Safe Harbor Children’s Advocacy Center Receives Inaugural Donation from “Guys Who Give” – Allegan Chapter

Summer is a time for relaxing and celebrating, and Safe Harbor Children’s Advocacy Center has much to celebrate as the first non-profit to be awarded funding by the new Guys Who Give – Allegan Chapter.

Already with an impressive 22 local members in just a mere few weeks, the Guys Who Give – Allegan Chapter awarded $2,200 in July 2026 to the crucial mission of Safe Harbor, which provides a healing journey for kids who have been victims of abuse and neglect in Allegan, Barry and Van Buren counties.

“During our Second Quarter meeting, I had the honor of pitching Safe Harbor, who was selected, much to my excitement,” said giving group member Matt TerAvest, who works as a Wealth Advisor with Tibbitts Financial Consultants.

How “Guys Who Give” works: during each quarterly meeting, a handful of members from the Guys Who Give each showcases a non-profit in Allegan County to the larger group. Each non-profit is discussed, highlighting why the non-profit is deserving of the funds. Then each member of the giving group votes, and the non-profit that receives the most votes is selected. Each member of the giving group then individually writes a personal check to that non-profit. A non-profit organization is eligible for selection every two years by Guys Who Give.

Allegan County Chapter’s founder Ben Otis, from The Team of Weichert Realtors, first learned of Guys Who Give through a neighbor, who “participated in the Kalamazoo Chapter and introduced me to the founders,” said Otis. “It sounded like an engaging way to participate in giving for the community, as well as a great way to learn more about amazing organizations serving Allegan County.”

Otis also learned that Guys Who Give has been around nationally since 2015, with a growing number of chapters within our home state of Michigan, all providing a local impact, one that will now be felt here in Allegan County.

“We are so honored to be the first recipient from Guys Who Give in Allegan,” said Safe Harbor Executive Director Lori Antkoviak, JD. “Local support is vital to our mission of providing a lifeline to kids in our community. The fact that a supporter not only advocated on our behalf, but that so many of its members chose to personally support our mission, that all makes the tough work we do a little easier.”

Guys Who Give – Allegan Chapter is just getting started, according to Otis.

“We would love to grow our chapter to at least 100 members,” he said. “The more members we have, the bigger the positive impact we can have on our community.”

The national organization of Guys Who Give can be found at guyswhogive.org, and the Allegan Chapter can be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/guyswhogiveallegancounty