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Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 4pm

Hands Across The Water, Inc.

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United States
Ann Arbor, MI
Hands Across The Water, Inc.

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Hands Across The Water is a licensed, non-profit child welfare agency. HATW is dedicated to the belief that every child deserves a home and loving family.

We provide services to children and families through foster care, kinship care, behavioral health, and adoption. Hands Across The Water, a licensed, non-profit child-placing agency, is dedicated to all persons touched by adoption and foster care, offering assistance, guidance and support. Hands Across The Water also has a mental health department offering counseling services to those seeking help. Many health insurances accepted as well as a sliding scale.

11/02/2026

Can you believe it's November already?

That means the holidays are right around the corner, and so is our Holiday Wish Drive!

❄❄🎁🎁🎁❄❄

HATW covers most of our holiday gift giving through a resource called Operation Good Cheer: however, each year we end up with young people whose foster care cases we receive after the deadline for that program and this year is no exception.

We will have approximately 30 young people who we still need to provide with holiday gifts, and are looking for people to sponsor them: last year was our first time doing a traditional gift drive, and our community turned out in force to provide a happy holiday for these children!

This year's gift drive will be going live SOON, so keep your eyes peeled, and if you want to ensure that you get a look at the list as soon as it goes up, email us at [email protected] with HOLIDAY WISHES in the subject line, and we'll send it directly to you as soon as it's ready!

10/28/2026

Please join us in welcoming our newest Board member, Charles Brower!

Known to friends and acquaintances as “Chip,” Charles H. Brower II is a Distinguished Service Professor and Foster Family Research Scholar at Wayne State University Law School. He has worked for many years in organizational leadership at nonprofits, including as Chair of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration, Trustee of the Center for American and International Law, Advisory Board Member for the National Transgender Leadership Council, and Executive Council Member for the American Society of International Law.

As the proud parent of a trans daughter, Chip understands many of the challenges facing vulnerable youths in our country today. He is grateful for the opportunity to contribute his time, experience, and resources to a values-driven organization like Hands Across The Water.

We're so happy to welcome Chip, and look forward to his insight in guiding our work!

10/27/2026

Many thanks to the representatives of the A2 Stake - Church of Jesus Christ Young Women Camp who came by our Ann Arbor office yesterday to deliver armloads of handmade fidgets for our young clients and art for our walls! We enjoyed your thoughtful questions about our work and appreciate the care you put into your generous donation. Thank you for connecting with us as you look to serve community needs!

10/26/2026

Friends, you may know that HATW recently opened a new office in Livonia to house the MiFamily Together family preservation/reunification program. We’ve been very fortunate that the property manager of our new space donated furniture from another building they own, but we are lacking some things that would make the environment a little more welcoming for staff. Can you help warm our office? See our wish list at https://bit.ly/4yKyZUJ
and thanks for you consideration!

Photo of our most recent in-person staff gathering—there are so many of us now we can barely fit in frame together!

10/02/2026

We're so excited to announce that yesterday marked the official launch of our family preservation/reunification services work in Wayne County!

Thanks to the State of Michigan HATW will be working with Wayne County families at risk of separation or who are coming back together after being separated using a model known as MiFamily Together, providing flexibility and access to different services depending on their needs.

Our new office space in Livonia is still a work in progress, but it's not stopping our team from putting their best feet collectively forward in service of our vision of a community where every child is valued and has a safe home and loving family where they can thrive!

We still have a few positions to fill: if you know someone who is passionate about this work, send them to bit.ly/HATWjobs to read more about what we're looking for!

09/25/2026

📣 New Position Posted! 📣

We're looking for a full-time Human Resources Assistant to work out of our new Livonia location, traveling to the Ann Arbor office occasionally as needed, and supporting our entire team!

Check out the posting at https://bit.ly/HATWjobs and send it to anyone you know who has a passion for supporting children and families!

09/12/2026

Wow! We did it! Team HATW went Over the Edge with Friends In Deed today, and had a *great* time taking this leap! Thanks to everyone who supported our fundraising effort, those who came out to cheer us on, and of course to Friends In Deed for giving us this opportunity!

There's still time to donate at https://bit.ly/HATW26OTE

09/11/2026

During the month of September we celebrate the grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, family friends, and other caring adults who step up when a child needs a safe, loving place to call home.

Kinship caregivers provide stability, connection, comfort, and the reassurance that children who cannot safely remain with their parents are surrounded by people who care about their wellbeing. Maintaining a connection with families and familiar communities goes a long way to easing the trauma of separation.

Thanks to all the kinship caregivers stepping up for the children in their lives!

09/11/2026

🧗‍♀️ TWO DAYS. TWO DAYS! 🧗‍♂️

The rappellers are getting ready. The nerves are kicking in. The excitement is REAL.

On Saturday, these brave community members will climb to the top of Hill Hall and rappel down to raise money for Friends In Deed, Educate Youth, and Hands Across The Water.

We’ve watched our rappellers fundraise, recruit friends and family, take on challenges, and get ready for the big day.

Now it’s almost time.

👏 Help us cheer them on!

And remember: for just $5, you can purchase a shout-out and get a few minutes on the microphone to cheer for your favorite rappeller while they’re on the wall.

Every shout-out purchase also enters you into our prize drawing—with gift certificates from local restaurants up for grabs! 🎉

Who are YOU coming to cheer for?

Tag them below. 👇

📍 EMU Hill Hall
📅 Saturday, September 12
⏰ Public rappels begin at 9 AM

www.zeffy.com/en-US/peer-to-peer/over-the-edge--2026

09/10/2026

Laron and Melanie are siblings looking to be placed for adoption together: help us find them their forever family!

Laron is 7 and his sister is 13, and we would be happy to discuss their needs with a family interested in waiting child adoption. Learn more at https://bit.ly/HATWwca or call us at 734-477-0135.

Address

781 Avis Drive, Ste 200
Ann Arbor, MI
48108

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 4pm

Telephone

+17344770135

Website

http://www.hatw.org/

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