I met Joanne Tarling a few years ago before I even heard of Charlotte's Wings. Our daughters have played together while we chat about OCM and other mom stuff. Joanne is a sweet person and a loving mother. When she told me the story about her daughter Charlotte, I could not believe it. You never imagine this to happen to anyone so close to home and in your community.

Checkpoints is a Michigan-based non profit program designed to provide information about teen driving safety and current teen driving laws in Michigan. The website is a free resource provided through a grant to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute from the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

My husband had an opportunity to interview for a position at Common Ground and was vastly impressed by the depth and range of services this non-profit has to offer.

I was unaware of the services Community Housing Network of Troy provided until I posted a recent article in the Autism Diary of Oakland County Moms regarding services CHN is providing for individuals with autism seeking affordable housing solutions. Anne Osmer, the Community Relations Manager for the Community Housing Network, Inc. e-mailed me recently about the range of services the Community Housing Network provides to residents of Oakland County and Metro Detroit, Michigan.

Here is the info:

Corner Pieces is a small Michigan-based organization that was formed with help of family and friends by Ben and Tiffany Duff, the parents of a young autistic boy. When the Duffs received the heartbreaking diagnosis shortly before their son, Brian’s, second birthday in 2008, their intense efforts to improve the quality of his life led them to discover that Brian best responded to educational tools and applications on one of the most portable devices available today: the iPod Touch.

I meet so many friends through Twitter and I've become a big fan of Marybeth Levine and her Detroit Area Diaper Bank non-profit organization. Headquartered in Canton, Detroit Area Diaper Bank's mission is to provide diapers for low-income households, the elderly and those with disabilities.

Until recently, I had never heard of Friendship Circle in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Thankfully, I was introduced to the creator of this amazing effort and had an opportunity to explore it further.

Grace Centers of Hope in Pontiac was established in 1942 and is the oldest and largest homeless shelter in Oakland County. It has evolved into the largest and oldest faith-based outreach to homeless and disadvantaged individuals and families. Grace Centers of Hope (GCH) provides a full recovery and rehabilitation campus for homeless men, women and children who have been abused or addicted to drugs and/or alcohol.

A recent hot topic lately has been all the cuts being made among the schools due to budget constraints. As parents, we are concerned about whether or not our children will be given the greatest learning potential amidst these cutbacks.

I'm thankful for programs like Great Start Collaborative-Oakland County and their mission to build a comprehensive early childhood system in Oakland County.