We are honored to have grown deep roots in West and Northern Michigan. Those roots give us a unique understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing our communities. Our relationships, partnerships and knowledge in these regions have shaped our approach to collaboration as we work with local leaders to identify and address the most pressing needs.
While the Frey family has been at this work for 50 years, the last three have been steeped in change. We have mourned and celebrated the amazing lives of the second generation of leadership with John Frey’s passing this year, David Frey’s in 2023, and Ted Frey’s in 2022. They each carried forward the vision of their parents, our founders, Ed and Frances “Tallie” Frey, teaching us that effective community change needs more than funding: it needs trusted partnerships and sustained commitment.
While we are talking about change, we also want to highlight a few staff additions. In 2023 we celebrated Bryana Hopkins’ transition into a Program Officer role, and welcomed a new Chief Financial and Operations Officer, Tyler Crawford. We were later thrilled to bring on Chris Romero as our second Program Officer, and then Alana Placzkowski as our Communications and Administrative Assistant.
With the third generation of Frey family leaders now in place, we remain centered on being a stable, nimble, community partner in West and Northern Michigan. We intentionally invest significant time connecting organizations with potential collaborators, sharing knowledge with fellow funders, and creating opportunities for different sectors to work together. It’s not just good practice: it’s how we increase our impact and help create lasting changes in our communities.
Thank you for being a part of our collective work.
With gratitude,
