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The Portage Health Foundation is the recipient of the Outstanding Volunteer Program Award, announced by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
The Governor’s Service Awards recognize individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations for their commitment to volunteerism, service or philanthropy.
“Our state is lucky to have such outstanding Michiganders who work hard every single day to build a home for opportunity for everyone. Whether it’s uplifting our neighborhoods or bringing communities together when tragedy strikes, they do this work even when nobody’s looking because they know that every contribution makes a huge impact,” Whitmer said. “I’m proud to present the Governor’s Service Awards to this year’s recipients as recognition of their sacrifice and dedication throughout our state.”
The Portage Health Foundation is being honored for their actions during the recovery effort of the 2018 Father’s Day Flood, which caused over $120 million in storm-related damage.
The foundation initiated their Flood With Love response which provided aid to those directly impacted by flood with home repairs, family relocation, and mitigating public health risks.
The Portage Health Foundation expended over $2 million in direct support to families affected as well as raising over $950,000 in private and corporate donations to help offset those costs.
They also assisted the Volunteer Recovery Center which engaged 2,131 volunteers in an estimated 28,000 service hours.
The Governor’s Service Awards winners will be honored during a special ceremony hosted by the Michigan Community Service Commission on Thursday, Sept. 5, at the Detroit Opera House.
The winners include: (Click the winner’s name to view their full biography or visit www.michigan.gov/GovernorsServiceAwards for more information)
Gov. George Romney Lifetime Achievement Award: Lloyd Reuss (Bloomfield Hills)
Lifetime Humanitarian Award: Allan D. Gilmour (Birmingham), William F. Pickard (Bloomfield Hills)
Spirit of Hope Award: Rochelle Riley (Detroit)
Volunteer of the Year: Ann T. Fillmore (Coleman), Kimberly Ismail (Dearborn), Michelle Shepherd (Rochester), Richard Stringfield (Saginaw)
Senior Volunteer of the Year: Jelanie Bush (Newaygo), Mildred Bond Johnson (Muskegon), Karl Knauf (Bellaire), Grace LaValley (Marquette), Regina Malczewski (Midland), Heide McNichols(Traverse City), Mary Ann Ryan (Pontiac)
Youth Volunteer of the Year: Addy Battel/Pearl Daskam (Cass City/ Ubly), Danielle Boyer(Troy), Emma Eimers (New Haven), Amogh Gowda (Troy), Jocelyn Hines (Muskegon)
Mentor of the Year: Grant Smith (Waterford), Stacie Zotkovich (Commerce Township), Charles Johnson (Southfield), Donald Ferguson (Lake Orion)
Outstanding Volunteer Program: Friends in Deed (Ypsilanti), Give A Kid Projects (Holt), Portage Health Foundation (Hancock), Shelter Association of Washtenaw County (Ann Arbor), United Way of Genesee County (Flint)
Outstanding National Service Program: Family Literacy AmeriCorps Program (West Michigan), Michigan Education Corps AmeriCorps Program (Statewide), Michigan Nonprofit Association Pathways to Employment VISTA Program (Lansing)
Corporate Community Leader: BASF (Wyandotte), Bosch (Farmington Hills), DoubleTree by Hilton (Port Huron), DTE Energy (Southeast Michigan), Spectrum Health (Grand Rapids), Trinseo(Midland)
Education Service Leader: Detroit PAL (Detroit), Detroit Public Television (Southeast Michigan), Grand Blanc Community Schools (Grand Blanc), Wayne County Community College District(Southeast Michigan)
The Governor’s Service Awards ceremony is an annual statewide recognition event acknowledging the contributions made by Michigan volunteers. The event is coordinated by the Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC), the state’s lead agency on volunteerism. The MCSC strives to engage all Michigan residents in volunteerism to address critical community challenges. For more information, visit Michigan.gov/volunteer
