What does a pawn shop owner, a car dealership, an educator, and a businessman all have in common? They all received special recognitions at our 25th Anniversary Awards Celebration!
Most people know Les Gold as the wily, leather-jacket-wearing proprietor of American Jewelry and Loan and star of the TV series Hardcore Pawn. We know him as the guy who turned our Corks & Forks live auction into a highly entertaining and lucrative fundraising activity.
Les became our celebrity auctioneer three years ago, using his wit, humor, and business savvy to sell everything from Asian art and luxury vacation packages to lunch meetings with some of the areas top business executives. Over the last three years, Les helped raise more than $425,000 to support our students.
For his dedication to championing our cause, commitment to our students, and generally having a big heart, Les received our 2019 Partner of the Year Award.
When Sam Cupp founded Winning Futures in 1994, he brought together two great organizations; Hamilton Chevrolet and Warren Consolidated Schools. Over the past 25 years, their support of our students and program has been unwavering.
Hamilton Chevrolet has sponsored our program every year since 1994. Their staff have served as mentors, helped raise funds, and served on our board of directors. They even donated some sporty cars as auction items and prizes.
Warren Consolidated Schools supported the founding and expansion of our in-class mentoring program, providing us with educational expertise and guidance as we grew from one program serving 30 students to seven programs serving 500 students. The school system graciously allows us to maintain office space in their Macomb Mathematics Science Technology Center.
For their long-term dedication and support, Hamilton Chevrolet and Warren Consolidated Schools received our 25 Year Partner Award.
Scott Rice, president and CEO of Powerlink Construction, first got involved with us when he attended our golf outing in 2008. Two years later he joined our board of directors and helped raise $50,000 – the most our board ever raised in one year. Over the years, Scott became our board’s chair and has been instrumental in establishing our Shoot For Your Goals Basketball and Mentoring Camp with Greg Kelser, expanding our program into Detroit Public Schools, and significantly increasing our board’s annual fundraising tally, reaching $750,000 in 2018.
For his amazing leadership, championing our program and students, and being an amazing business partner, Scott received our 2019 Sam Cupp Impact Award.
Our nationally recognized and award-winning program would not be possible without the people and partnerships who believe in our work and support our students. Learn more about how you and your business can get involved by contacting Julie Rayes at Julie@WinningFutures.org or 586-698-4416.