3 metro Detroit leaders help those with special needs — off the clock. Here's how
Sparky Anderson, iconic manager of the World Champion Detroit Tigers, told me in his final interview in 2008 that there was no place in America with more generous folks who love to help others in need than those in the Motor City.
I would add, we also are blessed to have leaders now who are known for going out of their way to help people and nonprofits — some in unique ways. Here's how some well-known names are participating:
Mark Hackel: Dancing, lip syncing for good causes
Dancing his way onto that list is Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, who has been literally stepping up to assist organizations raise money. He’ll do so again May 2 at Turning Point Macomb’s eighth Annual “Stepping Out With the Stars” Gala at The Palazzo Grande in Shelby Township.
Turning Point Macomb helps survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence and human trafficking through services and resources while advocating for community action to end oppression and violence.
It’s billed as a ballroom dancing competition raising funds for the cause.
“This event provides a unique and creative opportunity for me to help raise awareness for an organization that plays a crucial role in Macomb County,” Hackel said. “And if it's unique and creative, I'm all in.”
Also dancing at the event: Tamara Flake of Mercantile Bank, Ashley Haack of Real Team Real Estate, Michigan State Police forensic scientist Anne Nessia and survivor Karen Ruffino of Horizon Steele.
"Unique" and "creative" describe the dancing prowess I saw Hackel display at a fundraising event in 2010, where the late Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and then-Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano also danced. Patterson and Ficano did traditional dances while Hackel busted out in a Hip-Hop routine.
“We all saw the gangster side of Mark that night,” Ficano recalled with a laugh Thursday when I asked him about it. “It was fun.”
More recently, in November, Hackel, along with his wife and some of his staff, brought down the house at a lip sync event benefitting New Day Foundation for Families, an organization helping people facing cancer. He was performing on behalf of a single mom of three, from Clinton Township, whose 8-year-old son was diagnosed with a form of brain cancer. Hackel performed to “Give It Away” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and took first place at the event. You can watch the performance online.
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Bryan Barnett: A trip of a lifetime for 7 special people
Not dancing, but swimming and giving a helping hand was more up Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett’s alley, as he joined other volunteers at D-MAN (Danny’s Miracle Angel Network) who took seven people on the trip of a lifetime in February, to the Bahamas.
The D-MAN is a group of volunteers who work to make the seemingly impossible happen for people whose lower body is paralyzed. The group offers such services as a music studio where patients can create music and assisted travel, among other programs. The organization was started in 2009 by Ziad Kassab, after the death of his brother Danny Kassab, who was a paraplegic. Ziad Kassab is an entrepreneur who serves as chairman of the nonprofit. Barnett is vice president of the organization.
“We took seven clients on a Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas,” Barnett said. “For most, it was their first flight, their first time seeing the ocean. They left their wheelchairs behind and were able to experience a real Caribbean vacation getting in the pools and ocean at each stop. “
A team of trained professionals and caregivers also assisted. The seven enjoyed the trip at no cost, thanks to donations to the organization.
Barnett, a devotee of Walt Disney who once did an internship at the company, said: “My favorite Walt Disney quote is, ‘It’s fun to do the impossible.’ That is the mantra and heartbeat of the D-MAN foundation. We make the impossible come true for our patients every day."
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David Carroll: Fulfilling Disney wishes for 40 children
Former Rocket Mortgage executive David Carroll, now a board member of Make-A-Wish Michigan, is helping the organization take 40 critically ill children from Detroit to Disney World in Florida this summer.
Since 1984, Make-A-Wish Michigan has granted more than 11,500 wishes to critically ill children in the Great Lakes State.
“Moving beyond the isolation and fear that comes with diagnosis and treatment, a wish is a powerful and transformative experience that brings families closer together,” said Mike Hull, CEO of the organization.
Carroll told me the organization launched an effort two years ago to provide more wishes to children in the Motor City.
“For many, the wish marks a turning point in the fight against their illnesses,” Carroll said. “Doctors, nurses and other health professionals say the wish experience works in concert with medicine to make their patients feel better emotionally and even physically.”
To learn more about the summer party in Florida, visit wish.org/Michigan.
Contact Carol Cain: 248-355-7126 or clcain@cbs.com. She is senior producer/host of “Michigan Matters,” which airs 5:30 a.m. Sundays on CBS Detroit and noon Sundays on Detroit 50 WKBD. See Emily Sexton, of Henry Ford Health; Eric Hipple, retired All-Star quarterback of the Detroit Lions, and Elizabeth Hertel, director of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, as they talk about mental health on this Sunday’s show. "Michigan Matters" can also be found on those stations’ listings on FUBO, Pluto TV, Youtube.com. It is streamed 9 p.m. weeknights.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 3 metro Detroit leaders help those with special needs — off the clock
