In 2021 the Lost Voices team went to work with a complete annual program of three sessions with the boys at the Methodist Children’s Home Society (MCHS) in Redford, Michigan. Since then, we have had the support of the Hardies Family Trust to fund our work there.
Our sessions at MCHS are wonderful. We have had an enthusiastic and engaged group of boys for each program, and the songs they come up with are fantastic. Our Lost Voices teams have included Josh White, Jr., Samantha Cooper, Matt Watroba, Reverend Robert Jones, Mattijane Epperson, Kitty Donohoe, and Lost Voices founder Mike Ball.
Several of the boys, inspired by the Lost Voices teams, are very interested in learning to play the guitar. For 2023 we were able to secure funding as part of the Hardies Family grant to pay for a teacher who will conduct weekly lessons with them. We even have guitars, donated by generous Lost Voices supporters, to support the cause.
The Hardies Family Trust was formed in honor of prominent Livonia businessman Robert Hardies, who passed away in 2019 after a lifetime of service to the community. Their charter is to support charitable causes in the Livonia area, and their generous support has more than lived up to that goal.
The Hardies Family Foundation, located in Livonia, MI, has awarded grants to Lost Voices sufficient to cover all the costs for three complete programs per year at MCHS during 2022 and now for 2023. This successful grant initiative was spearheaded by Lost Voices’ Treasurer George Shea. George and his brother John donated the funds to undertake our initial work with the MCHS youth.
There is nothing more rewarding than having the opportunity to improve the lives of kids who need and deserve our help. Thanks to Methodist Children’s Home and the Hardies Family Trust, Lost Voices is able to do just that.
