Cherryland members who participate in Operation Round Up have made a big difference in the lives of our neighbors in need.

The five-member all-volunteer board makes up Cherryland Cares has made $260,000 in grants over the last 10 years.

The board considers applications from non-profits in the area on a quarterly basis and has made hundreds of grants over the years for organizations such as Father Fred, Boots for Kids and the Youth Conservation Corp.

“Father Fred has received several grants over the years and those funds have really helped people in need in our community,” said Deb Haase, executive director of Father Fred.

The latest grant to Father Fred-in June of this year-was for affordable dental care.

“The lack of access to affordable dental care is a prevalent issues for the people we see,” said Sara Sander, a client assistance administrator for Father Fred. “Just the other day, we helped a young woman with money we got from Cherryland Cares. She was having issues with multiple wisdom teeth that needed to be extracted. She has been in a great deal of pain-to the point she had to go to the emergency room at Munson. But once she got those teeth pulled, she felt so much better and was so grateful and appreciative for the assistance. She is a low-income wage earner with little to no room to save for such needs.”

Not only did Sara hear first-hand thanks from grateful community members, but she also gets ‘thank you’ cards.

“The latest card talked about how the dental program changed their lives,” said Sara. “They were proud to be part of a community where people pitched in to help those less fortunate.”

Another non-profit that received a grant in June was SEEDS-which stands for Seeking Ecology, Education and Design Solutions.

SEEDS oversees the Youth Conservation Corps, a workforce development and training program for youths aged 16-25 who are considered vulnerable for reasons of family poverty, academic performance or behavior records.

SEEDS provides on-the-job training through service-learning projects. Each youth graduates with industry recognized credentials-like CPR/First Aid, scholarships for continuing education and improved life skills that foster adult success.

“The grant we received from Cherryland Cares helps these young people become better contributors to our community,” said SEEDS Executive Director Sarna Salzman. “Youth Corps programs-and there are hundreds across the nation-are among the best programs to help youth living on the edge of success make that step into claiming their own positive future.”

Salzman said that SEEDS has provided more than 350 summer jobs in Northern Michigan with the Youth Corps program.

Cherryland members can sign up to be part of Cherryland Cares/Operation Round Up by calling our main number at 231-486-9200 and talking to a member services representative. Your bill will be rounded up to the nearest dollar each month and 100 percent of the money goes to area non-profits.