Leaders & Best: Giving to Michigan

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Celebrating the University of Michigan's philanthropic spirit and impact on our world. Check out Michigan Giving at giving.umich.edu 🎁

Leaders & Best publishes stories of the University of Michigan’s most remarkable people, programs, and happenings. As a university publication, it caters to the donors and volunteers who help make Michigan a world-class university with global reach and limitless potential. On this page, we celebrate the U-M community’s philanthropic spirit by highlighting its far-reaching influence on our state, our nation, and our world—because we don’t just believe in giving to Michigan. We believe in giving through Michigan.

10/21/2026

Vote early at the Dude! 🗳️

Ann Arbor voters can now register and update their registration address in the The James and Anne Duderstadt Center starting Oct 21.

More info at the link in the first comment.

10/20/2026

Meet Jennifer Strohpaul: After months of unexplained symptoms, she finally found answers at Michigan Medicine and received a successful liver transplant.

“After the transplant, it hit me harder that someone had just given me another chance at life,” Jennifer said. “To this day, it’s hard to find the right words to express how grateful I am for that.”

Today, she’s spending time with loved ones and pursuing a Master of Social Work degree to help others navigate difficult diagnoses.

Chronic liver disease affects nearly 40 million Americans—and this October, your support for liver care and research can go twice as far. In honor of Liver Disease Awareness Month, a generous donor is matching gifts to the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology dollar for dollar, up to $500 per donation.

With 18 world-renowned liver specialists, the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology is one of the largest and most comprehensive liver programs in the world. Philanthropic support helps the team explore noninvasive therapies, identify genetic markers, and move promising discoveries from the lab into patient care.

Learn more at the link in the first comment.

10/19/2026

About once a week, Jill Hoppenjans shares the comfort of a homemade meal with someone she’s never met.

Since 2022, Hoppenjans, an academic program manager in the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts has volunteered with We Are Lasagna Love, a nonprofit that connects volunteer home cooks with people who could use a homemade meal.

When she reaches out to a recipient, she starts with a simple message: “Hi, my name is Jill. I’m a volunteer with Lasagna Love. I get to cook for you this week.”

People request meals for all kinds of reasons. Some are experiencing food insecurity. Others are recovering from surgery, navigating mental health challenges, or simply going through a tough time. Anyone can sign up through the Lasagna Love website to receive a meal as often as once a month.

Hoppenjans delivers within a 25-mile radius, bringing homemade lasagnas to neighbors in communities including Ypsilanti, Belleville, Van Buren, and Flint. So far, she has made and delivered close to 200 lasagnas—about 50 each year—feeding more than 700 people across southeast Michigan.

Each lasagna is a warm reminder from a stranger: You matter, and someone is thinking of you.

10/16/2026

As a student docent in the late 1960s, Jan Carline found a sense of calm, purpose, and belonging at the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History—feelings that stayed with him long after he left Ann Arbor.

When Carline (AB ’70) and his wife, Carol Sue Ivory (AB ’69), began considering their estate plans, they reflected on the U‑M experiences that had shaped their lives. The museum quickly came to mind, inspiring them to establish the Jan D. Carline Student Docent Fund.

“The museum widened my world,” Carline said. “It became much more than simply leading tours. The chance meeting with a faculty member about their work or discoveries could be quite broadening and endlessly interesting, learning what they were doing, asking, ‘How did you do it?’”

Today, the fund helps students like Lani Reyes (BS ’26) find a sense of belonging. “The museum was a safe space for me before I ever became a docent,” Reyes said.

“When I transferred as a junior, I didn’t know anyone. I felt lost and out of place, so I’d spend time here between classes. When I started to make friends, I’d bring them here to show them how cool it is. This museum is actually why I’m here at the University of Michigan, because I wanted to be a part of this so badly.”

Learn more about the Jan D. Carline Student Docent Fund at the link in the first comment.

10/15/2026

Christine wanted to show her appreciation for the care she received at the Melanoma Oncology Clinic at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center.

Help make exceptional care possible for others at the link in the first comment.

10/14/2026

It’s National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day! 🍽️

Today, we’re celebrating the parents, families, and supporters who encourage Wolverines to dream big and go further.

Who has supported your Michigan journey? Give them a shout-out below.

Photo Credit: VP Communications, Regents of the University of Michigan

10/13/2026

Kinda chic to show up for the planet. 🌎

U-M’s second annual Climate Week, held Sept. 28–Oct. 4, brought students, faculty, staff, and community members together to share ideas and take action for a more sustainable future.

That work continues year-round. U-M researchers are digging into how heavier rainfall and changing Great Lakes water levels affect flooding, while exploring practical ways to help protect Michigan’s older adults from extreme heat.

Support from donors is moving that work forward, too. A new $4.9 million grant from the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation will create Erb Legacy Scholarships for graduate students earning dual degrees through the Erb Institute and getting ready to lead at the intersection of business and sustainability.

Climate Week may be over, but the momentum continues. Learn more at the link in the first comment.

10/12/2026

Before you buy it new, another Wolverine may have left exactly what you need behind. ♻️

This fall, plastic storage containers and bedding donated during spring move-out made their way back into U-M residence halls as part of a new reuse pilot. Cleaned and stored containers were offered free to incoming students at Mosher-Jordan and South Quad, and donated bedding was laundered and reused by students in the Michigan Sustainability Community.

The idea is simple: Collect useful items when students leave, then return them to campus when the next group arrives.

This spring’s Move-Out program collected 16.2 tons of reusable material. More than 1,000 pounds of clothing and household goods found new homes at the Planet Blue Student Leaders’ first FreeStore of the year, where students could take donated items at no cost.

“Students don’t need to buy everything new to set up their rooms. Many of the items they need are already on campus and can be reused,” said Sophie Wasson, circularity and campus-as-lab fellow with Student Life Sustainability. “The FreeStore makes that easy and helps make buying less feel like a normal choice.”

10/09/2026

Tomorrow is World Mental Health Day! 💚

For young people across Michigan, mental health support can make a big difference in the classroom and in everyday life. The challenge is making sure local clinicians have the training and tools to deliver it.

Now, philanthropy is helping close that gap. A $100,000 gift from the Annapurna Foundation, together with $75,000 in additional gifts from Collyer Smith, Sam Kottamsu, Larry Gray, and the Ann Arbor Rotary Club, is helping launch the Michigan Training Collaborative for Youth Mental Health at U-M’s Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg and Family Depression Center.

The Michigan Training Collaborative will give clinicians across Michigan access to evidence-based tools, expert guidance, and ongoing support—helping bring effective mental healthcare closer to children and families in their own communities. It will begin in the Lansing region with training focused on Exposure and Response Prevention, the gold-standard treatment for youth anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

“We know what works,” said Kees. “The challenge is making sure clinicians have the training and support they need to deliver those treatments. This visionary gift is a gamechanger. It is the catalyst we need to build a new model for Michigan’s behavioral health workforce and bring proven, effective mental health treatment closer to children and families across the state.”

Learn more at the link in the first comment.

10/08/2026

Having gone through his own brain tumor journey, Shane chose to give back to improve treatments and outcomes for others.

Find a cause close to your heart at the link in the first comment.

Address

2301 Commonwealth Boulevard
Ann Arbor, MI
48105

Telephone

+17347642728

Website

https://giving.umich.edu/um/, https://linktr.ee/leadersandbest

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