Giving Tuesday: Dial Help

Dial Help started nearly 50 years ago, starting with a 24 hour crisis hot line. Since then the small community organization has expanded to include many programs focused on supporting mental health, victims of domestic violence, substance abuse disorder, and education and training. Dial Help has built a strong relationship with the Portage Health Foundation during their service to the community, and over the past few Giving Tuesday campaigns the community has shown their own support for dial help and their mission. With community members donating over 100,000 dollars to Dial Help.

“You know, Dial Help is a small non-profit, and it’s great to have the Portage health Foundation in our corner, helping us raise funds has made a huge difference in our overall campaigning. And the money we’re able to raise through fundraising. Over the past years we’ve been able to use these (donations) for when we bring speakers up for education events and things like that. Usually grants won’t pay for those kinds of things. And then we have a certain amount of licensing fees that are due every year for our programs. That grants don’t cover, one in particular is our teen outreach.” – Kristine Martens, Teen Outreach Program Coordinator

Flexibility with funds is very important to dial help, as licensing fees and education events are not always covered by grant funding. The Portage Health Foundation’s Giving Tuesday campaign helps Dial Help fill in operations gaps in their budget, and keeps the group running across the Upper Peninsula. If you want to learn more about dial help and their programs or volunteer opportunities, check them out online at dialhelp.org.