As a family-focused organization that believes in giving back to our community, we support organizations that do a tremendous amount of good in our local Lansing community as well as across the country.
These organizations serve our community in different, but positive ways. Whether by providing young people with skilled training, offering children experiencing grief a supportive place, or giving kids in need a bed to sleep in at night, these groups answer the call when it comes to making a lasting difference.
In this article, you’ll learn about three organizations Custom Built supports, their missions, how we support them, and how you can get involved.
Ele’s Place
Ele's Place is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1991 by Betsy and Woody Stover following the death of their daughter. Eleven month old Helen Louise Snow Stover was also known as Ele.
The Stovers found that their children were coping differently with their sister's death and looked for ways to help. They found that peer support was the best method for children to cope with grief.
This realization drove them to create a supportive community that ensures no child in Michigan ever has to grieve alone.
Their mission
The mission at Ele's Place is to create awareness of the needs of grieving children and to provide support for them and their families in a compassionate and understanding manner.
Ele's Place has served over 31,000 individuals in the community over the last 30 years, at no cost to families.
From its beginning in the basement of a church, Ele’s Place has grown to establish four locations - in Lansing, Ann Arbor, Flint, and Grand Rapids.
Why we support Ele’s Place
Custom Built recognizes the importance of organizations like Ele's Place in providing emotional support to grieving children and families.
As a child, our founder and CEO, Michael Flory, lost both his parents at the age of 10. He faced tremendous loss and grief without the support of an organization like Ele’s Place. He knows firsthand how important grief care can be in children’s lives.
To help ensure no child has to grieve without support, Michael is devoted to using his company’s resources to help Ele’s place make sure children who have lost loved ones have the resources they need to heal.
We’re proud to support Ele's Place efforts to make a positive impact on not only our local community but the entire state of Michigan.
Additionally, as a local design and remodeling company, we were honored to offer our design and construction services to build a new library space at Ele's Place's Lansing location, an amazing project to be part of!
We’re pleased to know that the library space will make a difference in the lives of children for many years to come.
How you can get involved
Ele’s Place is always looking for people to give back. There are many ways to do this, whether you are an individual, a family, a business, or a community organization.
You can make a tax-exempt donation, volunteer your time, or attend one of their events. To find out more about how you can help your local Ele’s Place, contact a location near you.
Lansing: 517-482-1315
Ann Arbor: 734-929-6640
Flint: 810-232-3040
Grand Rapids: 616-301-1605
In addition to these opportunities, Ele’s Place has an Amazon wishlist to fill their new library with new books.
The Mikey 23 Foundation
The Mikey 23 Foundation is a Lansing-based non-profit organization established in 2015 in memory of Michael McKissic II, a young man who tragically passed away from gun violence at the age of 23.
Mikey’s father, Michael Sr., wanted to make a positive impact in his son’s memory. This drove him to start the Mikey 23 Foundation to provide young adults the chance to learn valuable life and career skills.
Their mission
The Mikey 23 Foundation actively improves the lives of young people through innovative education and training in the skilled trades.
Through their apprenticeship program, the foundation provides hands-on training and mentorship opportunities for young adults interested in pursuing a career in the construction industry.
Led by licensed professionals in the field, the program gives participants the chance to gain valuable experience and develop the skills needed to excel in the industry.
Why we support Mikey 23
As a Lansing remodeling company, Custom Built understands the importance that skilled trades have in improving the lives of families in our community. We believe that organizations like the Mikey 23 Foundation play a critical role in this mission.
By providing training, mentorship, and support, the foundation is helping young people from all walks of life to obtain a lifelong career in a high-demand industry, rather than choosing negative or destructive paths.
We are proud to support the Mikey 23 Foundation's efforts to positively impact our community by providing young adults with the tools they need to succeed.
How you can get involved
The Mikey 23 Foundation is always looking for individuals and organizations who are interested in supporting their mission. If you would like to learn more about the foundation or if you know a young person who may be interested in their apprenticeship program, contact Michael Mckissic, Mikey’s father.
One of the easiest ways to support the foundation is through a monetary donation. The foundation is a non-profit organization and all donations are tax-exempt.
If you are unable to make a monetary donation, there are other ways to contribute. The foundation happily accepts work trucks, construction tools, construction clothing, abandoned homes, fire-damaged homes, and gift cards.
These donations will be used to support the foundation's mission and help young people in the community.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace
Sleep in Heavenly Peace is an international non-profit organization that focuses on providing beds and bedding to children and families in need.
What started as one family building a bed for another local family has grown to more than 270 chapters across the United States, Canada, Bermuda, and the Bahamas, building and delivering beds for children and families in need.
Their mission
The mission of Sleep in Heavenly Peace is to provide beds and bedding to children who are without a place to sleep and to make sure “NO KID SLEEPS ON THE FLOOR IN OUR TOWN!”
The organization's goal is to not only provide beds to children in need but also to raise awareness about the underrecognized crisis of child bedlessness.
Why we support Sleep in Heavenly Peace
As a company with the know-how and tools, we are in a unique position to donate our time and resources to help the local Lansing chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace. In 2022, we built and delivered 50 beds to children in need of them.
We are proud knowing that every piece of wood for these 50 beds was measured and cut by a team member of Custom Built, and that our hands and skills will have a lasting impact on the child who now has a place to lay their head down at night.
How you can get involved
There are a number of ways to get involved and help Sleep in Heavenly Peace build and deliver beds for children in need.
Whether by donating your time at your local chapter’s bed-building event, helping to deliver beds, or making a tax-exempt donation, there are many opportunities to help make a difference in the lives of children.
Supporting non-profit organizations in your community
As a company that values being family-focused, proactively helpful, and passionately committed, we are proud to support organizations that embody these values to be a force for good in our community.
Without community support and dedication, these organizations wouldn’t be able to thrive and help people in need.
To learn more about getting involved, reach out to the various organizations via their contact links in this article. They would be very happy to hear from you.
We’re always on the lookout for other organizations we can get behind! If you know of an organization that would be interested in using our unique set of skills to make an impact, reach out to us. We’d be happy to hear from you!
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