In 2019, the Jack & Jill Detroit Chapter kicked off their partnership with COTS Detroit. Our goal…to support the families of COTS Detroit with dynamic programming and help fulfill essential needs.
Local Service in action
Donation Sorting
COTS Detroit is grateful for all the donations they receive and puts them to good use. So when we heard they needed help sorting and organizing the donations that range from clothing and household items to electronics and healthcare items, we put our able-bodied families to work as their organization crew.
The Birthday Party Project
Parents, children and teens of Jack & Jill Detroit Chapter have been fortunate enough to support COTS Detroit through The Birthday Party Project (TBPP), where we celebrate all children that have a birthday that month, along with their family members, with a gift and refreshments. We support the mission of TBPP to bring JOY to children experiencing homelessness through the MAGIC of a birthday party.
Annual Cereal Drive
Every kid has a favorite cereal, and it’s no different at COTS Detroit. And who better to source donations than our Jack & Jill Teens!
Organized by the Jack & Jill Teen Group, this program kicks off on March 7th, which just happens to be National Cereal Day. Throughout the month of March our Teens are creating flyers and donation boxes, posting announcements through social media, gathering donations and promoting the program in their schools. In 2020, even though the program was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, they were still able to secure over 180 boxes of named brand cereal.
We are also very proud to announce that they were recently awarded the Community Impact Award for the Mid-Western Region at the Jack & Jill Teen Leadership Conference, for the Cereal Drive Program!
Our Village Grant
The Jack & Jill of America Foundation awards thousands of dollars each year to worthy causes that individual chapters identify in their communities.
In 2019, COTS Detroit received Our Village $10,000 award, which was supported by the Detroit Chapter. This is one of the top grants distributed nationwide each year by the national foundation.
The award will support their Every Hour Counts Program. This year-round program provides the children of COTS with educational, cultural, recreational and social learning activities during school breaks (e.g. spring, summer and winter).
The organization desires to obtain funding to support its Every Hour Counts Program. This year-round program provides children with educational, cultural, recreational and social learning activities during school breaks (e.g., spring break, summer break, winter break, etc.). The purpose of the program is to provide homeless children with the same experiences as non-homeless children.
J&J Pantry
This program was designed to supply essential items to COTS Detroit on a monthly basis. Each grade group rotates in coordinating the gathering and delivery of these items.
This program also works with local restaurants to assist with food donations. We want to thank Popeye’s for being the first restaurant to supply monthly meals for the families.
For more information about Jack & Jill Detroit Chapter Service projects, please contact our Local Service Chairs: Randi Williams at rdenae@gmail.com or Vikki Hardy Brown at vhb2000@gmail.com.