Dunning Foundation donates $100,000 to Living & Learning Center
Northville’s Living and Learning Enrichment Center today announced it received a $100,000 grant award from the Margaret Dunning Foundation.
The $100,000 grant will support a comprehensive campus-wide security upgrade, ensuring the safety and well-being of participants, staff, volunteers, visitors to the campus, and animals living on the farm.
The announcement was made by Living and Learning President and Founder Rachelle Vartanian.
“We are deeply grateful to the Margaret Dunning Foundation for their ongoing support of our organization and for this impactful grant,” said Vartanian.
“This gift follows a previous award that helped us create an accessible kitchen, and now, with this investment in security, we can create an even safer and more welcoming environment for everyone who visits our campus.
Loving legacy
“Ms. Dunnings legacy of community service continues to live on through her foundation, and we are honored to benefit from her remarkable vision and dedication to helping others.”
The grant will enable Living and Learning to implement several key security enhancements on its Northville campus, including improved perimeter control, enhanced surveillance, risk assessments, emergency preparedness measures, and better lighting and electrical upgrades
for increased visibility.
The Margaret Dunning Foundation was founded by Margaret Dunning in 1997.
Born in 1910 in Redford Township, Michigan, she moved to Plymouth in the 1920s with her mother. During her lifetime, she was a successful businesswoman, philanthropist, and civic booster, supporting many nonprofits, including the Plymouth District Library and the Plymouth Historical Society.
Active until age 104
A classic car enthusiast, Dunning was a regular participant in the Woodward Dream Cruise with her 1930 Packard 740 Roadster. She died in 2015 at the age of 104, and her estate provided additional funding for the foundation, which continues to support her charitable interests.
“The people of Plymouth and western Wayne County should know that she cared about them deeply,” said Robin Ferriby, secretary, Margaret Dunning Foundation.
“She really wanted to make a meaningful impact on their lives. She could have done all sorts of things with that money, and instead she dedicated it to them — people, future generations that she never knew
and will never know her.”
Living and Learning is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing therapeutic services, programming, and support for individuals with a broad range of disabilities.
The organization serves more than 200 individuals and their families from more than 11 counties across southeast Michigan each week, fostering a nurturing environment that empowers them to learn, grow, and thrive.
For more information about Living and Learning, visit www.livingandlearningcenter.org. For more information about the Margaret Dunning Foundation, visit www.margaretdunningfdn.org.