2024 Impact100 TC $116,000 Grant Recipient. 

The mission of TARP is to undertake projects which will enhance the quality of life for all people in the greater Thompsonville area.

TARP’s keystone project is the creation of a bicycle trailhead, and an ADA compliant visitor’s pavilion and campground at the historic Thompsonville Junction. TARP’s vision is that this project would initiate a transformational change to the Thompsonville area community. With the successful completion of the trailhead project, Thompsonville would become an important node on the recreational trail map that is evolving in Michigan and attract runners, wheelers, walkers, bicyclists and bicycle campers. The pavilion could be utilized as an outdoor education setting for students in the local preschool and learning center

and the Benzie Central school system, as well as a venue for programs of other non-profits, and public outdoor meetings and functions. By commemorating Thompsonville’s past, this project would establish a path for the community’s future. Read more

Check Out: Thompsonville Area Revitalization Project Wishlist & Website

2024 Impact100 TC $116,000 Grant Recipient.

Leelanau Investing For Teens (LIFT) is the only no-cost, out-of-school program for 6th through 12th graders in Leelanau County. Over 400 middle and high schoolers join LIFT programming 230 days of the year to connect with community mentors and participate in activities that support their development and mental health.

Housed within three school districts, teens spend over 2,725 hours in LIFT’s dedicated classrooms annually. LIFT’s well-loved out-of-school time spaces are the image of thrift and creativity. Tabletops rest on milk crates, couch covers hide stains, and malfunctioning spring-loaded recliners can send an unsuspecting teen flying.  

Inspired by research on the impact of the physical environment on mental health, LIFT is updating its classrooms for the first time as a necessary investment in the wellbeing of local teens. LIFT will simultaneously purchase a 12-passenger vehicle to increase accessibility to its programs by providing participating teens with transportation to and from its out-of-school time activities. Friendship Community Center Grant Application

Check out: Friendship Community Center Grant Application Wishlist & Website

2023 Impact100 TC $113,000 Grant Recipient.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and Sunrise Rotary’s Born to Read are working with Munson Medical Center to increase kindergarten readiness across the Grand Traverse Region. Just 44% of local children start kindergarten with the literacy skills needed to succeed.  

Research shows the first 3-years of life are critical for brain development. Nurturing interactions, having books in the home, and reading to babies lay the foundation for learning long before children enter school. We are building a system to educate and invite new parents to enroll their newborn in the Imagination Library before leaving Munson hospital.

The earlier a child enrolls, the greater the effect on school readiness. Every month children will receive an age-appropriate book until age 5, at no cost to families. With Impact 100’s support, we can transform children’s lives by inspiring a love of reading and delivering books to children across the 5-county region, starting at birth. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library GTR Grant Application

Check out: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library GTR Wishlist & Website

2023 Impact100 TC $113,000 Grant Recipient.

United We Smile is a free dental center for children, pregnant women, veterans, and those with cognitive or developmental disabilities. Local volunteer dentists oversee dental interns from U of M School of Dentistry and NMC Dental Assisting School while our Community Health Worker oversees Social Work interns from NMC. As part of a mandatory graduation requirement, these dental providers will now learn the skills necessary to be able to treat patients with challenging comorbidities, developmental disabilities, PTSD, and pre-cooperative behavior. With no out of pocket costs for patients, a free goods store, and many wrap-around services in collaboration with our community partners, we will begin to see not only a better quality of life for these patients, but also a solution to the access to care issue for generations to come. United Way of NW MI Grant Application

Check out: United Way of Northwest Michigan Wishlist & Website

2023 Impact100 TC $113,000 Grant Recipient.

For over 22 years, Freedom Builders has met critical housing needs in northern Michigan. Utilizing a dedicated group of volunteers of all ages, Freedom Builders facilitates service projects that meet needs and connect struggling families with people who care for them and can help.

Freedom Builders has recently purchased property in Chums Village and is seeking funding to construct a building. The property is the geographical center of the five-county area where the organization serves, and the building will house equipment and materials, make it easier for the organization to receive and store donated materials, improve the organization’s ability to gather and train volunteers, reduce costs and improve efficiency, and more.

All these will directly increase the ability of Freedom Builders to fulfill its mission to “rebuild hope, one home at a time.” The resulting impact on northern Michigan will be the increased improvement of the lives of people in need and those who serve and care for them. Freedom Builders Grant Application

Check out: Freedom Builders Wishlist & Website