The Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor Foundation, Inc. has hired Mary Buck as its first Executive Director. The Foundation is the non-profit charity arm of the century old Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor. The Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor Foundation, created in 1965, operates its signature ‘Kiwanis Thrift Sale’ at the Kiwanis Center located at 100 N. Staebler Road, just north of Jackson Road between Zeeb Rd and Baker Rd. As a main source of fundraising for the Foundation, the thrift sale, held each Friday & Saturday, has experienced remarkable growth since moving to its current location in 2016.
Ann Arbor Kiwanis Club and Foundation President, Steve Hiller, said, “The move to our current location has taken the sale and the Foundation to a whole different level. In 2022 we gave over $1,000,000 dollars in grants, scholarships and valued goods to the Washtenaw County community for the first time in our history. There have been growing pains, and we came to realize that running an organization of this size by committee is not sustainable. We are delighted that Mary chose to bring her considerable nonprofit management skills and experience to A2Kiwanis. We believe that Mary Buck is the right leader for the Ann Arbor Kiwanis Foundation as we move toward a bright future of increasingly beneficial contributions to the children and families of our community.”
Prior to ‘coming home’ to the greater Ann Arbor area this spring, Ms. Buck worked in nonprofit management for more than a decade. She served as Operations Manager of Grey Bears, a nonprofit volunteer organization in Santa Cruz, California, and as Director of the Human Care Alliance, a coalition of Santa Cruz area nonprofit human service agencies. She is a graduate of Michigan State University, and studied nonprofit executive management through the Northwestern University’s Kellogg School Center for Nonprofit Management.
“I am thrilled and honored to lead the Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor Foundation as its first Executive Director, as we build on our century-long legacy of dedication to serving the children and families of our community,” said Ms. Buck. “I feel a profound connection to the mission of Kiwanis, to our board, club members, generous volunteers and to the spirit of Ann Arbor. I want to invite the Washtenaw community to partake in this exciting new phase of helping kids, by becoming a member, volunteering, donating, and shopping at our Kiwanis Thrift Sale.”
Ms. Buck started her new position on Monday, May 1. The Kiwanis Thrift Sale is open to the public every Friday from 9 AM until 1 PM, and Saturdays from 9 AM to 3 PM. Donations of gently used goods are accepted at the Kiwanis Center on Saturdays from 9 AM to 3 PM.
