08/11/2026
In 2024, the Clare County Community Foundation awarded a $10,000 grant to Mid Michigan Big Brothers Big Sisters, helping strengthen school-based mentoring in Clare County at a critical moment for the organization and the children and schools it serves.
“First of all, it’s not a small part for us. That $10,000 grant was massive,” said Jeff Calhoun, Executive Director of Mid Michigan Big Brothers Big Sisters.
The grant supported the organization’s school-based mentoring work in Clare County, helping launch and grow programs in Farwell and Clare. It came during a period of significant transformation for the agency. When Jeff stepped into leadership in August 2023, the organization was facing an uncertain future.
“The quick version of this story is when I started in August of 2023, our agency was at risk,” Jeff said.
At that time, the agency had just 14 active matches across five counties. There were no school partnerships in place. Jeff, who had personally been a Big Brother for 34 years, knew the work mattered deeply. He also knew that rural students needed more access to positive relationships, leadership opportunities, and consistent support.
“These kids in these rural areas, they need a lift,” Jeff said.
That belief became the foundation for a new model. Rather than focusing on traditional community-based matches, the organization shifted toward school-based mentoring. Schools became the center of the work because, in rural communities, they are often the central place where students gather, connect, and receive support.
The approach was simple and intentional: partner directly with schools, identify local needs, and create mentoring relationships that could thrive inside the school day. High school students are matched with elementary students, creating a model that supports both groups. Younger students gain a mentor, role model, and friend. Older students gain purpose, leadership experience, and a meaningful way to serve their community.
The results have been remarkable.
By the end of the school year, the agency had grown from 14 matches to 321 matches across its full service area, with more than 11,500 hours of mentoring. Jeff said 77% of those matches are between high school students and elementary students.
In Clare County specifically, the growth has been especially meaningful. In 2023, the organization had three matches in the county. With support from partners like the Clare County Community Foundation, that number has grown to approximately 63, with partnerships in Farwell Area Schools and Clare Public Schools. The organization is also looking ahead to Harrison, with a goal of serving 100 children in Clare County within the next year.
The 2024 grant helped make that growth possible.
“That money went directly to helping us launch and grow the program in Farwell, and then launch the program this year in earnest in Clare,” Jeff said.
In Farwell, the program began small. Jeff recalled that early conversations required trust, patience, and a clear promise that the program would not create extra work for already busy school staff. Over time, that trust grew. What started with a handful of matches expanded to more than 30 in the past year. Now, high school students are encouraging their friends to participate.
For local nonprofits, grantmaking often provides the flexible, catalytic support needed to turn a promising idea into a sustainable program. In this case, the Foundation’s grant helped Mid Michigan Big Brothers Big Sisters meet real needs in Clare County schools while building a model designed to use resources efficiently.
Jeff said the organization is now serving students at a cost of under $800 per match per year, far below the national average. That efficiency matters because, as the program grows, so does the need for support.
“In our business, the more matches we make, the more money I have to go raise,” Jeff said.
That is where local philanthropy makes a direct difference. A grant to a nonprofit is more than a line item. It can mean a student has someone to sit with, talk with, learn from, and look forward to seeing. It can mean a high school student discovers the power of leadership and service. It can mean a rural school gains a partner committed to showing up for its students.
For Jeff, the work is personal. It is also rooted in a clear belief that every available dollar should be used to help children.
“I am about every cent going to help a kid,” Jeff said. “And we’re about as close as you can get to that.”
Through its 2024 grant to Mid Michigan Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Clare County Community Foundation helped strengthen a program that builds relationships, supports schools, and creates new possibilities for young people across Clare County. As the Foundation reflects on this impact in its 2025 annual report, the story is a reminder of what local grantmaking makes possible: nonprofits gaining momentum, schools gaining partners, and children gaining mentors who help them see a brighter future.
