From the Executive Director

Greetings friends!

As we look ahead to 2025, we want to share a quick look back at 2024 which was an immensely productive year! The organizational vision and energy that precipitated a comprehensive rebrand in 2022 (moving away from the long-established Children’s Trust Fund name) remained in full effect over the past 12 months, during which we tackled systems improvements and program expansions benefiting all of Michigan’s children!

Support Increases

Children Trust Michigan pursues its mission of child abuse and neglect prevention by providing funding and educational resources to a broad network of Prevention Partners which are active in each of the state’s 83 counties. Our training, technical assistance and financial support helps partners with their invaluable, boots-on-the-ground work to promote stronger, healthier families.

CTM’s role as a funding hub is an essential one. We provide Prevention Partners with crucial funds, allowing them to conduct expanded operations. Funds provided make events like the Lake County Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse’s Kids Safety Day possible. This event positively impacted the lives of nearly 200 children in June. Our partners educated families on more than 18 different safety topics and provided access to life jackets, bike helmets, carbon monoxide detectors, smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, car seats, bike reflectors and other protective items!

Support in all shapes and sizes increased in 2024. The Pam Posthumus Signature Auction, which occurs annually in May, brought around $600,000 to support statewide programs. The sum that generous Michigan residents contributed via the voluntary state income tax checkoff came in at $115,725. Michigan residents also contributed by purchasing CTM license plates, heirloom birth certificates and making individual donations.

The support we received in 2024 is tremendously heartening. It’s just further evidence of what we’ve always known —the hearts of Michiganders are as big as they come. They care so deeply about our state’s children.

Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed. Your help improves so many young lives and their families, and we are eternally grateful. We couldn’t do it without you.

Partner Education

CTM plays a vital role in training its Prevention Partners on up-to-date best practices in the prevention sphere, enabling them to maximize their impact.

A key initiative this year has been emphasizing the importance of centering partner activities on bolstering Protective Factors. Protective Factors are the inverse of risk factors — they’re strengths and resources families can draw upon when they encounter stressful situations or challenges.

This year also saw CTM spreading HOPE (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experience) National Resource Center. CTM partnered with HOPE in 2024 to train 30 Prevention Partners as certified HOPE Facilitators. HOPE Facilitators are certified to offer the Introduction to HOPE workshop within their organizations. The workshop introduces four core building blocks for childhood success — relationships; safe, stable environments; social and civic engagement; and emotional growth.

Connective Tissue

Another key role for CTM is that of organizational bridge. We bring passionate prevention advocates together from across the state to share stories and find new synergies.

In October 2024, we successfully hosted an in-person fall conference for the first time since 2019. Over 150 Prevention Partners came together to network, celebrate collective success and learn from one another.

The conference also featured nationally recognized speakers Robert Sege, Bethany Van Delft and Cole Williams. Topping things off was a panel of parent and family caregivers who shared their authentic experiences and insights about their inspiring journeys from prevention program beneficiaries to leading child abuse prevention efforts themselves.

The conference, held in Mount Pleasant, was a tremendous success, with many attendees reporting immense satisfaction and noting that the connections forged during the two-day event were incredibly valuable. Plans for a 2026 conference are already being drawn up!

In the new year, CTM remains steadfast in our mission. We promise even greater strides with innovative programs and partnerships being introduced to empower families and create lasting, positive impacts in communities across the state.

Thank you again for your support, and warm wishes for health and happiness in this new year before us!

Suzanne Greenberg
Executive Director