Latest Posts
- Mentor Story: Stacey + Mariana - Stacey Coffman is the Office Manager at Aon and has been for the last 25 years. She and her husband, Tim, have been married for 31 years and live in Cedar Springs. Their daughter, Lauren, lives in Ann Arbor. She wanted an opportunity to be a friend and role model to a student in Grand ...continue reading
- A Mentor Story: Brandon Reyes - “When I was 5 or 6 years old my mom and I fled Veracruz, Mexico. Escaping an abusive relationship with my father,” explains Brandon. “As a young kid I still understood what was going on and why we had to leave.” Brandon vividly remembers crossing with the Coyotes to the United States, “I had really ...continue reading
- “Make and Take” Fundraising Event at the Knickerbocker - "Make and Take" Fundraising Event at Knickerbocker in Downtown GR Life Expressions Decor, a local company, will be hosting a "Make and Take" sign event to benefit Affinity Mentoring! Create a 4x24 finished wooden sign in your choice of paint color with one of 50+ provided sayings using quality vinyl lettering while enjoying great food ...continue reading
- Affinity’s Match4Match Fund - Join Affinity Mentoring as we work to support our new cohort of 65 mentor matches, Match4Match! Each year we have over 100 students on our waiting lists, anxious to see if this is the year they'll get a mentor. With support from our community partners, volunteers, and generous donors we were able to recruit, ...continue reading
- 2017-2018 Annual Report - We are excited to share with you our first annual report! In this report you will find: A letter from our executive director Revenue and expenses Growth and sustainability Community impact Mentor stories Check it out now! Affinity's 2017_2018 Annual Report
- Leading by Example - Leading by Example | Board Member, Mentor, and Community Partner By Rachel Lopez Jason Loepp is a father of two young children. He and his wife, Heather, are from the East side of Michigan and lived in Tennessee for several years. In 2008 they moved back to Michigan to be closer to family, which ...continue reading
- To Affinity and Beyond - An interview with Affinity Mentoring's Executive Director, Laura Ward, about Affinity's Journey to Independence. Affinity's Journey In 2001 Mars Hill Bible Church launched the Mars Hill Mentorship Program at Burton Elementary with 8 matches under the umbrella of Kids Hope USA’s “one church, one school” mentorship model. Over the years, this program grew to ...continue reading
- Herman Miller Cares Supports Capacity Building Efforts - October 2, 2018 Affinity Mentoring is pleased to announce it has received a $20,000 grant from the Herman Miller Cares Foundation. These funds will strengthen our capacity to serve more students, expand programming, increase literacy support, and implement our comprehensive evaluation plan. “Every day, students stop in our Mentor Centers to ask for a mentor. ...continue reading
- 10 Years Later | Ross’ Story - By Rachel Lopez Ten years ago Ross became a mentor with our program. Over the past decade he has mentored 3 different students, including two brothers, Martin and Mario. Ross is an Investment Executive at Fifth Third Bank, “The market was terrible when I started [mentoring]. The two hour a week break from it was ...continue reading
- Affinity Welcomes Newest Partner, Chemical Bank - We'd like to welcome our newest community partner and sustainer, Chemical Bank! Chemical Bank recently donated $1,000 to Affinity Mentoring to support our mentor matches with the resources needed to be successful! Our community partnerships are essential to our success! This year we aim to serve 280 students across our 3 sites. Supporting one mentor ...continue reading