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Cook Family Foundation

Serving as a resource for the community and a catalyst for positive community change

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The Impact of the Cook Fellows from Summer 2025

Cook Family Foundation Posted on August 25, 2025 by Rachel OsmerAugust 25, 2025

From left to right: Yvette Collard (Director of Scholarships), Laurie Platner, Jeana Travis, Rajvinder Kaur, Luke Henige, Haylee Luft, Quinn Skarich, Claire Agnew, Anna Owens (Co-Executive Director), & Rachel Osmer (Associate Director).

Each summer, the Cook Family Foundation partners with local nonprofit and government agencies to provide meaningful internships for current University of Michigan students from Shiawassee County. The Cook Fellows have been operating since 2013. The experience bolsters relationships with our nonprofit partners, who are in need of support, by providing funding for them to employ high caliber interns from Shiawassee County who want to give back to their community. The beauty of the Cook Fellows program is that it allows local students the opportunity to have an impactful experience while also providing services to local agencies. Nonprofits get to have some of the leaders and best working for them over the summer, and students get to dip their toes into the professional water. The Foundation sees this initiative as a win-win-win: for the Foundation, for our students, and for our community. 

Health Department Director, Larry Johnson, and Claire Agnew

This summer the Foundation funded seven Fellows across the county. Each student interviewed and was hired at their placement through the partners’ process. The partners were able to interview students to find the best fit for their organization. We had Fellows at the Shiawassee Health Department, DeVries Nature Conservancy, Memorial Healthcare, and more. Each location provides a unique experience. Not only do the students get firsthand experience at their placement, they also get the opportunity to network with the Foundation and other Fellows throughout the summer. This networking provided the chance to share placement experiences and build connections that can continue back at the University of Michigan. At the end of the experience, all participants were surveyed to share insights about their time working in Shiawassee County. One hundred percent of 2025 Fellows would encourage and recommend this program to their peers. An additional insight from the survey showed that some students had their future plans affirmed from their experience this summer, while others found themselves wanting to explore different paths after their summer employment. This dichotomy is exactly why the Foundation does this work. Students get professional experience in a low risk environment; this helps students learn earlier if their current path is correct for them, or if their passion lies elsewhere. 

Luke Henige and Memorial Researcher Monica

In addition to valuable professional experience, many of our Fellows report that the work they got to do was meaningful for their soul. One student stated that, “I realized that even while dentistry is my career path, art and creativity still have so much value in my life. Continuing to nurture those aspects of myself will be critical to find balance and fulfillment in my life.” This statement emphasizes the importance of empowering students to explore their passions, while also encouraging their professional growth. We recognize that each student’s journey is unique, and we plan to continue to help them explore their passions and grow professionally as the Cook Fellows program continues year after year. 

This summer the following organizations had the opportunity to host a Fellow: 

  • The ARC Mid-Michigan – Laurie Platner
  • DeVries Nature Conservancy – Haylee Luft
  • Memorial Healthcare in Owosso – Luke Henige
  • Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership – Rajvinder Kaur
  • Shiawassee Health & Wellness – Jeana Travis 
  • Shiawassee Arts Center – Quinn Skarich
  • Shiawassee Health Department – Claire Agnew 

Thank you to all who contributed to make this a meaningful experience this summer! 

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The Shiawassee Scholars Program Prepares Eighth Graders for What Lies Ahead

Cook Family Foundation Posted on August 13, 2025 by Rachel OsmerAugust 20, 2025

In 1999, the Cook Family Foundation started a partnership with the Shiawassee Regional Education Service District (SRESD) to provide academically talented high school students the opportunities, resources and support to reach their full potential.  Since then, more than 1,200 eighth graders from eight area high schools have been recognized as Shiawassee Scholars.  

A new report documents the success of the program: 81% of the Shiawassee Scholars have enrolled in college, as compared to 54% of their peers. Impressively, most of them are attending prestigious four-year universities.  (See Figure 1 and Figure 2 for data details.) Getting into a good college, often with a scholarship, is the first step. The report, compiled by the Center for Education Design, Evaluation, and Research in the Marsal Family School of Education at the University of Michigan also shows that Shiawassee Scholars do well at college, with them persisting at higher education, getting similar grades, and graduating at rates comparable to other college students.

“Working with Bruce Cook three decades ago, we knew that Shiawassee students were as smart as kids from anywhere,” said Tom Cook.  “But they lacked the opportunities, support, and guidance to attend the best colleges.”  Discussions with parents, counselors, and administrators with the SRESD led to the creation of the Shiawassee Scholars program in 1999 with funding from the Cook Family Foundation.  

“We knew in our hearts we were impacting the lives of these students from their comments and graduations over the decades” said SRESD Superintendent Dave Schulte. “It’s great to see our shared endeavor verified by this research.”

What makes the program successful?  Researchers conducted a number of focus groups with current and former Shiawassee Scholars and they identified the encouragement of teachers, help with the logistics of education such as college applications, test preparation, scholarships to summer college programs, an overnight visit to the University of Michigan at the start of high school, and the influence of other and previous Shiawassee Scholars. 

According to the report,“the near-peer interactions between current and former scholars also shapes expectancy and task value.”  In other words, guidance and advice from college students helps Shiawassee Scholars see that they too can attend a four-year university and convinces them of the benefit of the work necessary to achieve academic success.   

In a rural county, it can sometimes be difficult for talented students to see themselves as college students, even with the encouragement of parents and teachers.  The Shiawassee Scholars program provides both motivation and mechanics to make the most of high school, apply for admission and scholarships to prestigious universities, and then succeed.  as one former scholar explained, the Shiawassee Scholars program “was one of the first rungs…in a long ladder of achievement.” 

Click here to read the entire report from CEDER at the University of Michigan.

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New Recycling-Related Grant Opportunities Offered by the Foundation

Cook Family Foundation Posted on August 6, 2025 by Lorraine AustinAugust 11, 2025

To promote recycling opportunities in Shiawassee County, representatives from city, county, and state governments, businesses, and nonprofits have met monthly this year to share ideas and coordinate efforts. The Cook Family Foundation has provided support for this strategic networking from its inception. Now, to expand the success generated from these monthly gatherings, the Foundation is proud to announce new recycling-related grant opportunities.

WHY NOW?
Recycling is not a new topic of discussion. What IS new is the update to Michigan’s old solid waste law, passed to create a different kind of system where landfills are not necessarily the ultimate destination for all of what might be considered “waste”.

This update, known as Part 115, requires counties to create a plan that aims to find more productive ways of managing discarded materials. The goals of this effort are to protect the environment/public health and ensure that materials (recyclables, organic materials, and solid waste) are sustainably managed to achieve benefits to the economy, communities, and the environment. 

So, with a tip of our hats to Mr. Rogers, the Shiawassee County workgroup’s efforts are running in tandem with a new County Materials Management Committee to develop plans focusing on waste as a starting point rather than a final destination. The Cook Family Foundation grants will help plans become actions and is open to funding projects in the planning phase, pilot phase, and the actual “boots-on-the ground” implementation phase. 

WHAT HAS THE COOK FAMILY FOUNDATION-SPONSORED ACTIVITIES ACCOMPLISHED SINCE JANUARY?

  • Gathered county-wide decision makers, some of whom had never met, to learn more about: materials management in general, the successful journeys of other counties in Michigan, and the mandates required by Part 115 as they pertain to each subsection of the County
  • Encouraged sub-group action to develop goals and realistic actions
    • Great Lakes Fusion and Resourceful Recycling received a state grant for exciting new compost programs in association with Memorial Healthcare, Owosso/Corunna Public Schools, and others
    • Student-led e-cycling event 
    • Waste site assessments are now provided at no cost to Shiawassee Regional Chamber of Commerce and Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership member businesses
  • Sparked discussions to create educational initiatives for community outreach/student curriculum


In addition, Dr. Kari Krantz held many Community Engagement sessions throughout the county to learn what residents of our area think about recycling. It was apparent that participants were very supportive of recycling and wanted to know more about how they can participate. Read the Full Report from the Recycling Listening Sessions.

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

  • About the new Cook Family Foundation recycling-related grants, visit our recycling grant’s page.
  • About how your business or nonprofit organization might benefit from the Recycling Workgroup’s efforts, visit our recycling webpage.

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Vision

We envision a diverse, healthy, and thriving community where all children have access to the best education, the natural environment is protected and enjoyed, and all people have the opportunity and support to build joyful, meaningful lives.

Objective

Through strategic, proactive use of funds and grants, strengthen institutions, extend their mission and enable their growth.

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