Governor Granholm honors Michigan volunteers

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm presented the Governor's Service Awards to individuals, organizations, and a business for their exemplary volunteer service at the 2010 Governor's Service Awards ceremony, ''An Evening with the Stars,'' held Thursday night at the Gem Theatre in Detroit. ''Michigan's volunteers give of their time and talent without thought of praise or recognition,'' said Governor Granholm. ''Volunteers are making a real difference in their communities. Recognizing them for their efforts is a simple way of thanking them for their commitment to service and honoring their accomplishments across the state.'' The Chenille Sisters, one of the state's finest acts, joined the Governor and First Gentleman Daniel G. Mulhern in honoring the nominees. The Governor's Service Awards were made possible only through the generous contributions of corporate sponsors. The 2010 major contributors included: Acheson Ventures, Comcast, Comer Holdings, Consumers Energy, Council of Michigan Foundations, Delta Dental, DTE Energy, Ford Motor Company Fund, General Motors Company, Hagerty Insurance, Hudson Weber, MASCO Corporation Foundation, Mawby Family Fund, Meijer, Michigan Nonprofit Association, Oakwood Health System, Quicken Loans, State Farm Insurance Company, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation. In addition to the awards, Olivet College, a private liberal arts institution in south central Michigan, presented all five finalists for the Youth Volunteer of the Year category with a Community Responsibility Scholarship valued at $6,000 per year renewable for four years. This unique scholarship program is designed to reward students for responsibility, community service, civic engagement, and volunteerism. The Governor's Service Awards recipients were selected from finalists in eight award categories. Friends, relatives, and colleagues submitted more than 130 nominations to pay tribute to individuals, organizations, and businesses who exemplify the spirit of volunteer service. An objective peer review panel and the board of the Michigan Community Service Commission, the organization that manages the event, selected the finalists and winners. The Governor's Service Awards are presented annually to individuals, businesses, and organizations to acknowledge their commitment to solving community issues through volunteerism. Eight awards were presented in the following categories: The Governor George Romney Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteerism, which is the most prestigious of the Governor's Service Awards, was presented to Kenneth Whipple of Bloomfield Hills . The Corporate Community Leader Award was presented to Coleman Engineering Company of Iron Mountain. The Mentor of the Year award was presented to Tyrone Burrell of Port Huron.The Outstanding Mentoring Program Award was presented to CASA - Children's After School Achievement in Holland. The Outstanding Volunteer Program award was presented to Kids' Food Basket in Grand Rapids . The Senior Volunteer of the Year award was presented to Dorothy Young of Kalamazoo. The Volunteer of the Year award was presented to Kimberly Vernon of Flint. The Youth Volunteer of the Year award was presented to Donavan McKinney of Detroit. Two other special awards were also presented. Richard Groos of Hastings and Lucas Pfeiffenberger of Alpena received Community Foundation Awards for Philanthropy. This award honors an individual or couple for service as both a volunteer trustee and donor to one or more community foundations to help grow community philanthropy. Governor Granholm Announces Second Round of Winners for Recovery Act Grants and Loans to Help Michigan's Small Manufacturers LANSING, MI--Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced that the state of Michigan will award nine small manufacturers $15 million in grants and $5 million in loans for a total of $20 million through the Clean Energy Advanced Manufacturing (CEAM) program. Michigan's CEAM awards, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act), are designed to help Michigan businesses diversify into high-growth, clean-energy industries. The CEAM award recipients were selected from among 40 applicants representing more than $105 million in proposed projects. The funding will allow small Michigan businesses to diversify into advanced manufacturing of renewable energy systems and components that will boost the state's economy, create jobs, and reduce our reliance on imported energy. ''We're building on Michigan's long history of manufacturing know-how to position our state as a leader in renewable and alternative energy,'' said Granholm. ''Our Clean Energy Advanced Manufacturing program will help move Michigan businesses into the clean energy industry, creating hundreds of jobs while helping the nation reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.'' Governor Granholm singled out Michigan Senators Levin and Stabenow and key Michigan members of the U.S. House of Representatives for their leadership in support of Recovery Act funding. ''Because Michigan's congressional leaders stood strong in support of putting these vital federal resources to work building Michigan's economy, we're now experiencing the positive impact in Michigan communities from Monroe to Mackinaw City,'' said Granholm. The members of Michigan's congressional delegation who voted in support of the Recovery Act are Senator Carl Levin and Senator Debbie Stabenow; Representatives John Conyers (D-Detroit), John Dingell (D-Dearborn), Dale Kildee (D-Flint, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-Detroit), Sander Levin (D-Royal Oak), Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.), Mark Schauer (D-Battle Creek), and Bart Stupak (D-Menominee). Any for-profit Michigan business with 500 or fewer employees was eligible to apply. The second round CEAM award winners are: - URV USA LLC of Rochester: $4 million ($500,000 loan and $3.5M grant) to manufacture next generation, metal cast, utility scale wind energy system turbine bedplates and hub components. - Grid Logic, Inc. of Metamora: $5 million ($1.5 M loan and $3.5M grant) to manufacture next generation Fault Current Limiters (FCLs), to be used by utility companies to improve the efficiency and performance of the electric grid and assist in the incorporation of alternative energy sources. - Ventower Industries of Monroe: $3.477 million ($1.227M loan and $2.25M grant) to manufacture structural steel towers used to support commercial sized wind turbines. - Great Lakes Industry Gear, LLC of Jackson: $2.5 million ($500,000 loan and $2M grant) to manufacture wind turbine gears and gearboxes. - AMPTECH of Manistee: $573,000 ($273,000 loan and $300,000 grant) to manufacture next generation smart combiner box for solar panels. - Heat Transfer International of Kentwood: $2.75 million ($550,000 loan and $2.2 M grant) to manufacture next generation biomass gasification power systems. - KC Jones Plating Company of Warren: $300,000 ($150,000 loan and $150,000 grant) to apply next generation surface finishing technology to wind turbine components to improve metal parts resistant to corrosion and decrease wear. - Innotec, Inc. of Zeeland: $1.2 million ($200,000 loan and $1M grant) to manufacture PCB-free LED integrated lighting panels. - Polar Seal Window Corporation of Grand Rapids: $200,000 ($100,000 loan and $100,000 grant) to manufacture a new energy efficient commercial window framing. Copyright © 2001-2010 State of Michigan Published: Thu, Jul 1, 2010

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