Cherry Republic has started our third annual 31 Days of Giving. Each day in December, Cherry Republic will donate to various organizations doing great things to preserve and protect our quality of life here in Michigan.
Thursday December 31st: $4,000 FLOW & Groundwork in support of their joint “Oil and Water Don’t Mix Campaign.
In the heart of the Great Lakes, twin 62-year-old pipelines pump nearly 23 million gallons of oil and other petroleum products a day through the Straits of Mackinac. An eminent freshwater research scientist recently called 
the straits the “worst possible place” for an oil spill in the world’s largest freshwater basin. This donation will go toward supporting both organizations work to get this controversial pipeline closed. And this donation kicks off a year long commitment by Cherry Republic to support the Oil and Water Don’t Mix Campaign.
Wednesday December 30th: $5,000 Buckets of Rain
$5,000 is being giving to Buckets of Rain for winning the $10,000 Holiday Detroit Challenge. Buckets raised $3,325. Congratulations to this organization working to help Detroit become healthier and more self sufficient.
Tuesday December 29th: $2,000 Michigan Urban Farming Initiative
Coming in second place in our $10,000 Holiday Detroit Challenge, Michigan Urban Farming Initiative is seeking to engage members of the Michigan community in sustainable agriculture. They believe that challenges unique to the Michigan community (e.g., vacant land, poor diet, nutritional illiteracy, and food insecurity) present a unique opportunity for community-supported agriculture. Using agriculture as a platform to promote education, sustainability, and community—while simultaneously reducing socioeconomic disparity—they hope to empower urban communities.
Monday December 28th: $1,500 Detroit Food Academy
In third place in our $10,000 Holiday Detroit Challenge, Detroit Food Academy is an experiential leadership program dedicated to transforming the lives of young Detroiters through food and social entrepreneurship. They partner with local high schools, educators, and food entrepreneurs to facilitate a year-round practicum culminating in the design and launch of students’ own triple-bottom-line (people, planet, profit) food business. By developing food-based solutions in their communities, students grow as holistic leaders who are healthy, connected, and powerful to affect change within and beyond the local food system.
Sunday December 27th: $1,500 The Greening of Detroit
Our fourth place winner in our $10,000 Holiday Detroit Challenge, The Greening of Detroit is a nonprofit with a mission to guide and inspire others to create a greener Detroit through planting and educational programs, environmental leadership, advocacy, and community capacity-building.
Saturday December 26th: To the Arts! $1,000 Glen Arbor Art Association & Festival of Arts Grand Rapids.
$1,000 to Festival of Arts in Grand Rapids and the Glen Arbor Art Association. This is general funding for administration for these two important state art organizations that help to keep art in our lives.
Friday December 25th: $3,000 Local Family in Need.
Today we are giving to a local family of five to help with all the financial and emotional challenges of a rare and incurable cancer that the father is suffering from. They are important members of this community and Cherry Republic is honored to help.
Thursday December 24th: $3,000 Father Fred, Third Level, Northern Family Intervention Services
$1,000 each to these important northern Michigan safety net organizations that help individuals and families in crisis. This is the fourth year of giving to Father Fred and Third Level. It is our first year giving to NFIS, which provides intensive home-based services to stabilize families at risk of breakdown and crisis due to mental health issues. The mission of NFIs is to keep children safely in their family home.
Wednesday December 23rd: $1,700 Arcadia Power
We gifted Cherry Republic clean energy for all of 2016 through Arcadia Power. Acadia Power’s mission is to change the way America consumes energy – from fossil fuels to renewables. By choosing clean energy through Arcadia Power, Cherry Republic matches our usage with renewable energy produced across the country and joins a growing community dedicated to sustainability.
Tuesday December 22nd: $1,500 Re-Arbor Glen Arbor
We are looking forward to presenting this check to one of our Glen Arbor neighbors and know that they will be able to get some things fixed before the snow flies.
Monday December 21st: $2,500 Circle of Blue
Carl Ganter and his team at Circle of Blue will be receiving a $2,500 check from Cherry Republic for a job well done coming in second place in last week’s “Holiday Environmental Challenge”. We look forward to staying up to date on todays environmental issues thanks to Circle of Blue’s publications.
Sunday December 20th: $6,000 MI league of conservation voters
Congratulations goes to Michigan League of Conservation Voters for raising over $4,000 in this past weeks “Holiday Environmental Challenge”. We are excited they have an extra $10,000 this holiday season to continue preserving and protecting Michigan’s Public Health and Natural Resources.
Saturday December 19th: Traverse Health Clinic $4,000
Our annual support of this important health clinic that services many of the needy in northern Michigan.
Friday December 18th: $3,000 Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities Clean Energy Project.
This will go toward supporting DAN WORTH’s work, Groundwork, Clean Energy Policy Specialist. Dan’s works with homeowners, businesses, institutions, and utilities to find cost-effective solutions for installing new solar panels. Groundwork’s overarching vision is that by the year 2025, the Traverse City area will achieve at least a 25% reduction in energy demand and an increase in renewable energy production to 25% of the total.
Thursday December 17th: $3,000 Washtenaw camp placement
This is our third year of donating to this Ann Arbor organization that places needy, but deserving city kids in up north camps for part of each summer.
Wednesday December 16th: $4,000 to Homestretch Affordable Housing
Cherry Republic donates $4,000 to Homestretch Affordable Housing. If northern Michigan is going to create more housing for our teachers, firemen, nurses and other service workers that our community depends on, it will be because of this important non profit. This money goes toward general administration.
Tuesday December 15th: $5,000 Friends of the Sleeping Bear Dunes Echo Valley Mountain Bike Trail
A big congratulations goes out to Kerry Kelly and the Friends of the Sleeping Bear Dunes for raising over $7,500 to create the Echo Valley Mountain Bike trail system. They are still raising money with CrowdRise so if you didn’t get the chance to donate there is still time! Donate here
Monday December 14th: $2,500 Noquemanon Trail Network Marquette
Looking forward to traveling north this spring to see the progress and hit the Noquemanon Trail Network mountain bike trails.
Sunday December 13th: $2,500 North American Vasa Trails
We are excited to help the VASA trail system by giving TART Trails a well deserved $2,500 for participated and raising over $7,000!
Saturday December 12th: Leslie Science and Nature Center $3,000.
This beautiful and active nature center just outside of Ann Arbor, fits Cherry Republic’s philanthropic goal to get kids outside and close to nature. It is easy up here in the north, and we are happy to support the pristine places like this near our store in Ann Arbor.
Friday December 11th: $1,000 each The Empire Area Community Center, Leelanau Christian Neighbors and the Benzie County Council on Aging and finally, the Benzie Area Christian Neighbors.
These four important groups help the needy in Leelanau County and Benzie County. Cherry Republic proud to be a part of such a giving and caring community here in northwest Michigan.
Thursday December 10th: Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear, $3,000.
This money goes to cover the cost of administration for this important organization working to preserve the fields, buildings, culture and history of our favorite National Park.
Wednesday December 9th: Leelanau Conservancy $10,000 (winner of our Holiday Conservancy Challenge)
A big congratulations goes to the Leelanau Conservancy for raising over $16,000 through our Cherry and Bright Holiday Conservancy Challenge. The Leelanau Conservancy helps conserve the water, land and Scenic character of Leelanau county a place some of us are lucky enough to call home and many enjoy visiting whenever possible. Good work!
Tuesday December 8th: Legacy Land Conservancy $5,000 (2nd place winner of our Holiday Conservancy Challenge)
The Legacy Land Conservancy is based in Ann Arbor and was founded in 1971. It is Michigan’s oldest organization dedicated to the voluntary conservation of locally important land. With just over 25 donations they were able to raise over $7,000 to put them in 2nd place.
Monday December 7th: Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy $2,500 (3rd place winner of our Holiday Conservancy Challenge)
No Land, No Farms, No Food, was the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy’s theme for our CrowdRise Challenge and helped them raise over $5,000. We appreciate all they are doing to protect our farmlands and natural areas around Grand Traverse.
Sunday December 6th: Little Traverse Conservancy $2,500 (4th place winner of our Holiday Conservancy Challenge)
One of the Little Traverse Conservancy donors donated, “So my twin grandsons can play in lots of open space!”. Thanks to the Traverse Conservancy for protecting the beautiful places in Northern Michigan.
Saturday December 5th: The Leelanau School $5,000
This small private school nestled in the arms of the Sleeping Bear Dunes is a beacon of college prep learning for kids all over the world. It also is a beacon of arts, culture and life for the Glen Arbor Community. This donation supports the staff– the Karners, the Wheelers, the Hoods and all the others who enrich our community.
Friday December 4th: ISLAND $20,000
This donation will go toward long term capacity building for a very important organization whose mission is strong sustainable communities all over the north. Some of this contribution will also go toward helping ISLAND build a small farmer residency program at the Grand Traverse Conservancies Maple Bay Farm.
Thursday December 3rd: Heritage Trail $10,000
Cherry Republic’s $10,000 contribution will go toward extending this fabulous biking and hiking route north from Port Oneida Rd to Lake Michigan Rd. This section should be done by next May. This donation is part of a $100,000 ten year pledge Cherry Republic made 8 years ago. Here’s the latest on the trail.
Wednesday December 2nd: Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference $3,750
Cherry Republic’s $3,750 donation will go toward covering a large portion of the costs of bringing in keynote speaker Dr. Daphne Miller. Dr. Miller is part clinician, part ecologist, and part anthropologist, and her keynote will connect the dots between health care, wellness, and locally grown food. Click here for more about the Small Farm Conference, which starts January 29th, 2016.
Tuesday December 1st: Michigan Environmental Council (MEC) $3,500
MEC is doing the heavy work at the state level to protect Michigan’s air, water and land. Recent issues they are on top of– watching to make sure that there are never any fish farms in the great lakes and getting lead out of hunting ammo. This money goes toward funding the Michigan Environmental Council’s mission— Michigan’s environment – it is more than simply our beautiful natural resources. It is the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we grow food on, and the neighborhoods we live in. The Michigan Environmental Council works to protect these key systems; they sustain our Great Lakes state’s people and economy.
