Events

Lighthouse, a nonprofit organization based in Oakland County, endeavors to build equitable communities and alleviate poverty in partnership with, and in service to, individuals, families, and organizations.

Russ Russell is Lighthouse's Chief Development Officer. He is responsible for managing the operations and resources for fundraising, corporate giving, and development for Lighthouse. He oversees all aspects of funding, communication and events. He has 40 years of experience working with local, national, and international organizations, to reach their funding goals successfully.

Russ came to Lighthouse in 2019, and worked to steer the merger of South Oakland Shelter with Lighthouse of Oakland County to become the new Lighthouse. Shortly thereafter, he guided Lighthouse’s pandemic response with partners Oakland University and the Pontiac Community Foundation, and increased emergency shelter capacity four times and emergency food 20 times.  Before Lighthouse, he was at Detroit PAL and Forgotten Harvest.

Russ is a graduate of Mid America Nazarene University (1982) and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive.  Russ currently serves on the Pontiac Farmers Market Board of Directors and is an active volunteer on various projects with the Mayor of Pontiac. He lives with his family in Pontiac.

Kellie MacAloon is Lighthouse's Strategic Gifts Manager. She is responsible for working with current and new Lighthouse donors, and supporting efforts for an upcoming Capital Campaign that will increase the scope of how Lighthouse will serve the growing need in Oakland County.

Kellie began at Lighthouse in 2019 as a volunteer, working on various marketing projects related to the merger with South Oakland Shelter, then came on board as a member of the Development Team in October 2021.  Prior to Lighthouse, Kellie had a 30-year career in advertising, and spent 20 years as Director of Vanity Fair/Conde Nast in Detroit.  She is a graduate of Michigan State University and lives in Bloomfield Hills with her husband and dog.

Dr. John Todd grew up in Farmington. In 1967 he joined the Army and became a Chief Warrant Officer and helicopter pilot. In January, 1969, his gunship was shot in the nose, and the flak entered his eyes, leaving him blind.

He received a BA in Political Science from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University. From 1979, he was a Professor of Business Law at Rochester University. Recently, he retired.

In 1977-78, he wrote and got a bill passed through Congress, giving new benefits for widows and orphans of disabled veterans who die.

In 2013, he was named the National Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year by the Disabled American Veterans organization.

Dr. Todd will speak about his life experiences.

Dr. Scott Kramer has degrees from Cornell University and Michigan State University, and is currently employed as a Veterinary Medical Officer with the USDA  Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Previously, he worked as a swine veterinarian and served in Veterinarians Without Borders. While at the Livestock Research Institute in Uganda, he worked on improving sanitation and hygiene in the small holder pork value chain. He also spent time with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, focusing on the African swine fever platform. He continues to maintain his connection with MSU by contributing swine technical bulletins to the MSU Pork Quarterly and guest lecturing.

Josh Hauxhurst began his career with the FBI as a Special Agent in April 2006. After completing Special Agent training, he was assigned to the Detroit Field Office, working with violent incident crime. In July 2013, Josh was promoted to the Flint Resident Agency, supervising criminal and national security programs.  In June 2016, he was once again promoted, this time to Assistant Inspector/Team Leader within the Office of Inspection. In July 2017, he assumed the role of a Supervisory Special Agent.

Josh came to the attention of the public when he spoke to the press about the alleged plot to kidnap Governor Whitmer in 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWTLk47XDBY 

Prior to joining the FBI, Josh earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Criminal Justice from Tiffin University in Tiffin, Ohio.  After graduating from Tiffin University and before joining the FBI, Josh worked as a police officer and detective with the Geauga County (Ohio) Sheriff's Office and the Mentor (Ohio) Police Department from 1996 to 2006. Josh lives in Royal Oak with his wife and four daughters.

 

Event Name: Emergency Food Distribution Team- Load Food Boxes in Vehicle

Event Date/Time: Sat, Feb 26, 2022 - 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM

Meeting Location:
Lighthouse Warehouse
(former Playtime Waterford & Extreme Fun Family Location)
2230 Mall Drive
Waterford, MI 48328

Event Organizer:
Olivia Melosi
olivia@lighthousemi.org
248-270-5335

What to Wear:

• You will be working both inside and outside, so please dress for weather conditions.  The warehouse can get a little warm during the summer months.  You may want to wear shorts and short sleeve shirts.
• You must wear closed-toed shoes
• A mask must be worn upon entering building and at all times while volunteering

Parking:  There is plenty of parking in front of building. Playtime Waterford and Extreme Fun Family Entertainment were previous tenants, so if you see those names when you are navigating to the new space, please know you are on the right track! 

 

Entrance:  Enter through large dock door at end of building. 

 

Volunteer Restrictions:

The health and safety of our staff and volunteers is our first priority.  Due to COVID-19, we have enacted the following volunteer restrictions: 

• We are limiting the number of volunteers per shift to ensure adequate space between volunteers
• Volunteers must practice social distancing while volunteering (staying 6 feet apart while volunteering)
• Volunteers who are at highest risk for the coronavirus will not be permitted to volunteer. High risk individuals include
  • People who have serious chronic medical conditions, including: heart disease, diabetes, or lung disease
• If you are feeling sick or have a fever, you will not be permitted to volunteer.
• Volunteers must wear protective masks and sanitize hands upon arrival and throughout shift

Event Description:

As the need for food has drastically increased in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, Lighthouse has established a drive-thru, contactless food distribution center.  Volunteer activities include loading food boxes into vehicles and help with with set up and tear down.   In order to maintain social distancing and ensure the safety of our staff and volunteers, drivers are asked to stay in the car – all the loading is done by Lighthouse staff and volunteers. Once everything is loaded, visitors drive off and the next car is loaded!

 

Age Requirement:  Volunteers must be at least 14 years of age.   Those 14 and 15 of age must be accompanied by parent or guardian. 

 

Physical Requirements:

This event requires moderate to strenuous activity.  Volunteers must be able to lift at least 25 pounds. Please make sure you are comfortable with the physical aspects of this role. 

 

Safety Precautions:  The health and safety of our staff, volunteers and visitors is our first priority.  Lighthouse is strictly enforcing the COVID-19 safety practices listed below: 

• Temperatures are taken of all staff, volunteers and visitors before entering building
• Masks must be worn at all times
• Masks, gloves and sanitizer are provided
• All surfaces are sanitized after each shift

Braver Angels is a nonprofit organization based in New York City.

Braver Angels Alliances are local groups of people who have attended a Braver Angels workshop, have become dues-paying members, and want to help unify America and promote better public policy. Alliances have red/blue co-chairs and prioritize having no more than a 60/40 split in red and blue membership. Here are some typical activities:

• Sponsor workshops, skills training, and debates in their local community
• Have in-depth discussions about public policy issues
• Socialize with each other through potluck dinners, book clubs, etc.

Ms. Hrydziuszko will deliver a presentation specifically developed for Rotary Clubs, showing how Braver Angels' work is aligned with the Rotary Four-Way Test. An article about Braver Angels was featured in The Rotarian in May 2019: https://www.rotary.org/en/putting-civility-back-civil-discourse 

Danielle Todd is the founder and Executive Director of Make Food Not Waste. Founded in 2017, Make Food Not Waste operates a commercial kitchen in Detroit where it prepares 1000 meals each week from food that would otherwise be wasted, offers technical training to restaurants on how to prevent food from going to waste, and teaches home cooks how to make the most of their food. Danielle received an MBA from Wayne State University and a BA from University of Michigan. She lives in Birmingham with her husband and two children.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Retired Col. Clifford Worthy, the great-grandson of slaves, was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Hamtramck, Michigan. He graduated from high school at 16 and enrolled at Wayne University. There he became interested in attending West Point. Congressman John Dingell, Sr., supported Worthy's nomination, and Worthy became one of the first African Americans to be accepted at West Point. He and fellow African American plebes received the nickname of "Black Knights."

Worthy graduated in 1953 and went on to serve as an officer in the U.S. Army from 1953 through 1975. He served as an Artillery officer in American posts, both in Germany during the Cold War and in Vietnam just after the Tet Offensive. He also served as Battalion Commander and Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of the Army. After his Army service, he worked for General Motors.

Worthy married his first wife Lillian in 1953. They had three children: Mark, who grew up with special needs; Kym, who is now Wayne County Prosecutor; and Jennifer, an artist. After Lillian's death, he requested duty in the Detroit area, so that his exteded family could help with Mark's care. Four years later, he met and married Mildred, a Maryland teacher. Currently, he lives in Bloomfield Hills.

In 2019, Worthy published his autobiography, called "The Black Knight." It recounts the story of his military career, his experience as an African American in the American military and American society during the 20th century, and the challenges he faced in raising a special needs child. 

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Lara Edwards has worked with Friends of the Rouge since 2019. She is thrilled to harness her innate curiosity of people and love of the natural world to advance the wonderful vision of a cleaner and more vibrant Rouge River. Prior to working for Friends of the Rouge, Lara worked for the nonprofit ReLeaf Michigan in programming and development, and for 3M in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in strategic business development and marketing. Lara lives with her husband and three kids in Birmingham. She holds an MBA from the Ross School of Business and an MS in Oceanography from UC Santa Cruz.

Kevin Kelly joined The Rotary Foundation in January of 2016 as a Regional Major Gifts Officer. He resides in Metro Detroit and is a Rotarian in the Rotary Club of Northville. Kevin is responsible for major gift cultivation and stewardship in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, and Southern Ontario, Canada. Prior to his role with The Rotary Foundation, Kevin served as the Director of Development for Easter Seals Michigan as well as a Major Gifts Officer for Starr Commonwealth. Kevin is an avid cyclist. When he was in college, he cycled from San Francisco, California, to Washington, DC, to raise funds and awareness for people with disabilities. In 2019, Kevin cycled 100+ miles in the Tour de Tucson and raised over $75,000 for polio eradication. 

Greg Black is the Operations Manager of the Cable and Community Relations Department at Bloomfield Township.  Their production studio, Bloomfield Community Television, is a leader in PEG: Public, Educational and Government programming, in the State of Michigan.  He is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University, where he majored in Electronic Media and Film Studies and Creative Writing.  Outside of work, he visits local libraries giving presentations on film history and the Oscars while pursuing his passion of film history and theory.  He lives in Plymouth with his wife and son, who turns one on Wednesday!  Today, he will be speaking about BCTV as a community resource for residents of Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills, Bingham Farms, Beverly Hills, Birmingham, and Franklin Village to produce community programming.