Portage Nonprofits and Charities

Twelve Baskets is a very friendly and loving group of 100% volunteers.

The Kalamazoo RESA Foundation makes such a difference in the lives of educators. By donating to this organization your dollars help support kids from birth to college and right on into the workforce.<br>This organization gives mini-grants to educational staff to fund special projects, field trips, professional development, etc. They also give grants to classroom support staff who are interested in pursuing their teaching degrees in Special Education and Early Childhood Education. The Kalamazoo RESA Foundation has a fund that gives college scholarships to high school and college students. Awards of over $60,000 were given out in the Spring of 2016. <br><br>Kalamazoo RESA specializes in educational services in many areas, including; special education, early childhood education, arts education, career and technical education, supporting students at-risk of dropping out of high school, workforce development services through MichiganWorks!, professional training for educators, and support services such as technology staff, accounting staff, bus driver training, printing and graphic design, and many more.

These people are amazing. Rebecca worked with us over many weeks to most humanely capture the stray kittens in our backyard. When the usual means failed she came to our house with a special trap. Upon seeing the contraption I had my doubts but, thankfully, our rescuers have the courage of their convictions. They deftly set everything up and waited with us inside, where we all sat on the floor in the dar, scarcely breathing. The kittens arrived for dinner and as they nosed around the thing Rebecca knew just when to pull the string that brought the door down on our long feline-human ordeal. <br> <br>The most amazing part came when they brought the nearly-feral kittens inside. Before I could collect towels for the carriers Marina, The Cat Whisperer, had one of the the kittens purring and gazing into her eyes. I had already noticed a rare sensitivity in this young woman, and I soon learned that she extends it toward humans as well as felines. In a gesture I shall never forget Marina very gently handed the kitten to me to hold. I hadn't even known how much I wanted to hold them, but Marina did. I didn't evoke anything like the adoration Marina had, and when I held the second kitten he even stretched his arms back at Marina then hugged her when she took him back, just like a shy baby. These women make a wonderful team. They never judged us for our inability to keep the kittens or catch them. They are extremely dedicated to serving animals and people alike. We are very glad to have worked with them