2019 Treasurer’s Report

The Alliance for the Great Lakes had a great year, thanks to our donors, advocates, and champions. Without their support, we would not have been able to achieve clean water victories at local, state and federal levels. 

Last year the Alliance invested in strengthening our internal finance and operations capacity, hiring a full-time director experienced in managing  complex organizations and funding sources. Our Finance & Operations Director spent the past year making more resources available for our Great Lakes programs by improving operations through new management tools and enhanced reporting to inform our leadership’s and Board’s guidance of the Alliance’s strategy. The result is superior fiscal management and stewardship of donations, as evidenced by us receiving Charity Navigator’s four-star rating—the highest possible rating—for the ninth year in a row. 

We are honored that so many individuals have entrusted us to carry out the critical work of protecting clean water, and we take that commitment seriously every single day. 

I would like to recognize my fellow members of the 2019 Finance Committee for their continued dedication—Sue Conatser, Laura Rubin, and David Schmahl. I would also like to thank Joel Brammeier, president and CEO, and Kelly Farley, our Finance & Operations Director, for their dedication and guidance. We remain committed to effectively managing the Alliance’s finances, and using the organization’s resources to continue leading on Great Lakes protection and restoration for generations to come.

Frank Washelesky
Treasurer

Every Dollar Matters

Our supporters make it possible for the Alliance for the Great Lakes to lead on clean water protection at the local, state, and regional level. We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to all the donors who supported our work in our 2018 fiscal year (September 1, 2018 – August 31, 2019). In our 2019 financial report, we list donors who have contributed $1,000 or more, but every gift is appreciated and makes a difference in protecting the Great Lakes. Please find our donor list along with our complete 2019 financial report linked here.

While it’s been too cold for Adopt-a-Beach, we’ve been cooking up some big things here at the Alliance. We’re happy to share that this year, we are launching a new and improved Adopt-a-Beach website.

New Website Launches March 18th

The new Adopt-a-Beach system will streamline the process for volunteers to find and sign up for events (no login!). It will also make it super easy to manage your cleanup event (mobile friendly!). And the new system will be flexible to change with the times as the program grows. 

The new site will launch on March 18th, and we’re planning several in-person and online training sessions for team leaders in the coming weeks. The training sessions will include a demo of the new system, allow time for questions, and give team leaders everything needed to for a successful Adopt-a-Beach event. 

Spring Kickoff April 25th

This year, the Adopt-a-Beach season will kick off with one day of action on April 25th, in honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Cleanups on any date in April are welcome, but we’re planning some fun things around Earth Day on April 25th. 

Before the March 18th launch, team leaders will not be able to create cleanup events. Once the new site launches, team leaders will be able to create events, and volunteers will be able to find and register for cleanups. 

We’re so excited to unveil this new, user-friendly site in time for the Adopt-a-Beach season. Keep your eye out for updates, behind-the-scene sneak peeks, and some special surprises in the coming week to celebrate the site launch and the 50th anniversaries of Earth Day and the Alliance! 

The new site was made possible thanks to the generosity of the Fund For Lake Michigan. 

If it takes a village to raise a child, imagine how many people it will take to raise the quality of the Great Lakes. 

Part of the Alliance’s approach to protecting the Great Lakes is the understanding that we can’t do this alone. We rely on an incredible network of partnerships to build new relationships to tackle water problems and challenges from different perspectives.

In Ohio, Crystal M.C. Davis, the Alliance’s Director of Policy and Strategic Engagement, works to prioritize relationships with local groups that have deep roots in the community. She began with outreach, hosting listening sessions in northern Ohio communities. And, only after listening carefully and hearing community concerns, she partnered with local and state-wide groups to  educate and train advocates. 

“We’re educating folks to inspire action and build relationships for the long-term,” explains Davis. “When the legislature acts on potential policy, sometimes we have very little time to respond. Educating our communities now enables us and residents to respond more quickly when it’s most important.” 

Two of our partners, the Trust for Public Land, and the Environmental Health Watch, focus on more than water issues. The Trust for Public Land works to create Ohio parks and natural areas. They safeguard the state’s natural, recreational, cultural, and agricultural resources and promote park equity for future generations. Environmental Health Watch provides education, advocacy, and direct services to families while also working alongside policy makers to spotlight and confront critical environmental health issues in Ohio. Both appreciate the role water plays in their work and need to address water-related challenges. Working with these partners allows us to build broad coalitions to tackle some of Ohio’s most pressing environmental issues.  

In her work training advocates, Davis heard from community groups that they prefer a holistic approach to issues. “Environmental and quality of life  issues are connected and talking about them in a connected way, helps elevate them on a priority list,” she said. “We’re talking about land, water, and the impact on disadvantaged communities. That’s all connected.”

Developing Partnerships with Shared Goals

Even though Great Lakes communities sit on the shores of the world’s largest surface freshwater lakes in the world, many residents do not have affordable, clean, safe drinking water from their taps. A key focus of our partnerships is with groups working with water issues at the end of the tap. And one of the greatest challenges ahead is addressing lead in drinking water. 

It was through community group meetings that Davis connected with Kim Foreman, Executive Director at Environmental Health Watch.  Foreman was called to her work earlier in her career. When she was a part-time tutor, she remembers working with a child who could not remember the alphabet. It was the result of lead exposure in the home.

Years later, Kim Foreman is Executive Director at the Environmental Health Watch (EHW), and was recently awarded the Community Collaboration Award from the Ohio Environmental Council for her work on the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition, among many others accolades and awards. She is highly regarded for her expertise in authentic community engagement and lead issues.

When exposed to lead, the body mistakes it for calcium and iron. Small children take in 50 percent of the lead they are exposed to. Foreman explains the impacts  range from a decreased IQ , to lack of impulse control, and anemia. “Lead sits in the bones, leaving a lifelong body burden of lead,” says Foreman. 

She works to inform the public. “People know lead is bad,” she says. “But they are [less educated] about the long term effects, what to do about it, or how to protect their families.” She works with community leaders and partners, like the Alliance, to  increase awareness of the issue and build capacity to progress policy solutions. 

Although the EHW focuses on lead in the home, and the Alliance focuses on it in drinking water service lines, we have the same end goal – eliminate lead contamination on our communities and ensure the financial burden doesn’t fall on the backs of our most disadvantaged communities. We are working together to build a strong, informed, and passionate base of people ready to take action and speak out on this critical issue. 

Like the Alliance, Foreman is focusing on how to connect people to policy. “I can’t speak for everyone, we have to build capacity for them to speak for themselves…No matter what the issues are, [people in the community] can work on them, because they understand how decisions get made,” she says. 

Our partnership with the Trust for Public Land (TPL) takes a different approach. The Trust for Public Land has a program called “Great Waters,” which focuses on protecting Lake Erie and Ohio’s watersheds. Watersheds are the land area that channels rainfall to creeks, streams, and rivers, and eventually to outflow points such as Lake Erie. Without healthy land, it is impossible to have healthy lakes, since what goes into the land will run into the water. 

“We made our mark by starting to purchase and conserve land as the Cuyahoga Valley National Park,” says Shanelle Smith, TPL’s Ohio State Director. This land purchase protects large areas of land along the Cuyahoga River from development, helping it return to health by keeping natural systems in place. In 2019, the region marked the 50th anniversary of the Cuyahoga River Burning and the rebirth of the river.  

“If we’re protecting the land, it helps remediate the river. There are not large developments or encroachment that could threaten the health or comeback of the river,” says Smith. Additionally, the Trust has bought thousands of acres along Lake Erie, protecting the land, which in turn helps improve water quality. 

The relation between water and land being undeniable. TLP’s work to protect the land near the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie has lasting benefits to our health, economy and environment.

Building strong partnerships with groups like Trust for Public Land and Environmental Health Watch, we are developing a multi-prong approach to protect Lake Erie, our local rivers and streams, and the water flowing into our homes. 

Volunteering is a great way for businesses to support the Great Lakes and provide employees an opportunity to get involved too. The Adopt-a-Beach program helps corporate sponsors engage in philanthropy, increase team bonding, and enjoy a day at the beach. We spoke to two sponsors about their experience. Answers have been edited for clarity and length. 

AMLI Residential is focused on the development and management of luxury apartment communities across the U.S. AMLI has coordinated two annual beach clean ups with Alliance for the Great Lakes, and have scheduled a third in July. They have cleaned up over 500 pounds of trash. We spoke to Marti Smith, manager, administrative services at AMLI about the experience. 

Why did you decide to organize and sponsor a cleanup?

AMLI is dedicated to providing opportunities for our employees and residents to be good citizens and give back to the community in which they live and work in charitable and sustainable ways. The Adopt-a-Beach program was a perfect fit for our effort to identify a sustainably-focused volunteer activity for our Chicago corporate and onsite employees to participate in together. 

What is your office’s connection to the lakes?

With a focus on sustainability, our apartment communities are dedicated to using land, water and energy more efficiently.  AMLI works hard to provide initiatives and amenities that allow our residents to live more sustainably. AMLI’s national headquarters is located in downtown Chicago and AMLI owns and manages six apartment communities in the metro area.  We understand the importance of the Great Lakes to this region and want to do our part in protecting the lakes today and for future generations.

Why is philanthropy important to your business? 

Our AMLI Famli Volunteer program is an important part of the culture. The program helps those in need and builds community and connections among our team members and residents. Many of these activities are environmentally and sustainability focused. Whether it’s building a public park, packing items at a local community food bank or organizing a beach clean-up, AMLI is committed to giving back to the cities and neighborhoods we call home. 

How was Adopt-a-Beach received by your team this year?

The Adopt-A-Beach staff is always very helpful and easy to work with! The staff educated and assisted our team by explaining reasons and goals of our activity and communicating what items need to be picked up during the clean-up — and they are always standing by to cheer our team on to do more. Working with Alliance for the Great Lakes has heightened and strengthened AMLI’s focus on sustainability and has been a positive and fun experience for our team.

 What was the best or most memorable part?

Our team loves healthy competition so we encouraged our employees to pick up more trash than they picked up the previous year. For our first clean-up, we picked up 236 pounds of trash.  Last year, we picked up 262 pounds of trash.  

Meijer Grocery Store opened its first store in Greenville, Michigan in 1934. They now operate almost 250 stores in five Great Lakes states. Meijer hosted three Adopt-a-Beach cleanups in 2019 and is slated to do more in 2020. We talked to them about their experience. 

Why did you decide to organize and sponsor a cleanup?

Meijer is a Great Lakes retailer. Given the important role that these unique water bodies play in providing recreation, drinking water, economic opportunities, and cultural significance throughout the region, Meijer is committed to protecting them through actions like sponsoring cleanups and supporting organizations like the Alliance for the Great Lakes. 

Why is charitable giving/philanthropy important to your business? 

As a family-owned company, Meijer was built on a fundamental philosophy of enriching lives in the communities we serve. As a result, we donate more than 6 percent of our net profit every year to nonprofit organizations throughout the Midwest and sponsor hundreds of other family-friends events that are important to our team members and our customers, including those that help protect our environment. 

How was Adopt-a-Beach received by staff this year?

There was great enthusiasm from the Meijer team members who participated in the Adopt-a-Beach cleanups last year. Many of them were able to bring their families to participate and found that it was a great opportunity to teach their children about environmental stewardship. 

What was the best or most memorable part?

Our Meijer team members felt accomplished after seeing the amount of trash they were able to collect during these clean ups. 

Was there any impact on the staff after the event?

One Meijer team member remarked that she will never look at a beach the same way again. Now that she has the eye for spotting the small pieces of trash in the sand, she will forever do her part to keep our beaches clean!

These are just two stories of many from our corporate sponsors. Thank you to everyone who has supported the Alliance and the Adopt-a-Beach program. For a complete list of donors, check out our 2019 financials.