Care Out Loud Committee

How has this idea enhanced your club's operation, etc.?

INTRODUCTION : Even in normal years, giving back is part of the DNA of the DAC—members and staff alike. The onset of the global pandemic brought with it a heightened sense of urgency, a heightened amount of need—and a heightened awareness on the part of the DAC’s Care Out Loud Committee to go above and beyond the traditionally substantial amount of support given by members and employees.

How was this idea implemented, and what have been the club members' reactions?

HOW WE REACHED OUT: In February, just before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, 16 DAC employees visited the nonprofit Focus: Hope and for three hours packed more than 1,000 boxes for its Food for Seniors program, which provides over 42,000 monthly food packages to help seniors meet basic needs. To kick off Reading Month, committee members collected more than 380 books and delivered them to the Detroit Police Athletic League. This gift allowed children in Detroit to enjoy read-along sessions on Zoom and then check out books from the Detroit PAL library. While the club was shut down between March and June, members joined employees in an outdoor donation event in our Pavilion, where they could bring in canned and boxed food, donate blood and drop off cans and bottles. The effort collected 474 pounds of nonperishable and healthy food for Forgotten Harvest, a local food bank; 34 pints of blood; and more than $1,500 worth of returnables that benefited Special Olympics of Michigan. And in the giving spirit of the event, the Club’s Youth Activities Committee created 30 inspirational drawings to send to first responders in our area. When the Michigan Humane Society was forced to move its July Mutt March to a virtual format, a number of DAC members and staff signed up to walk their dogs and count the miles walked. Together, the group walked 15 miles and donated money to help the Humane Society provide essential services for rescued animals. In September, our Care Out Loud team worked with Crossroads of Michigan to collect supplies for Detroit children for the new school year—a school year very different from previous ones, in that home had become the classroom.