One Northern Michigan organization will receive a donation from Facebook, as part of the company’s new outreach program.
Facebook recently announced the four recipients in North America who will each be awarded $25,000 in additional funding as part of the Community Accelerator—a six-month program to equip impactful communities with the skills and funding to grow.
One of the four recipients is Spark in the Dark, a community connecting people in need to available resources, started by Traverse City resident, Abagail McKiernan.
In 2015, Abagail overheard two women talking about how they wanted to volunteer and connect with their community. One of the women had just moved into a new apartment for her and her son but didn’t have any furniture. The other woman had a twin bed in her garage and was trying to get rid of it. Connection made.
A group that started with 50 people in Traverse City, is now a community of nearly 14,000 members. Since 2016, 48,000 needs have been met, with 80% met in under 24 hours. This year, Abagail created two new groups in Mount Pleasant and Manistee in Michigan and is looking to create 12 new groups in 2021, starting with Cadillac and Ohio. Her mission is to connect 150,000 needs annually.
Read Northern Michigan nonprofit stories, as well as how to donate and volunteer, in the free digital edition of MyNorth GIVE 2020 below; And get it in print for free when you subscribe to Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine.