“I have volunteered in class and seen the impact Art Road has on students,” volunteer instructor Donna Baciulis said. “You can visit the art class and see exactly how your award is being used and see the students.”

Each month, Thornton & Grooms awards $1,000 to a local charity nominated by its customers. The award helps non-profit groups and organizations who are facing their own challenges in this struggling economy.

The classes Art Road provides will introduce kids to the works of various artists, provide historical perspectives and implement hands-on projects, including painting, drawing, sculpture and mixed media. The benefits are many: increased interest in school, improved test scores, better problem solving skills, a creative outlet and a sense of pride and accomplishment. For more information, log onto www.artroadnonprofit.org or call (313) 407-9805.

Art Road Non Profit Co-Founder, Stephen Hofgartner and students from Edison Elementary previewing an art demonstration.

Anyone who would like to nominate a charity for next month’s Hearts & Heroes Award can fill out a form at www.thorntonandgrooms.com or call (248) 644-7810.

Thornton and Grooms, a family-owned residential plumbing, heating and cooling company, opened its doors in Birmingham in 1937. The company is now located at 24565 Hallwood Court, in Farmington Hills.

Mike Gehrls was the lucky winner and that dinosaur furnace of his was 82 years old. It was originally a coal fired boiler and was converted to a gas-fired burner in the 1950′s. When you open the hatch where coal used to be shoveled into the burner area, you can see giant roaring flames.

Thornton & Grooms replaced that Furnacesaurus with a brand new Energy Efficient Furnace from Carrier. His mammoth energy bills are now extinct!

Mike Gehrls said, “Although the heater lends to the history of the home, I certainly won’t miss the GIANT flames. I’m excited to see my gas bills go down!”

Thornton and Grooms, a family-owned heating and cooling company, opened its doors in Birmingham in 1937. The company is now located at 24565 Hallwood Court, in Farmington Hills.  For more information call 248 644-7810.

Enter the Oldest Furnace Contest today! And, win a free furnace!  It’s that simple.  You get a free furnace and your mammoth energy bills will soon be extinct.

All entrants receive a certificate for $200 off a new furnace! Additionally, T&G is giving away valuable prizes of Jurassic proportions including:

* Furnace filters for a year
* Precision furnace tune ups
* Programmable thermostats
* Carbon monoxide detectors and more!

Contest ends at midnight February 7th, 2011. Visit http://oldestfurnacedetroit.com/ to enter.

Thornton & Grooms, a family-owned plumbing, heating and cooling business since 1937, was located in Birmingham, MI for more than 70 years.  They are now located at 24565 Hallwood Court, Farmington Hills, MI.

For more information call (248) 644-7810 or visit www.thorntonandgrooms.com, become a fan on Facebook.com/ThorntonandGrooms.

“It truly shows South Oakland Shelter’s ongoing commitment and service to help out displaced individuals in Southeastern Michigan,” Thornton & Grooms Vice President David Knight said.

Each month, Thornton & Grooms awards $1,000 to a local charity nominated by their customers. The award helps non-profit groups and organizations who are facing their own challenges in this economy.

Established in 1985, SOS now partners with 60 congregations to provide temporary shelter for more than 300 families and individuals annually. It also offers career building, job readiness skills, self care and nutrition programs. SOS works with first-time homeless families, veterans, domestic violence victims, as well as those dealing with substance abuse and mental illness.

SOS employees pictured with Thornton & Grooms VP's Mike Bergstrom, David Knight (back middle) and Matt Bergstrom (front left)

SOS plans to use its award money to help make up for the loss of government funding in recent years. In addition, SOS wants more staff to develop alternative revenue sources for long-term sustainability.

SOS is part of the Community Foundations of Southeast Michigan’s Challenge Grant Matching program. This means SOS will receive additional funds from the foundation to help those in need. Their headquarters are located at 431 North Main Street, in Royal Oak.

Thornton and Grooms, a family-owned heating and cooling company, opened its doors in 1937 in Birmingham. The company is now located at 24565 Hallwood Court in Farmington Hills.

Anyone who would like to nominate a charity for the Hearts & Heroes Award can fill out a form at www.thortonandgrooms.com or call (248) 644-7810.

“The timing was right,” Thornton & Grooms Vice President Mike Bergstrom said. “We take care of heating, they keep people warm, it was the perfect fit given the time of year.  As we all know, our winter coats provide a great deal of necessary heat.”

Each month, Thornton & Grooms awards $1,000 to a local charity nominated by its customers and area public. The award helps non-profit groups and organizations facing challenges in the struggling economy.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard started the coat collection program 24 years ago. This year, 3,000 coats were collected and donated to 14 charities, including Judson Center and Grace Center for Hope. In addition, the $1,000 award from Thornton & Grooms was used to purchase more coats for the program.

Coats for the Cold also partnered with Oakland County’s Pet Adoption Center for the first time this year. For every coat donated, individuals received a discount on a pet adoption. A total of 82 cats and 30 dogs were adopted during the coat drive.

Pictured, Left to Right: Oakland County Sheriff, Michael Bouchard, VP Thornton & Grooms, Mike Bergstrom and David Knight.

Click Here for more information about Coats for the Cold.  To nominate a charity for the Hearts & Heroes Award, log onto www.thorntonandgrooms.com or call (248) 644-7810.

Thornton & Grooms, a residential plumbing, heating & cooling specialist, recently moved from its longtime location in Birmingham and is now located at 24565 Hallwood Court, in Farmington Hills.

Upon learning of the honor, Matt Bergstrom, president of the 39-employee company, said, “Thanks to the vigilance of our entire staff and the assistance of the Federated Insurance team, safety continues to get the consistent attention it deserves. It is a pillar of what we do, no more or less important than customer service, technical knowledge, or the ability to fix the issue at hand.”

The Safety First! award was created to recognize a PHCC contractor who takes advantage of Federated’s risk management assistance to effectively implement sound risk management practices. With hundreds of clients eligible each year to receive this prestigious honor, it was Thornton & Grooms’ proactive loss control methods that elevated them among their peers.

Congratulations to Thornton & Grooms, a 6+-year member of PHCC, for earning the Contractor of the Year award by practicing Safety First!

“We love to support local charities and to see one such as SCAMP is great,” Thornton & Grooms Vice President Mike Bergstrom said. “SCAMP offers the opportunity for special needs kids to enjoy all the great things that summer camps offer and we are so glad to be able to help.”

Each month, Thornton & Grooms awards $1,000 to a local charity nominated by its customers. The award helps non-profit groups and organizations facing challenges in the struggling economy.

SCAMP is a five-week program for children and young adults with special needs. It provides social and recreational activities, like swimming, arts and crafts and field trips to the fire station. Since it was established more than 35 years ago, SCAMP has grown from 75 to more than 200 campers each summer. For more information on Clarkston SCAMP, visit their web site at www.clarkstonscamp.com.

Mike Bergstrom from Thornton & Grooms, Donna Clancy from SCAMP

Customers at Thornton & Grooms can nominate a charity for the Hearts & Heroes Award at www.thorntonandgrooms.com. To be considered for an award, nominations must be received by the 25th of the month. Recipients will be announced on the fifth of each month.

Thornton & Grooms, a family-owned plumbing, heating and cooling business since 1937, was located in Birmingham for more than 70 years. It recently moved to its larger headquarters in Farmington Hills. Visit Thornton & Grooms’ new location at 24565 Hallwood Court, in Farmington Hills. For more information, call (248) 644-7810.

The mission is simple – inspire friends, neighbors, customers and other businesses to join together to help our community and families facing difficult times.

The award helps charitable groups and organizations facing challenges in the struggling economy. According to the U.S. Department of Interior, non-profits across the country have experienced a 3.6 percent decrease in donations. Nominations at Thornton and Grooms have also dropped off in recent months, but the business is still in the giving mood.

“Hearts and Heroes has been a great success, but we think it can be even greater,” Thornton and Grooms Vice President Mike Bergstrom said. “We’d like more people to be aware of this program in hopes of increasing the number of nominations we receive.”

Since June 2009, Thornton and Grooms has donated $18,000 to various causes. Recipients range from the Pinkerton Center for Blind Children and The Pink Fund Michigan to the Birmingham Area Seniors Coordinating Council and The Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic.

“It’s all about diversity and helping as many people as we can,” Bergstrom said. “We’re ready to make a difference.”

Customers can nominate a charity online at www.thorntonandgrooms.com. To be considered for an award, nominations must be received by the 25th of the month. Recipients will be announced on the fifth of each month.

Thornton and Grooms, a family-owned heating and cooling company, opened its doors in 1937. It is located at 24565 Hallwood Court, in Farmington Hills. For more information, call (248) 644-7810.

“We feel the need more than ever, especially the way the economy is, to help out,” Thornton & Grooms Vice President Mike Bergstrom said. “This is a way for us and our customers to give back.”

During the past fund raisers, Thornton & Grooms collected 6,000 pounds of food. This year, the company’s goal is to collect 4,000 pounds. Donations can range from canned soup and cereal to diapers and laundry soap. Customers will save $10 on any service with a donation of five cans of food.

Gleaners, which is based in Detroit, distributed more than 30 million pounds of food to 430 partner soup kitchens, shelters and pantries in 2009. St. Hugo collects both food and clothing to be distributed to needy families through referrals from the Ladies of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.

In addition to its food drive, Thornton & Grooms also gives back to the community through its Hearts and Heroes Award. Each month, the business donates $1,000 to a local charity nominated by its customers.

Thornton & Grooms, a family-owned business since 1937, was located in Birmingham for more than 70 years. It moved to its larger headquarters in Farmington Hills Oct. 1. Visit Thornton & Groom’s new location at 24565 Hallwood Court, in Farmington Hills.  For more information call (248) 644-7810 or log onto www.thorntonandgrooms.com.

Kids Kicking Cancer is a nonprofit organization that brings the power of martial arts to pediatric cancer patients, helping them manage the stress and pain of their disease and treatments. Their mission is to ease the pain of very sick children while empowering them to heal physically, spiritually and emotionally.

Thornton & Grooms instantly recognized the powerful impact being made by Kids Kicking Cancer, and the inspiration it gives to those children facing life challenges of the most serious kind.

“The courage Kids Kicking Cancer provides its students is simply remarkable.  It’s flipping the tables on cancer and putting the power, control and spirit in the kids’ hand”, said Thornton & Grooms VP, Mike Bergstrom.  “Beyond that, they teach the parents, siblings and medical caregivers the same techniques, so you end up with a team of people all fighting together.  It’s a very special program and we’re thrilled to offer our help”.

Pictured: From left to right, back row Dean Simono, Matt Bergstrom from Thornton & Grooms, Carol Archie, Dan Prover, Jodie VanDerMeer.

To learn more about Kids Kicking Cancer please visit www.powerpeacepurpose.com, or call (313) 557-0021.  If you have a charity you’d like to nominate for a monthly $1,000 Hearts & Heroes Award, please visit www.thorntonandgrooms.com to complete a nomination form, or call (248) 644-7810.