50 years, 50 stories: Story #12 Catholic Social Services

Investing in a More Just Community

For over 55 years, Catholic Social Services (CSS) of Washtenaw County has been working to fulfill its mission of "helping people live safe, meaningful and independent lives in a more just community."

Since 1982, the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation and its donors have awarded more than $1 million in grants to support the agency's key programs. Start-up grants helped launch Grandparents As Parents -- a program that offers critical support to grandparents who face the unexpected responsibility of raising children for the second time around.  Grants to Neighborhood Senior Services have funded programs dedicated to helping seniors live independently. And $282,000 in grants have supported the Blueprint for Aging -- a consortium of seniors and families, nonprofits, businesses, and public agencies working to improve services, care and the quality of life for older adults in Washtenaw County.  
In 2000, CSS' Board of Directors established the Catholic Social Services Endowment Fund at AAACF. CSS President Larry Voight notes:  "AAACF is an exceptional steward of community resources. We are privileged to have a partner who not only supports critical immediate needs, but also invests in visionary efforts to create a better community for the future."
 
One of the many ways the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation supports all that is good in our community.
 
Read more "good" stories at: aaacf.org/stories
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