Michael Kane
Rooted in Redemption: How Family, Faith, and Service Built Uplifted Foundation
Uplifted Foundation’s president and founder, Michael Kane, is the youngest of Phil and Lois’s four children.
Michael, like his older siblings, had a front row seat in his youth of the 1980’s to the craziness that was Phil and Lois’s post-salvation life. As a young boy and teenager, Michael, along with his siblings, spent many days in the far-flung places Phil chose to go to reach the lost (prisons, nursing homes, mental health facilities, homeless shelters, addiction programs, etc.).
There is a saying that you are often a product of your environment. This was true for Michael and his siblings. Although there were many places Michael and his siblings would have rather been and many things they would have rather been doing during those times, the seeds were being planted for a passion for helping and giving back. In short, the lessons learned from Phil and Lois starting many decades ago were laying the groundwork for Uplifted Foundation.
Michael left home in 1991 to join the United States Army as a military policeman. These years of service and several overseas deployments exposed Michael to many things he would have not otherwise experienced. This time provided important perspective for Michael that would eventually weave its way into Uplifted Foundation. Upon exiting active duty in 1997, Michael moved to Pennsylvania (where his entire family had relocated to since he joined active duty in 1991). Michael joined the Pennsylvania Army National Guard for an additional six years of service after active duty.
Shortly after moving to Pennsylvania, Michael met his amazing wife, Karla. Les is Karla’s grandfather. Michael and Karla were married in 2001 and have three children. Michael quickly gained a deep sense of respect and reverence for Les; he, like Phil, was a man who lived his life with honor and principle. Les did not need to speak excessively; you could see what was important to him by the way he lived.
Les passed away in 2017 and Phil passed away in 2019. Over the subsequent years, Michael developed a desire to launch a charitable organization based on the inspiring and interesting lives Phil and Les led. The early years took some twists and turns, but the road ultimately led to Uplifted Foundation.
The passing of Phil and Lois’s oldest son, Philip, in 2023, was a catalyst for Michael to put the plan for Uplifted Foundation into overdrive. Philip had many health issues due to years of very heavy drinking and drug use. Although having been clean from drugs and alcohol for a long time, these issues finally caught up to Philip and he passed away at the age of 60. Michael thought: “we must do what we can to help others avoid Philip’s fate”.
Michael has a bachelor’s degree from Eastern University and an MBA from Penn State University. He has extensive non-profit experience having served on multiple non-profit boards as well as leading many philanthropic efforts and initiatives. Michael has a wide range of business experience, including senior executive leadership in large corporations, owning companies, and providing consulting services to a variety of organizations.
Michael is honored to lead Uplifted Foundation as it furthers the legacies of Phil and Les by “going to where the help is needed”.
Thank you for your support.
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