Northville Rotarians Vicky and Guy Bardsley have been promoting the group’s Tour de Ville event, which will be a virtual endeavor this year.
‘We’re Scared Right Now’
Non-profit service clubs struggling to stay afloat during pandemic By Tim Smith
W
ith the wrath of COVID-19 not going away anytime soon, Northville non-profit service organizations are struggling to do their trademark projects, fundraisers and goodold community service. When a bid to purchase the landmark Massey Estate finally was approved in January, for about $3.5 million, Northville Living and Learning Enrichment Center president and founder Rachelle Vartanian began mapping out some impressive plans for the rest of 2020 – all to help provide new opportunities for teenagers and adults with autism and other special needs to grow both personally and vocationally. Vartanian was ready to get going on a cluster of microbusinesses to be based on the sprawling property located at 801 Griswold Street near the border of Northville and Novi. Among those were a chicken coop, doggie day care center and
52 The ‘Ville
lavender farm. When the pandemic happened, the projects were put on hold or didn’t happen at all. Money wasn’t generated, either. “We had all these events scheduled, and all these galas to raise money,” said Vartanian about fundraising plans earlier this year to help pay off the $3.5 million mortgage. “And all of it got cancelled. August 8 would have been our gala on the property. “All non-profits are scared right now.” Things are at a standstill for the Northville Lions, too, with club members not permitted to stand on public sidewalks and streets collecting for the sale of white canes, their annual fundraiser. “We contacted the city,” said Debra Beard, president of the local Lions club. “When they opened the sidewalks in the city in downtown Northville, so people could dine outside, we had hoped the city would allow
us just to maybe stand on the corner and do collections. But they would not let us do that.” And as a result, the Northville Lions’ budget is seriously depleted. Beard just hopes the group can ride it out until brighter days —hopefully – emerge perhaps in early 2021. Donations are down 95 percent from what they would be in a
“normal” year, Beard said. “We’re going to be down to zero by the end of the year,” Beard lamented. “We’re going to have nothing in our till.” The club sends donations to needy organizations such as Northville Civic Concern, Seedlings Braille Books and the Beaumont Silent Children’s Fund, among others. “We’ve done a little bit of that this year, but we’re working off of last year’s monies that we collected,” Beard said. “But if we continue to give our money to these organizations, which we will, we will be down to zero.” A VIRTUAL TOUR The Northville Rotary Club’s biggest fundraiser also got stuck in the mud due to COVID, forcing the group’s annual Tour de Ville bicycle marathon to become a “virtual” endeavor. Instead of participants navigating routes anywhere from 10 to 75 miles, they are paying less to merely ride bikes in and around Northville – encouraged to take photos or videos at historic landmarks for posting on social media. Instead of the usual $25,000
Volunteers have been instrumental in helping the Living and Learning Center’s efforts at the former Massey Estate.
