A trip for two to New Orleans, valued at $3,600, could be yours! Purchase a raffle ticket for $10 (or three for $25) and you could be the winner of this airfare-included, four-day, three-night getaway. You’ll stay at the jazz-inspired

Return to cancouncil.org for exciting Auction previews!

A limited number of tickets are available for the 19th Annual Mardi Gras Auction slated for Thursday, February 23^rd from 5:30 – 10 pm at Apple Mountain Resort in Freeland. This premiere fundraising event will celebrate the 2012 Child Advocate of the Year, AGP & Associates, Inc., and benefit the prevention, intervention and advocacy programs of the CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region.  The evening’s highest bidders will go home with one-of-a-kind artwork, precious gems, vacation packages, tickets to the region’s most anticipated events, and even a coveted collection of Smurfs! Raffle prizes promise to be equally as impressive. Purchase your tickets for the 19th Annual Mardi Gras Auction, generously sponsored by The Iles Group—Merrill Lynch, today by calling Delores Gale or Laura Kelley at (989) 752-7226 or click here to purchase tickets online.

Return to cancouncil.org as we count down the days to the Auction with previews of items up for bid!

Team Yeo & Yeo proved its trivia prowess at The Brain Game on January 13^th. The inaugural trivia contest benefiting the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Saginaw County pitted 17 eight-member teams against each other for the night’s honors. The Frankenmuth event attracted many new CAN Council supporters and raised over $6,000.  98KCQ, Frankenmuth Credit Union, Frankenmuth News, Meijer, Rummel Insurance Agency, St. Mary’s of Michigan - Birch Run, Wildfire Credit Union, and Yeo & Yeo CPAs and Business Consultants generously sponsored The Brain Game while Bavarian Inn Lodge acquired donations for the evening’s silent auction.  Check out our recent photos, to see the fun had by all.  Think you have what it takes to vie for championship status at The Brain Game next year? Contact Delores Gale at (989) 752-7226.

The January CAN Talk is now available.

Learn who the 2012 Child Advocates of the Year are.

Find out how you know if your child is ready to start Kindergarten.

Read the inspirational story of a 7 year old who “Filled a tub with grub” for the Children’s Advocacy Center.

Meet our newest CASA volunteers.

Learn about exciting upcoming volunteer opportunities.

Each year for the past four years, Gary Shepard has decorated with thousands of lights his home, yard, barn and trees and synchronized them to music.

The show runs daily from December 1st through January 1st.  Shows start at 5:30 pm and the last show starts at 10:00 pm.  Shows start every 20 minutes and last about 16 minutes for the first part of the evening.  The 9:00 pm and after show is about 15 minutes and includes previous year’s songs.

For complete information, go to www.freelandlights.com

Tune your car’s radio to 93.9 FM to enjoy the show from your warm car.

This year’s songs for the first part of the evening are as follows: (5:30 - 9:00pm)

Peter Hofmann & Deborah Sasson - Sleigh Ride

Burl Ives - Rudolph the Red  Nosed Reindeer

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Hooked on Can Can

Trans Siberian Orchestra - Wizards in Winter

This year’s songs for the rest of the evening are as follows:           (9:00 - 10:20pm)

Same list as above with additional songs:

Trans Siberian Orchestra - Queen of The Winter Night

Trans Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Eve Sarajevo

The Christmas Singers - God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen

Several visitors in the past couple of years have asked if he accepted donations for the light show.  2011 will be the fourth year that donations will be collected.  Donations will be given to a local organization that helps children.

This year the organization is The CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region.   The total collected and presented to the CAN Council last year was $6,418.61.  Thanks Again!

Thank you for your generosity.  Please donate if you can, your help is greatly appreciated, and no amount is too small!  If you would prefer to write a check, please make the check out to: CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region.

Thank you for helping MMR continue to serve those in need.

Join the CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region and Jim Kramer from 98KCQ for the Brain Game!  A fun event that will test your pop culture, sports, music, history and geography knowledge.  The Brain Game will be held at the Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth on Friday January 13, 2012 from 7pm - 10pm.  For more information, to register, donate or become a sponsor, please click The Brain Game Brochure.

Barnes & Noble stores across the country invite customers to give the gift of reading to children in need during its annual Holiday Book Drive, taking place from November 1, 2011 to January 1, 2012. The Barnes & Noble Holiday Book Drive provides an opportunity for customers to donate books through locally designated non-profit organizations.

Holiday Book Drive recipients throughout the country include schools, libraries, literacy organizations, family social service agencies and homeless centers. This year, the Saginaw Barnes & Noble, located at 3311 Tittabawassee will be collecting books for CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region.

“The Holiday Book Drive is one of our most popular community partnerships,” says Sarah DiFrancesco, director of community relations for Barnes & Noble. “Our booksellers and customers get to share the pure joy of giving a book to a child in need. And because each Barnes & Noble store chooses its local non-profit beneficiary, the donations are very personal.”

The CAN Council is a local 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization in Saginaw dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and neglect through education, awareness, intervention and advocacy. It is the only nonprofit organization in Saginaw County devoted to this cause. In Saginaw alone 300 children are in foster care. The organization’s CASA program advocates for 125-150 of these children. All books collected will be presented to the children at their annual Christmas party.

To find out how to participate in the Holiday Book Drive, contact the Saginaw Barnes & Noble Community Relations Manager, Virginia Heighes at 989-790-9386.

Come and see over 40 beautiful wreaths, trees and swags to be raffled at 7pm.  Enjoy hors d’ouvres and a cash bar while you are admiring the beautiful wreaths.  Admission is $20 and raffle tickets are 6 for $5 or $1 each.  A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region.