Benefit for foster kids scheduled for April 12, sponsorships available

On Saturday, April 12, an organization which provided services to more than 500 foster children, foster families, and teens aging out of the foster care system in 2013 will hold its annual fundraising gala at the Roostertail. The event, In Seventh Heaven, will feature live entertainment, a strolling gourmet supper, and will be emceed by WDET's Ann Delisi. For The Seventh Generation was founded and is supported by the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation in cooperation with the 3rd Judicial Circuit of Michigan and the Michigan Department of Human Services. The nonprofit, which began in 2005, matches donations of goods and services with foster children, teens, and families in need. Most recently, FTSG received and administered a $9,000 grant from Ronald McDonald House Charities and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southeastern Michigan to purchase new beds and cribs for more than fifty babies and children in foster care. The nonprofit offers services through a website, a Help Closet hosted by Detroit's Samaritan Center, and Play It Forward, a program which provides free instruments and music lessons to foster children and teens. "For The Seventh Generation serves some of the most vulnerable children and teens in our area, and in my opinion that makes it one of metro Detroit's most important charities," said long-time community volunteer Linda L. Freitag of Tax Trilogy, LLC, the chair of this year's event. "The In Seventh Heaven committee, the staff of For The Seventh Generation and I are going to create a true night to remember this year so we'll be able to serve even more young people in 2014." "The Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation provides us with a lot of support. We wouldn't exist without them. What is also true, though, is that For The Seventh Generation has grown beyond the Foundation's ability to fund everything we want to do," said For The Seventh Generation (and DMBA Foundation) Executive Director Lorraine Weber. "The children we serve need so much -- and we depend on this event, as well as the ongoing support of the metro community, to meet those needs and help them thrive." Since the addition of the Play It Forward music program headed by author and musician Sonya Mastick in 2012, In Seventh Heaven has expanded to include the metro area's musical community as well as the legal, artistic, and religious communities which have supported it since the beginning. This expansion led companies like Funky D Records to join Charity Motors and Park West Galleries among a varied range of sponsors including law firms, financial consultants, and prominent individuals in both 2012 and 2013. This year, Hour Detroit Magazine has already come on board to be the event's exclusive magazine sponsor. "One of the many strengths our organization enjoys is the fact that virtually everyone cares about and wants to help children in need," explained Weber. "I'm both thrilled and grateful every year for the diversity of our sponsors. "It's also wonderful to see people from so many of our area's different communities having a marvelous time together on the night of the event," she added. Hour Detroit may have snapped up the available sponsorship slot for magazines, but Freitag and Weber said that there are still several opportunities available. "However," said Freitag, "we do encourage people to sign up early to be sure we can accommodate them." Freitag added that the organization has sponsorships to fit almost every budget, with amounts ranging from $250-$10,000. "We want to make sure that everyone who wants to be a sponsor can be," Freitag explained, "and we're well aware that the metro area is still in recovery from a long period of economic stress. "On the other hand, of course, our community's economic situation makes it that much more important to do whatever we can to support 'our' kids in foster care." Weber invited potential In Seventh Heaven sponsors to contact her via email at lweber@detroitlawyer.org or by phone at 313-961-6120, ext. 206. In Seventh Heaven will be held on Saturday, April 12, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Roostertail in Detroit. Event tickets are $125 each and include live entertainment, a gourmet strolling supper, and a complimentary beer and wine bar. Tickets will be on sale online and by mail in February. Supporters can keep up to date on event announcements on the FTSG Facebook page: www.facebook.com/fortheseventhgeneration. For additional information about For The Seventh Generation and its programs visit the charity's website at: http://www.fortheseventhgeneration.org. Published: Thu, Feb 20, 2014