Once each year, we welcome a large contingent of guests from local charitable and non-profit organizations for our traditional "Donation Day". Thanks to the hard work of our members all year long, we are able to donate over $26,000 to these organizations. This year's recipients included:

Farmington Hills After School Youth Center Program        
American Legion Boys State        
American Legion Girls State        
Boy Scouts of America Great Lakes District        
Call to Action Coalition        
Care House         
C.A.R.E.S. of Farmington Hills  
City of Farmington Hills Community Thanksgiving Dinner        
Common Ground Sanctuary        
Community Living Centers        
Dr. Paws Pet Therapy        
Farmington Area Goodfellows         
Farmington Historical Museum        
Farmington Players Barn         
Farmington Youth Assistance        
Farmington-Farmington Hills Education Foundation        
Farmington Public Schools Turn Around Program  
Friends of The Farmington Library        
Girls Scouts Farmington Area Neighborhood Service Units        
Graham Smith Memorial Fund for Suicide Prevention      
Haven House        
Light House        
Make-A-Wish Foundation        
Mayor's Youth Council        
Meals on Wheels        
Neighborhood House Food Pantry       
Paradise Service Dogs        
Salvation Army        
Samaritan Counseling Center        
Farmington Hills Senior Transportation        
Special Olympics Team Farmington        
Starfish Family Services        
Sweet Dreamzzz Detroit
Underground Railroad Flight To Freedom Tour        
Visions Unlimited        
West Oaks Civitan        
YMCA After School Program

Our guest for lunch this week was Dr. Paul LaCasse, president and CEO of Botsford Health Care since 2005. His role expanded earlier this year to include responsibilities with Beaumont Health, the new organization formed through a merger of Beaumont Health System, Oakwood Healthcare and Botsford in September 2014. Paul shared with us that he was "forever grateful for the journey that began in 1977 when I arrived at Botsford as a third-year medical student from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Now that the former Botsford Hospital is an essential component of Beaumont Health, it is time for me to transition its leadership to a new president." He will continue to serve as Beaumont - Farmington Hills president until a successor is named through an executive search. In his new role as executive vice president of the Post-Acute Division, Paul is leading the clinical and operational areas of medical transportation, senior living centers, home services, laboratory and pathology services, specialty and retail pharmacy, joint ventures and diversified business entities.

We also received an update on the $165MM expansion of Beaumont Health System Botsford Campus. The 5project which will take up to 5 years to complete will include a new patiewnt tower with 80 beds, doubling the size of the emergency room, adding 8 surgical suites, a new power plant and parking deck and much more. Services such as emergency care, surgery and post surgical will be on "stacked" floors to improve the flow of patients between units. All of the additions and changes are designed to improve the delivery of services and outcomes for patients, insuring that our community hospital has the best services and technologies available.

Rep. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) officially announced his Senate candidacy Wednesday at the Xemplar Club, pitching himself as a champion for the middle class in a note to supporters. “Today, I am officially announcing that I am a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2014,” Peters said. He called the present time a “critical moment” for Michigan. “I’ve always believed that the things middle class families struggle with around their kitchen tables should define my work in Washington,” Peters continued. First elected to Congress in 2008, Peters served as lottery commissioner and a state legislator before heading to Washington. The Republican field has yet to take shape. Rep. Mike Rogers, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, is considering a bid. So is libertarian-leaning Rep. Justin Amash, who has clashed with House GOP leadership.