Lately, Jerry Millen of the Greenhouse of Walled Lake has been dealing with the frustrations of inconsistent testing of marijuana.
It’s been a bit of a buzz kill, to say the least.
Even so, it didn’t stop him from holding a special fundraiser at the dispensary this past Friday.
As one who’s long been dedicated to giving back to the community, Millen decided to sponsor the fundraiser – as well as a promotion leading up to it – to support a very special Walled Lake non-profit organization called The Drew Crew.
To say it was a success is an understatement.
The Story of the Drew Clayborn
The namesake for The Drew Crew is Walled Lake resident, Drew Clayborn.
In 2010, Drew was an active and engaged high school student who loved playing football and basketball. He was also a member of the marching band and the guitar club, and was getting ready to be in a school play.
It was during a rehearsal for that play that the 15-year-old Drew’s life would change forever. When the director of the play asked if any students had a unique talent they wanted to share, Drew was excited to say he could perform a backflip.
Although he was still in the process of learning how to do this, he felt confident he could do it.
Drew attempted the flip. And in a single life-shattering moment, he landed in such a way that he broke his neck – leaving him paralyzed from the shoulders down.
He and his family were suddenly in need of a lot of help and didn’t know where to turn.
The Drew Crew
After Drew suffered his spinal cord injury, there was a huge outpouring of love and support from the community. They helped Drew and his family in ways the family never dreamed possible.
And thus, the The Drew Crew was born.
The Drew Crew is a now a non-profit organization focused on helping individuals and families that have suffered a spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury.
Their mission is to demonstrate that those who have suffered a catastrophic injury such as this can still live a complete and fulfilling life. They offer mentorship and guidance to individuals and families, as well as help to facilitate ways to raise money for specific needs such as acquiring necessary equipment.
Through his own inner-drive, the overwhelming devotion of his family, and the love and financial support of the fundraising efforts by “The Drew Crew,” Drew’s dreams continue to be fulfilled while new goals are constantly being set.
Now a mathematical biology major at the University of Michigan, the 25-year-old Drew is approaching graduation and in pursuit of a master’s degree.
The Greenhouse Teams up with The Drew Crew
Upon learning about Drew and this amazing organization, Walled Lake Mayor Linda Ackley asked Millen if he would be open to doing a fundraiser at the Greenhouse.
Millen wasted no time saying yes.
So the Greenhouse got to work having coffee mugs, key chains, cards, and stuffed bears made up with catchy and humorous phrases to stimulate sales. All proceeds from those sale when to The Drew Crew group.
Furthermore, Kushy Punch, a manufacturer of gummies, also donated $2,000 worth of products that were raffled off as part of the promotion.
The End Result?
The Greenhouse had about 500 people come through the door on February 14th. Along with the nine-day promotion that proceeded the event, they took in $3000 in cash!
All proceeds went directly to the Drew Crew to help brain and spinal cord injury victims like Drew to live a more fulfilled life. It truly is an example of the power of giving back.
We’re so honored to be in the same industry with great people like Jerry Millen.
And we hope we can keep delivering great stories like these on our blog – and beyond.