TONIGHT’S PROGRAM

COCKTAIL RECEPTION

WELCOME & INVOCATION

DINNER

DAVE SANTIA | Performance Speed Painter

EVENT PROGRAM

FR. TIM MCCABE | Executive Director, Pope Francis Center

JAY TOWERS | Radio Host, iHeart Media & TV anchor, Fox 2 News

PRESENTATION OF AWARDS

J. ADDISON BARTUSH & MARION M. BARTUSH FAMILY FOUNDATION | Zito-Brender Legacy Award

JIM TOBIN | Zito-Brender Legacy Award

NETTIE SEABROOKS | Lifetime Achievement Award

SILENT AUCTION & PADDLE RAISE

WADE LEIST | Auctioneer

HERSANNA RICHARDS | Member, Pope Francis Center Magis Council

JIM FARLEY | President & CEO, Ford Motor Company

DEAR FRIENDS,

Welcome to the 2023 Building Bridges Gala!

In our humble Center on the corner of Saint Antoine and Larned we get to witness small miracles each and every day. Whether it’s a guest receiving keys to a new apartment, an individual taking courageous steps on the journey towards stability, or a community forming out of guests and volunteers, we celebrate every miracle — big and small — that we get to see.

Miracles also take the shape of our faithful partners, three of whom we honor this evening: the J. Addison Bartush & Marion M. Bartush Family Foundation, Nettie Seabrooks, and Jim Tobin. Each of them has been instrumental in the founding, growth, and success of the Pope Francis Center. Moreover, each embodies our core beliefs that only love has the power to truly heal — and that with every act of love and compassion, the whole world is lifted up and transformed into a more beautiful place.

The J. Addison and Marion M. Bartush Family Foundation are relentless champions of the Center. They generously funded the renovations of our administrative office, medical treatment rooms, and the necessary update of our kitchen, enabling us to serve hundreds of warm, nutritious meals each day. The Foundation was also one of the first major investors in our Bridge Housing Campus. They are represented here tonight by Joseph Bartush, Susan Bartush Cugliari, and Stephen Maxwell Addison Cugliari.

Jim Tobin, a retired executive from Magna International, has been a long-time supporter of the Pope Francis Center and co-chairs the Bridge Housing Campus capital campaign. His dedication to the mission is evidenced by Magna International’s $2.5 million commitments to the Center and the Bridge Housing Campus. A lifelong Detroiter and Holy Redeemer graduate, Jim’s tireless commitment to the City is exemplified in his community work with Focus: HOPE, Detroit Cristo

Rey High School, and Loyola High School. Once Jim is involved, things happen and success is not far away.

Nettie Seabrooks was one of the founding members of the Pope Francis Center Board of Directors, and has been crucial in guiding our ministry’s work and growth. She is a woman who has shattered many glass ceilings. Her illustrious career as a community leader includes director of government relations for General Motors’ North American Operations (where she served for 31 years), Deputy Mayor of the City of Detroit under Dennis Archer, COO and executive advisor to the DIA Director, and consultant for the Manoogian Foundation.

The dedication of each of these individuals and organizations supercharges the impact of our incredible team of staff and volunteers as we serve hundreds of individuals each morning. I am constantly inspired by the miracle that happens when we all work together towards a common goal.

With just over a year of construction remaining, we look forward with anticipation to the grand opening of our Bridge Housing Campus: the centerpiece of our plan to end chronic homelessness in the city of Detroit.

My heart filled with gratitude for you. The miracles that happen daily in our Center happen because of your generous commitment to our mission. Thank you for making all this possible!

FR. TIM McCABE, SJ

Executive Director, Pope Francis Center