Giving Back

Urban Science strives to achieve Jim Anderson’s vision of a world where science and technology combine with entrepreneurial spirit to create opportunity and make the world a better place to live.

This vision continues to drive Anderson, through Urban Science, to give back to the community and educational organizations that share his can-do attitude. Philanthropy efforts include endowments to the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan to build a Spinal Cord Injury Program and to Wayne State University to develop an Engineering Ventures Program to help students become successful entrepreneurs. Urban Science encourages our employees to do the same by funding their time spent on local philanthropic efforts.

Caring Athletes Team for Children’s Hospital (CATCH)

CATCH is a children's charity founded in 1987 by then Detroit Tigers Manager Sparky Anderson. The organization raises funds to provide a current and future source of revenue to help improve the quality of life for sick, injured and needy pediatric patients who receive care from Children's Hospital of Michigan and Henry Ford Hospital.

Urban Science sponsors several CATCH events each year to help raise funds for this charity for children. Additionally, Urban Science provides support to help the CATCH team build out and manage its infrastructure, which has included setting the organization up with updated servers and laptops, and rewriting an application to create a sustainable database that tracks donations, creates mailing lists, and integrates this activity to the billing system.

Cass Community Social Services (CCSS)

Cass Community Social Services is organized to fight poverty and create opportunity. CCSS is dedicated to making a profound difference in the diverse populations it serves by providing for basic needs, including affordable housing, promoting self-reliance, and encouraging community inclusion and improvement.

17 Urban Science interns and three human resources employees volunteered to help with a CCSS recycling program, working outside of their normal working environment to give back to the local community and promote teamwork.

Cornerstone Schools

Cornerstone Schools has been providing an excellent education to the children of Detroit for 20 years. Cornerstone seeks to follow Jesus as a path to a fulfilling life and servant leadership. A Cornerstone education includes an 11-month school year, rigorous academic curriculum, university collaborations, and a partner mentor program.

Urban Science has funded two Cornerstone School students for their Detroit high school.

Detroit Economic Club

The Detroit Economic Club was formed in 1934 as a non-partisan, non-profit organization committed to the discussion and debate of important business, government and social issues. The DEC continues to provide a platform for distinguished international dignitaries and business leaders who represent the changing global environment.

Urban Science is a member and corporate sponsor of DEC, and an active participant in its Educational Outreach Program. This program gives the opportunity for more than 1,600 high school and college students to attend DEC meetings each year, allowing these students to participate in these meetings and expose them to the dynamics of Detroit’s economic environment.

Detroit Medical Center - Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan

The Detroit Medical Center’s (DMC) record of service has provided medical excellence throughout the history of the Metropolitan Detroit area. DMC’s Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM) has been helping people rebuild their lives after a serious injury or illness for more than 50 years. The Center for Spinal Cord Injury Recovery at RIM is a world-class facility designed to implement and study the results of innovative treatments for persons with injured or damaged spinal cords.

Urban Science has made a $1 million endowment to the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan Foundation directed to research spinal cord injury and recovery. The gift was announced on February 15, 2008, when President and CEO Jim Anderson was honored with the organization’s Humanitarian Award.

Fight for Air Stair Climb

The Fight for Air Stair Climb, a program of the American Lung Association, works to bring about healthier lungs, healthier air, and save lives in the process.

Each year, a group of Urban Science employees climb 70 flights of stairs in the Renaissance Center in Detroit and raise money for the American Lung Association. Urban Science covers the required $100 donation for each employee who participates, and employees earn donations beyond the requirement.

March of Dimes: March for Babies

The March for Babies gives hope to the more than half a million babies born too soon each year. The money it raises supports programs that help moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies. It also funds research to find answers to the problems that threaten infants. Participants in 900 communities have been walking since 1970 and have raised an incredible $2 billion in the effort.

Urban Science was a 2010 VIP sponsor, and a group of employees raised donations and participated in the event.

Urban Farming

The Urban Farming™ mission is to create an abundance of food for people in need by planting, supporting and encouraging the establishment of gardens on unused land and space. It seeks to encourage diversity, raise awareness for health and wellness, and help create an economically sustainable system to uplift communities around the globe.

Urban Science and ChannelVantage employees volunteered with this organization at Earthworks Urban Farm in order to experience the concept of urban farming first-hand. Employees were able to help the farm operate by spending several hours in the fields, picking potatoes and peas, planting squash and rotating the soil.

Wayne State University

Founded in 1868, Wayne State University is a nationally recognized metropolitan research institution offering more than 400 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students. Wayne State’s main campus is in Midtown Detroit, and five extension centers offer higher education to people throughout Southeast Michigan.

Urban Science has made donations to the College of Engineering since 2004, including an endowment that launched and chaired a position to lead Engineering Ventures, a program created by Urban Science to give engineering students the mentoring and leadership skills necessary to become successful entrepreneurs. In addition, Urban Science funds the Greg Gadson scholarship for wounded veterans.