ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Local foster children and their families will be able to make birthday celebrations extra special thanks to a recent donation of $5,000 to the Michigan Foster Care Closet (MFCC) from the University of Michigan Credit Union (UMCU).
The gift was made possible with the help of 83 local businesses during UMCU’s “Shop Local Give Local” campaign.
Throughout November and December, UMCU matched and donated 1% of the total sales to MFCC when members made purchases with their UMCU Visa credit cards at participating stores, restaurants, cafes, and more.
As a philanthropic credit union, UMCU said it is dedicated to the local community, and the purpose of this campaign was to help make a positive difference for an impactful charitable organization while strengthening the relationship between UMCU members and locally-owned businesses in the Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Saline, Flint and Dearborn communities.
According to MFCC, the donation will go towards creating a Birthday Box program. This program will provide each foster child with a “Birthday Party in a Box.” Each box will include three to four birthday gifts, a cake, frosting, party supplies, decorations and more.
Due to the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on local businesses, strengthening the message of “Shop Local Give Local,” and demonstrating the importance of shopping and dining locally at small businesses was imperative. Through partnerships with local chambers of commerce and non-profit organizations, UMCU added several new local restaurants and retailers to its list of participating vendors.
This was the fifth year UMCU raised funds for a local charity through “Shop Local Give Local.” In 2019, the campaign helped 20 local students take advantage of a six-week summer program at the Community Action Network designed to prepare under-resourced teens for their potential career goals by developing soft and employability skills, as well as providing the opportunity to explore a few different career paths, networking and beginning to chart a path towards personal goals.
“At UMCU, we’re all about people helping people, and this year in particular, we knew it was imperative to encourage our members to shop at these local businesses,” said Julie Wigley, UMCU VP-brand and community development. “Through ‘Shop Local Give Local, we grow stronger relationships between the local charities, local businesses, and UMCU members because everyone is working towards the common goal of making a positive impact in our community. It’s truly a win-win-win, and hits at the heart of who we are at the credit union – helping people. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who supported the campaign and made this incredible donation to MFCC possible.”
In recognition of its fifth annual Shop Local Give Local promotion, five local participating businesses were randomly chosen to win $500 each, and in addition to contributing to the donation, every time members used their UMCU Visa credit cards at the partner vendors during the promotional period, they were entered for the chance to be one of five lucky members to win $1,000. Ann Arbor Running Company, Black Stone Bookstore and Cultural Center, Enchanted Oven, Shumaker Snowboard and Ski, and Detroit Book City were the local businesses randomly selected as raffle winners.
“As a small business owner, many of us have felt the weight of the world on our shoulders this past year, and just to know we are appreciated is the best feeling” said Wardia.