Lead - Nonprofit

10/14/2026

10/02/2026

Lead is looking forward to hosting a workshop at the Built to Last Adoptive Parent Conference on Friday, October 9th at Bay Valley Resort!

Adoption may mark an important milestone, but support for families doesn’t end there. Continuing to provide adoptive parents and families with practical tools, resources, and connection is an important part of supporting families for the long term.

We’re grateful to Foster Families Navigation & Resource Center for bringing this conference to our community and creating a day dedicated to equipping adoptive parents with tools, resources, and community. We’re excited to be one small part of it!

Want to help make the day a success? Volunteers are still needed!

Volunteers will assist the conference team with setup, welcome bags, registration, guest assistance, prizes, surveys, and behind-the-scenes support.

Sign up to volunteer: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4BACAB2CA4F8C07-65950721-built #/

09/25/2026

What a night!

We are incredibly grateful to everyone who joined us for Lead’s Annual Fundraiser and helped make the evening so special.

A huge thank you to our Honorary Chairs, Jimmy and Stephanie Greene, for lending their support to Lead and our mission. And to Jimmy and Rebecca Yager, thank you for sharing your stories so openly and reminding us why this work matters.

Thank you to Pat Schefsky for once again serving as our Emcee and bringing the amazing energy that keeps the room engaged, laughing, and giving!

And to every sponsor, attendee, donor, auction bidder, and person who raised a paddle to Sponsor a Future.... thank you. Every gift helps us put practical tools for confidence, resilience, and growth into the hands of more youth and families across Michigan.

We’re still taking in all the moments from the night, but one thing is certain: this work is possible because of the community behind it.

Thank you for believing in Lead, for showing up, and for helping us build what’s next.

Enjoy a few of our favorite moments from the night!

09/22/2026

Lead’s 2026 Annual Fundraiser Silent Auction is officially LIVE!

Start browsing and bidding now and keep checking back because we’ll be adding more items throughout the week.

Not attending Thursday? You can still participate! You do not need to be present to bid or win, so share the auction with friends, family and coworkers and join in from wherever you are.

Start bidding now: https://bit.ly/4hpAFMR

09/21/2026

One last call to join us!

Tomorrow we begin finalizing everything for Thursday night, which means today is the last day to purchase tickets for Lead’s Annual Fundraiser.

Join us Thursday at Midland Country Club for great food, live music, silent and live auctions, and an evening centered around the people and communities behind Lead’s work.

We’d love to have you in the room as we share how far Lead has come and what’s next.

Tickets close tonight, buy yours now: https://auctria.events/lead

09/18/2026

Before we fill the room next Thursday, we want to recognize the organizations helping make the night (and the work behind it) all possible.

We are incredibly grateful to each of our 2026 Annual Fundraiser sponsors for choosing to invest in Lead.

Your support goes beyond one evening. It helps us continue bringing practical skill-building programs to youth and families across Michigan and respond to the growing number of communities asking for these resources.

To every sponsor whose name is on this list: thank you. We’re grateful to have you behind this work and look forward to celebrating with you next week!

There’s still time to be part of the evening! Tickets are available through Monday.

https://auctria.events/lead

09/17/2026

Growth doesn’t happen alone.

It happens when people have support, opportunities, and someone willing to help them build the skills to move forward.

Our 2026 Annual Fundraiser Honorary Chairs, Jimmy and Stephanie Greene, understand the role strong leadership can play in creating those opportunities and we’re grateful they’ve chosen to stand behind Lead and the youth and families we serve.

Thank you, Jimmy and Stephanie, for helping us share why this work matters.

There’s still time to join us next Thursday, September 24, at Midland Country Club. Purchase your ticket by Monday to be part of what’s next for Lead.

Lead Annual Fundraiser: https://auctria.events/lead

09/08/2026

When you've experienced what can happen when things go wrong, sometimes not trying can feel safer than risking failure.

That’s why fear of failure is one of the most common limiting beliefs we see in the young people we work with. Lead helps young people recognize when that fear is getting in the way and build practical tools to take the next step, even when they don’t know exactly how things will turn out.

We’re incredibly grateful to Tri-Star Trust for believing in this work and investing in the youth and families Lead serves. Because of their support, we’ll soon be launching Lead’s programs to support foster youth preparing to age out of the system in Bay and Saginaw Counties, putting these tools into the hands of even more young people and families.

Thank you, Tri-Star, for helping us reach more communities and more young people across Michigan.

08/27/2026

A lot can change in a year.

Last June, Lead launched our first partnership with a Michigan DHHS child welfare team in Gladwin County.

We started with 1 county.

Just over a year later, Lead is supporting youth and families across 13 Michigan counties, reaching more than 700 youth and families so far this year alone.

Young people in foster care. Parents working toward reunification. Foster families. Youth involved in juvenile justice. And the professionals walking alongside them.

The growth has happened quickly because the need is there.

And we're just getting started.

Over the next few weeks, we'll be sharing more about what this growth looks like, the impact we're seeing, and what it will take to reach even more youth and families across Michigan.

On September 24, we hope you'll join us at Lead's Annual Fundraiser and be part of what comes next: auctria.events/lead

06/24/2026

This week, Lead had the privilege of joining more than 200 youth from 83 counties at the Michigan Teen Conference - Take Charge of Your Journey hosted at Saginaw Valley State University.

Designed for youth with foster care experience, their caregivers, and agency professionals, the conference creates space for connection, learning, and planning for the future. For many attendees, it was also an opportunity to experience college life by staying in the dorms and exploring campus.

Lead was honored to facilitate two workshop sessions focused on overcoming limiting beliefs. One of the highlights? Our "What Gets in Your Way When Things Get Hard?" quiz, which helped participants identify patterns like fear of failure, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and imposture syndrome to learn practical tools to move forward with greater confidence and resilience.

We also enjoyed connecting with youth during the Resource Fair, where attendees received a free one-month trial of Lead Within, our online platform designed to help build confidence, communication, wellbeing, decision-making, and other essential life skills.

One of the best parts of the week was seeing so many incredible partners investing in Michigan's youth. Shoutout to Greg S. Berreles with ABC Greater Michigan Chapter who hosted a Trades Panel featuring professionals from Answer Heating & Cooling, Inc., Bierlein Trombley Electric - BTE, Three Rivers Corporation and Greater Michigan Construction Academy. Also to Foster Families Navigation & Resource Center for being such wonderful neighbors during the Resource Fair.

Thank you to everyone who made this conference possible. The future is bright when young people are surrounded by caring adults, meaningful opportunities, and the tools they need to thrive.