"Running Rooster" raising money for addiction and recovery centers reeling from federal funding cuts
Addiction and recovery centers in Washtenaw County are some of the organizations scrambling to find additional funding after losing dollars to public health and ARPA cuts by the Trump administration.
Home of New Vision had to lay off 20 employees and close down their 24/7 engagement center after losing $1.2 million, while Dawn Farm asks for community donations to keep their family recovery housing program afloat.
A former Dawn Farm client who's found stability in his recovery is literally going the extra mile to give back to the organization he says gave him a second chance at life.
Long-distance running is something that comes naturally to Mateo Haase, but he says he lost that passion while battling addiction. Thanks to organizations like Dawn Farm and Home of New Vision, he's in recovery and lacing up those running shoes once again to give back and give meaning to why the chicken crossed the road.
"I've run marathons, and I used to be someone who ran sixty miles a week," Haase told us while jogging.
Dressed from comb to claw in his full-sized rooster suit, Haase didn't choose this outfit because he's cocky.
"The rooster is kind of the insignia of Dawn Farm. It's definitely going to be attention-grabbing," he said.
He's hoping to stand out to raise money for the organizations that got him back on his feet, running one mile for every $20 in donations to protect programs at risk from federal funding cuts.
"So I just started four days ago. I got about $2,500," Haase said.
That's a 125-mile pace already, and the donations are still coming in to keep Dawn Farm's Stronger Roots program running.
"It's a recovery housing program for single parents and their children. There's currently five parents and their children in this program. Asking five parents and their children to leave this program was not a realistic option," said Dawn Farm President Anna Byberg.
Thanks to community donations, including those from Haase, Dawn Farm was able to recoup the $85 thousand they lost in ARPA funding that was supposed to be available until the end of the year.
"It's cool to see him being successful, and him launching this campaign, and being excited to do it," Byberg said.
Haase is the example of why each mile he runs as the rooster matters.
"Because I would have been dead if I wasn't able to get services like Dawn Farm and Home of New Vision," he said. "If you think these programs don't matter, then you're saying I don't need to be alive right now. Recovery is a good investment for the community."
Donations can be made on the websites of either organization, but to make sure they count toward Haase's miles, don't forget to say you're donating on his behalf when filling out the prompts online.
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