Superior Health Foundation awards $650,000 in spring grants

MARQUETTE —       The Superior Health Foundation (SHF) in Marquette

awarded more than $650,000 in health-centered grant funding at its Spring

Grants Celebration on Tuesday evening at the Holiday Inn in Marquette.

The event was proudly presented by 44 North.

The Superior Health Foundation awarded $108,167.50 in spring grants,

$33,900 in indigent care grants and $18,387.45 in pilot-project and

equipment grants. In addition, in funding partnership with Blue Cross Blue

Shield of Michigan Foundation, Michigan Health Endowment Fund, Blue

Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the Michigan Health & Hospital Association

and Upper Peninsula Health Plan, the Superior Health Foundation awarded

$490,000 in grants for “Supporting the development and growth of

substance use disorder recovery communities in the Upper Peninsula.”

In its 10-year history, the Upper Peninsula-wide, non-profit organization

has awarded more than $4.5 million in grant dollars to health-centered,

non-profits in the U.P.

“In a time of great hardship for many non-profit organizations, we’re

incredibly honored and humbled to provide much-needed, health-centered

grant funding to a wide array of deserving organizations across the

peninsula,” said Jim LaJoie, executive director of the Superior Health

Foundation. “The needs have been pronounced during the pandemic and

we’re hopeful that this funding will make immeasurable differences in the

health of people across the Upper Peninsula.”

Grants were awarded to four community organizations dedicated to

addressing gaps in service for individuals and families facing substance use ​

disorder and supporting the development and growth of recovery

communities in the Upper Peninsula. These grants included:

 Eastern Upper Peninsula Opioid Response Consortium

Support a peer recovery specialist who will serve

inmates, treatment court teams, support behavioral health

professionals and enhance community-wide education that reduces

stigma and creates trauma-informed communities.

 Great Lakes Recovery Centers, Inc. ($150,000): Provide

connections to professional development such as interview skills and

resume building, vocational profiling and job readiness reviews, and

connecting participants to a network of recovery-friendly employers.

 Western Upper Peninsula Health Department ($150,000):

Reconnect people with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) to their families

and communities by improving understanding of SUD, reducing

stigma and developing easy access to treatment by bridging gaps in

services through family education and support, women’s specialty

services and jail-based services.

 Superior Housing Solutions ($40,000):                 Support the workforce

development and recovery community organization project manager

with the addition of another social worker to help see its mission

through.

At the event, the SHF awarded $108,167.50 in spring grants to five non-

profit organizations in the U.P.:

 Community Foundation of Marquette County ($50,000):       The

Community Foundation distributes grants across Marquette County

with branches in Negaunee, Marquette, Gwinn and Greater

Ishpeming. SHF provided funding to its “Kids Cove Playground –

Playground for All” project to fund the Proprioceptive Zone. The

equipment in this zone is designed to provide a fun experience while

encouraging motion. This includes a trampoline that is accessible to a

caregiver and a wheelchair user to use together, which is something

that would be rarely found outside of Kids Cove.

 Chippewa County Family Project ($22,800):          The Chippewa County

Family Project was established in 2015 to provide a group home in

Sault Ste. Marie for boys and girls ages 14-18 who lack stable foster

care, are considered too old for adoption, or simply can’t find foster

care in Chippewa County. It opened the Arfstrom Faunt Teen Foster

Home in 2022 and can accept up to 12 foster children. SHF provided

funding for personal supplies, two personal computers and startup

costs.

 Marquette County Habitat for Humanity ($17,000):               Marquette

County Habitat for Humanity is dedicated to eliminating substandard

housing locally and worldwide through constructing, rehabilitating

and preserving homes; by advocating for fair and just housing

policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help

families improve their shelter conditions. SHF provided funding for

two new portable ramps in Marquette County. These ramps will help

individuals arriving home from the hospital, rehab facility or other

care facility who find themselves in need of an immediate, temporary

ramp to safely access their home.

 Healthy Youth Coalition of Marinette & Menominee Counties

($15,600):                The Healthy Youth Coalition of Marinette & Menominee