PRESENTED BY
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2024 | FORD FIELD | DETROIT, MI
Thank you for supporting our mission to serve those in need and end chronic homelessness in Detroit!
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TONIGHT’S PROGRAM
COCKTAIL RECEPTION
WELCOME & INVOCATION
EVENT PROGRAM DINNER
FR. TIM M c CABE, SJ | President & CEO, Pope Francis Center
ASHA SHAJAHAN, MD, MHSA | GME Director of Health Equity, Corewell Health; Associate Professor, OUWB School of Medicine
LIVE AUCTION & PADDLE RAISE
WADE LEIST | Auctioneer
PRESENTATION OF AWARDS
JOE TATE | Zito-Brender Legacy Award
NANCY PULTE RICKARD | Zito-Brender Legacy Award
a letter from FATHER TIM
DEAR FRIENDS,
Welcome to the 2024 Building Bridges Gala!
We are thrilled—not just to be back at Ford Field—but this year to be on the field where our Lions are showing us what a winning team looks like.
This evening, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to each of you and our corporate sponsors. Without you and your generous support, the lifesaving services we provide on a daily basis would not be possible.
In a special way, we want to recognize two outstanding partners this year.
Our first honoree is Nancy Pulte Rickard and the Pulte Family Foundation. The Foundation was started by Nancy’s father, William J. Pulte, and is guided by a simple belief that there is an inherent dignity to all people. Under Nancy’s leadership, the Foundation is having a global impact alleviating suffering and making the world a more just and beautiful place. Their generous investment in our Bridge Housing Campus made it possible to provide a place of spiritual healing for our residents.
Our other honoree is someone who redefines what public service is all about. Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate is a tireless champion for the state and the
city where he was born. Now in his third term as a Michigan House Representative, Speaker Tate has been instrumental in setting legislative priorities that put people first and uplift city residents from across the economic spectrum. When we needed financial assistance to complete our $40 million Bridge Housing Campus, it was Speaker Tate who provided the leadership in helping us secure additional funds. It’s not an exaggeration to say that we would not be able to open our Campus in June without Speaker Tate’s support.
This year we embark on a new chapter for the Pope Francis Center. When the first residents move in to the Bridge Housing Campus this summer, it will mark the beginning of the end of chronic homelessness in Detroit.
I hope you know how grateful I am to each of you for being a part of this extraordinary journey of hope and healing for all of God’s children.
FR. TIM McCABE, SJ
With profound gratitude and my prayers for you, President & CEO, Pope Francis Center
NANCY PULTE RICKARD President, Pulte Family Charitable Foundation 2024 HONOREE
ZITO-BRENDER LEGACY AWARD
The Pulte Family Charitable Foundation supports nonprofits and academic institutions that work to address humanitarian initiatives in the United States and globally and has long been a supporter of the Pope Francis Center. The foundation has invested more than $143 million in communities since it was started by William J. Pulte (1932-2018), founder of PulteGroup, the nation’s third-largest home builder.
Nancy, the daughter of William Pulte, received a bachelor’s degree in management from Albion College and a master’s in public administration with a minor in economics from Bowling Green State University. She has been recognized by Authority Magazine as a Social Impact Hero. Nancy is a trustee of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller (Malta), OSJ Commandery of Florida. Rickard also serves on the Advisory Council for the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame and the Notre Dame Family Philanthropy Network Committee.
JOE TATE
ZITO-BRENDER LEGACY AWARD
Joe Tate, Michigan’s first Black Speaker of the House and a Detroit native, has been instrumental in setting legislative priorities that put people first and uplift city residents from across the economic spectrum. He is serving his third term in the Michigan Legislature and represents the 10th House District.
After attending Michigan State University on a football scholarship, Joe played two seasons in the National Football League before joining the U.S. Marine Corps where he deployed twice to Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. Following an honorable discharge from the Marine Corps, Joe earned both an MBA and a master’s in environmental policy and planning from the University of Michigan. Before joining the Legislature, he helped small businesses grow their capacity as a program manager for the Detroit Economic Growth Corp.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ANTHONY AHEE
CEO Together Women’s Health
PAMELA ALEXANDER
Managing Director
KKR & Co.
DAVID BLASZKIEWICZ
CEO Invest Detroit
IAN CONYERS
Head of Community Affairs
Amazon
STEPHEN CUGLIARI
J. Addison Bartush and Marion M.
Bartush Family Foundation
JENNIFER STALLINGS-DEWEY
Legal Counsel
General Motors
JAMES ERLER
USA Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus
BRADLEY GORAND
Recovery Coach
Detroit Recovery Project
VINNIE JOHNSON
Founder, Chairman, CEO
Piston Group
ERIC LARSON
CEO Downtown Detroit Partnership
FR. TIM MCCABE, SJ
President & CEO
Pope Francis Center
FR. J. THOMAS MCCLAIN, SJ
Superior Detroit Jesuit Community
ROBBIE MURPHY
Board Member
The Julia Burke Foundation
ROBERT PULTE
President
RP Investments, LLC
RAYMOND SCOTT
President & CEO
Lear Corporation
DR. ASHA SHAJAHAN
Physician, Medical Director & Assoc. Professor Corewell Health
GARY TORGOW
Chairman Huntington National Bank
JIM VELLA, BOARD CHAIR
Founder Vella Strategic Philanthropy Group
DALE WATCHOWSKI
President & CEO, Redico
We are humble partners and proud supporters in the building of Pope Francis Center’s new Bridge Housing Campus
Ghafari is proud to support the Pope Francis Center’s noble mission of ending chronic homelessness in Detroit. ghafari.com A global architecture, engineering, and consulting firm that believes in designing spaces where people thrive.
Supporting those in need
STAFF
Thank you Pope Francis Center for the tireless effort to support our community and those in need with care , shelter and hope. Amazon is proud to sup port your work on behalf of our 30,000 associates.
ABBY ADAIR
Major Gifts Officer
ADRIENNE POLUMBO
Associate Director of Community Engagement
ARIANA HERRERA-WILDER
Chief of Staff
BENJAMIN ASSAFF
Case Manager & Housing Advocate
CAITLIN KELLY
Grants & Relationships Manager
CARMEN SZURPICKI
Director of Philanthropy
CHRIS HARTHEN
Directory of Housing
Advocacy
CHRIS LEÓN
Program Staff
CYNTHIA KELLY
Administrative Assistant
JAMIE CRUDO
Marketing, Events & Communications Specialist
JAMIL ALLEN
Program Manager
NICHOLAS BARBEE
Program Staff
SHAWN CLAYBRONE
Kitchen Manager
FR. TIM M c CABE, SJ
President & CEO
Dr. William Kangas
Executive Director
SILENT AUCTION INSTRUCTIONS
Tonight’s silent auction & paddle raise will be hosted on the OneCause platform. To participate, please use the link which was texted to you at registration. Didn’t receive the link? Please visit our on-site Solution Station for assistance.
You can browse items by category, or filter by items with no bids. To place a bid, select an item and click “bid”. You also have the option to “watch” items. If you are outbid, you will receive a text alert with the option to bid again. You can also make a donation at any time using OneCause.
All guests will receive a text 10 minutes before the auction closes at 7:30pm, after which point all bids be final.
CHECKOUT INSTRUCTIONS
If you wish to pay via credit card, you can self-checkout and finalize all payments and purchases directly on OneCause.
As you depart, please stop by the checkout area to pick up your auction item(s).
If you wish to pay by check, cash or split payment, please let a checkout volunteer know.
“While there’s been significant economic rebirth in our city, we cannot forget about those who don’t necessarily see or feel the benefits of Detroit’s economic renewal efforts.”
– Vinnie Johnson
walbridge.com We proudly support the Pope Francis Center and their remarkable accomplishments.
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