Dear Friends,

Welcome to the Great Hearts Gala, the 5th annual benefit event for Starfish Family Services. This year we are excited to host our Gala at Eastern Market on Friday, June 10th. This year’s event will be an evening to remember filled with great friends, an ambience of community, wonderful food and live music for dancing.

We are honored to co-chair this year’s celebration of two outstanding organizations who call Southeast Michigan home – Starfish Family Services and the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. Both community organizations have quietly been making life better for thousands of residents in our region for decades.

The Great Hearts Award is an annual recognition of an individual or organization that is making a profound difference in the lives of our families. This year we will recognize the Community Foundation with the 2016 Great Hearts Award. Under the leadership of Mariam Noland, the Community Foundation has helped lead the way for positive change inour community – from revitalizing Detroit neighborhoods to providing college scholarships and making innovative changes in Head Start programs.

Funds raised at this year’s gala will directly benefit the launch of our exciting new initiative – Starfish University – a transformative approach to providing parents with a variety of educational opportunities, designed to strengthen families and empower parents to serve as their child’s best teacher, role model and advocate.

Mark your calendars for Friday, June 10th at Eastern Market. We look forward to a memorable evening of celebration!