Pontiac Times

Mayor Bryan K. Barnett did his best Santa impersonation this week when he surprised a group of Rochester Hills area charitable organizations with generous donations on behalf of the Others First non-profit.

Others First is a 501c3 organization based in the City that has long been a supporter of veterans’ organizations, children’s programs, animal groups, and more. A member of the organization approached Mayor Barnett with the idea of giving away $50,000 and let the Mayor be the one who got to share the good news.

“We are blessed to have so many places in our community doing great work to support people and even animals in need,” said Mayor Barnett. “True to their name, Others First stepped up to make a difference over the holiday season by supporting those organizations who support others. I was so glad to have a small part in making the holidays brighter for these wonderful people.”

The non-profits who received a surprise visit and check from Mayor Barnett on behalf of Others First include:

• Avondale Youth Assistance – Supports youth and families who reside in the Avondale School District, offering financial assistance and/or counseling to families. ( avondaleschools.org )
• D-MAN Foundation – Dedicated to enriching the lives of families and individuals with physical and mental disabilities. Committed to helping people with disabilities conquer adversity, develop lifelong coping strategies, contribute to society, and live a life that fulfills their potential. ( mydman.org )
• Dutton Farm – A vocational and learning skills center for individuals with physical, mental, or emotional impairment. They provide job training and employment opportunities in an accepting and uplifting environment for adults who otherwise struggle to find meaningful inclusion into society. ( duttonfarm.org )
• Innovation Hills Playground – Opened in 2021, Phase 1 included a large, nature-themed universal design play area with inclusive features appealing and accessible to all. Phase 2 will incorporate additional features to accommodate children with special needs so they may play side by side with their peers. ( rochesterhills.org )
• Neighborhood House – Assists those in need of food, clothing, interim financial assistance, counseling services, transportation services, and vocational education. It operates a full service food pantry as well as the Clothes Closet resale shop. ( ranh.org )
• Rochester Area Youth Assistance - Supports youth and families who reside in the Rochester Community Schools District through counseling, financial assistance, education programs, and a low-cost summer camp program. ( raya-mi.org )
• Teacher’s Pet: Dogs and Kids Learning Together – An intervention program that pairs troubled youth with hard-to-adopt shelter dogs for a multi-week workshop in positive, reward-based dog training and behavior modification in an effort to make the dogs more adoptable. The mission is to empower at-risk youth to improve in the areas of empathy, patience, impulse control, perseverance, and hope. ( teacherspetmi.org )
• Yellow Ribbon Fund: Michigan – A veteran service organization providing housing, transportation, caregiver, and family support to severely wounded, ill, and injured post 9/11 service members from every branch of the U.S. military, following unexpected medical crises. ( yellowribbonfund.org )

To watch a video of the check delivery, visit Holiday Checks for Charity!

About Others First 

Others First is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to making a difference in the community by providing funding and support to a wide range of charitable causes. Through its vehicle donation programs, they have raised millions of dollars to provide much needed services to the less fortunate. To learn more about Others First and its mission of truly putting others first, visit othersfirst.org.

Original source can be found here.