Cherryland Humane Society Needs Your Help

Taken from a letter sent to residents asking to help keep the Cherryland Humane Society open:

"The Cherryland Humane Society (CHS) has served the area for over 54 years.  It has truly been a labor of love for thousands of individuals for over 1/2 a century.  We now find ourselves in dire financial straits.  If we are unable to raise much needed funds soon, we will be forced to close our doors by early to mid June.  For every $20,000 in donations that we are able to raise toward the $200,000 goal, we will be able to operate for an additional month.  Because we now find ourselves in a critical situation, we wish to ask for your consideration for providing a tax deductible donation for the work of the CHS on behalf of multitudes of unwanted and homeless pets.  Your contribution will impact the future of so many pets that are dependent upon each of us for their well being.  We shall be pleased to work with you concerning recognition for whatever financial help that you are willing to provide."

Contributions can be sent to Cherryland Humane Society, 1750 Ahlberg Road, Traverse City, MI 49696.  If you wish to discuss your gift or would like additional information please contact Mike Cherry, CHS Executive Director, at (231) 946-5116.

United Way of Northwest Michigan's mission is to efficiently raise and effectively distribute both financial and volunteer resources to support community - determined initiatives that improve the lives of community members.

4th Graders create art to support the Goodwill Inn

Eastern Elementary School’s “Heroes In Our Community”: Spotlight on 4th Grade “Helping Hands” Team


Eastern Elementary’s 4th graders want to help support the homeless in the Traverse City community. As part of the school’s “Heroes In Our Community” service learning project, the students chose homelessness as their cause to learn about and support. Since early May, the 4th grade “Helping Hands” team has been researching and working with local artist Angela Schuler to create paintings focused on the different types of homes found all around the world. The team finished their paintings last week, and all 5 versions of “Homes Around the World” are now listed on eBay.


100% of proceeds from the sale of these paintings will go to the Goodwill Inn in Traverse City on behalf of the Helping Hands team.

Each version of “Homes Around the World” bears the sub-title of word “home” or “house” in another language.

Online Auctions run through noon on Friday, May 27. To view the paintings online and/or to place a bid, please go to: http://easternpto.weebly.com/helpinghands.html, or go to eBay and search for “Homes Around The World”.

NMC Students take alternative spring break in New Orleans

by Lisa Perkins
lperkins@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY - Sand, sun and sandals were replaced by blisters, sweat and a sense of acomplishment for a group of Northwestern Michigan College students who took an alternative spring break trip.

The group of 10 students and two local United Way employees spent the last week of March hanging drywall and installing insulartion while working with the St. Bernard Project to help rebuild homes for families displaced after Hurricane Katrina.  "This is something we have wanted to do for several years, but this year everything fell into place,"  said Michelle Gallagher, coordinator of the trip for United Way of Northwest Michigan.  United Way Worldwide has partnered with the St. Bernard Project, bringing volunteers to assist in their efforts since the hurricane devastated New Orleans more than five years ago.

"The impact was more than any of us had anticipated, the neighborhoods are not even halfway rebuild, the amount of homes that are still completely gutted, or just have cement foundations left is amazing," said Gallagher, whose crew worked on two homes during their five-day stay.

AmeriCorps Vista supervisors gave instrucitons to the students who worked on drywalling the home of an older man, Marcel Rivera, whose house had been gutted right down to the studs.  At the home of Tonya Scott, the team also learned to install insulation.  "People there are still pretty positive for what they have been through.  They still want to rebiuld,"  said Gallagher, who hopes that some of the students she worked with will continue volunteering in their own community.

Mike Foster, a 19-year-old NMC student from Flint, says the trip to New Orleans was an opportunity that dosen't come up every day.  "A trip of this magnitude changed my view of volunteering.  It is great to work at a soup kitchen for a day, but working for a week on a project like this was really life-changing," said Foster, who plans to continue volunteering by working with Habitat for Humanity.  "There is still a lot to do down there, but there is a lot that needs to be done in my hometown too," he said.