2011 was a fantastic year for the Quicken Loans, Super Powerful Banking Force. Dozens of leaders and teams came out to numerous volunteer events during the holiday season.  Whether it was packaging food at one of the local food banks; going the extra mile and adopting a family in need, or taking part  at one of the coat or toy drives; these folks gave their time and talents anywhere they could!

During the months of November and December our banking force wanted to do even more; they took the initiative to create a contest where if they hit or exceeded their individual monthly goals, a donation would be made to a charity of their choice on behalf of Quicken Loans. Hard work really does pays off; these folks were successful and able to make a difference for three local Detroit charities.This past week, six banking regions were given the opportunity to meet with leaders and representatives from Lighthouse of Oakland County, Forgotten Harvest and Focus:HOPE. At each meeting, the Regional Vice Presidents of Banking and their teams surprised the organizations with a special check presentation.

On Tuesday, Jan 10th, RVP of Mortgage Banking Jared Goldapper and his Grand Central Division(above) invited John Ziraldo, President and C.E.O of Lighthouse of Oakland County to the Quicken Loans Southfield Office to meet with team leaders and directors to accept his check.Lighthouse of Oakland County has been providing services to low-income families in Oakland County since 1972 by providing assistance to families and individuals in need on 70,000 separate occasions.  Lighthouse is dedicated tor ejuvenating communities, providing emergency food, housing, medical, utility and other services to people who need immediate help. To learn more about Lighthouse of Oakland County click here.

(Above) R.V.P of Mortgage Banking Jason Pace and his Made in Detroit region invited Russ Russell, C.O.O. of Forgotten Harvest to his Monthly Regional Meeting at the Chase Tower for a special check presention with R.V.P.Tom Nelson and his Monopoly Region. The mission of Forgotten Harvest is to relieve hunger in the Detroit metropolitan community by rescuing surplus, prepared and perishable food and donating it to emergency food providers. Forgotten Harvest rescued 19.4 million pounds of food last year by collecting perishable food from companies, grocery stores, restaurants and farmers. This donated food—that would otherwise go to waste—is delivered free of charge to emergency food providers in the metro Detroit area. http://www.forgottenharvest.org/

Wrapping up the week, (Above) R.V.P's of Mortgage Banking, Adam Speck and his Prophecy Region, Marshall Kutz and the Follow Up Nation Region, and (Below) Dan Majewski and the Mortgage Insiders Region hosted C.E.O, William F. Jones, Jr.,Bill Wenzel, Manager of Volunteer Services and Opal Maye, Mgr of Corporate Relations of Focus:HOPE at The Chase Tower and Compuware Building for special meet-and-greet style meeting where each of the teams were able to present their checks and learn more about Focus:HOPE's dedication to Detroit.

Focus: HOPE, a civil and human rights organization founded in 1968, serves the community through a food program, education and training programs, and community and economic development initiatives. Its neighborhood revitalization efforts began in the 1970s as the organization converted abandoned industrial buildings into offices, a food center and education facilities. More than 41,000 mothers, children and senior citizens receive food each month from Focus: HOPE - and thousands of talented men and women have established careers after graduating from the education programs.

A special thank you to ALL of Our Super Powerful Banking Force here at Quicken Loans for making a difference this past holiday season. Your efforts and commitment to making a "DIFF" are truly AMAZING!