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HOPE
Current initiative
Create Hope.
Shirley's Fund Company is a Michigan-based 501(c)(3) working to create practical, human ways for people and communities to get support.
Our primary initiative is Create Hope: a campaign to raise $30,000 and establish one full year of free creative programming in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Medellín, Colombia.
Through music, photography, creative classes and community experiences, we want to give people healthy ways to express what they're carrying, connect with others and strengthen their own mental well-being.
501(c)(3) ·
EIN 99-3010688 ·
Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Why Shirley's Fund exists
People
helping
people.
helping
people.
The mission
Shirley's Fund Company was founded in honor of my grandmother, Shirley, who taught me photography, business sense, and — more importantly — how to show up for people.
Today, Shirley's Fund focuses on creativity and mental well-being alongside targeted family-relief projects where support can be direct, practical and easy to understand.
That currently means two major efforts: Create Hope and Medellín Holiday Cares.
One creates space for people to use creativity as a way to express, connect and move through difficult parts of life. The other helps families and children experience the holidays with food, gifts and a little less financial pressure.
Small acts of care can change a day,
a season,
or even a life.
What Create Hope does
Give people somewhere creative to put what they're carrying.
Create Hope is not therapy
and does not replace professional mental health care.
It is a community creativity initiative built around
expression,
connection,
agency
and mental well-being.
The goal is simple:
help people discover that creating something can give difficult thoughts,
emotions
and experiences somewhere to go.
Learn to notice again.
Cameras become tools for slowing down, paying attention, telling stories and seeing the world — and sometimes yourself — differently.
Try another way through.
Writing. Drawing. Film. Visual art. Storytelling. Different people need different creative doors.
Don't carry everything alone.
Creative experiences bring people into the same room to make, learn, connect and discover that difficult seasons do not have to be experienced entirely in isolation.
The campaign goal
$30K.
Two cities.
One year.
Two cities.
One year.
What $30,000 establishes
Give the idea enough time to become something real.
The goal is not to raise money for a single event
and disappear.
$30,000 establishes and supports one full year of Create Hope programming
across Ann Arbor and Medellín.
A year creates room to build relationships,
host creative experiences,
work with artists and community collaborators,
listen to participants,
learn what works
and let the program evolve through real use.
Time
One Full Year
Enough time to build more than a one-day experience.
Place
Two Communities
Programming in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Medellín, Colombia.
Experience
Music + Photography + Creativity
Different creative doors for different people.
Purpose
Expression + Connection
Give people practical, human ways to engage with what they are carrying.
The public campaign goal is intentionally simple:
establish and operate Create Hope for one year in Ann Arbor and Medellín.
Donate to Create Hope
Help give somebody another way through.
You may never know the person who picks up a camera, touches a guitar, writes something down or walks into a creative class because you helped make that opportunity possible.
That's okay. The point is that the opportunity exists when somebody needs it.
Help establish the first year.
$5,000
Founding Create Hope Partner
Make a major investment in establishing the first full year.
$2,500
Build Hope Partner
Help turn the idea into ongoing creative programming.
$1,000
Build the First Year
Help make a meaningful part of the first year possible.
$500
Open the Door
Help make free creative experiences accessible.
$250
Build Community
Help Create Hope reach more people and grow.
$100
Create a Space
Help make creative participation accessible.
$50
Give It Somewhere to Go
Help someone find another way to express what they're carrying.
$25
Make Something
Every contribution moves the first year closer to reality.
Any Amount
Give What You Can
Choose the amount that feels right for you.
Shirley's Fund Company is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
EIN: 99-3010688.
Donation receipts are issued by email.
What we're doing
Two projects. Two different ways to care.
Create Hope
is building a full year of creativity and mental well-being programming.
Medellín Holiday Cares
returns this holiday season,
with donations opening
October 1, 2026.
Create Hope.
$30,000 Goal
One Full Year
Ann Arbor
Medellín
Create Hope is raising $30,000 to establish one full year of free creative programming in Ann Arbor and Medellín.
Music, photography, storytelling and creative classes become practical tools for expression, connection, agency and mental well-being.
See Create Hope →Medellín Holiday Cares.
Holiday 2026
Medellín
Families
Children
Medellín Holiday Cares returns for the 2026 holiday season, with donations beginning October 1.
The project helps children and families in Medellín who cannot otherwise afford the extras many of us associate with the holidays.
Donations help provide food for families and toys and gifts for children so more people can experience a little dignity, joy and relief during the holiday season.
See Medellín Holiday Cares →
Get in touch
Want to help another way?
Partnerships, venues, volunteers, artists, educators, in-kind support, media, community organizations and questions about giving are all welcome.
If you're interested in helping with Create Hope , Medellín Holiday Cares or Shirley's Fund generally, tell us what you have in mind.
Email: [email protected]