In recent years, many companies have expanded their benefits packages to include something called service PTO. For nonprofits like Rayola, this growing workplace trend represents a powerful opportunity to turn paid work hours into meaningful community impact. Service PTO (sometimes called volunteer PTO or VTO) allows employees to take paid time off from their regular jobs specifically to volunteer with nonprofit organizations. Unlike traditional vacation days, service PTO is

By Jude Henrie T he holiday season often feels like a whirlwind. We rush from Thanksgiving feasts to the shopping frenzy of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. But after the deals are done and the shopping bags are full, there is a day dedicated to a different kind of spirit. December 2, 2025, is Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday is a global day of generosity that takes place each year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It serves as a reminder to pause durin

Euchre is more than just a pastime—it’s a tradition. Join us for a Rayola Euchre Night! By Jude Henrie I n Michigan, cold weather and Euchre go hand in hand. As the leaves start to fall and now the clocks have turned, we gather around kitchen tables and bar tops to play a few rounds. The deck is smaller, the rules are sharp, and the competition is fierce but friendly. Partners learn to read each other’s moves almost as well as they read the cards, and every “trump” and “euchr

Rayola volunteers exceeded their 2025 goal by sewing and donating 811 handmade Christmas stockings, each created with love to bring comfort, connection, and joy to children in foster care. By Jude Henrie How long does it take to sew a Christmas stocking? How long would you need to make 800? When we set our 2025 goal for Christmas stockings, we knew we were asking a lot from our volunteers. Thanks to your dedication, we didn’t just reach that goal… we exceeded  it. As of early

From the time a child enters foster care until the time they age out, and every holiday in between, Rayola has a care package helping to inspire hope, comfort, and a sense of belonging. By Jude Henrie and Savannah Beth Withers Taylor W hen a child enters a new foster home, everything in that home is borrowed. The blankets, the food, the parents, the soap, the home: all borrowed. When Rayola delivers a care package to a child, it isn’t something borrowed; it is all their own. 

The week of Thanksgiving is slowly filling up with special spending days. The gratitude and family gatherings of Thanksgiving weekend...

Help us make 400 nap-time quilts this summer by picking up a simple, easy kit today! Summer is right around the corner. Which means it is...

At Rayola, we strive to maintain great relationships with Foster Care Case Workers. These relationships are essential for identifying the...

At the end of February, we had the fun opportunity to come together as a community and host Rayola's first-ever Euchre Fundraiser night!...

By: Anna Wilson Due to Valentine's Day being this month, Rayola is thinking a lot about love and how we show love to others! Our quilts...

The month of January is one of our favorite times at Rayola because we get to look back on the past year and reflect on how much progress...

Bittersweet Quilt Shop: Quilts for Kids! Vintage Outdoor Quilt Show

At the end of 2020, Rayola was celebrating a successful year of helping all the foster-care children in Ogemaw and Roscommon counties by...

Oh my, what a month June has been! Rayola has been so busy, I thought I would update everyone on what we have been doing. First of all,...

First off, I would just like to say THANK YOU!! We have had such a generous response to the call for pillowcases in our recent drive. Our...

I am an early morning person. I rarely stay up past 10 pm. Once in a while though, when I am really caught up in something, I will stay...

Each week I wash and put new bedding on each persons bed in my home. That first night with new sheets and pillowcases is so comforting to...

When I was 14 I started a job at a dry cleaners in town that also did alterations. The elderly Greek woman who did the alterations did...