Twelve Charities Receive $350,000 in Grants from Detroit Auto Dealers Association Charitable Foundation Fund of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

Detroit, MI, October 12, 2007 --(PR.com)-- Twelve area charities have been awarded grants totaling $350,000 from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan’s Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) Charitable Foundation Fund. The DADA Charitable Fund supports southeast Michigan nonprofit organizations whose programs and activities assist children and young people.

The 12 organizations and programs receiving support are:

• Ann Arbor Public Schools, Ann Arbor, $30,000 for support to enhance an early childhood learning program and increase access by low-income families

• Children’s Home of Detroit, Grosse Pointe Woods, $50,000 for support to implement a family-centered therapy program for children with serious behavior problems

• City Mission, Detroit, $15,000 for support for the expansion of a mentoring program for young people in the Brightmoor neighborhood in northwest Detroit

• Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS), Detroit, $30,000 (over two years) for support for a child development program for homeless children

• Community Assessment, Referral and Education (CARE), Fraser, $25,000 for support for the expansion of student assistance services for at-risk youth

• Ele’s Place, Lansing, $50,000 for support for the expansion of children’s bereavement support groups in Washtenaw County

• HAVEN Inc., Pontiac, $19,000 for support for a peer education program to prevent teen violence

• Jewish Family Service, West Bloomfield, $20,000 for support for the expansion of a community-based mentoring program

• Laurencelle Memorial Foundation, Beverly Hills, $35,000 for support for the expansion of a mental health awareness program

• Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, $30,000 for support of a robotics training and competition program for children in Detroit and Highland Park

• Neighborhood Centers Inc., Detroit, $20,000 for support for an arts education program for youth

• Ozone House, Ann Arbor, $26,000 for support for a youth-led poetry and arts project

The Detroit Auto Dealers Association Charitable Foundation Fund is supported by proceeds from the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) Charity Preview. Since 1999, the Fund has joined 11 children’s charities that benefit from the show as an additional way for DADA members to support programs and activities for children and young people. Since the Fund was established with the Community Foundation, $2,548,292 has been provided through 86 grants.

In addition, to meet future needs, proceeds from the Charity Preview are also building an endowment with the Community Foundation that will assure support for children’s programs for generations to come.

The DADA, founded in 1907, represents more than 250 automobile dealers who own 240 dealerships. The DADA dealers sell 40 different vehicle lines in 64 cities throughout metropolitan Detroit. The DADA supports its membership through legislative and industry representation, educational programs, communication and community relations activities. The dealers and their more than 16,500 collective employees support their communities through extensive charitable involvement.

The Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan, founded in 1984, is a permanent community endowment built by gifts from thousands of individuals and organizations committed to the future of southeast Michigan. The Foundation works to improve the region’s quality of life by connecting those who care with causes that matter. The Foundation supports a wide variety of activities benefiting education, arts and culture, health, human services, community development and civic affairs. The Foundation has assets of $570 million and, since its inception, has distributed more than $270 million through more than 27,000 grants to nonprofit organizations throughout Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Washtenaw, St. Clair and Livingston counties.

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