On Friday, May 24, Quicken Loans team members spent their mornings packaging food for Forgotten Harvest, an organization that redistributes rescued food to over 250 hunger relief centers in the metro Detroit area.

None of the team members had previously volunteered at Forgotten Harvest, but they all truly enjoyed their time.  Some even noted that serving their community was the perfect way to kick off their Memorial Day weekend. Our team members were tasked with re-packaging meat sticks by breaking them and putting them into 4 pound bags. In total, the QL team helped ensure
that 300 pounds of food would be redistributed to the Detroit community.

Forgotten Harvest creates a positive volunteer environment (with music and energetic staff members) but strives to educate every volunteer about the prevalence of hunger in the community.

One QL volunteer, Melanie Whalen, indicated that fellow team members had motivated her to go when they told her about the meaningful and fun volunteer experience they had had at Forgotten Harvest the week prior. For other team members, it is the hunger relief issue itself that is the true
motivating factor. Briana Jacobs said “I know what it feels like to be hungry and I know people that are still hungry and by being here, I can get more information to help those people.”

Either way, it was great to see many QL team members fighting hunger in our community! 

For more information about Forgotten Harvest, please visit http://www.forgottenharvest.org/

The streets were “flooded with pink” as 200 of our AMAZING Quicken Loans and Rock Ventures Family of Company team members walked toward finding a cure at the 2013 Race for the Cure!

The morning started with an exciting warm-up in Campus Martius Park where team members were provided with the perfect opportunity to get “pinked!”  From on-site chair massages, to pink hair extensions provided by Nadwa Hair Salon and custom pink-ribbon cookies from Just Baked, there was no shortage of excitement in the air!

Jay Farner, QL President & CMO, was joined onstage by Tom Anderson, Compuware Wellness Center, Nick Karmanos and Kathy Ternes, QL Innovation Consultant, as we rallied the troops, got the blood flowing and led everyone in an exciting prerace warm-up!

Quicken Loans continued its tradition of being the official Survivor Trolley Sponsor which gives 40 plus women the opportunity to celebrate their victory overcoming breast cancer.  This trolley was decorated by QL team members and decked out in all things pink, allowing the survivors to ride in style!

Close to 35,000 people participated in this year’s Race for the Cure which started at Comerica Park and wound its way along Woodward Avenue.  This race provides the perfect opportunity for participants to remember, honor and celebrate loved ones who have battled breast cancer; and helps to raise funds to support life-saving breast screenings, education and treatment programs.

Quicken Loans team members were able to internally raise $15,000 through individual donations and jeans day fundraisers, and all funds will
go directly to supporting breast cancer research and treatment.

It was truly amazing to be out there in the community, walking and raising money for such a great cause!  We hope to see you all next year!

For more information on this amazing event be sure to click HERE.

Instead of grabbing those extra couple hours of sleep before work, our Quicken Loans team members rolled out of bed early to help prepare lunches for Detroit's Bed and Bread Trucks on Friday, May 10.

The Detroit Salvation Army sends out Bed and Bread trucks to travel throughout metro Detroit and bring meals to 5,000 hungry residents each and every day.  Running 365 days a year, these trucks stop in the areas of Detroit that need them the most.

Quicken Loans team members spent the morning putting together sandwiches, chopping vegetables and assembling lunches so families would have a delicious meail available to them around noon.

Hours later, these lunches were in the hands of various families throughout Detroit, keeping their hope alive and their bellies full.

Written By: Taylor Hammerl

On a beautiful Thursday evening, five Quicken Loans team members helped to prepare a delicous meal of chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetables and stuffing for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Detroit.

The Ronald McDonald House provies a home-away-from home to parents with hospitalized children.  Operating mainly from volunteer labor, the Ronald McDonald House has programs in place that allow residents to live comfortably and at little, to no expense!

The House guests were extremely appreciative of our AMAZING team members, and they left knowing that they helped to "stuff" not only bellies, but also hearts!

For more information on the Ronald McDonald House be sure to click HERE.

Quicken Loans was a proud corporate sponsor, and along with our amazing team members we were able to raise more than $50,000 through the Be-a-Star sales, internal jeans day fundraisers, individual contributions and online donations to the Quicken Loans walk team.  Through your generous support, two terminally ill children will experience a trip of a lifetime:

• Kevin, age 9, and lives in Detroit, suffers from Chronic Kidney Disease and wishes to go to Disney World to meet Goofy!
• Weylin, age 4, and lives in Detroit, suffers from Sickle Cell Anemia and wishes to go to Disney World! 

Walk for Wishes is the primary fundraising and awareness event for the Make-A-Wish Foundation which annually grants wishes to more than 7,000 terminally ill children in Michigan.

Since 1980, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and it’s network of 25,000 volunteers, has enriched the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions through various wish-granting work.  The Foundation’s mission reflects the life-changing impact that a Make-A-Wish experience has on children, families, referral sources, donors, sponsors and entire communities. 

For more information on this story, be sure to click HERE to see Bill and Marlene Emerson on WXYZ Channel 7 news.

With your help, wishes really do come true!