Starfish Family Services hosted the 2015 Diapers for Detroit fundraising event. Diapers for Detroit is one of the many learning projects included in the ELCA Youth Gathering worldwide initiative-which is to offer youth an opportunity to strengthen their faith and serve the community at home and abroad. Starfish Family Services was honored to act as a host and distribution center for the collection of diapers for the community. Starfish is proud to announce that the initial goal was far exceeded with the final count of 550,000 collected diapers. This amazing outcome was featured on Fox 2 News, where the event was furthered discussed by Cheryl Majeske, our volunteer specialist. News Release  Additional Links: The Detroit News – Covered Detroit Diaper Day both online and print. The print article, went live on July 17, 2015. View it here: http://www.goo.gl/jfFWld.  WDIV Channel 4 – Covered onsite interview. The interview that went live on July 18, 2015 can be viewed … [Read more...]

  Starfish recognized four amazing mothers. Read more on their stories here: Starfish 2015 Summer Newsletter     … [Read more...]

INKSTER, MI, March 9, 2015 Starfish Family Services is thrilled to announce that CEO Ann Kalass has been selected by The Aspen Institute to join the 2015 class of national Ascend Fellows. The Ascend Fellowship invests in diverse leaders from a range of sectors who have breakthrough ideas to build economic security, educational success, and health and well-being for low-income families in the United States. “Poverty and inequality are the central economic, political, and moral issues of our time,” said Walter Isaacson, CEO of the Aspen Institute. “The Ascend Fellowship is part of the Aspen Institute’s commitment to advancing opportunity and equality in America.” Ann Kalass is eager to collaborate with other leaders who are on the front lines of new solutions to bridge inequality for children and their parents. Among their ideas and innovations: brain science research on the sensitive early months of life and parenting for families that have experienced trauma or toxic … [Read more...]

INKSTER, MICHIGAN, JANUARY 5, 2015 Heather Rindels has joined the Starfish Family Services (Starfish) executive team as Chief Development Officer. (Effective January 2, 2015) Rindels will lead the agency’s fundraising, marketing and volunteering programs. She will ensure the development and implementation of strategies that raise the philanthropic resources necessary to support the many services Starfish, a nonprofit dedicated to creating brighter futures for the children of at-risk families in metropolitan Detroit, offers the community. Previously, Rindels held the role of Interim Chief Development Officer for Starfish. Starfish CEO Ann Kalass said, “We are thrilled to have Heather as a permanent addition to our team.  We’ve already benefited from her strategic thinking, community outreach and marketing communications skills to advance our fundraising.  Having the opportunity to work beside her the past 10 months has allowed us to see firsthand that she is a great fit with the … [Read more...]