September 27, 2026, By Hannah Ball
Flint — The winner of the 2026 Impact100 Genesee County $100,000 grant is Active Boys in Christ (ABC Youth), a nonprofit dedicated toward increasing the skilled trade opportunities for youth in Genesee County.
During the annual Big Give event on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at the Dort-Durant Carriage Factory in Flint, the five finalist nonprofits each gave a presentation. Afterwards, the members of Impact100 Genesee County voted on the winner of the $100,000 grant.
Impact100 is a national women’s giving organization. Chapters recruit members to each donate $1,000 annually with the goal of presenting a $100,000 grant to one nonprofit to help them make transformative change. The more members, the more money donated.
This was the Genesee County chapter’s third annual Big Give event. The grant amount donated has increased every year as the organization gains members. During the inaugural Big Give event in 2024, the chapter gave $57,000 to the Prism Project. In 2025, they awarded $87,000 to the St. Francis Prayer Center in Flint.
This was the first year the organization was able to give the full $100,000 to a nonprofit in Genesee County.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be with you tonight as we present our first $100,000 grant,” said Katie Kool-Wray, co-founder and president of Impact100 Genesee County and Linden resident. “It has been a journey to get to this point, and this is goal number one…In just three years, one member at this time, one woman at a time, we will have raised over $250,000.”
She honored the Impact100 Genesee County board members: Andrea Kehoe, Lynn North, Jennifer Rygalski, Lynn Mattila, Ann-Marie Drass, Theresa Roach, Jessie Weir, Megan Ringwelski, Kerri Burba, Jill Price and Elizabeth Wise.
“I can’t express enough how thankful or blessed I am to be surrounded by these talented, dedicated women,” she said.
In 2026, the Genesee County chapter had 103 members and $103,000 raised. ABC Youth will receive $100,000 and the remaining $3,000 will be divided between the other four finalists that will receive $750 each. The other four finalists this year were Adopt-A-Pet Fenton, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Flint, Franklin Avenue Mission — FranklinAve Medical Clinic and Crossover Outreach.
Kool-Wray said they received 51 eligibility applications and 33 full grant applications from nonprofits this year. The grant process for the applicants includes a full review of their financials and on-site visits.
“To each of our finalists, I just say, huge congratulations to you. You are doing the work. You are bringing it every single day to make our community a better place. I am so thankful to know each of you,” Kool-Wray said.
The winner of this year’s grant, ABC Youth, plans to use the money to develop an electrical, plumbing, HVAC and STEM lab for youth.
Derrick Watkins, founder and CEO of ABC Youth, and Brianna Brown, curriculum director, spoke about their mission to equip the next generation of skilled trade workers.
Watkins said when he was young, he knew that he didn’t want to attend college but learned he wanted to become an electrician. He dropped out of school and became a master electrician.
“What is the why for our ABC Youth organization? Our why is we want young people to have something I wish I had earlier in my life, and that’s an opportunity to discover their gifts. Learn the skill, meet people who believe in them and see a future for themselves. Sometimes all a young person needs is one opportunity,” he said. “We just don’t want young people to complete a program, we want that program to become a doorway to employment, a career and a future.”
Brown said her kids loved the ABC Youth summer program and spoke about the benefits of career exploration for kids at a young age. She said ABC Youth has a skilled trades and STEM center, and now their goal is to develop the dedicated electrical, plumbing, HVAC and STEM lab.
“An Impact100 investment would help us complete the construction, build out and equip these labs so that more young people can move beyond simply hearing about careers, they can actually experience them,” Brown said.
After learning they won the grant, Watkins told the crowd more about his journey and how he dropped out of school as a kid. He said his goal is to help the youth so they don’t go through the same struggles that he did.
“Impact100, you don’t know what you’ve done for this organization,” Watkins said. “From the bottom of my heart, I want to tell you thank you.”
Five finalists and goals
ABC Youth — winner
Skilled trades, STEM and workforce training center expansion
Crossover Outreach
Food lockers
Adopt-A-Pet Fenton
Medical center upgrade
Franklin Avenue Mission
Expanded medical clinic services
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Flint
Lobby expansion and upgrade