Michigan Armed Forces Hospitality Center Inc

Make sure that EVERY military service member and their immediate family know that their sacrifices on behalf of our freedom are truly appreciated.

Provide hospitality services to military personnel and their immediate family during times of greatest change, turmoil and weariness.

That is why we keep the doors open at our two Freedom Centers at DTW airport as well as the Detroit and Lansing Military Entrance Processing Stations.

We minimize expenses by recruiting volunteers to fill over 80 shifts per week at our four centers. Paid staff is kept to a minimum. Staff ensures that we have coordinated coverage of shifts and supplies for our guests.

We have built relationships with businesses and community organizations that help to offset operating expenses via gift in-kind contributions of food and beverages.

We are now working to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of overall operations including guest services, supply logistics, financial management, donor recognition and fundraising.

We have over 200 Volunteers covering 80 shifts per week to keep our doors open for our guests. These volunteers are supported by a full time staff of 4 who make sure that shifts are covered, supplies are available, government forms are filed, community is engaged and funds are raised. Our partnerships with the commanders of Military Entrance Processing Stations, the Wayne County Airport Authority, and Delta Airlines have been instrumental in providing us with facilities and infrastructure support crucial to our operations. Community organizations and business throughout the state provide us with volunteers and the funds needed to support our operations.

Since opening our doors in 2011, we have served over 700,000 guests serving us in the military as well as Gold Star and Blue Star family members.

From our humble origins of a re-purposed conference room in the McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport, we have since grown to a total of four Freedom Centers - Two at DTW, one at Detroit Military Entrance Processing Station, and one at Lansing Military Entrance Processing Station. There is clearly a demand for our services.

Beyond executing our core mission of service those who serve us, our operations are focused upon improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our current operations. Towards this end, we have accomplished the following:

- Added new Board members with extensive non-profit management experience
- Improved communications between staff, volunteers, and board
- Improved recognition of volunteers
- Expanded partnership with Wayne County Airport Authority via joint projects
- Expanded social media reach and activity
- Created new marketing materials to assist in communicating mission more effectively

With sufficient funding, we would love to extend our operations as follows:
- Provide additional amenities for our guests
- Stabilize funding sources with the establishment of an endowment fund
- Additional airport-based Freedom Centers
- A mobile Freedom Center in support of homecomings, deployments and veteran events
- Provide a veteran/active duty event portal promoting other military organizations in the state