This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Final Brookwood Flea Market Raises $16,000 for Charities

"We truly do feel at peace with our decision to stop doing the flea market," creator and co-chair Joanne Marcil said about the final event.

Some would say that $16,000 is a heck of a parting gift.

That's the amount that Brookwood subdivision raised for charities during their 21st— and final— Brookwood Make A Difference day Flea Market this past weekend.

The money will be distributed between five charities: the Baldwin Center in Pontiac; the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Michigan Chapter; Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International; Paint a Miracle in Rochester; and The Women’s Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Rochester.

Find out what's happening in Rochester-Rochester Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Including this year's funds, Brookwood has donated a total of $129,000 to charities. But now the Flea Market has come to an end.

“We’ve been saying this year’s Brookwood Make A Difference Day Flea Market would likely be the last unless there were others interested in taking on a leadership role. No one has stepped forward to take the reins, so this year was our final flea market,” said Joanne Marcil, creator and co-chair of Brookwood’s flea market project.

Find out what's happening in Rochester-Rochester Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

When one door closes...

“We’ve had an amazing 21 years of Brookwood participation in Make A Difference Day,” Marcil said. “It’s been a great run."

Although the flea market has reached its end, the Brookwood subdivision has not given up on making a difference.

“As Alexander Graham Bell said, ‘When one door closes, another opens.’ We’re going to take his words to heart and keep ourselves open to a new format for an annual charity fundraiser event at Brookwood," Marcil said. "Our theme this year was peace, and we truly do feel at peace with our decision to stop doing the flea market.”

Special thanks

Trish Kangas, co-chair of the project extended special thanks to the groups that helped set up and move items:

  • Boy Scout Troop 101 based in Rochester Hills
  • Rochester Adams High School Key Club
  • Rochester High School National Honor Society
  • Stoney Creek High School National Honor Society

"We greatly appreciate their hard work and support. It warms our hearts to see how hard these young people work,” Kangas said.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Rochester-Rochester Hills