Caring, Community, Connections
Giving Hope, Women's Giving Circle efforts are focused on helping in the local community, reaching and assisting women, children, and their families in need.
Since 2006, the members and patrons have made it possible to grant more than $100,000 to local organizations that serve women and families in need.
Grants will only be awarded to qualifying 501(c)3 organizations serving women and children in Western Wayne County.
If you have questions with application process please contact Beth at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 734-495-1200.
If you have questions about Grants in general, please contact Jane Kersjes This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Giving Hope's Advisory Board Chairwoman Linda Demmer's message to it's members.
In her message Linda Demmer wishes all the members a very happy new year as they enter their 16th year.
She also informs the member about changes in advisory board.
Giving Hope is also planning an event in March which will benefit the Michigan Foster Care Closet.
Please read letter to get more details.
Hello Giving Hope Members and Friends!
Happy Holidays!
I "Hope" everyone is doing well and not stressing out … 'tis the season after all! I wanted to send out a recap of the Ugly Christmas Sweater Zoom event held on Wednesday December 8th! IT was a wonderful time!! I know we are all tired of these zoom events, but I must say, this was one of our most entertaining!!
Many thanks to all the ladies who attended and were able to hear about our pass the purse charity, Canton Goodfellows. We were fortunate to be joined by Nila Patel — the Vice President of Canton Goodfellows. Nila described exactly what and how this endearing organization accomplishes its mission of "No Child Without a Christmas." What a worthwhile organization to support at this Giving time of year!
With that typed, I wish we had an audible drum roll to help announce we raised $1,780 for the organization!! I want to thank every lady who donated and also (and especially) the many ladies who, while not able to attend the zoom, did contribute to the Goodfellows cause and helped us reach this amazing sum!
During the zoom we also said our fond goodbyes and thank you's to retiring board members Jackie Norris, Sharon Filips and Sue Rosiek. These ladies served their terms with enthusiasm and dedication and will certainly be missed on the board. Fortunately we welcomed new board members Noel Bittinger, Karen Hanchette and Maureen Visser. I know they will bring new inspiration and help continue the tradition of strong leadership to the Giving Hope Advisory Board. Many thanks to these ladies for accepting the role.
Having those announcements made, I must also remind everyone we are still in need of 2 or 3 additional members on the board. Therefore, I ask again for your consideration and help in filling these spots. I know many of you have some trepidation about assuming the responsibility; but please, FEAR NOT!! It is anything but intimidating and we work as a group to support our meaningful organization — please consider joining the "Team" and let me know if I can count on you! The Advisory Board will meet in January and I do HOPE to have all the positions filled! Thank you in advance for your support.
We also discussed a potential charitable giving and creating event: making fleece blankets for or donating to "Fleece & Thank You" an organization that provides blankets to children in hospitals in our area. There was interest among our attendees, so the Advisory Board will discuss the particulars at the January board meeting!
Lastly, our zoom went "techy:" Thanks to Karen Hanchette, Reanne Neil and Jackie Norris we played a rousing game of Christmas trivia on our pc's and phones — what a hoot! Trivia winners were #1- Dianne Neihengen, #2 Jane Kerjes, and #3 Sue Rosiek! Well done ladies!!
And our special prize for Ugly Sweater became a draw among all our guest and the winner, Noel Bittinger graciously declined the chocolate Santa treat (she's doing great on her diet!!) and asked that another name be drawn, and we were delighted to award that prize to Nila Patel!
With all the information shared, the Giving done and the prizes won, we all toasted the great work we achieve through Giving Hope, Women's Giving Circle, wished everyone a happy and healthy Holiday Season and all the best for 2022!!
It will be another great year of Giving Hope and I look forward to sharing it with all of you!
My humble and sincere thanks and very best wishes for the Christmas season!
Linda J. Demmer,
Advisory Board Chairwoman
Giving Hope, Women's Giving Circle
Autumn Greetings to all Giving Hope,
Women's Giving Circle Members and Friends,
It is hard to believe we are already well into the fall since the warm temperatures have thankfully remained with us! As was the case for our wonderfully attended "Cheers for 15 years: Gathering to Give" event!
We had 35 members and guests who joined us for delicious hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, a champagne toast, and a tasty dessert!! The weather was grand, the giving generous and the time spent together as the Circle was enriching and inspiring.
The evening began with a welcome to all in attendance. In recognition of the occasion, our successful 15 years of Giving Hope, former chairwomen in attendance were given a round of applause and those not able to join were mentioned by name. We have much to be grateful for as these women leaders are truly the backbone, heart and spirit of our organization and we would not have survived without their commitment to the circle. Thanks was also expressed to all the members who have served on the Advisory Board and/or committees. It takes each and every one of us to keep growing our wonderful organization and helping more women find their way to becoming philanthropists through Giving Hope, Women's Giving Circle. New logo pins were given to all members and then all were asked to stand and "pin" them on (really, they have a magnetic back! LOL!!). All members should feel great pride as they wear this signature pin. It stands for everything that we believe in and have accomplished in the past 15 years, and what we plan to continue long into the future!
A brief business meeting followed:
Treasurer, Denise Murray presented our current budget and details. Our endowment is currently $211,962.61 and growing. We are being good stewards of our expenses and finding ways to hold events and enrich our bottom line in fun and creative ways. Please contact me or Denise if you would like to see the complete report.
Next, I presented a quick year in review, highlighting our events "Harvest of Hope" fall 2020, "Giving Green for Giving Hope" March 2021, and "Time to Get Back to Celebrating Giving Hope" June 2021.
All these events were a success due to the participation of members and guests as well as the generosity found among them all. Thank you to all who joined in! Going forward, we are planning on our next virtual event. I hope you will join us for "'Tis the Season to Rock Ugly Sweaters" zoom session to be held on Wednesday December 8th at 7pm!
More "merry" details will follow soon!!
I was also honored to introduce our newest members:
It is wonderful to welcome these ladies into the Circle! This year alone we have added 7 new members and for that I am truly delighted!!
Next Beth Meade introduced Mickey Guisewite, the founder of our evening's selected charity The Bottomless Toy Chest. This Michigan-based organization provides toys for children in hospitals in Michigan and across the country. Mickey explained why and how she came up with the idea for this wonderful charity and told us stories of the impact she has witnessed with the children getting gifts! It was so inspiring to hear about her mission and how it has been fulfilled by charitable giving like ours! If you were not able to join us but would still like to donate, please feel free to go to the Bottomless Toy Chest website where you may look at their gift list and send a toy along.
After Mickey had delivered her remarks, our time was spent socializing and enjoying the food and beverage fare at Walnut Creek Country Club.
Once again, my many thanks to all who were able to attend and make the evening so special. We not only collected 104 toys, but we also provided almost $600 in an impromptu "Pass the "Box" moment!
In closing, I expect to remain as Chairwomen for the upcoming year. My term will conclude at the end of 2022, so I am going to continue to do my best to keep up the enthusiasm, fun and social opportunities for all our members and friends and "hope" you will join in at events in the coming year.
Congratulations to us all on the achievements we have contributed to and been part of these past 15 years for Giving Hope, Women's Giving Circle!
Best wishes,
Linda J. Demmer
Chairwomen
Giving Hope, Women's Giving Circle
Giving Hope, Women's Giving Circle efforts are focused on helping in the local community, reaching and assisting women, children, and their families in need. For 15 years, Giving Hope, Women's Giving Circle has been accomplishing that objective and continues to develop women's philanthropy and meet needs through fundraising and grant making.
Since 2006, the members and patrons have made it possible to grant more than $100,000 to local organizations that serve women and families in need.
The deadline to submit application is April 18, 2022 by 5 pm. Organizations submitting an application must be focused on providing assistance to women and families in Western Wayne County.
If you have questions with application process please contact Beth at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 734-495-1200.
If you have questions about Grants in general, please contact Jane Kersjes This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Grants will only be awarded to qualifying 501(c)3 organizations serving women and children in Western Wayne County.
Giving Hope Grant Making Principles:
- To benefit women and their families.
- To encourage programs which are collaborative, comprehensive and have the potential to be continuous.
- To encourage leveraging and matching grant opportunities from multiple funders.
- To support "seed" money opportunities for innovative projects.
- To encourage the self-sufficiency and well-being of women and their families.
Applicant Organization Criteria:
- Must be a nonprofit 501(c)3 with a current State of Michigan license to solicit, if applicable.
- Must meet the mission of Giving Hope.
- Must have a specific project or program for which the funding is being requested.
- Must have clear objectives.
What Giving Hope Will (Generally) Not Fund:
While Giving Hope, Women's Giving Circle remains flexible in trying to meet community needs, the following are areas that will generally not be considered for funding at this time:
- Routine operating expenses
- Travel, tours or trips
- Endowment campaigns
- Special fundraising events and sponsorships
- Organizations that do not provide services to the greater Canton and Plymouth, Michigan area
- Religious organizations for religious purposes or political organizations
- Existing obligations or debts/liabilities
- Individuals
- Issues that divide us, not unite us
Please complete all sections before submitting application.
Please click here to fill the application.
Giving Hope, Women's Giving Circle is proud to present the final tribute to inspirational women as we recognize and celebrate Women's History Month. This week we remember all the Giving and Hope accomplished by our own
It is my great pleasure and honor to acknowledge all the women of Giving Hope, Women's Giving Circle for their commitment to growing the local community of women philanthropists and to thank them for their continued support of the organization's efforts to help women, children, and their families in our communities! Giving Hope has been accomplishing these goals since 2006 and we all can be proud of and share our very own history of Giving Hope! Thank you, Ladies, and let's continue our wonderful work of Giving Hope together!
Thank You Giving Green Business Donors
The advisory board of Giving Hope, Women’s Giving Circle is grateful to the following local business owners for their support of our endowment fundraising initiative Giving Green for Giving Hope!
The generosity of these businesses is an exceptional gift, considering the difficulties they faced during the 2020 Covid lockdowns.
We "Hope" our members will consider patronizing these donors and return the gift of “Giving Hope” to their businesses.
Our sincere appreciation and deepest thanks again!
Sincerely,
Linda J. Demmer
Chair of Giving Hope, Women’s Giving Circle
Giving Hope, Women's Giving Circle is proud to present the fourth of five inspirational women as we recognize and celebrate Women's History Month. This week we remember the Giving and Hope done by Ms. Rhonda Walker.
Ms. Rhonda Walker
Rhonda Walker was born in 1968, in Detroit, Michigan. She grew up in Lansing and has been a lifelong Michigan resident. Ms. Walker graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Communications to pursue her career in television journalism. She is currently one of the morning news anchors for WDIV- Channel 4 in Detroit. In 2003, Rhonda started the philanthropic organization The Rhonda Walker Foundation. The foundation supports young women and teenagers in pursuit of better education and personal development overall. The Foundation's tag line is "Girls into Women" and it affords grants to a wide variety of programs which support and mentor local girls in need. Ms. Walker serves as President of the foundation and has been an integral part of several Detroit-based philanthropic events, making over 100 appearances since she launched the Foundation. Ms. Walker spoke at a Giving Hope event several years ago and described her foundation and its goal of helping young girls become strong, empowered, and independent women. Her drive and commitment to Giving was inspiring! We the ladies of Giving Hope, Women's' Giving Circle share that ambitious commitment and support Ms. Walker's desire of Giving Hope to girls in need.
