Yatooma’s receives $25,000 Challenge Grant from Art Van
BIRMINGHAM -Yatooma’s Foundation for the Kids, based in Birmingham, was recently selected as a recipient of a $25,000 Challenge Grant from Art Van Furniture.
“We’re so excited to be able to promote to the community that Mr. Art Van Elslander has selected our charity -one of 50 -to receive his Challenge Grant,” said Jennifer Viano, executive director of Yatooma’s Foundation for the Kids.
Initiated in honor of Art Van Furniture’s 50th anniversary, the company’s Million Dollar Charity Challenge provides $1 million to fund 50 grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000.The grants were allocated to Michigan health organizations and programs that serve children or provide human services.
“I was frankly surprised that we had over 550 applicants for the grant. It really shows the need here in Michigan. … After seeing our efforts, we hope that others will step up,so we can turn our $1 million contribution into several million dollars for local and state charities,” said Art Van Elslander, chairman and CEO of Art Van Furniture.
Through the challenge grant, Art Van Furniture will match up to $25,000 in contributions received in support of Yatooma’s 2009 annual fund campaign -which helps raise unrestricted revenue so that the foundation can provide services such as grief counseling, mentorship, educational summer camp experiences for children, tuition assistance, job placement, family togetherness experiences, and need-based financial assistance for help with food, utilities, rent or mortgage payments, transportation and other basic needs.
Norman Yatooma created Yatooma’s Foundation for the Kids -a nonprofit organization that aims to bring emotional, educational, employment, social and financial stability to families of children who have lost one or both parents -after his father was murdered in 1993, in order to help other children and families struggling with the death of a parent.
Because many times the loss of a parent is financially devastating to a family, Viano said, the organization meets with every family that it takes in to help them to recover from the grief of the loss and help them with the basic needs that are often a main cause of their worries.
“We help them to see that there is going to be a successful future in their midst. If the surviving parent or guardian is in need of a job, we help them find a job, or we help them go back to school many times. We just helped the mom of a wonderful family go to nursing school. She is now a nurse and is able to provide for her family on her own,” Viano said.
Yatooma said that each year his aim is to help more families recover from grief, fulfill basic needs, and realize their life potential.
He said the generosity bestowed upon the foundation by Art Van Furniture through the grant will help the foundation support many more kids and families in the community who are now living without a mom or dad.
The public can make donations to the foundation in memory of or to honor a loved one, which Viano said can be acknowledged with a special tribute card sent to a designated recipient.
Each donor who gives $25 or more to Yatooma’s annual fund campaign this year will be entered into a special raffle to receive a $500 Art Van Furniture Card. For more information about the foundation, or to donate, call (888) 987-5437 or visit www.forthekidsfoundation. org.
You can reach Staff Writer Mary Beth Almond at mal mond@candgnews.com or at (586)
498-1060.
