Help the Piast Institute Finish the Roof and Stop the Leaks

The Piast Institute is a small nonprofit organization which serves Hamtramck, an enclave deep in Detroit’s inner city. We serve a diverse, low income population of over 30 different ethnic and cultural groups, including Poles, Bosnians and other East Europeans, Arabs, Bangladeshi and African Americans with a variety of services including lead abatement, community building and maintenance and most important of all, drug prevention aimed at the youth of our immigrant and ethnic and racial groups. At the heart of our mission is a deep commitment to promoting harmony among our various ethnic and immigrant groups and forging a viable American community. We operate on a shoestring. We have ten employees, of whom only four are regularly paid staff. The others are volunteers and interns.

The Piast Institute paid $29,000 which it painstakingly raised over several years to have a new roof put on its building in 2016. The work was never fully completed, as the contractor died unexpectedly. The roof leaks have rendered the bathroom and some of the work areas unusable and mold is beginning to develop, which threatens the health of staff and clients. If we are to continue our vital work of community building, drug prevention, lead abatement and other services, it is essential that we complete the repairs to the roof and the damage to the interior. We cannot do it without you.