members, counselors, and community officials in attendance, graduates will celebrate completion of one of DRMM’s programs over the last year, including residential programs, treatment, job training, or GED certification through DRMM’s partnership with Detroit Public Schools’ Adult Education Program.

The vast majority of graduates are homeless or formerly homeless men and women from the Cities of Detroit and Highland Park who have battled addiction, dislocation, loss, and even hopelessness. The ceremony marks a turning point for many, including clients who will deliver their testimonies to the crowd.

Founded over 104 years ago, Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries is one of the largest rescue missions in the nation, and serves over 1,600 men, women, and children in the Cities of Detroit and Highland Park each day, by providing emergency shelter, housing, and substance abuse treatment to those in need.