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Dear Friends of the Bay Harbor Foundation,

We want to thank you! As we reflect on the past 20 years, we are proud to have provided nearly $3,000,000 in grant funds to support the immediate needs of the Little Traverse Bay Region. As the Founders of the Bay Harbor Foundation met on December 20, 2003 it was a critical directive that the newly formed organization display good stewardship of the gifts it received and distributed. To build on this success, we look to you for your continued support as we work to help the local community with immediate needs.

“It’s been an honor for me to watch the Foundation grow over the past years. Our excellent stewardship has resulted in a score of 100% from Charity Navigator on the impact and results of our work in the Community. I am proud to be a part of such an impactful organization.”
    - Jason Allen, Bay Harbor Foundation Chairman

We have provided food for children compromised by hunger, shelter for the homeless, and medication and transportation to support children and families in crisis. This year our generous donors enabled us to support the Safe Families for Children Organization as they provided critical assistance to over fifty families to help them stay together while they worked through crisis situations, including illness and temporary homelessness. In addition to many other immediate needs, we also funded McLaren Northern Michigan cancer patients who desperately needed assistance to cover the cost of medicine and medical equipment.

We have also provided close to $700,000 to help young men and women working in the Bay Harbor Community achieve their dream of a college education. In addition to our undergraduate scholarships, we recently created a vocational scholarship program that provides young and seasoned employees an opportunity to obtain technical certifications that will give them a chance to improve their skills as well as their income. Scholarship recipients are profoundly grateful for the support we provide. We recently heard from one scholar who wrote:

“I am very grateful to have been awarded this scholarship, and to have grown up near and worked in a community like Bay Harbor that puts such a high value on education.”
- Emma Decker, Hope College 2023

We can’t stop now – as the Bay Harbor Foundation continues to grow, we have worked to ensure that not only have your donations made an impact, but they have been highly cost-effective. We have witnessed the results of your generosity, and we want to thank you for every donation over the past 20 years. We hope that you will help us continue our work in the Little Traverse Bay Community. With your support, we can make a difference in the lives of those in need in our region this year and for many more years to come.

Thank you,

Candace Fitzsimons
Executive Director