Quicken Loans Community DIFF volunteers ended the year by helping out at the Capuchin Warehouse in Detroit.

Nearly 1,000 children have a little something extra to be thankful for this holiday season after the Capuchin Services Holiday Coat Drive. Coats, hats, scarves, mittens and gloves were distributed to underprivileged, Detroit-area families.

The newly-purchased and handmade items were donated by members of the community and distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. Recipients of the items patiently lined up outside of the warehouse an hour prior to the doors opening. Three hours into the event, more than 300 coats and outerwear items had been distributed to individuals and families in need.

The Quicken Loans Community Diff Makers assisted with restocking the dwindling racks and tables and serving as personal shopping assistants. With nearly 30,000 articles of clothing distributed per month, this was a great opportunity to work with Capuchin while being a part of making someone’s day even better. Children in need were the recipients of new coats and protection against the harsh Michigan winter.

It is great to be a part of something that helps the community where we live, work and play.

As you know, the holiday season is a special time to lend a hand in the community.  Community Diff team members displayed their holiday spirit by spending time at the Boys and Girls Club holiday party.  This past weekend, 24 Quicken Loans and our family of company team members volunteered at the Diehl Boys and Girls Club in Detroit.

For over 100 years, the Boys and Girls Club has provided youth programs, special events and a safe haven for children from all walks of life. The holiday party hosted more than 100 children ranging from ages 6 through 18.  The party was to celebrate the season and give children special holiday gifts and treats.  For some, the gifts were the only presents they would be receiving this year.

During our time there, the Quicken Loans Community Diff Makers divided into groups and ran different stations consisting of holiday arts and crafts, manning the chocolate fountain, serving pizza and holiday cookies, helping kids into the moonwalk, and keeping children entertained while they waited to participate in Santa’s Workshop where the kids were able to choose their own gifts. There were also carnival themed stations where children played games to win prizes and enjoy freshly prepared cotton candy.

Overall our duty was to ensure the kids had a good time.  I was stationed at the decorating table, where I assisted in decorating snow globe ornaments.  I had an amazing time working hands-on with the children and getting in touch with my creative side.

Other companies showed support but no one had as many volunteers as Quicken Loans. Way to go DIFF Makers!  Supporting the Boys and Girls Club is just another way Quicken Loans is making a difference in our community.  For more information on how to make a DIFFerence with the Boys and Girls Club please visit like us on Facebook.

Everyone runs into tough times. And charities are no different. That’s why The Community Diff team stepped up to help The Salvation Army serve meals to retirees and to the community.

The first event, Quicken Loans volunteers assisted The Salvation Army with their senior luncheon in Warren. Retirees were filled with the holiday spirit as they sat down to a hearty meal. The seniors wanted for nothing that day, The Community Diff team served lunch and refilled beverages while carolers serenaded the room. Soon after lunch, the guests of honor played The Left Right Game.  The hostess read a story and gifts were passed to the left or to the right depending on the story. The seniors received the gift that they were holding at the end of the story. It was a hit.

The following morning, The Community Diff team returned to The Salvation Army to cook and serve breakfast to residents in the shelter and the Red Kettle bell ringers. Housing nearly 50 people every evening, The Salvation Army also provides meals to the community’s hungry and homeless every day. This particular morning, breakfast was provided by Quicken Loans VP Todd Horner, his team of Diff makers, and Chef Jason Bennett. The breakfast burrito buffet was an instant sensation, with enough food prepared to serve the following day.

Both events were a success, as everyone left with leftovers and smiles are their faces. These were wonderful events that The Community Diff team were happy to be a part of, and we’re looking forward to helping again.

When all else fails, call the Quicken Loans Community Diff Makers!

Hello, Detroit!

Detroit City Council members, business leaders, and community members were singing to the sounds of Sammy Davis Jr. as they gathered for the Downtown Detroit Aglow Dinner and Fundraiser on Monday night. Sponsored by Quicken Loans, DTE Energy, and other prominent Detroit-based businesses, the event was a hit.

The room was buzzing as Detroit Mayor Dave Bing headlined the event, stressing how important it was to help our homeless - especially in this upcoming holiday season.

 
White or dark was the big question at hand as celebrity turkey carvers such as Charles Pugh, president of Detroit City Council and Brian Stevenson, Vice President of Public Relations at Fathead, put their culinary skills to the test.

The event was put on by the Downtown Detroit Partnership, and what an evening it turned out to be. Can’t wait until next year!

As part of the Community DIFF team at Quicken Loans, I have the opportunity to spend time with many passionate, caring team members, who enjoy investing in their communities and making a difference. Not only are our team members quick to sign-up to volunteer for an event, they often proactively reach out to me , asking to find an event for them to participate in.

I recently had the pleasure of setting up a volunteer event for a team of our Mortgage Bankers. Jason Pace, Senior Director of Mortgage Banking reached out and said that his team of 17 bankers were anxious to get out and so some physically demanding work that would make a difference.

Physically demanding? Not a problem! I hooked the team up with our friend Patrick Crouch at Capuchin Earthworks Urban in Detroit. Patrick had just the task for our team –building a greenhouse! According to Patrick, “That afternoon, a truly motivated group from Quicken Loans drove all the ground posts on the south side of the hoop house (that’s garden talk for greenhouse), put all the bows together on the north side, and preapproved me for a mortgage.”

Earthworks Urban Farm is working toward building a food system through education, inspiration and community development. I am not sure that our Quicken Loans team of Bankers knew exactly what they were in for when they traded their headsets for working gloves on that beautiful Fall day, but I know they were eager to be a part of such a worthwhile organization.

According to Jason Popov, President’s Club Banker, “It’s refreshing to appreciate what hard work really is and to give back to the community that has given so much.”

Thank you to Jason and his team for your passion and hard work at Earthworks Urban Farm. For more information about Earthworks Urban Farm, visit www.cskdetroit.org/ewg.

There is nothing like smiling faces and a warm breakfast on a cold and rainy morning to help you start your day off right. That’s exactly what our team of Quicken Loans volunteers experienced recently, while preparing and serving breakfast and getting in to the spirit of Fall by decorating the foyer and dining room at Ronald McDonald House in Detroit.

At the Ronald McDonald House, families with hospitalized children are offered the comforts of home during stressful and uncertain times. The Detroit house accommodates more than 1,000 families each year.

Guests were treated to a breakfast buffet which included pancakes, sausage, warm fruit cobbler, French toast, a cheese tray and bagels.

 It’s hard to tell whether the Ronald McDonald House guests or the Quicken Loans volunteers were more grateful for the breakfast experience. Thank you Ronald McDonald House for making our team feel at “home!”

For more information on the Ronald McDonald House of Detroit, please visit http://www.rmhc-detroit.org/

The Community DIFF team would like to say a big, heartfelt “thank you” to Garden Fresh Gourmet of Ferndale, for their generous donation of chips; salsa, hummus and spinach dip for our recent Nacho Day fundraiser.

Because of Garden Fresh Gourmet and the hard work of our amazing Marketing Team, we were able to donate over $700 to the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association.

Team members throughout our Detroit office lined up, anxiously piling their plates high with nachos and all the fixings, knowing all proceeds donated would benefit this worthy cause.

Thanks Garden Fresh! We love your products and appreciate your willingness to help us make a difference in the fight against ALS.

In 2009, President Obama officially declared September 11^th a National Day of Service and Remembrance, urging U.S. citizens to participate in community service in honor of those lives our nation lost that fateful day. 

This past September 11^th, Quicken Loans team members did just that by preparing and serving lunch at the Grace Center of Hope in Pontiac, Michigan. Grace Centers of Hope is a faith-based outreach center for homeless and disadvantaged individuals and families.  They provide a full recovery and rehabilitation campus for homeless men, women and children who have suffered abuse or addiction problems. 

The Grace Center of Hope is a perfect place to volunteer.  There are many opportunities  for team members and their families to jump in and assist with such as helping in the kitchen, sorting and organizing food items in the pantry, office services and maintenance projects. We guarantee that you will walk away feeling that you have really made a difference.  

Our day of service ended with a tour where we learned about all of the services offered, the people that are helped every day and the positive results of spending just a few hours of our time to help others in need. 

For more information, visit www.gracecentersofhope.org 

Our sister company Title Source recently stepped up in a big way to raise money to support Ennis Center for Children of Flint which provides services to children who have experienced abuse or neglect.

Title Source team members originally set a goal to raise $3,000, but knocked that goal out of the park, coming in at just over $5,600. Passionate team members conducted several company-wide fundraising events including an ice cream social, coin wars, bake sales, and a grand finale which included a dunk tank. They also donated over 50 pieces of new children’s clothing to the center.

According to Colleen Ramsey, Assistant Vice President at Title Source, “Knowing you are making a difference in the lives of these children is unparalleled. The smiles on their faces and the kindness they showed to one another at the picnic were infectious. The memory will stay with me for a long time.”

 Congratulations Title Source for making a difference in the lives of the children at Ennis Center. For more information regarding the services at Ennis Center, please visit http://www.enniscenter.org/

Quicken Loans team member Ron Wojnar decided to get shaved to help raise money and awareness about lung cancer, a disease that his mother-in-law is currently fighting.

Fellow team member Janet Walker stepped in by bidding $125 for Ron to get his head and face shaved last Friday. Thank you to Ron and Janet for your dedication and compassion in helping Karmanos Cancer Institute with research.

If you ask Ron why he did this, he will tell you it was for his mom. Way to go Ron. You are the DIFF!