For over sixteen years, Ann Bogits (center) has been volunteering her time and energy to work with Friends In Deed. She has spent time as the chairperson for the Annual Dinner Committee and spent three years on the board all while being a regular donor throughout her time working with the organization. She is equal parts impressed and proud with the growth FID has achieved over the years, and she counts herself lucky to have witnessed it first-hand.
“I love how Friends In Deed has expanded its role over the years to further meet needs all the while staying true to the mission. It’s also really inspiring to see how everyone I have ever met through FID truly wants to serve. I have seen people who were once clients go on to become volunteers, and that’s really special.”
Ann first joined FID after hearing about the work that was being done through her church. She says she was drawn to FID by the mission to help the underserved in the community and joined the board as a representative from her church after being asked by the head of social ministries. She was thrilled with her decision from the get-go, and she has never looked back—crediting her time spent volunteering with making her a more grateful person.
“Once I joined the board, I was really impressed by how much of the budget goes to serve the clients’ needs, as I had heard about a lot of nonprofits with surprisingly low numbers due to high overhead. My sales pitch to someone thinking about volunteering their time would be that this is a humble organization that truly treats its clients as friends, not people to be pitied. And that FID is the best opportunity in this community for people to not just survive but to thrive. And who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?”
As an occupational therapist at St. Joe’s hospital, Ann has referred some of her patients to FID when she saw they would benefit from everything FID could offer them. Having lived in the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area for twenty-one years, she’s witnessed scores of people from her backyard bond across socioeconomic levels in ways a lot of people never get to do.