Rock Financial In The Community

The Detroit Pistons 2005-2006 season marked the third consecutive year Rock Financial teamed up with the Detroit Pistons, Detroit Shock and the Pistons-Palace Foundation to help out communities in need. This year’s streak of good deeds was highlighted by major initiatives, including the Pistons and Detroit Newspapers Bowling for Kids Fundraiser presented by Rock Financial; the Pistons, Shock and Rock Financial “Know Your Local Black History” Tour; and Rock Financial and Pistons “March is Reading Month” Pin Sets.

Pistons, Shock and Rock “Know Your Local Black History” Tour

“Know Your Local Black History,” a five-stop tour, launched February 2, 2006 at the First Congregational Church in Detroit. David Hall, Executive Vice President of Rock Financial, and local sport legends such as “Bad Boy” Rick Mahorn and Detroit Lion Lem Barney, listened as students from Cass Tech High School and other schools were challenged to present their views Black History through speech, song or any way they felt was relevant. Then five pre-selected students competed for a $1,000 college scholarship in the competition. The event concluded by taking a walk back in time as a slave traveling the remarkable 1,000-mile journey to freedom via the Underground Railroad Living Museum housed at the church.

“An event like this is great because it promotes diversity, and children and education. Leadership doesn’t know any bounds, which is one reason why diversity is so important,” Hall said at the event.

Rock In The Community

The past three years of good deeds, in conjunction with the Pistons, Shock and the Pistons-Palace Foundation is only a small portion of Rock Financial's efforts to assist those in need.

“The more we give, the more we get in life and business” is the common belief throughout the entire company. The program “Rock in the Community” was created to give team members of Rock Financial opportunities to give back to the communities where they live and work.

Pistons and Detroit Newspapers Partnership Bowling for Kids presented by Rock Financial

Bowling for Kids, a fundraising event in partnership with the Detroit Newspapers and presented by Rock Financial, packed Thunderbird Lanes in Troy with more than 320 people on January 28, 2006. David Hall and Debra Cutlip, Rock’s Director of Sports Marketing, along with local celebrities and guests, including Maurice Evans and Rasheed Wallace, took turns bowling and bidding at the live and silent auction to raise funds to enrich the lives of metro Detroit youth.

Rock Financial Supports WalkAmerica

In the spring of 2006, Rock in the Community volunteers reported for duty to areas in Troy and Hines Park in Detroit to help set-up and register participants for WalkAmerica, the biggest fundraiser for The March of Dimes.

Rock Financial Supports Michigan Humane Society

Answering the call of the Michigan Humane Society, Rock Financial co-sponsored Telethon 2006, “Change a Life…Make the Call!” The 10th annual telethon, presented by Pet Supplies “Plus” and General Motors Corporation, hosted by WXYZ-TV meteorologist Dave Rexroth, raised money to help the Michigan Humane Society continue providing care to more than 100,000 animals yearly.

Rock Financial Supports JARC

Rock Financial’s volunteer efforts continued in full force by helping JARC, a Michigan-based nonprofit, nonsectarian agency dedicated to enabling people with disabilities to live full, dignified lives in the community, and to providing support and advocacy for their families with the JARC 7th annual SpringElation. Rock Financial’s efforts starting with sponsoring the event. Rock Financial Chairman Dan Gilbert, also the President of JARC, recruited fellow Rock Financial team members Evan Kaplan and Jared Goldapper and their wives Karen and Jelaine to be Carnival Co-Chairs for the annual event. As carnival chairs, Kaplan and Goldapper’s duties included recruiting and managing volunteers, running games and distributing prizes. The day of the event, 40 team members from Rock Financial arrived at the Joe Dumars Field house in Shelby Township to run the rides and games that provided nonstop fun and laughter through-out the day. Proceeds from the day’s activities benefited children with disabilities.

As spring gave way to steamy sunny summer days Rock Financial didn’t take any time off to bask in the sun. In June, Rock in the Community volunteers again came to the aid of JARC. The volunteers spent the day getting their hands dirty at the Annual Flower-A-Thon helping JARC plant hundreds of flats of flowers at JARC’s 20 group homes in Oakland County. Each of the homes houses four to six people with developmental disabilities and provides them with full-time care, guidance, transportation and supervision from full-time professional staff members.

Not missing a step as fall rolled in, Rock Financial jumped at the chance to underwrite the JARC young adult pre-glow for the 14th year in a row. The pre-show event co-chaired by Evan and Karen Kaplan, entitled “MARTINi PARTY,” was part of JARC’s 25th Annual Fall Fundraising event, Martin Short - An Evening of Music and Comedy.

JARC’s Fall Fundraiser, and especially the young adult pre-glow, is a fantastic way to bring people into the organization and help them to understand the important work JARC does. I feel you always get a sense of what a family JARC is, and you are able to see how much JARC deeply cares for each and every person they serve,” commented Karen Kaplan at the event.

Rock Supports Blight Busters
After helping spruce up JARC’s Oakland County homes, Rock Financial lent a hand to the City of Detroit by donating $10,000 to the Motor City Blight Busters. The money was used to demolish and restore homes that, once completed, are sold to low and moderate income home buyers. It also went toward planting urban gardens and painting murals in neighborhoods, as well as purchasing art supplies for children’s art classes held at Artist Village, an art studio and gallery operated by Blight Busters in Detroit.

Rock Supports ORT
Rock Financial concluded the summer by supporting Organization for Educational Resources and Technological Training’s (ORT). Rock placed advertisements in ORT’s advertising journal that is distributed at Rub A Dub, ORT’s annual charity event. Funds raised at the event are used by ORT to create programs that help students, many of whom are from underprivileged backgrounds and recent immigrants, meet the educational and vocational requirements needed to build productive lives for themselves and ultimately make lasting contributions to their communities.

Rock Financial Supports American Red Cross

In anticipation of “old man winter,” Rock Financial teamed up with WJBK-FOX 2 in November to present the 18th annual American Red Cross Blanket Days for the Homeless campaign. The campaign, which began November 21 and continued through December 31, encouraged area residents to make donations of new twin-sized blankets and financial contributions that would be used to assist people in homeless shelters and victims of disaster throughout Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. In addition, during an employee blanket drive, organized by Rock Financial, 250 blankets were collected. With Rock’s support, Red Cross volunteers distributed more than 14,000 blankets to 93 homeless shelters.

“Every day is a struggle for those in our community who are without a home to call their own. And the winter months make the situation that much more difficult. We have great respect for the Red Cross and all they do to support these individuals and are proud to be there to lend them a hand,” said David Hall of Rock Financial.

Rock Cares About The Community and its Partners

Year-round, 3,600 team members that make up Rock Financial strive to better the communities where they live and work. These dedicated team members donate portions of their checks to United Way through a workplace campaign, spend time preparing and serving food to men, women and children at Grace Centers of Hopes’ soup kitchen, plant and harvest vegetables for the Capuchin Kitchen and at least once a month pack and sort food at Gleaners Food Bank.