Skip to main content

Children Trust Michigan Pam Posthumus Signature Auction Event raises $750,000 for local child abuse prevention programs statewide

MSU Breslin Center hosts 600 attendees

LANSING, Mich. – The 21st annual Pam Posthumus Signature Auction Event held by Children Trust Michigan at the Michigan State University Breslin Center earned more than $750,000 for programs around the state to prevent child abuse and neglect.

A crowd of more than 600 people attended the event, raising money to expand prevention programs in all 83 Michigan counties. Guests with winning bids went home with a variety of prized items, including a Detroit Lions game package, a U.S. Open golf tournament trip and a handmade Michigan State University Adirondack chair and table set donated by the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Funds from the auction pay for programs such as parent support and education, fatherhood programs, family resource centers and adverse childhood experiences prevention. All private donations and state funding are eligible to be multiplied through Children Trust Michigan federal funding.

Honorary co-chairpersons for this year’s event were directors Elizabeth Hertel of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Heidi Washington of the Michigan Department of Corrections.

During remarks at the event on Tuesday evening, Hertel emphasized that child abuse prevention is an important priority for the department and thanked community organizations around the state that use Children Trust Michigan grant dollars to keep children safe. She shared MDHHS’s Keep Kids Safe Action Agenda.

“Every child deserves to feel safe where they live and in their community,” Hertel said. “Children Trust Michigan donations help connect families to the local resources they need to be successful. That is our priority, too – strengthening families and, ultimately, helping families remain safely intact.”

The auction event is named after the late Pam Posthumus, a long-time advocate for child safety and well-being. She was appointed to what was then known as the Children’s Trust Fund board of directors in 1997 and became its chair in 2002.

“We are overwhelmed by the support of our partners who invest in prevention services to protect Michigan’s children,” said Suzanne Greenberg, executive director of Children Trust Michigan. “Their dedication was demonstrated throughout the auction. As just one example, we raised more than $35,000 in five minutes to buy diapers for prevention programs to provide for the children and families they serve in counties throughout Michigan.”

Children Trust Michigan – which is within MDHHS – at this year’s event presented the DTE Energy Foundation with the 2023 Champion for Children Award. A committed partner of Children Trust Michigan for nearly 20 years, the DTE Energy Foundation was selected as this year’s award recipient for the impact it has made both financially and through volunteer support.

The event was made possible by the support of sponsors, including the Michigan Department of Corrections Prisoner Benefit Fund, Cinnaire, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Delta Dental, DTE Energy Foundation, GSTV, Jackson life insurance, M3 Group, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, and the Michigan Legislature.

To learn more about Children Trust Michigan, its efforts to end child abuse, and where its programs and services can be found near your community, visit www.michigan.gov/ChildrenTrustMichigan.  

# # #

About Children Trust Michigan

Created by the Michigan Legislature in 1982, Children Trust Michigan is the state’s only statewide nonprofit organization solely dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Children Trust Michigan serves as a voice for Michigan’s children and families and promotes their health, safety and welfare by funding effective local programs and services that prevent child abuse and neglect.