Midland 100 Club Donates to Disability Network Mid-Michigan

The Midland 100 Club has donated $15,000 to The Disability Network of Mid-Michigan. The money will be used to purchase a specially equipped van to transport local young people with disabilities to various events that focus on employment, independent living skills, and recreation.

“Having a van available to us will help our youth participate in a variety of events in the community. As a result, students gain self-confidence and develop skills that enable them to live and work independently” said Dave Emmel, Director, Disability Network of Mid-Michigan. “We are so grateful for this generous donation from The Midland 100 Club.”

The Midland 100 Club brings together women who wish to collaboratively support charitable organizations in the Midland community in amounts large enough to make a real difference. They hold 3 evening meetings a year at the Midland Center for the Arts, and at each meeting any member can volunteer to present an opportunity for Club members to vote on. Four names at random are chosen to make a brief pitch for their organization. Those members in attendance vote and the two with the most votes receive the money, a contribution of $15,000 or more to each organization.

“We believe that by our collective contributions we can make a more significant positive impact in the community than we could individually,” said Tina Van Dam, Volunteer Chair. “We are happy that Disability Network is able to use the funds to help our local youth prepare for the challenges and opportunities of responsible adulthood.”

Since it was organized six years ago when Bobbie Arnold gathered a group of friends together, the Midland 100 Club has grown to more than 300 members and has raised $360,700 for 23 local nonprofits, including $288,500 in cash and $72,200 in matching funds. New members are welcome to join the Midland 100 Club at any time by emailing Midland100Club@hotmail.com.

A federally-funded Center for Independent Living, Disability Network provides an array of services to people of all ages, with many types of disabilities. DNMM is dedicated to building accessible and inclusive communities. For more information on available services, contact DNMM at 1-800-782-4160 or visit www.dnmm.org.