Charitable Snoopy
Mike LeFevre's fascination with Snoopy started in 1965 at the age of 4 when his sister was born. "My dad was coming home from the hospital with his new born daughter in one arm and a plush Snoopy in the other. I grabbed the Snoopy and the rest was history."
After that, he was given Snoopy-themed items for Christmas and his birthdays. "It just kept growing from there. It's one of the largest collections of Snoopy memorabilia." His nickname, no surprise, is Snoop.
Last October, Mike, who also owns the popular Mike's on the Water in St. Clair Shores, opened a museum next door to share his passion for Snoopy with the community and to raise money for charity at the same time.
"Raising money for charity makes me happy," he says. "We pick a different one every month and have raised over $22,000 just by people putting money in the donation boxes around the museum. One lady recently put a $1000 check in there!"
Recipients have included Cops for Kids, The Family Center, The Helm of Grosse Pointe, Full Circle Foundation, Kids on the Go, and many others.
When people walk into the museum, they are fascinated by the more than 16,000 Snoopy items. Many of the pieces are very rare antiques, and some are even one-of-a-kind that Mike found or had made during his travels around the world.
"I was walking the streets of Rio de Janeiro and Copacabana Beach, and a bunch of artists were there. One guy was doing wire art, so I had him make me a wire Snoopy. Another time, I was on Marco Island, and this lady was painting various objects. I had oysters at a restaurant, so I brought her the oyster shells, and she painted Snoopy as a chef inside of them."
Museum-goers will also see Snoopy mechanical rides, music boxes, mugs, holiday items, Charles Schultz autographs, and more.
Among all of these items, his favorite is still the first Snoopy. "This all started because of my sister," he says. Sadly, his sister, Susan Amine, was never able to experience the museum. She passed away in 2012 at the age of 47 from breast cancer. "I know my sister is looking down on all this and smiling."
Mike is very thankful to still have his mom though, who's 92. She helps him pick the charities every month.
The museum is typically open from Wednesday to Saturday, and Mike says thousands of people have already passed through. He's very grateful to all the people who visit and donate. "It's memories of my life in that room."
"I'm one of the largest collectors of Snoopy memorabilia in the world."
Article by Susan Baldani
Grosse Pointe City Lifesytle