“Lifting our Voices”

2023 Inaugural Michele Corey Child Advocacy Summit

April 27, 2023 | Lansing Radisson Hotel

Registration for the Summit is now Open!

Michigan’s Children is proud to present the Michele Corey Child Advocacy Summit for the unsung she-roes and heroes of the children, youth and families of Michigan. If you’re a grassroots activist and advocate fighting to make your neighborhoods, communities, and state a better place for children, youth and families to live – and a more equitable place to realize their dreams – this free, day-long program is for you! But first, register today because space is limited.

What is this Summit about?

It’s a space to validate the work of grassroots advocates, honor them, and provide a place for learning and networking.

This Summit is inspired by the life of Michele Corey, a fierce advocate and public policy expert who committed her life to teaching others how to lift up their voices and share their lived experiences to influence policy changes. It is a celebration of her legacy and much more. Like Michele, we believe that investing in others and supporting their growth as effective advocates is key to making genuine, positive change in public policies that impact our children’s futures.

The event messages to the general public and policymakers that in Michigan the well-being and development of Michigan kids and families comes from sustained, collective action and continuous partnerships among folks in the public, nonprofit and private sector.

What to expect

Inspiring keynote speakers
Training sessions for policy and advocacy skills building
Networking opportunities for advocates and policy-makers
Attendees will come away with renewed energy and self-efficacy in their work
This will be a recurring, once every other year event.

Who is this Summit for?

Grassroots advocates; those working in the trenches who otherwise might not have opportunities to attend a conference geared just for them
Hometown advocates, activists, and community volunteers
Program providers and caregivers supporting children, youth and families with the greatest challenges
Career professionals seeking ways to better engage the voices of youth, parents and community members in their work
Lawmakers and policymakers, invited to meet and learn from attendees from across the state

The inspiring Michele Corey

Michele Corey was an advocate for the ages. Outspoken, tough, genuine and empathetic to the plight of Michigan’s most vulnerable, Michele spent her entire professional career building up Michigan’s Children as a top-tier partner in efforts to improve outcomes for the most vulnerable among us. Knowledgeable in program system building and organizational development, she was a sought-after partner in the nonprofit and philanthropy world to help lead efforts to improve the lives of Michigan’s children, youth and families.

Michele dedicated herself to helping youth from foster care, early childhood and school-age education, along with kinship families and parents seeking to advance their families’ economic stability through adult education and career development.

She believed in a dual approach to helping kids. By recognizing parents as their child’s first and best teacher, she addressed helping kids by helping their parents and caregivers with supports and services necessary to help families remain intact and thrive. To that end, Michele was widely respected for lending her heart and expertise to improving the systems, supports and services that promised a better life for all of Michigan’s Children regardless of race, social standing, or circumstances of birth.