Join Franklin Wright’s Annual Spirit of Giving Gala, an elegant black-tie evening featuring awards, live music, dining, and cocktails. Celebrate outstanding community leaders while supporting our mission to expand access to essential resources and opportunities. Purchase tickets, reserve a table, or become a sponsor to make an impact.
Use this link to purchase tickets or sponsorships by using a credit card or PayPal account.
Scroll down for sponsorship level details.
Why Pathways to Hope
38,000
Michigan children are unhoused (homeless) or placed in the foster care system
371,000
Children languish in the clutches of poverty
34th
Michigan's National rank in overall child well-being
Every ticket, table and sponsorship funds Franklin Wright Pathways to Hope program which includes mentorship, social-emotional learning and access to clinical therapists for children ages 0-24.
2026 Honorees
Celebrating Community Leaders
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Evette Hollins
Vice President & Chief Customer Officer
DTE Energy
Evette Hollins is vice president and chief customer officer for DTE Energy. She leads a diverse portfolio spanning customer billing and financial operations, community engagement, corporate citizenship, and the DTE Energy Foundation. In this role, Hollins steers the company’s community-facing work. She leads teams responsible for the company’s customer outreach and community engagement strategies, advances high impact community transformation efforts, employee volunteerism, and philanthropic support through the DTE Energy Foundation, which provides more than $14 million in annual grant support. Beyond her external engagement responsibilities, Hollins oversees all aspects of customer billing and financial operations, balancing revenue stewardship with customer well-being by modernizing billing and payment practices while connecting vulnerable customers to more than $125M in energy assistance annually. Hollins joined DTE in 2015 and has held several roles focused on enhancing our customer’s experience. Her previous experience spans across the telecommunications, financial services, and economic development sectors. Hollins holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. She currently sits on the board of the Belle Isle Conservancy and the Charles H Wright Museum of African American History. As the youngest executive to be named a corporate officer at DTE, Hollins has been recognized by Crain’s Detroit “20 in their 20’s” and “40 Under 40”, as well as Michigan Chronicle’s “Woman of Excellence” and “40 under 40.
E’Lois Thomas, Ph.D.
President | SEEL, LLC
Dr. E’Lois Thomas is President of SEEL, LLC (Solutions for Energy Efficient Logistics), a nationally certified minority business enterprise and one of the nation's leading African American-owned energy efficiency implementation contractors. Under her leadership, SEEL has experienced significant growth, expanding its national footprint while advancing energy efficiency, workforce development, community outreach and education and economic opportunity in underserved communities. A respected executive and advocate for energy equity, Dr. Thomas is committed to connecting innovation with access, ensuring that investments in energy infrastructure translate into meaningful benefits for people and communities. Her leadership has contributed to SEEL earning national recognition, including the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies and multiple industry awards including 2026 MIEIBC Business of the Year award and the 2026 Supplier of the Year, Class IV for the 360 Business Council. Dr. Thomas holds a Ph.D. in Business from Northcentral University, an MBA from Walsh College, and a bachelor's degree in Accounting from the University of Detroit Mercy. She has also completed executive education at Yale School of Management and holds Six Sigma Black Belt credentials. Beyond her corporate leadership, Dr. Thomas serves as Board Chair of Detroit PAL and on the boards of the Building Performance Institute, Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, RESULTS Mentoring, and Franklin Wright Settlements. Her leadership philosophy centers on innovation, access, and measurable impact. Dr. Thomas’ distinguished career has earned numerous honors, including recognition from Crain's Detroit Business, DBusiness, Enterprising Women and Michigan Chronicle’s Women of Excellence. In 2026, she was named one of Michigan's Inspiring Leaders by Corp! Magazine.
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Tickets & Sponsorships
Table Purchase | $3,000
10 Guests | Dedicated Table
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Individual Guest Ticket | $300
SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES
Platinum Sponsor | $20,000
Supports transportation to our after-school program from 5 schools for one year.
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Year-long recognition on the FWS website
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Recognition in FWS newsletters for one year
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Social media recognition
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One dedicated table for event upon request
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Large logo in agenda/program
Diamond Sponsor | $10,000
Supports three students to attend Early Start Child Development Center programming for one year.
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Year-long recognition on the FWS website
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Recognition in three FWS newsletters
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Social media recognition
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One dedicated table for event upon request
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Medium logo in agenda/program
Gold Sponsor | $5,500
Supports one enrichment course for 25 students for one year.
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Year-long recognition on the FWS website
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Recognition in two FWS newsletters
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Social media recognition
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10 complimentary tickets upon request
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Business name listed as Gold Sponsor
Silver Sponsor | $4,500
Supports one field trip for 35 students during our Summer Enrichment Program.
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Year-long recognition on the FWS website
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Recognition in one FWS newsletter
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Social media recognition
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5 complimentary tickets upon request
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Business name listed as Silver Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor | $3,000
Supports hot meals for 25 seniors for one week at Franklin Wright.
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Year-long recognition on the FWS website
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Recognition in one FWS newsletter
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4 complimentary tickets upon request
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Business name listed as Bronze Sponsor
Donation
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If unable to attend, a donation is greatly appreciated.
Table | $3,000
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10-person table at event
Sponsorship applications due by November 20, 2026. Contact Deon Mullen at dmullen@franklinwright.org or call 313.405.0952.
About the Event
A black-tie affair, Franklin Wright's Annual Spirit of Giving Gala is an elegant, fun-filled evening of awards, live music, great food and cocktails. Families, friends, our team and supporters come together to recognize business and community leaders who give tirelessly to make sure that everyone has access to basic needs and opportunity. Together we celebrate a year of outstanding service to the community. Support our efforts by purchasing a table, tickets, or becoming a sponsor of this worthy and memorable event.
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Why Pathways to Hope?
With the rapid spread of COVID-19 over the past few years, children of all ages have experienced mental health disorders throughout the United States. Michigan children, along with children in Metro Detroit, are no different. This surge has put the demand for Franklin Wright Settlements’ services higher than ever before. The pandemic has left thousands of Michigan children without a parent or grandparent to care for them, making children newly bereft of a caregiver. Additionally, 38,000 Michigan children are unhoused (homeless) or placed in the foster care system, while over 371,000 children languish in the clutches of poverty. Shockingly, the pandemic's darkness has cast its shadow on more than 964,000 Michigan children alone, with nearly half of them grappling with depression and anxiety. Even further, a recent study has ranked Michigan 34th in overall childhood well-being and 27th in education.
Franklin Wright’s Pathways to Hope program addresses this serious need by providing services to youth such as mentorship, building a social network, finding a sense of purpose, exploring career opportunities, teaching confidence, social-emotional learning, access to clinical therapists, teaching how to live a healthy lifestyle, and building relationships with our staff and other children/young adults. This quintessential program relies on benevolent organizations like you to make this program successful with proper funding.
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Scroll down to learn more about the different elements of our Pathways to Hope program.
Inside Pathways to Hope
Our Pathways to Hope program enriches the lives of youth from ages 0 to 24. The different pillars of our program touch a child's life by:
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Early Start Childhood Development Center (Early Start): Starting a child's life with our Early Start Center where children prepare for Kindergarten by learning colors, shapes, ABC's, socialization skills, and more.
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After School Enrichment Program (ASEP): Continuing nourishment as children enter Kindergarten through the 12th grade by providing transportation, a healthy snack/meal, and enrichment courses during our ASEP.
- Summer Enrichment Program (SEP): Extending fun and interactive learning for K-12th graders during the summer months with a day camp, known as the Summer Enrichment Program. In this program, children receive healthy meals and snacks, mentoring, learn social skills, and participate in enrichment courses throughout the day.
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​​Enrichment courses include classes that teach confidence, self-esteem, social-emotional learning, health and wellness, teamwork, sports, music/DJing, financial literacy, digital literacy, and overall social skills.​
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Leaders in Training (LIT) Teen Center: Teaching Detroit teens and young adults the training, tools, and skills they need to explore diverse careers and skilled trades to make successful and meaningful contributions to the workforce by teaching vocational training, introducing career development, enhancing career readiness soft skills, and participating in financial literacy, academic support, community activism, recreational activities, and culturally based field trips.
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Annual Summer College Tour: Immersing youth into the world of higher education and college readiness, which is a major component of our LIT Teen Center. Metro Detroit youth get the experience of traveling out of state to visit up to 10 colleges and universities, where many of the youth receive on-site admissions. Over the last 20 years, 97% of the youth who attend the college tour go on to attend post-secondary education.
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Grow Detroit's Young Talent (GDYT): Engaging youth through a summer workforce development program through the City of Detroit providing meaningful on-the-job training and career readiness. The youth participants also use a curriculum titled, “Hats & Ladders” to learn about various career fields, complete career assessments, and interactive exercises to identify career areas of interest and the skills and education needed to secure employment in their chosen career fields.
President & CEO
Monique D. Marks, LMSW
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Board Chairman
Tarence Wheeler
Vice Chair
Michael Van Tull
Vice Chair
Debra Rush
Treasurer
Dubrece Miller
Secretary
Kimberly Batchelor Davis
BOARD MEMBERS
Barbara Leake
Cathy Nedd
Charlena Echols
Christie Laster
Dan Pitera
Dr. E’lois Thomas
Hon. Teola Hunter
Jamaine Dickens
Jordan Spencer
Lauren Spencer
Yvonne Young