By Keely Baribeau

Brittany and Demetri Stafford along with their three children recently moved to Fort Gratiot, where they purchased a home with the help of a $5,000 Talent Attraction Award to assist with moving expenses.

“After spending six years in North Dakota and the past decade in Texas, we have cherished our experiences but have always dreamed of returning to our roots,” Brittany said. “My husband, Demetri, is originally from Port Huron and I am from Marysville.” They heard about the grant opportunity from Josh Chapman, CEO of the YMCA of the Blue Water Area.

The Stafford’s are one example of how talent attraction grants impact community development. Since the program’s inception, about 54 people have moved back to the Thumb Coast between recipients’ spouses and children.

“The aim is to attract talented individuals from outside the region to return to the Thumb Coast area of Michigan, “Brittany said. “This program provides a financial incentive to people of all ages, backgrounds and cultures who are committed to relocating to St. Clair County. The goal is to strengthen the local population, expand the workforce and stimulate economic growth throughout the community.” She works remotely as a compensation manager with over 13 years of experience in human resources.

“The Talent Attraction program has been a true blessing to our family,” Brittany added. “Its financial support eased the challenges of relocating across the county. We are eager to put down roots in the Blue Water region.”

In total, 27 awards have been given, plus a grant to McLaren Port Huron to support their talent attraction efforts. Total awards equal $220,600.

While most talent attraction recipients have lived in the county before, some, like Lance Cameron, are new to the area. Lance moved to Port Huron over a year ago to work as a surveyor for BMJ and recently received his final award from the program.

“My first year in ‘PoHo’ has been incredible!” he said. “I’m still in awe of how beautiful the water is here – I hope I never get used to it, because it’s something truly special I’ve had the chance to go fishing with my uncle pretty regularly, and thanks to the gift cards from the St. Clair County Community Foundation, I was able to get my fishing license and stock up on lures from Anderson’s Pro Bait. I’ve also had a lot of fun exploring local restaurants using the gift cards. Casey’s truffle parmesan fries might just be the best I’ve ever had, definitely a new favorite spot.”

Exploring local merchants and supporting the local economy are excellent examples of the direct impact newcomers have on our community. Workforce development offers a glimpse of the positive outcomes of the grants.

“Work has been going great,” Lance said. “I’m still learning every day, and there’s always something new to dive into. BMJ has been amazing about supporting a healthy work-life balance, which has made it easy to enjoy both summer and winter activities and be happy coming into work fully recharged. It’s been a refreshing change.”

Some former grant recipients have given their time back to the Community Foundation. Kim DeLand currently serves on the Grants Committee and Josh Prusik is very involved with the Community Foundation he serves as an advisor for Youth Advisory Council YAC. Previously, Chelsea Khabbaz served on the Talent Attraction Committee and Liz Fredendall was part of the communications staff at the Foundation. These individuals and future awardees are new neighbors, coworkers, community volunteers, business owners, service providers and friends here in the Thumb Coast.

Theo Kerhoulas, superintendent of Port Huron Schools, noted two recent hires who have received Community Foundation support, one of which was a talent attraction award recipient. Both have already had a wide-reaching influence on the school district community.

“This summer, we proudly hired two new band directors – both are prior recipients of Community Foundation scholarships and proud alumni of our local schools. It’s incredibly rewarding to see these talented individuals return to our community to live, work, play and inspire the next generation of musicians as full-time band directors,” Kerhoulas said.

Cameron Lee received a talent attraction award in 2022 and worked as an elementary school music teacher for the district. He is now the new director of bands at Holland Woods Middle School. While Mikayla Warner, who is the new director of bands at Fort Gratiot Middle School, received multi-year support from the Jake Jahn Fund during her time at MSU and returned to our community from Evart, Michigan.

“The Talent Attraction program is living proof of what happens when generosity meets vision. Donors who have invested in this effort have not only helped families like the Staffords and prior recipients return home, but they’ve also strengthened our schools, businesses, and neighborhoods with fresh energy and talent,” said Jackie Hanton, Vice President of the Community Foundation.

“Each new neighbor, teacher, or professional who comes here makes our Thumb Coast stronger. If we want to see our region continue to thrive, we need more people willing to join us in planting these seeds of opportunity for the next wave of families and leaders who dream of calling our beautiful region home.”

If you would like to learn more about the talent attraction programs, become a donor or know someone who may be eligible, please visit https://stclairfoundation.org/talent-attraction/