By Kirsten Buys
C & G staff Writer

FARMINGTON HILLS — Though tough economic times make it harder for some people to donate to local charities, the Farmington/Farmington Hills Foundation for Youth and Families is hoping an increased need for help will encourage those who can help to open up their hearts and wallets.

“There are a lot of good organizations out there, but this money stays in the community and you can see it work,” Executive Director Barb Yuhas said.

The foundation recently sent letters seeking donations to the roughly 1,000 individuals, businesses and organizations on its mailing list, and has set a goal of $50 each, or a total of $50,000. Each spring and fall, the foundation takes the bulk of the money it has available and gives it to local organizations and groups in need, particularly those involving youth. It began in 1995 as a tool to raise money for the After School Youth Program for middle school students after the expiration of that program's Juvenile Justice grant funding.

Yuhas said even the smallest donations help.

“The $25 ones are just as important as the corporate ones we get,” she said. “It’s a means of outreach to the community. Some of our biggest donors are the people who buy the $5 duck tickets.”

The Foundation’s Fourth Annual Rubber Duck Race will be Oct. 11 at Shiawassee Park. A rubber duck with a number corresponding to each $5 ticket purchased will be dropped into the Shiawassee River, and prizes for the race winners range from theater passes, fitness classes and restaurant gift cards to hotel stays and $2,000 cash.

As more and more organizations are feeling the economic crunch and need help, Yuhas is hoping to raise more money than ever. Of the 20 organizations that applied for grants in the spring, the foundation was able to help only eight or nine.

One of them was Boys & Girls Republic, a residential home for troubled teens. Their grant money was used to bring in an instructor who taught a class to more than 30 female residents called, “Mirror Image.” The six-week class aims to build self-esteem, create positive images and make young ladies aware of their worth. It culminates with a tea party, which Yuhas recently attended.

“These young women put on a show that was a combination of a recital and a modeling show, and the tea,” she said. “The energy of the kids just blows me away. It was such a good program.”

Boys & Girls Republic Resource Director Noreen Haggerty said without the grant, the fourth annual program might not have happened.

“It’s a fine program and it’s good to be able to do those extra kinds of things for the kids,” Haggerty said. “I appreciate what the Farmington/Farmington Hills Foundation does for the community and the kids in the community. Anybody who helps kids is wonderful.”

Livonia-based Painting with Patience is another program that received funding through the foundation in 2008. Director Julie Giordano-Cooper runs hands-on painting and art programs for youth that aim to give them a sense of pleasure from creating artwork, but also a sense of giving to others. With her grant, she was able to bring teens she works with in to paint with those participating in the Farmington Youth Assistance summer camps at the William M. Costick Center.

The mosaic artwork the kids did may become part of a mural at the Jon Grant Community Center.

“The kids were so grateful and did some fantastic projects,” she said. “These kids knew they were creating artwork for other people and that’s kind of the focus of our organization.”

Giordano-Cooper said such programs would not be possible without help from organizations like the foundation.

“It’s such a wonderful foundation and for them to invest in other people’s lives like that, it’s certainly worth the dollars people are giving,” she said. “I hope more people will step up to the plate and give.”

For more information on giving to the foundation or the guidelines for applying for a grant, visit www.ffhfoundation.org or call (248) 345-9090.

You can reach Kirsten Buys at kbuys@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1030.