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We honor the legacy of Father Fred by treating all people with dignity and respect while nurturing hope and working with humility.
Since 1989, The Father Fred Foundation has been helping individuals and families with their essential immediate needs; nourishing food on the table, keeping heat and lights on, needed work shoes, and children’s boots and clothing when the necessities of home are unaffordable. Above all, we work to nurture hope when all else seems hopeless. What we have is given free of charge to those in need. We serve our five local counties ( Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau) and we welcome all individuals. Every week a dedicated team of volunteers and a small staff are the hands and hearts of Father Fred.
This international program provides services for children birth to their 5th birthday. The mission is to get books into the homes, and hands of young children at no cost to the parents. A high quality, age-appropriate book is mailed monthly to the eligible child at his/her home address.
5toONE, a project of the Great Start Collaborative of Traverse Bay, is our way of addressing the persistent challenges of raising young children in rural northern Michigan by creating a 5-county system of resources that both provides support and inspiration to all families and addresses the acute needs of families most in need of help. 5toONE Neighborhood Centers may be found in several communities across our 5-county service area where children and families can gather for playgroups and networking, connect with local and regional supports, and learn about child development. 5toONe publishes annually a Family Resource, convenes meetings with community stakeholders to amplify parents’ voice, and advocates for increased funding for early childhood.
Born to Read is a signature project of the Traverse Bay Sunrise Rotary Club. Born to Read mission is to promote early literacy by spreading the word about the importance of reading, talking, singing, and interacting with children everyday from birth on.
PoWeR! Book Bags works with low-income children to provide free brand-new books of choice along with PoWeR! bags containing materials to promote language, play, and writing. Our mission is to increase children’s experiences with language, play, writing and reading.
Since 1937, Child & Family Services have provided a safety net for the most vulnerable children and families of Northern Michigan though a collection of behavioral health services, parenting resources, foster care and adoption assistance, youth outreach and support, and shelters for runaway, homeless or displaced adolescents.
CFS’ early literacy program works through distribution of age-appropriate books to children who come into care, licensed foster homes and providing books to clients in need upon request.