Seven Grants to Increase Effectiveness of Local Groups

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The Cook Family Foundation announces seven grant awards to expand the capacity and effectiveness of local organizations to better serve the residents of Shiawassee County.  The two largest grants – $70,000 to the United Way of Genesee County (serving Shiawassee County) and $50,000 to the Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership (SEDP) – will be matched by the organizations themselves.  

These two capacity building grants will expand assistance to community-based nonprofits, local governments, and private businesses in their efforts to improve the community.  Both are based on cooperative efforts to bring together local stakeholders to increase impact.  The other five grants will improve facilities, equipment, or programs that directly serve Shiawassee residents.  

“We believe in the power of local groups to create a diverse, healthy, and thriving community,” said Tom Cook, Executive Director of the Cook Family Foundation. “Our goal is to help them best use their resources, and leverage more funds where possible, to carry out their missions.”  Each of the grants awarded will be matched by other donations, initiate new revenue generating activities, and/or will help bring in funds from outside Shiawassee County.  

The United Way of Genesee County (serving Shiawassee County) has been working with local groups and employers in Shiawassee County for the last six years to respond to emergency needs, provide safety and security to vulnerable residents, and promote early childhood educational success.  A half-time staff person has coordinated these efforts. This $70,000 grant over the next two years, will enable the United Way to create a full-time position to better coordinate the delivery of basic needs, support local nonprofits, maintain a robust volunteer resource center, and promote corporate social responsibility and employee giving. 

“Shiawassee County is a special community and this matching grant to create a full-time dedicated team member will allow us to advance work with our partners in very measurable ways,” said Jamie Gaskin, CEO of the United Way of Genesee County. “We are excited about being more involved with addressing food insecurity, working with the unhoused community and building resources to support struggling families.”

The Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership (SEDP) grant will enable this public-private partnership to continue to assist local governments and community-based nonprofits apply for grants from a variety of sources. In the first year of the initiative, SEDP helped bring in $4.69 million in new grants to Shiawassee County. This complements other efforts by SEDP to coordinate private investment with local land use and development initiatives to support well-planned growth. 

In total, these seven grants from the Cook Family Foundation equal $274,000 and include the following grants to specific local organizations:  

SafeCenter – A $44,000 grant for the repair of a driveway and drainage system that currently causes flooding of the driveway and impacts to facilities.  The grant will be matched in part by the SafeCenter’s funds and will enable the organization to better support the SafeCenter’s clients and staff that share the site. Special attention will be paid to use green infrastructure to minimize the amount of stormwater.   

Shiawassee Family YMCA – A $45,000 grant to help the Y upgrade their exercise equipment for families and adult members. The grant will be used to leverage other grants and gifts for equipment as the Y remodels its facility to better serve all families, especially youth from infant to high school.

Lebowsky Center for Performing Arts – A $40,000 grant to update lights and audio technology. This grant will leverage a grant from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC) to upgrade the network and video monitoring system. These improvements will enhance the quality of productions, save energy, and lower operation costs. 

Shiawassee Arts Center – A $15,000 grant to partner with the Friends of the Shiawassee River and others to provide river-related art experiences including an “Upcycle Art in the Park” to repurpose trash collected during the Friends annual river clean-up.  

Great Start Preschool Scholarship – A $10,000 grant to the Shiawassee Regional Education Service District will allow for the continued assistance to families who need help in affording preschool. These funds are more than matched by donations from the United Way, Raise Up Shiawassee donations on Giving Tuesday, and other contributions from service clubs, businesses and individuals. 

More information on the Cook Family Foundation’s grant process can be found on our Grants page.

2024 Scholarship Winners Announced

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Cook Family Foundation Executive Director Tom Cook (center) stands with scholarship winners (left to right) Haley Munson, Jorja Napier, Quinn Skarich, and Brody Webb

The Cook Family Foundation continues to support the best and brightest students to attend the University of Michigan. From nine high schools in the greater Shiawassee area, 36 students have been awarded scholarships to attend the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Flint.  

Quinn Skarich of Owosso High School was awarded the Bruce and Jacqueline Cook Scholarship, one of the highest accolades in the greater Shiawassee County region. This scholarship, recently endowed by Bruce and Jacqueline Cook after their recent passing, provides four years of undergraduate tuition to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, with a value in excess of $65,000. 

Haley Munson of Durand High School and Jorja Napier of Owosso High School were awarded the Donald Cook Scholarship. Brody Webb of Perry High School earned the third Kuhlman Family Scholarship, funded by UM alumni, Dr. Paul and Kit Kuhlman. Each of these winners earned a four-year scholarship worth $20,000.

An additional 32 students have received scholarships from the Cook Family Foundation, ranging from $3,000 to $20,000. This year, the scholarships awarded by the Foundation and the University of Michigan totaled over $659,500, not counting additional financial aid many of these students might also qualify for. With these awards, the Foundation has now helped more than 900 students from the greater Shiawassee region attend the University of Michigan.

“It is great to honor and celebrate these outstanding students” said Foundation President, Paul Cook at the annual scholarship recognition reception held April 30 at the Lebowsky Center for Performing Arts.  “They have all worked hard, and certainly deserve it!” We are excited and confident these students will go on to great things.” Guest of honor at the event was Dr. Donna Frye, interim Chancellor at UM-Flint.  She congratulated the scholarship recipients and thanked the Foundation for their long support of the University of Michigan.  

Quinn Skarich, the 20th Bruce and Jackie Cook Scholarship winner, is the daughter of Corbin and Dr. Nicholas (deceased) Skarich.  Quinn is the valedictorian of her class at Owosso High School. In addition to being a top student she is the president of the Youth Advisory Committee of The Shiawassee Community Foundation, the Drum major of the Trojan Marching Band, the Captain of the Quiz Bowl Team, and active with the National Honor Society and International Club. Quinn has a strong interest in biology and medicine and is thinking about a career in dentistry.

In recognition of the Foundation’s original benefactor, Donald Cook Scholarships were awarded to Haley Munson of Durand High School and Jorja Napier of Corunna High School. The Donald Cook Scholarship, endowed by the Cook Family Foundation, is awarded by the University of Michigan to a student attending the College of LS&A and is worth $20,000. Donald Cook was a 1924 graduate of the University of Michigan who established the Foundation with his wife Florence-etta in 1978.  

Haley Munson is a top ten student at Durand High School. Her parents are Loren Munson and Krystal McKinnis. In addition to being an outstanding student, Haley is an accomplished artist, a choir member of the Durand Madrigals and on-stage with the Drama Club. She plans to study psychology.

Jorja Napier is the valedictorian of Corunna High School. Her parents are George Napier and Kimberly Watson. In addition to being a top student, she is a successful athlete and has been a leader on her basketball, soccer, volleyball, and track teams.  She intends to major in Chemistry and is considering a career in medicine.

Another special event was the awarding of the third Kuhlman Family Scholarship, funded by UM alumni, Dr. Paul and Kit Kuhlman. This scholarship is administered by the Cook Family Foundation, but funded by the Kuhlman Family. The benefactors are University of Michigan graduates, as are their children, Matt and Kimberly.  “A couple of years ago we decided to fund a scholarship to a local deserving student, and thought who better to help us navigate a scholarship to our alma mater, than my lifelong friend, Bruce Cook,” said Dr. Kuhlman.  

Brody Webb is the recipient of this year’s Kuhlman Family Scholarship. Brody is a top ten student at Perry High School. His parents are Stephen and Audrey Webb.  Brody has played six varsity sports and is captain of the Rambler Soccer team.  He is also captain of the quiz bowl team, and band president.  Brody intends to major in biology at UM with plans to become an optometrist.

In total 36 scholarship recipients from nine area high schools were honored.  Among these future Wolverines are six valedictorians and three salutatorians of their class. From eight of the high schools, 18 of the students were named Shiawassee Scholars when they were in ninth grade by the Shiawassee Regional Education Service District.  The Cook Family Foundation funds this program to assist academically promising students through their high school career.  

Scholarship winners include, from Byron Area High School: Thomas Harris, Alana Riddell, and Mason Stark; from Chesaning Union High School: Makenzie Hall, Haylee Luft, Phoebe Malek, and Jeana Travis; from Corunna High School: Alex Granville, Claire Milton, Jorja Napier, Lillia Reid, Jude Suchyta, and William Walter; from Durand Area High School: Abigail Beland (2023 Graduate), Genavieve Bell, Madeline Bias, Julia Burk, Megan Dear-Marme, Avery Gilson (2023 Graduate), Kendall Hall (2023 Graduate), Haley Munson, Jacob Shankster, and Raegan Taylor; from Laingsburg High School:  Jaylei Kramer; from New Lothrop High School:  Emma Bishop, Liliana Bruff, and Colton Symons: from Ovid-Elsie Area High School:  Mason Ritenburg; from Owosso High School:  Rajvinder Kaur, Elijah Morgan, Karissa Potter, Kira Riedsema, Quinn Skarich, and Sierra Wright; from Perry High School:  Madison Reeder, Calena Stevens, and Brody Webb.

The Cook Family Foundation offers a scholarship to any student from the greater Shiawassee region that is admitted the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.  Students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher who are admitted to UM-Flint or UM-Dearborn are also offered scholarships.  Because UM-Flint continues to admit students for the next several months, the Foundation may yet recognize additional scholarship winners.  For more information, visit the Foundation’s Scholarship page.

 

Grant to Honor Bruce and Jackie Cook

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In honor of our two most recent leaders and benefactors, the Cook Family Foundation is proud to announce its participation in the $2.5 million capital campaign recently announced by the Shiawassee Family YMCA.  This community-wide effort will allow the Y to revamp their facility in downtown Owosso and add childcare services. 

Don Cook helped raise funds for the construction of the Shiawassee Family Y in downtown Owosso in the 1950s

Both Bruce and Jackie Cook passed away in the last 18 months, leaving a legacy of commitment to the youth of Shiawassee County.  Bruce Cook, like his father Don before him, was a board member and long time advocate for the Shiawassee Family Y.  Jackie Cook, in addition to serving as an elected board member of the Owosso Public Schools, helped launch the Foundation’s work in early childhood education.  

“My parents saw the Y as an important resource for children and families” said Tom Cook, Executive Director of the Cook Family Foundation, “they would be honored to see the continued growth of the Y with this project.”  Bruce Cook was involved in early planning for this expansion and was ready to pledge his own financial support.  “We can not think of a more appropriate legacy for Bruce and Jackie Cook than a strong Y in downtown Owosso serving youth from preschool through high school.” 

In addition to a lead legacy gift, the Foundation has pledged $500,000 to match gifts of $20,000 or more to the campaign.  Already several pledges have been made to the campaign and 74 percent of the needed funds have been committed to the project. 

After renovation, the Shiawassee Family YMCA facility will include four licensed childcare rooms: an infant room, a toddler room, and two preschool rooms (for 3- and 4-year-olds). In addition, all of the major components of the facility will be renovated to the standards of the Americans with Disability Act to ensure the the YMCA continues to be available for all.

Foundation Trustee Anna Owens is co-chair of the campaign, and several Cook family members and friends have also stepped up to be part of the effort.  To learn more about the Y’s rebuilding efforts, or to make a pledge or donation contact Laura Archer at 989-725-8136 or larcher@shiawasseeymca.org