Hands Across The Water, Inc.

09/04/2026

Summer has come to an end, and with it, our time with our most recent behavioral health intern, Danielle Lambert (pictured center with staff therapists Laura Rutkowski and Laura VanZomeren)! Danielle, we loved having you as part of the team: our staff and clients will miss you, but we wish you the best of luck in Chicago as you begin your behavioral health career!

09/03/2026

Our Katie Page Sander was interviewed for this article, which highlights the need not only for licensed foster homes, but for prevention services that will help keep families together and reduce the number of youth in foster care nationwide.

There is a profound need for more licensed homes to meet even temporary placement needs: nationwide there are only 57 licensed homes for every 100 children in foster care.

“In my 30 years working in child welfare, I have never witnessed a time when the families available either equal or outnumber the children we have who need a home. If in five years we are able to achieve that, that would be revolutionary.”

Michigan has joined all 49 other states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico in a new federal initiative designed to improve the lives of children in foster care by increasing the number of licensed foster homes and strengthening support for families before crises lead to foster care placement. The U....

08/24/2026

What Jameil hopes for from an adoptive family is "a chance to live a life with a family that I haven't before." Get to know Jameil in his own words through this video, and if you'd like to learn more, give us a call at 734-477-0135.

Learn more on Jameil's MARE profile:https://www.mare.org/meet-chi...

08/14/2026

Help us raise our work to new heights on Sept. 12 when a team from HATW rappels down the side of Hill Hall at EMU in cooperation with Friends In Deed! You can harness your support at https://bit.ly/HATW26OTE - every dollar translates to high-quality services for vulnerable children and families!

07/28/2026

Thanks to the generosity of the Detroit Tigers we were able to offer our foster families and some members of staff a great afternoon out at the game this past weekend! We appreciate this opportunity to provide a memorable experience to our families! 🐅⚾

07/24/2026

Can you see yourself as a part of our team? 🔍

Hiring continues apace for our new MiFamily Together teams, and we have openings in foster care and state adoption as well!

Click this link https://bit.ly/HATWjobs to read more about
💚 Foster Home Licensing Specialist
💜 State Adoption Specialist
💛 MiFamily Together Program Advocate
🩷 MiFamily Together Parent Partner
💙 MiFamily Together Program Assistant
💚 MiFamily Together Supervisor
💜 Visitation Specialist
💛 Foster Care Specialist Case Manager

We're dedicated to child welfare, and if you have a similar passion for this work, we'd love to hear from you!

07/23/2026

While we're still enjoying summer weather, that doesn't mean we're not also getting ready to prepare the youth in our care for back to school! Many thanks to the parishioners of First Presbyterian Church of Plymouth who were so generous during the school-supply drive this past weekend, and the team of volunteers who filled these backpacks for us. They'll start going out the door with case workers to clients very soon!

07/17/2026

UPDATE: this need has been filled! Thank you so much!

One of our case workers came forward this week with a request we would like to fill for their client: a young girl who who desperately wants a bike to ride.

This is a 12-year-old child for whom a 26" bike would be most appropriate. Can you help? A new or gently used bike, or funds for us to make an appropriate purchase--any of these would be greatly appreciated. Reach out to development specialist Maya Geryk at [email protected] if you can help.

07/16/2026

It was a beautiful day at The Polo Fields - Ann Arbor on Monday, where we held our 3rd annual golf outing! Many thanks to presenting sponsor First Merchants, our beverage sponsors Walton Insurance Group and Auto-Owners Insurance , and our hole sponsors Altruic Advisors, Bellows Capital Partners and White Pine Investment Company. Reach Bodywork Studio Ann Arbor helped our golfers get ready for their day on the links, and Mothfire Brewing Co., Ash & Elm Massage , Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant and ZoomBroom generously donated prizes for our winning teams and longest drives!

We are so grateful for the support of everyone who values our work with vulnerable children and families: thank you for joining us in creating our vision of a community where every child is valued and has a safe home and loving family where they can thrive.

07/04/2026

Happy Independence Day! As America marks 250 years of sovereignty, we invite you to reflect on these words from the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. These same principles guide HATW's mission and vision to serve all people, to provide high quality, strengths-based-services in an effort to support kids and parents in their pursuit of safe, meaningful, healthy and happy lives.

The specialized work of child welfare demands reflection on how we show up for anyone who needs us and how we seek to understand and provide dignity to those who do not share our religion, marital status, age, physical or mental abilities, race, ethnicity, gender expression, educational background, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and life experiences.

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday!