Patch Picks: Nonprofits Making a Difference

Last week we talked about the best Valentine's date spot. This week, we got a little serious and wanted to know about nonprofits making a difference in Ferndale, Berkley, Royal Oak and Clawson. It'd be easy if there were only a handful, but there is not. There are millions. Well, maybe not millions, but a lot. So we can't really put together a comprehensive list and this is by no means a "top five" list, because how can we quantify that, really, in a week?

What we did do, however, is hit social media and asked our readers to give us a few nonprofits doing stuff in our communities. The result of that question is below. Feel free to add to this list in the comments section below, because we know there are more than five nonprofits operating in our area. 

Patch Picks this week: What are some nonprofits making a difference in your community?

• From Clawson:Mary's Children Family Center, 495 E. 14 Mile Rd., Clawson. The centers offers offers rehabilitation and cognitive learning services for adults with brain injuries through social interaction. For more information call 248-307-0242.
• From Ferndale: , every first and third Saturday at the (until they move into a , 1201 Livernois St., Ferndale. FernCare is Ferndale's free clinic to help those who are underinsured or don't have any insurance at all. FernCare's founder and director Ann Heler said that since FernCare started operating, the clinic has served 148 individual clients (and growing). For more information call 248-677-2273.
• From Berkley:Berkley-Huntington Woods Youth Assistance, 2325 Catalpa Dr., Berkley. make good decisions and offers a camp program, mentoring and family education. To volunteer call 248-837-8102.
• From Royal Oak: The , 1545 East Lincoln Ave., Royal Oak. The mission of the Club is "to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens." For more information call 248-544-4166.
• For good measure: Ferndale Youth Assistance, 881 Pinecrest, Ferndale. This program is much like the Berkley-Huntington Woods Youth Assistance program. It offers services, counseling and opportunities for the Ferndale Youth. For more information call 248-586-8700

Ferndale Honorable Mentions:

• Community Services of Oakland County
• Ferndale Community Foundation
• OLHSA
• Citizens For A Fair Ferndale

Doing something else? Tell us about it in the comments.

Next week's list: Boutiques. Tell us about boutiques in your community.

Patch Picks will be a weekly feature on Patch highlighting our picks and, more importantly, your picks for a number of things. We'll look and ask about great local businesses, local or near-local destination spots, local services, local organizations, ways to spend a day off, and whatever else we can think of.

We hope you'll find this list useful for you, your family, friends, and significant others. We'll look to compile the best of everything from Sunday brunch spots to summer camps to date night destinations to florists to parks and more. So, stay tuned and contribute to our lists!

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