Mike Balcom (at podium), director of the non-profit “Be Well My Friends,” along with Charlotte Hobbs, vice president of BWMF, and Dr. Henry Wolf of “Yes, Ma’am” present a check for $4,612, raised during the ninth annual Wyandotte Zombie Pub Crawl held Oct. 14, to Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital for the “Yes, Ma’am” program, which provides free mammograms for uninsured Downriver women, as City Councilmember Chris Calvin (left) and City Assessor Theodore Galeski listen during the Dec. 18 council meeting.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
WYANDOTTE – The Wyandotte-based non-profit “Be Well My Friends” presented a $4,612 donation to Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital to provide mammograms for uninsured Downriver women at the Dec. 18 City Council meeting.
The proceeds from the ninth annual downtown Wyandotte Zombie Pub Crawl, held Oct. 14, benefits “Yes, Ma’am,” which was founded in 1999 in partnership with Zonta Downriver to help prevent breast cancer and detect it earlier. For more information about the program, go to HenryFord.com.
“Be Well My Friends” was founded in 2014 in memory of Kim Allegrina, who died at age 51 of ovarian cancer.
Since then, the Zombie Pub Crawl has raised more than $84,000 for Downriver people, organizations and charities.
“Be Well My Friends” Mike Balcom thanked the owners and staff of the participating pubs: On the Rocks, Captain’s, Firehouse Pub, Dotte Pub, Modern Craft Wine, Wyandotte Beer Company, Frank’s Pizzeria, Whiskeys on the Water, Bobcat Bonnie’s, Tacos N Tequila, The Oak Barrel, Gizzmos, and the Sports Bar and Grill.
He also thanked White Furniture for supplying the wristbands, Trinity Transportation for the Zombus, Nicole Biter for face painting, Nicole Porter for the event photography, co-hosts The Downriver Council for the Arts, and Dr. Henry Wolf, Bernie Nareski and the other “Yes, Ma’am” volunteers.
Balcom also thanked monetary donor sponsors Mike Mazloum of On the Rocks, Sushi Bar and Japanese Bistro; Mo and Ali Mazloum of Green Acres cannabis; Ryan Balcom of Premier Roofing and Exteriors; and Sean Filkins of E.W. Smith Insurance Agency.
Another “Be Well My Friends” fundraiser is the Odd Fellow Concert Lounge series throughout the year, which features local musicians at the Downriver Council for the Arts, that funds the BWMF’s one-time family grant program and has raised more than $10,000 for Downriver families in need.
Fundraisers in 2024 also include the First and Maple Acoustic Crawl in April to benefit the Downriver Foster Closet, a tentative Chestnut Music and Art Festival in August, a Kid Candy Crawl in October, and on Oct. 12, the 10th annual Zombie Pub Crawl.