Support Michigan veterans via monetary donations or in-kind donations this holiday season (Courtesy, MVH)
By WKTV Staff
deborah@wktv.org
Donations help improve quality of life for veteran members (Courtesy, MVH)
Michigan Veteran Homes (MVH) has published a wish list for each Home highlighting much-needed items to support veteran members this holiday season.
“Michiganders who fought and sacrificed for our freedom deserve our gratitude and support during the holidays,” said Governor Whitmer. “For the more than 300 veterans living at state veteran homes in Chesterfield Township, Grand Rapids, and Marquette, a letter filled with holiday wishes or a gift from their wish list makes a real difference in their lives and lets them know they are not forgotten.
“Let’s continue working together to make sure our veterans and their families feel our support around the holidays.”
Monetary donations
Michigan Veteran Homes at Grand Rapids (MVHGR) is seeking monetary donations to support the charitable support fund which is used to improve the quality of life for veteran members.
Monetary donations can be made at Support MVH or checks can be written to MVHGR and mailed to 2950 Monroe Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505. Please indicate the fund designation “Charitable Support Fund” in the memo section of the check.
In-kind donations
In-kind donations can be dropped off at the new Home (Courtesy, MVH)
The Home is also seeking in-kind donations such as Velcro shoes, Forever stamps, snack items and potted indoor plants. These items can be brought to the main entrance of the new Home.
For more information or to coordinate a time to drop off in-kind donations, please contact Volunteer and Donations Coordinator Gretchen Muir at muirg@michigan.gov or 616-840-3001.
Updated wish list items and donation tips may be viewed online at Holiday Wish List 23. You can also direct-ship requested items from the Home’s Amazon Wish List.
Local nonprofit is determined to bring Christmas to thousands of Kent County children despite the fire at their storage facility (Courtesy, pxhere.com)
A recent fire destroyed over 5,000 of gifts intended for families in need this Christmas. But Santa Claus Girls (SCG) of Kent County is determined to keep Christmas alive for the 8,500 children registered this year.
At 9 p.m. on Nov. 24, multiple agencies responded to a fire at the DeltaPlex Arena in Walker that began in a west wall of the building.
Over 5,000 gifts were damaged by smoke (Courtesy, pxhere.com)
An event center for many years, the Arena closed in summer of 2022, but remained the donation drop-off site for SCG.
Though flames did not reach the area where SCG operates, smoke infiltrated the area for hours, causing damage to thousands of gifts.
SCG Vice President Nancy Ditta said they have not been able to go through the gifts yet, and therefore are not sure if anything is salvageable. SCG will go through their storage area after the first of the year, and will know more then.
Right now, SCG’s focus is on making sure all registered children in need receive a gift in time for Christmas.
A Christmas pivot
“We have 8,500 kids, with 3,500 families, registered to receive gifts,” said Ditta. “We were able to purchase gift cards through Meijer, so we will be delivering gift cards instead of gifts to all of our recipients.”
Santa Claus Girls wants every child to receive a gift on Christmas morning (Courtesy, pxhere.com)
The number of registered children is a decrease from the 13,000 children serviced in 2022 due to an unexpected registration cutoff.
“With the fire, we had to stop registrations early,” said Ditta.
With a delivery date of Dec. 9, monetary donations to help purchase gift cards are needed.
While toys, books, and other physical gifts are accepted, Ditta said monetary donations are best since SCG volunteers are not at the DeltaPlex location to accept donations.
Monetary donations can be made via credit card, PayPal or check. Detailed instructions on how to complete donations can be found on the SCG website.
Children and families in need will receive gift cards personally delivered to their door by one of 300 volunteer drivers on Saturday, Dec. 9.
A century of giving
SCG was founded in 1908 by Arianna VanDoorn of Park Congregational Church.
Sponsored by the late Arthur H. VandenBerg, then editor of the Grand Rapids Herald, VanDoorn collected $85 to provide gifts for 150 children who, due to unfortunate circumstances, would not receive gifts at Christmas.
The goal of SCG is to ensure all children in Kent County receives a gift on Christmas morning. Each child receives one new piece of clothing, one new toy, a new book, and hats and mittens.
(Courtesy photo)
For over a century, SCG has helped thousands of Kent County children between the ages of one and twelve years of age – yet many people don’t know the group exists.
“This is our 115th year, [and] a lot of people aren’t familiar with Santa Claus Girls,” said Ditta, adding that the tragedy of the DeltaPlex fire has made more people aware of SCG and their mission.
How you can give
SCG accepts donations at any time throughout the year. Because every person associated with SCG is a non-paid volunteer, 100% of collected funds go directly to the program.
Kent County shelters are filled to capacity, risking leaving hundreds without access to shelter services during winter (Courtesy, pxhere.com)
By WKTV Staff
deborah@wktv.org
Homelessess is on the rise (Courtesy, pxhere.com)
Homelessness is on the rise, and there is an overwhelming demand for shelter and other services as winter approaches.
According to the latest data, the number of individuals and families needing shelter far exceeds the supply of shelter beds in Kent County. Based on trends and current bed capacity in our community, an estimated 100 to 300 people could be without access to shelter services on the coldest winter nights.
According to the Point in Time count, there were 723 individuals experiencing homelessness in Kent County in 2018. In 2023, that number sharply increased to 1,239 individuals experiencing homelessness.
Current shelters cannot sustain increase in need
Non-profit leaders of Dégagé Ministries, along with Mel Trotter Ministries, Family Promise and AYA Youth Collective fear they will not have enough shelter and provisions to accommodate the increased demand for shelter during the winter months.
Even with the new bunks at Dégagé, they are unable to meet the current need for beds (Courtesy, Dégagé Ministries)
Dégagé provides the only emergency shelter for women in the area. They are seeing up to 125 women a night in the shelter, many experiencing homelessness for the first time.
They are doing all they can to make arrangements to accommodate 150 women per night. Funding limitations, however, will make it difficult to sustain that figure during the winter.
The leaders of Mel Trotter Ministries, Dégagé Ministries, Family Promise of West Michigan, and AYA Youth Collective, alongside the Grand Rapids Area Coalition to End Homelessness, are releasing an open letter to the West Michigan community.
The letter below outlines the need for this community and its leaders to identify both near and long-term solutions to address the homelessness crisis.
A plea to the public for support
To the West Michigan community:
We present this message to our community with a sense of great concern and urgency as our region’s coldest winter months are fast approaching.
Economic hardships, the loss of supportive resources from COVID, and a shortage of affordable housing have combined to worsen the already difficult situation facing men, women, youth, and families experiencing homelessness in West Michigan. The shifting landscape is presenting an increasingly dire situation for people living on the street and an overwhelming demand for the non-profit service agencies that provide compassionate care, meals, services, and shelter to those in need.
Unable to meet the demand
Shortages include location, space and staffing (Courtesy, pxhere.com)
Making matters even more challenging is that just like other employers, some non-profit agencies are facing a worker shortage and a funding shortfall. Adding temporary shelter beds this winter, as has happened in the past, is a significant challenge because there are simply not enough workers to ensure a safe environment for overflow guests.
What’s more, the funding needed to provide additional staffing and a location for overflow shelter space is not presently available. Therefore, non-profits simply cannot meet the demand.
We are committed to providing compassionate support to as many of our neighbors in need as possible, while maintaining a safe environment for all. However, when the population growth of individuals experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity in our community far exceeds the limited amount of shelter space, we are faced with difficult decisions and risk loss of life.
Our collective community efforts to address the homelessness crisis must include both near and long-term solutions. Of immediate concern is the urgent need to find shelter workers and shelter bed space. At the same time, we remain focused on initiatives to increase affordable housing, create more access to mental health resources, strengthen workforce development and employment opportunities, and more.
The rising issue of homelessness is one facing our entire country, and an issue that is of paramount importance in West Michigan. Collaborative work between agencies, governmental partners, and community leaders is happening to create a long-term cohesive strategy. As non-profits, we are doing great work, but we can do even more with increased funding, more staff, and more shelter rooms to meet this growing need.
Limited shelter space increases risk of loss of life (Courtesy, pxhere.com)
How you can help save lives
With your help, we can save lives this winter by protecting unhoused individuals, youth, children, and families from extreme, life-threatening temperatures. To learn more or join us in our efforts to combat homelessness, visit us at our websites below.
We remain resolute in our commitment to serve those in need in our community, and we stand ready to continue partnering with our community leaders in taking steps toward finding a sustainable solution that benefits the entire region.
The Kentwood Police and Fire Departments are asking community members to join them for a friendly competition to collect donations for Kentwood’s Little Free Pantry.
Community members are invited to drop off donation items in the lobby of the following locations from Dec. 1-31:
Kentwood Police Department, 4742 Walma Ave. SE
Fire Station 1, 4775 Walma Ave. SE
Fire Station 2, 4151 Embassy Drive SE
Fire Station 3, 5340 Eastern Ave. SE
The department that receives the most donations by weight will win the contest and earn bragging rights.
The departments also are partnering with Sam’s Club, 4326 28th St. SE, on Dec. 9 and 16. On those two Saturdays, representatives from each department will have a service vehicle parked near the store entrance from noon to 4 p.m. for anyone to place non-perishable food and personal care items in the trunk of their choice.
Kentwood’s Little Free Pantry is a free resource that provides food and personal care items to community members who are under-resourced. Anyone can give to or take from the pantry, with no questions asked and no application needed.
“We’re excited for this opportunity to serve our community by gathering donations for the Little Free Pantry,” Police Chief Bryan Litwin said. “Our department is looking forward to helping brighten the season for our neighbors in need, and a friendly competition with our friends at the Kentwood Fire Department certainly adds a fun element to this initiative.”
The Fire Department also is looking forward to giving back and partnering with police in a fun way, Fire Chief Brent Looman said.
“We support our community every single day, and this is a new facet of that important work,” Looman said. “The Little Free Pantry means a lot for many residents in our community, and we are grateful for the opportunity to work with the Police Department to help restock it through this fun contest.”
Suggested items for donation include:
Canned meats, vegetables and fruit
Cereals
Pasta/pasta sauce
Rice
Soup
Soap of all kinds
Shampoo/conditioner
Feminine products
Laundry detergent
Toilet paper
Deodorant
Diapers
Small toys/games
The pantry operates year-round and has locations at the Kentwood Activities Center, 355 48th St. SE, and the Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE. Kentwood’s Little Free Pantry was established in 2017 as a Martin Luther King Jr. Day community service project to fill an immediate and local need.
For more information about Kentwood’s Little Free Pantry, including how to make a financial contribution, visit kentwood.us/LittleFreePantry.
KDL wins national award, plans to reinvest the prize money into the community (Courtesy Photo)
By WKTV Staff
deborah@wktv.org
The Jerry Kline Community Impact Award recognizes libraries as a vital community asset (Courtesy, KDL)
The Kent District Library Board of Trustees recently approved a plan to reinvest $250,000 in prize money into the community. The money will be used to support library expansion projects and to establish a scholarship fund.
As the recipient of the fifth annual Jerry Kline Community Impact Award, KDL receives the one-time prize as the 2023 winner of this national award.
Developed as a partnership between the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation and Library Journal, this award recognizes the powerful synergy that results when a library works closely with both its local government and its community.
Funding Details
Four communities in the KDL service area currently have a library expansion project underway — the cities of Rockford and Walker and townships of Grattan and Tyrone. Thanks to this one-time prize for excellence, KDL is able to pledge $50,000 to support each of these projects.
KDL is also establishing a scholarship fund for KDL patrons who are a pursuing a college degree with plans to positively impact their community. The fund will be established with $50,000 from the Jerry Kline prize, interest earned from KDL’s Community Foundation Fund through the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, and private donations.
Scholarship applications will be announced and accepted late in 2024.
Community Impact
“The whole focus of the Jerry Kline Award is community impact, so it only seems fitting we use these funds to have a positive effect on the communities that we serve and love,” KDL Executive Director Lance Werner said. “This is an exciting opportunity to live out our mission of furthering all people thanks to the financial prize that comes with this recognition.
“This gives us a unique opportunity to invest in the physical growth of branches in our community and in personal growth for exceptional patrons. We are so pleased to give back to Kent County, whose residents so thoughtfully support our operations.”
People who would like to donate to the building projects can do so by contacting the government offices for Grattan Township, city of Rockford, Tyrone Township or city of Walker. For those who would like to donate to the KDL Impact Scholarship fund, visit kdl.org/donate.
Impact Award Highlights
(Courtesy, KDL)
The Jerry Kline Community Impact Award was created in 2019 to distinguish the public library as a vital community asset.
KDL was recognized for building relationships with local officials based on a foundation of trust and credibility.
All U.S. public libraries were eligible to apply for the prize whether in a single building in a small town or a multi-branch system serving an entire region.
Nominations were evaluated based the library’s impact on the community in areas such as engagement, inclusion, leadership development, sustainable thinking and inventiveness.
The City of Kentwood is encouraging community members to help brighten the season for their neighbors by participating in its holiday giving programs.
“For our community members who are able, I would encourage you to consider being part of our Kentwood effort through this year’s holiday giving programs,” Mayor Stephen Kepley said. “This is a special time of year, and we want to help everyone in our community experience the season with good food, warm clothes, and gifts for those they cherish.”
The Adopt-A-Child program helps support local students who are experiencing homelessness and other challenges. See details below. (Courtesy, City of Kentwood)
The City offers four giving programs that run through Dec. 13: Adopt A Child, Be a Santa to a Senior, Holiday Hat and Mitten Tree, and Kentwood’s Little Free Pantry.
Each program offers different options for participation:
The Adopt-A-Child program helps support local students who are experiencing homelessness and other challenges. To participate:
Select an Adopt-A-Child tag online, from one of the trees at the Kentwood Activities Center, 355 48th St. SE, or in the lobby of the Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE., or check out the Amazon Wishlist.
Purchase the item(s) on the tag.
Tape the tag to the unwrapped gift and return it during business hours to City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE, or the Kentwood Activities Center by Dec. 13.
City team members will wrap and deliver the gifts.
Be a Santa to a Senior is hosted in partnership with Home Instead Senior Care. To participate:
Grab a tag from the Senior Santa Tree at the Kentwood Activities Center.
Purchase the item(s) listed on the tag.
Wrap the gift, tape the tag to the outside and return it to the Kentwood Activities Center during business hours by Dec. 13.
Help decorate the Holiday Hat and Mitten Tree at the Kentwood Activities Center with new or gently used hats, scarves, mittens, coats, boots, snow pants, socks and blankets by Dec. 13. Donations can be brought to the center during business hours and will be distributed to individuals in local school systems and through community organizations.
The City is always accepting donations for Kentwood’s Little Free Pantry. Drop off donations during business hours at the Kentwood Activities Center or make a financial contribution at any time. For more information, including a list of suggested donations, visit kentwood.us/LittleFreePantry.
The Kentwood Activities Center is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. City Hall opens weekdays at 7:30 a.m. and closes Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 4:30 p.m., Tuesdays at 6 p.m. and Fridays at noon.
The Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch is open 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Kentwood Little Free Pantry. (Courtesy, City of Kentwood)
Vonnie Woodrick is determined to change attitudes surrounding mental health (Courtesy, Davenport University)
By WKTV Staff
deborah@wktv.org
Woodrick has made mental health her life’s work (Supplied)
Davenport University leaders have announced that Yvonne (Vonnie) Woodrick has joined its Alumni Association Board for a three-year term. Woodrick, a West Michigan native, graduated from the university in 1984. She said it’s wonderful to be part of the university that means so much to her.
“It’s truly an honor to be in a position to highlight Davenport, a university that is near and dear to my heart,” said Woodrick. “Witnessing the growth from a college to a university has been amazing, and the expansion of Davenport’s mental and behavioral health services and academic programs is extremely important to me.”
Mental health is health
Mental health has been a focus for Woodrick since her husband, Rob, died from depression in 2003. The young widow with three children set out to change attitudes surrounding mental health and suicide. This cause has become her life’s work, and she founded the nonprofit organization i Understand in 2014.
Her work and Davenport’s recent additions of a campus wellness center and two master’s degrees connected to mental health make this renewed connection between Woodrick and the university even more meaningful. This fall, the university launched the Master of Science in Nursing, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner concentration, and the Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling.
“The actions taken in this area by Davenport leaders display their understanding that mental health is health,” Woodrick said. “At the university, the topic is discussed, resources are readily available and career choices in this field are cutting edge.
“I am grateful Davenport University is bringing the mental and brain health conversations to the forefront. I am excited to be a part of this, and can’t wait to see what the future holds in this area.”
Whole health for students
Woodrick joins 11 other Davenport alumni who serve the university and its mission through its Alumni Association Board.
“We’re delighted to have Vonnie join our strong alumni board,” said Rachel Render, Executive Vice President for Advancement at Davenport. “Vonnie’s expertise is important as we focus on the whole health of our students as they pursue their higher education dreams.”
According to preliminary results, nearly 100,000 voters submitted ballots in the special election, supporting the ballot measure 77% to 23%. Voters approved the new, lower rate of 1.1 mills, which reflects a reduction of 10.9% off KDL’s current millage rate of 1.2355 mills.
“My team and I want to thank all those who came out to show their support for KDL,” said KDL Executive Director Lance Werner. “The community already shows how much it values the library every day, with record-setting attendance at programs and total circulation of materials. We’re thrilled to see validation of this in the approval by voters.
“This millage will simultaneously save taxpayers money while securing our future and allowing us to continue serving our wonderful community.”
How taxpayers will save
The KDL board approved Jan. 1, 2024 as the start date, even though the current millage is not set to expire until Dec. 31, 2024. This will provide taxpayers with immediate savings.
Taxpayers will see immediate savings (Courtesy, pxhere.com)
The millage will generate $26.6 million in its first year, covering the expense of physical and digital collections, employees, programs and events, tech tutoring and other library services, rent and other expenses.
With the new lower rate, taxpayers will save $3.1 million annually or $46.5 million over its life, with the average homeowner paying $145.75 annually for access to library services – or $2.80 per week.
About KDL services
The award-winning library system serves residents in 27 municipalities through 20 branches, an Express Library, a bookmobile, its main service center, 5,000-plus annual in-person programs and a host of patron-focused services.
KDL’s collection is extensive, with more than 700,000 physical items and 15.6 million digital items. Known for its family-friendly programs, KDL offers more than 5,600 programs and outreach events each year.
In Gabon, like many places around the world, sometimes the personal note inside the shoebox gift is the most appreciated (Courtesy, OCC)
By Deborah Reed
WKTV Managing Editor
deborah@wktv.org
More than 4,500 locations will open to collect Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts during National Collection Week, Nov. 13–20.
A Samaritan’s Purse project, Operation Christmas Child (OCC) has been collecting and delivering shoebox gifts—filled with school supplies, personal care items and fun toys—to children worldwide since 1993. In 2023, OCC hopes to collect enough shoeboxes to reach another 11 million children.
Kristeana Veenstra, OCC Area Coordinator for the West Central Michigan Team, and her husband Tracey have been packing shoeboxes for the past 15 years.
A life-changing impact
Tracey (left) and Kristeana Veenstra have packed shoeboxes for children for 15 years (Courtesy, Veenstra)
After hearing an announcement at church, Veenstra packed three shoeboxes that first year in 2008.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Veenstra. “We don’t have kids, but we love kids, so it was fun shopping, picking stuff out. Even if it’s practical, [I thought] how can I make the school supplies fun.”
In April 2009, Veenstra received a letter and picture from the mother of the little girl who received the very first shoebox Kristeana and Tracey packed.
“The mom was so thankful and appreciative that now her daughter has someone who cares about her in America,” said Veenstra. “[She] invited us to come visit in Burkina Faso (West Africa). It really made an impact.”
Such an impact that Veenstra started taking up more of a role alongside the OCC team leader at the time. Eventually, Veenstra found herself stepping into that leadership role.
Christmas…all year long
“Five years in, I found out there were year-round volunteers and I got super excited,” said Veenstra.
Sheer gratitude exudes from this boy’s face after receiving a shoebox gift in Antigua (Courtesy, OCC)
Part of the year-round team for the past 10 years, Veenstra has served as area coordinator for the last three years. With over 300 participating churches in West Michigan, that is no small feat.
“We help guide churches and businesses [through the process],” said Veenstra. “We love to come alongside the project leaders of those churches and make sure they feel supported and have all the resources they need.”
With 11 drop-off sites for shoeboxes in West Michigan, Veenstra strives to recruit even more sites.
“Sometimes we will discover a need in an area that doesn’t have one, so we will start looking for churches to see if we can recruit a new church that might be interested in being a drop-off,” said Veenstra.
Anyone can pack a shoebox!
Individuals, families, and groups still have time to transform empty shoeboxes into fun gifts. Find a step-by-step guide on the How to Pack a Shoebox webpage.
“Children around the world need to know that God loves them and there is hope,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “A simple shoebox gift opens the door to share about the true hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ.”
Veenstra added, “There is a part that anybody can play. There are so many different things and ways you can be a part of this ministry, that anybody can be part of it.”
The passion behind the shoebox
Kristeana’s team consists of 19 additional team members.
“My team is amazing, they are rockstars,” said Veenstra. “It is a passion of theirs to see kids who have maybe never received a gift, receive a gift, and to spread the love and joy that comes with them. You can really see the passion in them for this ministry.”
Veenstra and her team with Bonny (center) who received a shoebox as a child (Courtesy, Veenstra)
Veenstra remembers a woman who called her local location on the last day of drop-off to see if they would be willing to stay open late so she could deliver her packed shoebox.
“She took way longer to get there than they had expected,” said Veenstra. “It turns out, she had walked seven miles to get this shoebox dropped off because it was that important to her.”
Another project leader continued to lead shoebox packing on her own during COVID. Even though her church had shut down, the leader managed to collect over 300 boxes.
A year-long volunteer and project leader organizes a packing party each year.
“People tell me that they [help] because she has found a way to give them a purpose,” said Veenstra. “It gave them a sense of purpose they didn’t know they had.”
Responses from around the world
While it is rare to get a written letter back from a shoebox recipient because of the high postal cost in some areas, Veenstra said one volunteer’s daughter has email pen pals from all over the world.
“She has grown up doing this with her mom, so she has friends all over the world that she has gotten to know because they have received a shoebox that she packed,” said Veenstra.
After meeting with shoebox recipients in person, Veenstra says, “If that opportunity ever arises, I would tell somebody to drop everything and do it, because it will change your perspective on not just packing shoeboxes, but in so many things.”
“Love” notes
Veenstra said that receiving a shoebox reminds the recipient of Jesus’ love, and shows the recipient that someone else in the world is caring and loving as well.
Desire (crouching, center) received a shoebox as a child (Courtesy, Veenstra)
One gentleman received a shoebox containing a note that said: “Jesus loves you, and so do I.”
As a refugee, that man grew up believing and feeling that everyone hated him.
“They had no home, and he grew up with a lot of hate in his heart,” said Veenstra. “He received this shoebox, and he questioned whether or not his hate was justified because clearly not all people were bad.
“Notes are so incredibly important in shoeboxes because it creates that extra impact and connection.”
However, shoeboxes can be dropped off at any of the shoebox drop-off locations.
Participants can find the nearest drop-off locationand hours of operation with the online lookup tool that is searchable by City or ZIP code. Signs at each location will identify the drop-off.
“I don’t think people really realize that such a small shoebox can make such a huge impact,” said Veenstra. “This is such an amazing ministry, and I love being part of it.”
Let’s crush that goal!
A trio of girls in Mongolia rejoices over their shoebox gifts (Courtesy, OCC)
Since 1993, OCC has collected and delivered more than 209 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories.
West Michigan packed 33,346 shoeboxes in 2022. Veenstra and her team have a goal of collecting 35,500 shoeboxes for 2023.
“We would love to completely crush that goal,” said Veenstra. “There are millions more children to get shoeboxes to.”
The KDL millage offers a lower rate and immediate savings (Courtesy, KDL)
By WKTV Staff
deborah@wktv.org
On Nov. 7, Kent County residents in the Kent District Library service area will be asked to consider renewing the millage that funds its operations for another 15 years.
A lower millage rate and immediate savings
KDL works to save residents money while offering a variety of programs and services (Courtesy, KDL)
KDL is asking voters to consider a new, lower rate of 1.1 mills, which reflects a reduction of 10.9% off KDL’s current millage rate of 1.2355 mills. Taxpayers will see immediate savings as the KDL Board has committed to lowering the millage rate effective Jan. 1, 2024.
“Kent District Library is able to lower its millage because we are part of a thriving and growing community where new taxable real estate has produced more revenue,” said KDL Executive Director Lance Werner.
“As good stewards of your tax dollars, we can reduce the millage while still continuing offer our current slate of programs and services,” Werner continued. “The reduced rate will allow us to add new materials, programs, events and services as we have always done.
“If voters reject the millage, though, we would be forced to close our doors since the majority of our funding – approximately 90% – comes from millage dollars.”
How the millage will help KDL serve you
KDL serves residents in 27 municipalities through 20 branches, a bookmobile, its main service center, 5,000-plus annual in-person programs and a host of patron-focused services, from in-branch printer/Wi-Fi access and loanable mobile hot spots to early literacy initiatives and an extensive collection of talking books and Braille resources.
KDL is a multi-award-winning public library service (Courtesy, KDL)
If approved, the millage will generate $26.6 million in its first year, which will cover the expense of physical and digital collections, employees, programs and events, tech tutoring and other library services, rent and other expenses. The new millage will expire Dec. 31, 2039.
If approved, the lower millage will save taxpayers $3.1 million annually or $46.5 million over its life. With the new lower rate, the average homeowner in the KDL service area will pay $145.75 annually for access to library services – or $2.80 per week, less than the cost of most cups of coffee.
How KDL helps you save
KDL exists to further all people and is an open and welcoming hub for everyone. Last year, the award-winning library system logged more than 2.1 million interactions with patrons, including branch visits, event participation and virtual program attendance. KDL has nearly 140,000 patrons, adding 20,395 new card holders last year.
KDL Millage (Courtesy, KDL)
In 2022, KDL saved individual library users an average of $1,348 in value for physical and digital items they would otherwise have had to purchase. During that same period, library users saved $85.2 million by checking out physical materials and digital items.
KDL’s collection is extensive, with more than 700,000 physical items and 15.6 million digital items. These include books, e-books, apps, magazines, movies, television programs, audio books, video courses, video games, music, online databases, research materials and at-home learning materials, as well as access to statewide materials and collections. In 2022, total circulation rose 6% to more than 7.1 million while computer and Wi-Fi usage grew 26%.
Known for its family-friendly programs, KDL offers more than 5,600 programs and outreach events each year. Baby/toddler/preschool story times, learning labs and craft classes, book clubs, concerts, and special activity and interest groups are all part of KDL’s outreach.
Program and outreach attendance grew more than 61% in 2022.
A leader among libraries
KDL employs 346 people and receives more than 4,000 hours annually from more than 500 volunteers. KDL is governed by a board of trustees who are appointed by the Kent County Board of Commissioners for four-year terms and represent various geographic regions of the county.
Recognized as a leader among libraries, KDL has won numerous awards and accolades for its collections, programs, services and team.
The City of Kentwood’s Little Free Pantry is in immediate need of donations, and the City is encouraging local businesses, organizations and community members to get involved.
The Little Free Pantry is a free resource that provides food and personal care items to community members who are under-resourced. Anyone can give to or take from the pantry, with no questions asked and no application needed.
The pantry operates year-round and has locations at the Kentwood Activities Center, 355 48th St. SE, and the Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE.
The pantry is typically stocked through donations and food drives from the community. Use of the Little Free Pantry has seen a steady increase over the past few years, and immediate assistance is needed. Preferred donations include canned and nonperishable food items and personal care items. A list of suggestions and a link to make financial contributions can be found at kentwood.us/LittleFreePantry.
“We typically see most of our donations come through during the holiday season, but there is need all year,” said Val Romeo, director of parks and recreation. “We’re urging community members to consider donating to this valuable resource. Any donation directly helps someone in our community, whether it’s a single item or an entire grocery cart.”
There are several pantry donation drop-off locations throughout Kentwood. Collection hours and locations are as follows:
Kentwood Activities Center, 355 48th St. SE: Donations may be dropped off 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday.
Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE: Donations may be placed inside the collection bin 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and 7:30 a.m. to noon Friday.
Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE: Donations may be placed inside the collection bin located in the lobby 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Kentwood Justice Center, 4740 Walma Ave. SE: Donations may be placed inside the collection bin 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Kentwood Public Works, 5068 Breton Ave. SE: Donations may be placed inside the collection bin 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Kentwood Fall Leaf and Brush Drop-off, 5068 Breton Ave. SE: Donations may be placed in the bin while the site is operating noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Please note: The leaf and brush drop-off service is only available to Kentwood residents.
Kentwood’s Little Free Pantry was established in 2017 as a Martin Luther King Jr. Day community service project to fill an immediate and local need. A second location was added in 2021.
To make a financial donation and find more information about Kentwood’s Little Free Pantry, visit kentwood.us/LittleFreePantry.
Providing comfort and care at the end of life extends to loved ones and caregivers with emotional support to help cope with stages of grief. (Courtesy, Adobe Stock)
By Emmanuel Hospice
Marcy Kiger is only one of many at Emmanuel Hospice who can attest to the importance of caring not only for patients receiving hospice care, but friends and loved ones on the journey with them.
“Right from the start, we like to emphasize that we’re here to care for anyone else who needs the support, because grief is not an isolated experience,” she says. “It grows roots and spreads, and everybody deals with it differently. By opening the door, folks are able to take that first step.”
As a social worker with Emmanuel, Kiger has noticed that especially in the Midwest, people can be more stoic than elsewhere, and that grief and loss aren’t easy topics to broach and discuss.
“So, we tell folks they’re the drivers of the bus, and we are the wheels,” Kiger says. “We’ll go as fast as they want.”
How are you doing?
Kiger shares that friends and family of people in hospice care are sometimes surprised to hear a clinician or therapist turn to them and ask, “What about you? How are you doing?”
In asking just that, a pause often surfaces during which they can “recalibrate their brain and allow them to be OK with dwelling on whether they’re struggling with the journey.
“It’s real important for us to check in on them to make sure they’re having those moments,” she says, “and even if they’re brief, it’s important to know where they are and how they’re doing.”
Some tips for loved ones
Some tips for loved ones dealing with an impending loss? First, be brave enough to admit you’re having a tough time, because acknowledging it is a big first step.
Second, if you need to talk, seek out a good listener. Emmanuel’s staff is trained to meet you where you are, and help you cope with virtually anything. The nonprofit offers bereavement counseling for up to 13 months after a patient passes.
“That one-year anniversary can bring up a lot of feelings,” Kiger says.
At Emmanuel, caring for people surrounding the patient begins almost immediately.
“We assess the bereavement needs of family members,” Kiger says, “and then we might suggest it would be beneficial to talk with someone on our team if they’d like to do that.”
Kiger and her colleagues pay attention to a lot of factors and also look for clues that will help them counsel friends and family.
“We consider how close they are to the patient, if they have kids, if they are working full time and whether there have been any other deaths or traumatic events in the family lately. All of that might figure into their stress level.”
Dealing with feelings can be tougher on some than others, but Kiger says being open and honest about what you’re experiencing can help you move forward.
“Sometimes, we’re dealing with years and years of learning what is right and what is wrong to express,” she says. “To help them with their struggle, at least we can point out those different doors to consider.”
Emmanuel Hospice’s grief support services are open to anyone in the community on a grief journey regardless of whether they have a prior connection with the nonprofit organization or hospice care. More information is available at EmmanuelHospice.org/grief-support.
Volunteers with trash pulled from Buck Creek 2021 (Courtesy, Martha Stout Vermeulen)
By Deborah Reed
deborah@wktv.org
Volunteers of all ages are welcome to meet at Lemery Park in Wyoming at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19 to help remove trash from Buck Creek during the family-friendly 10th Annual Buck Creek Clean Up event.
Event team leaders will assist in finding sites that meet volunteer needs and will provide necessary information.
“It has been said that an individual’s effort is a single drop, but when a community gives effort, it is a tsunami,” said Martha Stout Vermeulen, Founder and former President of Friends of Buck Creek-Michigan (FOBC).
Trash lines a portion of Buck Creek near an EJ manufacturing facility (Courtesy, Martha Stout Vermeulen)
FOBC began as a grassroots group of concerned citizens that has evolved into a nonprofit watershed organization with hundreds of followers on Facebook and Instagram. FOBC’s focus is to inspire, initiate, promote, and engage in activities that improve and enhance both the environmental quality and the beauty of Buck Creek.
Over the past decade, Friends of Buck Creek-Michigan (FOBC) and Schrems West Michigan Trout Unlimited (SWMTU) have partnered to remove trash from the Buck Creek watershed in Grandville by organizing the annual Buck Creek Clean Up. On Aug. 19, current FOBC President Becky Dykhuis will extend the clean up into Kentwood and Byron Township.
Volunteer numbers have grown steadily since the event’s inception, with several tons of trash removed from the rare urban trout stream’s waters. Tires, shopping carts, microwaves, 55 gallon drums, and scary-looking dolls are only a few items removed from the creek.
The most frequent, and toxic, trash recovered is plastic and styrofoam.
A portion of Buck Creek after clean up near an EJ manufacturing facility (Courtesy, Martha Stout Vermeulen)
Vermeulen says she has observed several benefits resulting from the annual clean up, and a definite reduction in trash in areas that have been frequently cleaned.
“Getting citizens up close and personal with Buck Creek reveals problems that a disposable society creates, and increases awareness to reduce and reuse,” said Vermeulen. “Indeed, it takes a community to love a creek!”
WKTV volunteer Joe DeJong has been the host of The Joe Show for the past three years. He is now looking for an assistant to help operate the camera and edit his show. (WKTV)
Editor’s Note: This story ran previously. The current producer needed to step away with The Joe Show now searching for a new camera operator/producer. If you are interested, contact WKTV Managing Editor Joanne Bailey-Boorsma at joanne@wktv.org or call the office 616-261-5700.
By Sheila McGrath WKTV Contributing Writer
Joe DeJong is not a guy who gives up easily.
For the past three years, DeJong has hosted a podcast called The Joe Show – Connecting All Abilities, which airs on WKTV and can also be found on Apple Podcasts and WKTV’s The Whole Picture Podcasts Facebook page.
The podcast discusses many issues around living with a disability, including ways the community can be more inclusive, as well as the dreams, needs and goals of people with disabilities.
But DeJong, who is blind, has been unable to produce new episodes of the show for the past few months because he lost his camera operator.
Joe DeJong with Erin App, the choir director for the Action Choir. (WKTV)
Now, he’s looking for a new camera person who can also provide transportation to the WKTV studio in Wyoming and help him line up guests.
“I can’t run the cameras because of my visual impairment. I can’t do it myself,” he said. “It’s disappointing to me to not be doing the show right now, but I’m a very patient person. I’m willing to wait until I can get somebody.”
DeJong, 28, has hosted 40 episodes of The Joe Show, featuring guests from the Special Olympics, the Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Center, Disability Advocates of Kent County and many more. State Rep. Tommy Brann was a guest on one of his early podcasts in 2020.
DeJong has many ideas for where he’d like to take the show, but first, he needs to find someone to help run the camera.
Hiring the new person would be facilitated through GT Independence, a service that helps people with disabilities hire community-based caregivers of their choosing.
In addition to running the camera and providing transportation to and from the studio, DeJong envisions that the new assistant would also help him narrow down possible guests for the show by researching people and businesses that would be a good fit. DeJong would make the phone calls to book the guests, he said.
The time commitment would be a few hours a week, including driving to and from the studio, setting up and taping the half-hour show, and doing a little additional research to find guests.
Joe DeJong said he hopes to keep his show about abilities running but needs an assistance to do so. (WKTV)
“If we can find someone, then we can go from there, and give them the training on how to work the camera,” he said.
“I’m a guy that’s going to keep punching and keep advocating and keep fighting,” he said. “I’m not quitting.”
Anyone interested in working with DeJong on the show may contact him through WKTV at 616-261-5700 or by emailing WKTV Managing Editor, Joanne Bailey-Boorsma at joanne@wktv.org.
More information about GT Independence is online at gtindependence.com, or they can be reached by phone at 1-877-659-4500.
By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma WKTV Managing Editor joanne@wktv.org
There will be a number of carnival rides and food offerings at the Wyoming Spring Carnival. (Supplied)
This Friday is the official kick off of activities in the City of Wyoming as city’s annual Spring Carnival returns for 10 days.
“This kicks off the season for us,” said Wyoming Parks and Recreation Director Krashawn Martin. “The carnival is the start of our events such as the concerts and we have some pop-up activities planned for July.
“So here is to beautiful weather and smooth sailing into summer for Wyoming.”
The carnival runs April 28 through May 7 at the Lamar Park, 2561 Porter St. SW. Hours are from 4 – 8:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 2-8:30 p.m. Friday and noon-8:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The carnival is free however there is a cost for rides and food. At the city’s website, there is a coupon for $3 off an unlimited ride wristband.
“This is usually the first event for TJ Schmidt & Company, which runs the carnival,” Martin said. “They always have some fun and new rides and this is the opportunity to explore them. I am not sure exactly what they will be, so people will have to come see for themselves.”
A staple in the city city for more than 30 years, proceeds from the carnival support City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation services and the Greater Wyoming Community Resource Alliance or GWCRA. Funds raised support youth scholarships and youth and family programming through the Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department. The GWCRA distributes funds to the community its through annual grant awarding process.
The Spring Carnival is made possible through the work of the City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation and TJ Schmidt & Company. For more information about the carnival, contact the Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department at 616-530-3164.
LANSING – Long associated with calm music, soothing landscapes and the soft tones of Tim Allen’s voice, Michigan’s campaign to promote tourism will get an update to appeal to younger audiences.
David Lorenz, vice president of Travel Michigan, said the updated campaign marks the first time Pure Michigan has targeted young individuals.
“They’re more interested in experience than stuff,” he said. “Mostly Baby Boomers and Gen Z are looking for experience rather than the bigger TV set or the nicer car. That provides a great opportunity for the travel industry.”
The new ads will be more vibrant, Lorenz said. “You’ll see more people and more activity in the ads. The music is more uptempo.”
“For 17 years, we’ve always used the music from Cider House Rules, we’ve used Tim Allen’s voice, we’ve had this very calm, subtle approach,” Lorenz said. “That reaches the older folks, but we really felt by lifting up the spirit and showing the diversity in this way, we’re going to be more appealing to younger people as well.”
Grand Rapids Included In New Spots
The campaign, billed as “Keep it Fresh,” will include spots focusing on Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor and Traverse City, “using the sights, sounds and artistry that reflect the range of unique experiences and stories to be found in Michigan,” according to a news release from the office of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
“We know that people, when they come to Michigan, expect to see beautiful nature. They’re going to find that,” Lorenz said. “But now they’re also starting to realize they can find vibrant, interesting cities.”
“It’s unbelievably cool. I never thought Detroit would come back the way it is in my lifetime,” he said.
The new campaign will mark Pure Michigan’s return to national airwaves, with spots airing on Discovery, Food Network, HGTV and Magnolia Network, and in local regions throughout the Midwest.
Digital portions of the “Keep it Fresh” campaign launched in late February, with TV ads beginning in March.
The New Pure Opportunity campaign. (State of Michigan)
New Business Marketing Campaign
The council also launched Pure Opportunity, a business marketing campaign touting the state’s skilled labor pool, freshwater resources and top ranking in climate change preparedness.
That campaign will feature images of Michigan companies like Pfizer in Portage, Orbion Space Technology in Houghton, Short’s Brewing Company in Bellaire, Daddy Dough Cookies in Grand Rapids and Detroit Denim.
“Michigan is a place that will drive the world forward through grit, our world-class workforce, and stunning natural resources,” Whitmer said in a news release.
Modernized music
One of the first changes people may notice in the new campaign is more upbeat music.
“We were limited because of the slow, soft, beautiful, emotionally evocative music style of Cider House Rules,” Lorenz said. “It’s kind of hard to say, ‘Hey, let’s go snowmobiling!’”
Nicole Churchill, a co-founder of Assemble Sound, the Detroit company that developed the new score, said they wanted to refresh the music without completely deviating from what people have grown to know and love.
“That Cider House Rules score that’s been used for so long has become such a connection with the brand, I think the biggest challenge was how you maintain the integrity and pay homage to that while still bringing a little bit of newness and youth, and how you get people who are across different generations to like the same thing,” Churchill said.
Julian Wettlin, director of creative licensing for Assemble Sound, said “It was kind of a tightrope to walk between this modern, kind of poppy, electronic, indie-rock world that they wanted to play in with keeping the sincerity that Cider House Rules has.”
It’s All Michigan
The company used all Michigan talent for the demos, and the score that was selected was composed by Ann Arbor native Ben Collins.
Detroit Poet jessica Care moore joins Tim Allen as the voice in the new Pure Michigan campaign.
Wettlin said he didn’t allow the project to overwhelm him while working on it.
After seeing rough cuts of the spots, he thought to himself “Oh, right, this will live for a very long time.”
While the state only contracted for one song, Wettlin said it was designed to be adaptable enough to fit multiple spots.
“We basically gave them a toolbox of sounds,” Wettlin said. “When they get into mix, they can take down some of the bass and let the synths live a little higher in the mix on the more nature ones, and the nightlife ones maybe pull some of that sentimental quality and bring up more of the fun quality.”
A new voice
Another auditory change people are likely to quickly latch onto: the introduction of a new voice, Detroit poet jessica Care moore.
Moore, whose first and last name are not capitalized, came to national prominence after winning “It’s Showtime at the Apollo” a record-breaking five times in a row.
Oprah shared in 2022 one of moore’s poems, “Her Crown Shines,” which was written for then-Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson following her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Lorenz said the Michigan Economic Development Council had looked at introducing a second voice for years, but “they just didn’t seem right until we found jessica.”
“We’re using her in a different way. We’re using her writing talents as well as her voice,” Lorenz said. “I love her kind of grainy, granular, earthy voice. It’s going to blend really well with Tim.”
Focus on diversity
Highlighting diversity is one way the new campaign will appeal to younger audiences, Lorenz said.
“We have a lot to be proud of with our diversity, and we think that’s very appealing to a lot of people right now,” Lorenz said. “With our TV and radio ads, you’re going to hear an additional voice with Tim Allen this year – you’ll hear a woman. That, in itself, demonstrates in a subtle way that we’re not the same old state you think we were. We’re so much more.”
But he acknowledged that some audiences may feel that capitalizing on diversity may seem superficial or opportunistic. It’s a concern that they considered.
“That’s one of the reasons why it’s taken us a while to really take this approach, because we felt that it had to be genuine. It had to be authentic. It had to be real,” Lorenz said.
“We tell the truth about things that are important to people, and things that we know are gaining importance in the future,” he added. “The state has changed in the last 17 years, and we’re trying to represent that change.”
Everyone Is Welcomed
Moore joins Allen in the campaign, who has faced backlash in recent years. After attending the inauguration of former President Donald Trump, Allen told Jimmy Kimmel that, “You get beat up if you don’t believe what everybody else believes. This is like ‘30s Germany.”
Asked whether that factored into the decision to introduce a new voice, Lorenz emphasized that “Tim is not our spokesperson, he’s our voice,” and that he is not being replaced, but rather joined, by moore.
Marketers have to be careful with political debates, he said. “It’s really important that we stay out of that, because we’re in a very divided time politically.”
But it’s tricky.
”Everything seems to be perceived as being political these days,” Lorenz said. But he isn’t concerned about backlash to a more diverse campaign.
“As long as we’re doing the right thing and we’re trying to do our best to articulate that we’re trying to make sure that all persons of goodwill know that they are welcome here, that’s what counts.” Lorenz said. “If there are others out there who take that as some kind of a political statement, they just don’t understand.”
Annuities are a great way to ensure your financial security in the long term. Annuities provide regular payments that can help you pay bills and cover other expenses while also helping protect against inflation and market downturns. Annuities are popular with many retirees as they offer a steady income stream that can last throughout retirement.
The question is, how much income does an annuity payout on average?
The answer depends on several factors, including what type of annuity you purchase and the terms of the agreement. Annuities typically guarantee a fixed payment amount or can be variable, depending on the performance of certain investments or indexes. Annuities are also available with riders that increase the amount of income you receive.
If you’re purchasing a fixed annuity, the amount of income is predetermined by the terms of the agreement and is typically based on your age and the length of time over which payments will be received. Annuities with guaranteed payouts usually offer higher rates than variable annuities, which depend largely on investment performance. Annuity income may also be increased by adding riders like inflation protection or other options that guarantee additional payments.
Generally, an annuity can provide anywhere from several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars a month in retirement income, depending on the type of product purchased and any riders added. As with most investments, it’s essential to consider all of your options before purchasing an annuity to ensure you’re getting the best deal.
Maximizing your payout
In addition, there are several steps you can take to maximize your annuity income and get more out of your investment. Annuitants should review their policy details regularly, as rates may change over time. Annuitants should also consider adding riders to their policy if it suits their particular circumstances. These additional features may help increase the income received from an annuity. Annuitants may also increase the amount of money they receive by taking a lump sum distribution option or electing periodic payments.
Overall, as stated above, the average income from an annuity will depend on the type of product purchased, any added riders, and other factors. Annuity income may range from several hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars per month, depending on the type of annuity and any riders added. By reviewing policy details regularly and adding riders to their policy, annuitants may be able to increase the amount of money they receive from an annuity. Annuities are a great way to ensure your retirement financial security, so make sure you understand your options before investing.
If you’re considering an annuity as a part of your retirement income, it’s essential to understand your options. Contact an annuity expert to learn more about the different types of annuities and how they can help secure your financial future.
Dave Stanley is the host of Safe Money Radio WOOD1300 AM, 106.9 FM and a Financial Advisor and Writer at Integrity Financial Service, LLC, Grandville, MI 49418, Telephone 616-719-1979 or Register for Dave’s FREE Newsletter at 888-998-3463 or click this link: Dave Stanley Newsletter – Annuity.comDave is a member of Syndicated Columnists, a national organization committed to a fully transparent approach to money management.
Guests sample some of the maple sugar in front of Blandford’s sugar shack. (Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)
Blandford Nature Center is marking the sweet arrival of spring by bringing back the popular Sugarbush Festival centered around all things maple-syrup for a 53rd year.
The event will take place March 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Blandford Nature Center, 1715 Hillburn Ave NW, Grand Rapids.
It features the opportunity to explore and learn along Blandford Nature Center’s Sugarbush Trail. Festival attendees can visit stations along the trail where they will learn to identify and tap Sugar Maple trees, explore historic sugaring techniques of Native Americans and Pioneers, and get an inside-look at Blandford’s Sugarhouse and syrup making process.
This fun-filled event will also include wildlife encounters, a petting zoo, games, crafts, food trucks and concessions including Mon Cheri Creperie and Lazy Dazy Coffee Camper, historical building tours, live music and performances by Beaver Xing and Blandford Environmental Education Program Students (BEEPS), blacksmith demonstrations, and more.
“This is the first full-scale Sugarbush Festival we’ve been able to have since 2020,” said Community Programs Coordinator Camilla Voelker. “Our team is so excited to be opening this event up to more people and offering some of the Sugarbush Festival favorites that have been missing in the most recent years, like our Maple Cotton Candy.”
Pre-registration is not required to attend the Sugarbush Festival, but is recommended to avoid the line during check-in. Attendees can pre-register and purchase tickets ahead of time at blandfordnaturecenter.org or walk-in registration will be available at the door. Tickets are $7 per member and $10 per non-member. Children ages 2 and under are free, but registration is still necessary. Check-in will be in front of the Mary Jane Dockeray Visitor Center with overflow parking at The Highlands, the Blandford Nature Center Farm, and CA Frost Elementary School.
Along with the Sugarbush Festival, there will be other sugarbush-themed programs happening during the month of March.
“We have so many fun things happening outside of the festival,” Voelker sai. “Our Tap a Tree or Journey to the Sugarhouse programs give families and children the opportunity to explore and learn about the sugaring process, and our Blandford Date Night: Sunset on Sugarbush orBackyard Sugaring programs are great activities for adults looking to experience the nostalgia of the sugarbush season or learn about sugaring at home.”
Guests can view a full list of programs on Blandford’s Community Calendar at blandfordnaturecenter.org. Blandford’s Sugarhouse is open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 3 pm from March 1-31. A general admission fee of $3 per person is required for non-members which includes access to the Mary Jane Dockeray Visitor Center and Wildlife Education Center as well as over eight miles of trails.
“This award is a reflection that people use and place a high value on the services that they get from Kent District Library,” said Katie Zuidema, marketing communications specialist for KDL.
Money saving opportunities
One of the reasons KDL has surpassed previous engagement numbers is due to patrons realizing they can save hundreds of dollars each year by using free KDL resources instead of purchasing those same resources by other means.
KDL offers a number of programs. KDL Outreach and Programming Specialist Susan Erhardt reads to children. (Courtesy, Kent District Library)
“People are increasingly finding that many of the things they pay hard-earned dollars for are already available at the library—magazines such as Consumer Reports, training from LinkedIn Learning, streaming movie services and more,” said Randy Goble, KDL’s director of engagement, in supplied material. “It adds up to a huge savings.”
In 2022, the average KDL user saved $1,348 by checking out physical and digital items, and digital resource checkouts are more popular than ever.
“Technology is so accessible,” Zuidema said, “and some people’s reading habits changed during the pandemic when libraries were closed for a time.”
Reader usage of digital resources has grown every year, in part to a large collection that serves community members of all ages and interests, and also due to 24/7 access to that collection.
“Where the Crawdads Sing” was the most checked out book from KDL in 2022.
“Digital access continues to be the fastest growing segment of public library resources,” stated KDL’s Executive Director Lance Werner in supplied material. “We’re thrilled to be able to meet people wherever they are, to provide them with books, movies, audiobooks and more.”
Finding popular and current books and resources is also an appealing aspect of KDL.
The highest circulating title KDL readers borrowed in 2022 through KDL’s digital collection was Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, topping both ebook and audiobook categories. The book was a 2022 film starring Daisy Edgar-Jones.
Other popular ebook and audiobook titles borrowed were Verity by Colleen Hoover, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, The Maid by Nita Prose, and The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles.
How can patrons experience these resources?
Readers in Kent County just need a valid KDL library card to access digital books from KDL’s OverDrive-powered digital collection—compatible with any major device—and many other physical and digital resources.
“It’s a great time to sign up for a KDL library card,” Zuidema said. “When someone signs up for a library card, they now select their interests from 14 categories, including music, movies and writing. This information helps staff members share what services might be most exciting or useful to the new patron.”
Zuidema noted that KDL branches offer more than just books and movies. PerkPass program has complimentary guest passes to area attractions. Items such as Nintendo Switch game consoles, GoPro Cameras and Wi-Fi hotspots are available through Beyond Books Collection and KDL offers a variety of free programs for all ages.
Programming continues to be a priority in all 20 KDL branches. In 2022, KDL hosted 4,403 online and in-person programs with 181,265 in attendance.
“Our communities are showing up and expressing appreciation for our free, engaging and impactful programs for all ages,” Zuidema said.
What if you don’t have a KDL library card?
Zuidema was adamant that everyone is welcome in all KDL branches.
Attending KDL programs does not require a library card, and guest passes are available for usage of the library’s computers. The KDL Cruiser bikes are also available for checkout without a library card.
Readers with a card from Grand Rapids Public Library and other libraries part of the Lakeland Library Cooperative can place 15 items on hold through KDL, while KDL cardholders can place up to 70 items on hold.
KDL’s digital collection, databases, PerkPasses, and Beyond Books items like hotspots, Switch consoles, iPads, etc. do require a library card.
“KDL exists to further all people,” said Zuidema. “We truly offer something for everyone. No matter what you are looking for within our walls or on our website, we want you to find it. No matter who you are, you are welcome here.”
Connecting with patrons
A resident recently thanked KDL for saving her money by having a recently-released novel. (Courtesy, Kent District Library)
Zuidema said they love hearing from patrons, whether in-person, via email—or by notes left inside returned books.
One KDL librarian found a note thanking them for saving that reader $29 by having a recent Janet Evanovich book on the shelf.
Some items, however, are left accidentally.
“Once a staff member found a $100 bill inside of a returned book and worked diligently to find the owner,” Zuidema said. “I think they will use cheaper bookmarks from now on!”
How to get started
Visit kdl.org/ecard to apply for a KDL library card. Download the Libby app or visit kdl.overdrive.com to get started borrowing ebooks, audiobooks, and more. Visit KDL’s Spring Kaleidoscope page for new programs and offerings, and kdl.org for more information on all KDL services and resources.
Journeè Evans’ passion for Grand Rapids art, poetry and community gained new perspective in January 2022, when she relocated downtown from the city’s southeast side.
“I wanted to know my surroundings more, to expand,” she told ArtRat. “That’s why I love living in Grand Rapids: You’re always going to run into a different crowd and new culture that you can explore and bring in knowledge and connections. We have something special, something a lot of people are searching for.”
At ArtRat, she has sourced West Michigan artists and artisans for ArtRat’s Holiday ArtMart, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 3 and noon to 6 p.m. Dec. 4. Also during ArtRat’s Third Thursday event Dec. 15, she will host a poetry paint-and-pour as part of her new Sol’s Sessions performance series.
“I met some of the most loving, caring and amazing people” at Pass the Mic, Journeè said. “It was one of those opportunities that you don’t get unless you know that this is something you’re supposed to bring to the world. There’s so many amazing things that come through Grand Rapids, and a lot of people don’t get to see them.”
Journeè has also become an ambassador for C4 (the Community Collaboration on Climate Change),a grassroots organization that is working to make Grand Rapids a model city for climate-change mitigation, adaptation and climate justice for its residents.
In her role with C4, Journeè will work closely with the residents of Grand Rapids to learn the specifics of what our community needs to move forward. (You can download more information on C4 here and here.)
Sol’s Sessions
Her experience at Grand Rapids’ art venues inspired Journeè’s latest project: Sol’s Sessions, a collaborative forum for the city’s emerging artists, poets, singers and dancers that she plans to host throughout the city. “The idea was actually born out of the idea for a dance group,” she said, “but I fell back in love with writing poetry. So it became a space for everything: You can come and speak, listen, cry, dance, even paint or sketch!
“Creativity doesn’t take from anything, or anyone — it simply gives. When you gain creativity, you gain freedom and independence. It gives you the courage to live on without fear.”
Mama Sol’Ja will host a “Sunflower World” edition of Sol’s Sessions on Nov. 18 at the Wealthy Theatre Community Media Center. The event begins at 6pm with performances by six West Michigan poets, leading into an open mic. “I want anybody who has a talent to come and show it so they can get their flowers and that love,” she said. “That’s what the Sunflower World is about.” To keep the flame lit as we head into dark winter months, you’re invited to dress in yellow and join the celebration.
Bringing it all to ArtRat
In December, Journeè will apply her community-building talents to ArtRat, introducing new vendors to the gallery at the Holiday ArtMart, then hosting a Sol’s Session that features poetry alongside participatory painting. “I get to bring in this great community of people who became entrepreneurs in their own right,” she said. “They went out and they actually did something! It’s so amazing to me to see that grit.
“COVID really just stopped a lot of things. Now that people are up and running, I want to really encourage us to gain as much as we can gain because we all went through so much. I was thrilled to be able to give people that opportunity, whether it’s local artists, or younger people who want to pursue creative endeavors.
“I’m thrilled that I get to be able to bring people a new, positive way,” Journeè said, “just to show themselves and be able to express whatever thoughts they have on their mind. We’re definitely going to change it over here. It’s important to give voice to change — and that’s what we’re doing here.”
This article provided by ArtRat, located at 46 Division Ave. S. For more about ArtRat, visit the gallery’s website at www.artrat.us. To join ArtRat Gallery’s mailing list of events and exhibits, email matthew@artrat.us.
Alynn Guerra’s mural for the 49507 Project adorns the side of Cisneros Tire Service located along Division Avenue. (WKTV)
On a pleasant day in September, the smell of warm tortillas and the music playing at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Street and Division Avenue probably left some drivers and pedestrians wondering what is being celebrated at the parking lot of Cisneros Tire Service. Then again, one look at the shop’s wall along Division Avenue and it did not taking much to figure out the reason for the celebration.
Sept. 3 was the unveiling of one of the newest pieces in The 49507 Project, which is a public art project coordinated by the non-profit The Diatribe. The 49507 Project is designed to bring together Black, brown, and LGBTQ+ artists to paint murals and emulate how underserved residents in the 49507 area are.
Redlining, the practice of denying a person a loan because the area they live in is deemed poor, is one of the issues reflected in Alynn Guerra’s piece, “Flight,” which is featured at Cisneros Tire Service, 800 Division Ave. S.
According to Guerra, the mural has a literal and metaphoric meaning. The red on the far left represents redlining, a practiced started in 1933 when the Home Owner’s Loan Corporation began redlining in major American cities. On the far right is a shade of green to represent green lining, an advocacy that seeks to advance and empower communities with people of color. In the center of the background is a sunny yellow tone with a grinning skeleton swinging forward on a swing as white birds fly the opposite direction over the red paint in the background. The birds represent white supremacy reversed as Guerra describes it. The skeleton is a traditional Mexican symbol of rebirth.
“We don’t need to glorify our struggles,” said as she presented her mural to the public. “We can look into the mural and be hopeful.”
Taking on this dynamic form of activism through art, Guerra is a believer her art can create change. Whether you are on the stuck in traffic on the busy street of Division or a customer who needs a tire changed at Cisneros Tire Service, you cannot escape curiosity when studying her mural. This vivid, humorous, and truthful work of art shows immense hope for Grand Rapids to think outside our redlines and educate ourselves on social injustice. What Guerra believes about public art is it communicates a message in a constant way in the present day and future generations to come.
The 49507 Project was launched in 2021 with seven artists completing pieces. For 2022, the project had eight artists complete murals in and throughout the area. Those locations are:
Samaria J’s Salon Suite, 701 Grandville Ave SW
Load A Spud, 1721 Madison Ave SE
Farmers Insurance, 2435 Eastern Ave SE
Mr. B’s Party Store, 1216 Kalamazoo Ave SE
Aleman Auto Repair, 1801 Division Ave S.
Cisneros Tires, 800 Division Ave S.
1956 Eastern Ave.
1935 Eastern Ave.
The project has been well received. In fact, as part of it, Peterson Research Consultants conducted a survey of the community attitudes both before and after starting to assess whether perceptions of the neighborhood might change. After the first year, that survey showed residents felt the art represented how “we see things – colorful, vibrant, and a beautiful side of our culture.”
Funded by a coalition of nearly a dozen businesses, foundations, neighborhood groups and city organizations, The 49507 Project is scheduled to go through 2023.
WKTV Managing Editor Joanne Bailey-Boorsma contributed to this article.
By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma WKTV Journal Managing Editor joanne@wktv.org
University of Michigan Health-West celebrates veterans by participating in Operation Green Light. (Courtesy, University of Michigan Health-West)
In observance of upcoming Veterans Day, the University of Michigan Health-West has joined Kent County by changing its illumination of its hospital tower to green for this week.
The project is part of Operation Green Light, which runs through Nov. 13 residents, business and organizations are encouraged to change their exterior lighting to green. The new national initiative of the National Association of Counties is to show support of military veterans and to raise awareness about the resources available to them through the Kent County Veterans Services.
“There are nearly 40 thousand veterans in Kent County who deserve to be recognized and honored for their sacrifices and services to our country and community,” says Martha Burkett, manager of Kent County Veterans Services. “We want our veterans to know that their service mattered, and there are available resources to assist them and their families.”
There is a connection University of Michigan Health-West to veterans as it shares its hospital campus with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Wyoming outpatient clinic. The VA clinic provides primary care and specialty health services, including mental health services, treatment for hearing loss, cardiology, dental care, gastroenterology, pain management, physical therapy, podiatry, women’s health services, and more.
“We are proud to show our support for the many veterans we serve as patients — and those we work with as colleagues,” said Steve Polega, chief nursing officer at University of Michigan Health-West and a military veteran. “Respect for veterans runs deep in our culture.
“Our hope is that Operation Green Light helps raise awareness about services from the VA and others, including Kent County Veterans Services, just as we send a message of respect to all veterans.”
Many veterans struggle with the transition from military life to becoming a civilian. Kent County Veterans Services serves as a connector to programs and services that can help address everything from housing insecurity to applying for benefits to providing financial assistance in times of crisis. While every program has different qualification requirements, many veterans who honorably served qualify for programs after the completion of their service. Unfortunately, many veterans and their families do not know that the programs exist, or they have never inquired about them. Operation Green Light hopes to illuminate this issue and encourage more veterans to use the programs that best their needs. Green was chosen for the initiative because green is the color of hope, renewal, and well-being. The term “greenlight” is also commonly used to activate forward movement. The simple act of changing one light bulb signifies that movement.
“Elephant Chunko” by Kristina Libby from ArtPrize 2022 (WKTV/D.A. Reed)
ArtPrize will make a catalytic gift of its creative, technological and communications platforms to a new partnership for a new experiment that will build upon the legacy of the international art competition, effectively “ArtPrize 2.0.” Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. (DGRI), the City of Grand Rapids and KCAD will collectively lead this new initiative.
In a statement today, the ArtPrize board of directors expressed deep appreciation to the entire community for 13 years of partnership and support as it winds down its operations.
“What started as an experiment in 2009 quickly became something more, and we have an entire community to thank for embracing the ArtPrize idea and taking it to amazing heights,” said ArtPrize Founder and Chairman Rick DeVos said in a press release. “Together, we were able to stimulate thought and creativity by celebrating art, supporting artists, exploring familiar and not-so-familiar venues, and starting entirely new conversations.
“While there are certainly mixed emotions, we know the time is right to conclude the original ArtPrize experiment and open up space for new energy and creativity. We are thrilled that the partnership of DGRI, KCAD, and the City of Grand Rapids is stepping forward to continue to produce an incredible fall event.”
Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss echoed those sentiments.
From ArtPrize 2014. (WKTV)
“Every destination community has a destination event that captures the spirit and aspirations of that community. For us, ArtPrize has been a manifestation of the independent creative spirit that defines Grand Rapids, and has captured the imagination of people from around the world,” she said. “Rick DeVos and the ArtPrize Board have laid out a roadmap and a foundation that we’re grateful for and excited to build upon.”
ArtPrize has held 13 events since 2009 and awarded more than $6 million through a combination of public votes, juried awards and grants. Millions of people across the globe have participated in ArtPrize in some fashion – displaying their work, performing, opening their spaces, volunteering, or visiting and enjoying Grand Rapids each fall.
For 18 days each year, art was exhibited throughout the city in public parks and museums, in galleries and storefronts, in bars and on bridges. ArtPrize annually awarded $450,000 directly to artists.
Ran Ortner, with his “Open Water no.24,” was the original ArtPrize grand prize winner in 2009, as determined by public vote. He netted $250,000 for the honor, the largest monetary art prize at the time. In 2010, four juried awards were added to the competition and ArtPrize continued to evolve over the years to keep the experience fresh and surprising. A list of all ArtPrize winners can be found here.
Pictured is an Emmanuel Hospice patient receiving massage therapy, which is one of the nonprofit’s complementary therapies that can be used to reduce pain, lower stress and manage fatigue. (Courtesy, Emmanuel Hospice)
For caregivers and survivors left in the wake of some six million who died during the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s more than grief and anxiety to consider.
That’s the message from organizers of World Hospice & Palliative Care Day, celebrated Saturday, Oct. 8, to commemorate and support hospice and palliative care around the world with one voice advocating quality of life and equitable healthcare for all.
It’s also an opportunity to help people understand the difference between hospice care and palliative care, emphasizes Michele Siegel, a social worker for Emmanuel Hospice.
“A lot of people group the two together, but there are distinct differences,” she points out. “The biggest one is that with palliative care, you typically don’t have a life expectancy of six months or less to qualify for symptom management.”
At Emmanuel and other hospices, the primary emphasis is on providing holistic care and support for someone seeking to live as pain-free and alert as possible throughout a serious illness. Medications, equipment, supplies and care relate to pain and symptom relief.
That contrasts markedly from palliative care, where the patient is likely still fighting their illness and continues employing strategies tied to the prospect of cures.
“Does hospice provide palliative care?” Siegel poses. “In a sense, yes. We provide palliative care in the sense that our goal is to provide comfort and care. But with hospice, you also have a terminal diagnosis, and so you’re not seeking curative treatments.”
Sometimes, people suffering from the same maladies can be receiving either hospice or palliative care. They often include those diagnosed with cancer, heart disease and other chronic conditions. The care they choose to receive determines whether they’re receiving palliative or hospice care. If they’re fighting their condition with therapies or clinical trials or other options designed to sustain life, that’s palliative care. If they’re mostly managing pain and symptoms and focused on “making the best of the time you have left,” says Siegel, that’s subscribing to hospice care.
According to Siegel, it’s important to rely on healthcare workers you trust – as well as friends or family members who may be serving as caregivers – to both understand and act on options available. In either case, she says, it’s important to find someone who wants to “coach but not force” decisions affecting care.
The organization supporting World Hospice & Palliative Care Day – online at theWHPCA.org – offers a digital toolkit on its website to help inform and educate those interested in the annual observance.
Siegel applauds such measures, noting that individual hospice care providers like Emmanuel also go to great means to educate people on who they are, what they stand for and the services they provide.
“We’re always just a click or a phone call away, and eager to inform people wondering about their options,” she says. “It’s not always easy wading through all the information available. We’re here to help with that.”
Through that story, Kooyers was pleasantly surprised at the number of Michiganders who mentioned that they have visited those nests and/or continue to monitor them.
The eagle cam operated by Florida-based Dick Pritchett Real Estate, Inc. has gone down due to Hurricane Ian. Neither Harriet or M15 have been seen since the storm. (Courtesy, Pritchett Real Estate, Inc.)
As many know, Hurricane Ian hit Florida earlier this week. This was listed as a category 4 storm meaning that well-built houses could sustained substantial damage such as lost of roofs or exterior walls and that trees could be snapped in half or uprooted with debris being a serious hazard.
Hurricane Ian landed near the Ft. Myers area, where one of nests was located. Kooyer did some research and discovered that the people in Ft. Myers have “put brave boots on” posting updates and photos.
Kooyer provides us with an update:
Some nests survived, others did not
Early reports show Sanibel Island devastated and it is unlikely nests survived but the teams remain hopeful.
The northeast Florida site reported their nest survived.
The southwest Florida nest on Pritchett property as well the residence took a direct hit from Hurricane Ian. The residential property and buildings are reportedly flooded and damaged but crews were starting repairs already. They had three cameras up and ready for the new season.
It was reported that one tree fell. The camera attached maybe salvageable. One tree and camera survived the hurricane. However, the saddest part is the main tree which contained the gigantic eagle nest took a direct hit. The highly observed nest is gone and many key branches are gone.
Those who have viewed the nest may have recalled that it was was huge, weighed tons and was several feet deep. I recall a person being lifted by crane into the nest to retrieve ill eaglets. The size of that nest was mind-blowing and now, it is simply gone. In the photos, it is nowhere to be seen.
What happened to the eagles?
The eagles, Harriet and M15, were last photographed and seen hours before Hurricane Ian hit landfall. I have not seen a report of any sightings of them since, but we retain hope they hunkered down someplace safe and will be back. If they survived and If they are well enough, there is reason to believe they will rebuild. One person even offered to load and deliver a truck of eagle-nest-size branches so the eagles would have the supplies they need to rebuild. But if the eagles do decide to rebuilt, whether it will be in the same location is uncertain.
The two eagles had started a second nest last year, but it was taken over by owls for a very vicious period. The territorial fights between the eagles and owls had us all holding our breath. Given all that, the team will wait to see which cameras are workable, if and when the eagles can come back and where the eagles do build. With all the missing trees and nests, past experiences showed there will be intense wildlife competition for remaining trees to rebuild in as the new nesting season begins.
An amazing season to start bird watching
In short, it is hard saying goodbye to that special nest that held so many stories and memories. Stories that amused us, taught us life lessons and motivated us to be better people with more understanding of the creatures that share our planet. I am not ready to write off Harriet or M yet. They are resilient and strong. Maybe their offspring survived and will return.
I do believe this would be an unusually amazing season to watch or start watching Florida Eagle cams and forums. It is fascinating watching the way they build homes that survive most hurricanes, then the new life cycle starts as they team up to provide for, protect and train the next generation of birds. I pray Harriet and M15 come back. But if they do not, I do suspect another eagle pair or owl will show up to entertain, educate and motivate us.
A word of thanks
Meanwhile, my heart goes out to the humans who went through so much and have much ahead. I have been advised a lot of help is there and coming. A special thanks to the Pritchett family which shares its eagles and property even as they themselves rebuild. A deep gratitude to the photographers who go to that site in all weather to share so many views, events perspectives with us who are miles away. And how super amazing are the people who set up the websites and forums hours after the hurricane. And it takes a brave person to mount and maintain the cameras with protective eagles nearby. Whatever happens in the next days and weeks, we appreciated times and memories past, but we also move forward.
If it helps, I watch the Pritchett Family live cams and forums. I also recommend highly the Hancock Wildlife Foundation live cam links. They have links to many cams of other species as well.
Kent County Sheriff Deputations Krystal Stuart with her former K9 partner, Axel. (WKTV/Jodi Miesen)
It was after a mom approached Kent County Sheriff Officer Krystal Stuart that she knew just how much K9 officer Axel had meant to the community.
Axel died of an undiagnosed heart condition while tracking a suspect in August of 2021. The mother tracked Stuart down in the sheriff department’s parking lot. She told Stuart that her nine-year-old son cried when he saw the news about Axel because he thought of Axel as “their dog.”
“And that just broke my heart because it wasn’t just me that was feeling it,” Stuart said. “It was all these other people that were upset and crying over my dog. You know, and when you have a personal dog, you have your friends and family and people that are sad about it.
“But on such a large scale. I could never have thought that that would have ever happened, that he touched so many lives.”
Not a match made in heaven
Because of her love for animals, Stuart was intrigued by the Kent County K9 Unit and joined in 2019. She had no idea what that was going to entail.
One of Deputy Krystal Stuart’s favorite photos of Axel. (Courtesy, Deputy Krystal Stuart)
Then came the 63-pound German Shepard named Axel. He was just 16-months-old at the time and what many would call a second-time handler dog, not one that a first-time handler such as Stuart should have been assigned. Axel was to be the first explosive detection dog for the Kent County Sheriff’s Department.
However the handler and the K9’s relationship was a rollercoaster from the start.
“The beginning was horrible,” she said. “I had not picked Axel. Axel was actually my third pick. I passed him up because he came into the testing site just digging his claws into the dirt and letting out this Banshee cry…I was like, ‘Wow, I don’t want to deal with that. I’m not gonna. I don’t have the patience to deal with that dog’. So, I passed him up.”
But in the end, Axel became her dog. She was stuck with him. Now came the part of figuring out how to work with each other.
Building the team
“He was a very dominant dog, a very aggressive dog,” she said. “We had to figure out how to respect each other. It wasn’t going to be me ruling over him or him ruling over me. We had to have this mutual respect and I didn’t know how to do that in the beginning. So, him and I battled for the first six months.”
Working dogs such as Axel come with a high drive which is necessary for police work. That drive also comes with its own set of challenges.
“We want dogs that are not going to give up,” she said. “Dogs that are going to continue working until basically we tell them to stop, or they are forced to ‘stop.’
“These dogs are constantly doing something. So, when they’re not working, they can get naughty, because they just want to be working.”
‘Not what I signed up for’
By December of 2019, things got so bad Stuart began questioning if she wanted to continue as a handler. She had experience with dogs, grew up with them and even had two at home before she added Axel to the mix. She also had a husband and two small children, ages 2 and 5, at the time.
“It was just a lot on my family,” she recalled. “It was a lot on me because he wasn’t a good house dog. He didn’t use too much energy to be around the kids. He didn’t get along with my husband very well. And I was like, ‘Yeah, this is not what I really thought I was signing up for.’”
Stuart said the two were living and working together, 24 -7. They were always together. Unlike with a regular partner, who gets to go home at the end of the day, they never got a break from each other. What made things worse is Axel identified Stuart with the job. He always wanted to be working and he didn’t know how to turn it off.
“We have some dogs on our team that when they come home, they can just be couch potatoes and just lay down and relax,” she said. “Axel was not one of those dogs. Because when he saw me, he was like, ‘What are we doing?’, and he was always on it. And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, we are literally just going outside to go to the bathroom, like just calm down.’”
The turning point
But December also was a turning point as Stuart got some help from trained professionals.
“I talked to a trainer and it was kind of like a come to Jesus moment,” she said. “They really helped me understand how to work with a dog like that in a way that I understood. And once I started applying the things that he had taught me; had told me about. We started building from there.”
By the time Axel passed away, Stuart said the pair were coming together and neither had to think about what the other was doing. They were working as a team. Stuart acknowledged that Axel still tested her patience, but things weren’t as hard anymore.
He did what he loved
It was in August of 2021, while working the first call of an overtime shift, things went bad very quickly. Stuart and Axel had responded to a call in Sparta about a possible home invasion. The suspect had fled the scene and Axel with Stuart began to track.
“It was very hot out that day,” she said. “We found one shoe. So, I knew we were on it. I don’t know, a couple 100 yards and we found the other shoe and I’m like we’re still on it. (The suspect is) stripping clothes, you know, either losing them in the thick brush or just stripping down.”
The team made it to an open area of a lawn and Stuart could tell that Axel was hot. She got water from some people in the area. Recognizing that they were closing in on the suspect and knowing another dog was on its way to relieve Axel because of the heat, Stuart said she felt OK wrapping up the track. They were eight minutes into it.
“After he got water, he jumped back up and start tracking again,” Stuart said. “And I was like, ‘Hey’ I’m like, ‘We’re done.’ So, we had to get out to the field.He picked up the track again and started tracking up the field. And I was like, ‘Dude, we’re done like stop.’ So, I yelled at him and was like, ‘stop!’
“But these are those dogs. They want to finish the game and they want to keep working. So, after I told him to stop, he collapsed.”
An undiagnosed condition found to be the cause
Stuart didn’t know what had happened until a necropsy, an animal autopsy, was performed. She was later told he died of an undiagnosed heart condition. Axel was three-years-old and weighed 96 pounds when he died. He had grown into a strong, muscular, powerful German Shepard.
There was nothing that could have done to prevent it. Stuart said it was explained to her that it was similar to when an athlete dies unexpectedly after vigorous activity. In the end, Axel died doing what he loved.
Stuart says she took his passing hard. He was more than a pet. Axel was such a big part of her life and for that reason, there were no breaks from the grief.
“I was at home and then I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I feel him here. I want to go to work.’” she said. “And then I have an empty cruiser…I couldn’t get away from it.
“And so that was one of the hardest things I think I had to deal with.”
An outpouring of love from the community
Axel was connected to the community. Every morning in the field he could have been seen doing obedience training or just playing ball. A week before Axel’s death, Stuart was working as a school resource officer for the Cedar Springs School District for the district’s first week of school.
Kent County Sheriff Deputy Krystal Stuart stands with artist Kathie Van Hekken next to a portrait Van Hekken drew of former K9 officer Axel. (WKTV/Jodi Miesen)
Because of Axel’s connection to the community and being part of the Kent County Sheriff’s Department, the toughest part for her children was that Axel’s death was so publicized.
“When our personal dog passed away, it was hard because that was their dog,” she said. “But then when Axel passed away, everybody in the community knew. And so, teachers, principals, friends were all coming up to them.”
That outpouring included a Rockford artist, Kathie Van Hekken, who offered to create a 44- by 44- color pencil drawing of Axel, which is on display at this year’s ArtPrize at First (Park) Congregational Church, 10 E. Place Pl. NE. Part of the exhibit includes educating the public about the Kent County Sheriff’s Department’s K9 Unit, which is donation based.
A little about working dogs
There are currently 10 K9s covering all of Kent County for the sheriff’s department. Stuart said the department relies on the K9 Unit to make situations less dangerous and more hands on for officers. They can detect explosives, track suspects, secure buildings, or be used as a compliance tool with Stuart adding some people are more likely to comply when you get a dog out and they start barking.
“And it helps officers in different situations as well, especially with people who are trying to run or fight, you know, our deputies,” she said. “So they do a lot in the community. And I think with Axel passing, we really saw how much the people in the community recognize that.”
The new partner: Meet Kai
Stuart decided to stay on with the K9 Unit and this May a German Shepherd Belgian Malians, weighing in at 20 pounds less than Axel, named Kai became her new K9 partner. She started training Kai in July and he has been on the road with her since the beginning of August.
“He has more energy than Axel, which I didn’t think was possible, because Axel was crazy!,” Stuart said. “This dog is just as crazy! And both of them are bulls in a China shop.”
There is also a bit of resemblance.
“We just took pictures for our calendar fundraiser that we’re doing for 2023,” Stuart said. “I have a picture of Axel in the background and I have Kai on a table and they look oddly familiar, like similar. If you didn’t know, you would think it was almost the same dog,” then quickly adding, “Kai, he is his own dog.”
Axel left his mark, helping her to be a better handler for Kai, whose is progressing in his training. It usually takes about two years of training before a dog like Axel or Kai are solid work dogs.
“He set me up for success with my new dog,” Stuart said of Axel. “He taught me patience, how dogs tick. How they work. What to let them get away with and what not to let them get away with. He taught me all that and so I wouldn’t be the handler I am today without the experiences that I went through with Axel.”
Axel may not have been the dog Stuart wanted but he ended up being the dog that left his mark on the heart of his community as well as his handler.
Artist Kathie Van Hekken and Kent County Sheriff Officer Krystal Stuart shown with the portrait of Axel created by Van Hekken. (WKTV/Jodi Miesen)
When Rockford resident Kathie Van Hekken learned about the death of Kent County Sheriff K9 officer Axel, it spurred her into action.
“I saw it on TV the day he died,” said the 76-year-old artist of Axel, who died from an undiagnosed heart condition while tracking a suspect in August of 2021. “And I love dogs. I love pets. I know I have the skill to draw them…And I thought you know what? I could take something so sad and I can do some good with this.”
Her something good was the creation of a 44- by 44-inch color pencil portrait of Axel that is currently part of the 2022 ArtPrize exhibit. The piece hangs at the First (Park) Congregational Church, 10 E. Park Place NE.
A late bloomer in art
Van Hekken discovered her passion for art later in life, after stumbling upon it about seven years ago. Her mother was an artist who dabbled in oil paintings. Van Hekken had inherited her mother’s art supplies when she passed away in 2005, but it wasn’t until years into her retirement that Van Hekken finally got them out.
Artist Kathie Van Hekken admits her passion for art started several years after she retired as an engineer. (WKTV/Jodi Miesen)
“I went to one of those wine and women kind of things,” she said. “I took my paintings and I showed them to the teacher, and I asked if he could teach me what I was missing. And that’s when I started learning.”
She shared her desire to be “good enough” someday to be an ArtPrize artist and with encouragement from that teacher it happened in 2015 when Van Hekken entered her hand drawn, nine feet tall sunflowers.
Making a connection
Through a mutual acquaintance, Van Hekken reached out to Axel’s handler, Kent County Sheriff Officer Krystal Stuart about getting permission to create the piece.
“She told me how big it was going to be and I was like, ‘What?’” Stuart said. “Like, I didn’t even know that was possible, especially for like color pencil, like a drawing, you know. I was like, ‘How is this even going to be a thing?’”
Van Hekken admitted once she got Stuart’s permission, the project was a little nerve wracking as she wanted to do “a really good job.” Stuart was with her every step of the way, coming over regularly to see the piece as it progressed in its various stages and to let Van Hekken know she was heading in the right direction.
“The first conversation we had, we talked,” Van Hekken said. “She told me stories. I’ve learned that I have to know what I’m drawing. If I have an emotional attachment, it will come out. You know, when people say that I captured Axel, that’s because she made sure I knew Axel, even though I had never met him.
‘Hi, Axel’
Through this process and utilizing one of Stuart’s favorite pictures of Axel, slowly he emerged through the drawing.
The portrait of Axel that artist Katie Van Hekken used for her piece. (WKTV/Jodi Miesen)
“I think I had his ears and a little bit of his face,” she said. “And I had sketched in his mouth and I could see him for the first time for me, other than a photograph. And it was like, ‘Hi Axel.’ And I cried for him. It was just really emotional. It still is.”
It took Van Hekken about seven months to complete the massive art piece and as soon as it was, the first person she had to see it was Stuart.
“She was quiet,” Van Hekken said. “She just stood quietly and looked at it. It was very, very touching.”
And for Van Hekken, Stuart’s reaction was payment enough.
“She did a phenomenal job capturing his essence,” Stuart said. “He had that, like I say, twinkle in his eye, which sounds so cliché, but he really did when he was not in work mode. He had this goofy, like ‘I’m a big doofus look in his eye.’ And then when he was working, it just went black.”
Celebrating Kent County Sheriff’s K9 unit
Van Hekken said she chose Axel not only to honor him, but to raise awareness and money for the donation-based K9 Unit. Currently, there are 10 Kent County Sheriff K9s covering most of the county. The animals are trained to detect explosives, track suspects, secure buildings, or may be used as a compliance tool. Axel was the department’s first explosive detection dog.
Van Hekken said she had cards made with Axel’s portrait on them that she handed out when people visit her exhibit. The cards include a QR code to make a donation directly to the Kent County K9 Unit.
“She wanted to tell Axel’s story,” Stuart said. “She wanted to explain what the process was of getting Axel, what happened to Axel, the work that we put in and how much these K-9s actually do for our community.
“Because it’s not just having them and showing off and whatnot. I mean, they find missing children, they find vulnerable adults, suspects in places that we won’t. They protect our officers in different everyday situations.”
Sharing with the community who loved him
After ArtPrize, VanHekken will give the piece to Stuart, who hopes to donate it to the Kent County Sheriff’s Department. Stuart said she wants to share Axel with the community since he was “everybody’s dog.” Stuart is hoping to get approval to have it installed in the new North substation, which is scheduled to open in 2023 in Cedar Springs. Stuart said the location is fitting since northern Kent County was their home base “and those are the residents that had seen him the most.”
Van Hekken said she’s proud to be a part of the project. For her, it was a labor of love.
“I never entered ArtPrize thinking I would win, she said. “I just wanted to do something good. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to call attention to the K9 Unit and Axel.”
And with a satisfied smile adding. “I’m already the winner.”
Back for another summer of fun,The Salvation Army Kroc Center is holding its popular “Kroc Block Party” event Friday, Aug. 19, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. This event is free to both members and non-members.
Area students are invited to attend the Kroc Party event Friday. Aug. 19. (Supplied)
Kids and parents alike can cool off on the Kroc Center’s giant slip & slide. Community partners also will offer activities for families, including a bounce house and cotton candy provided by National Heritage Academies, a mobile gaming truck from the Kent County Prevention Coalition, and an appearance by the Grand Rapids Gold mascot, “Buckets.”
Other local organizations scheduled to participate with information and giveaways for families include Launch Trampoline Park, Consumers Energy, Family Futures, Kent County Head Start, YWCA West Central Michigan, Hope Network, and Health Net.
Families are also encouraged to learn more about Kroc Center membership, along with Kroc Church and other programs open to the public. Easy transportation is available via the Rapid’s Silver Line, which stops directly in front of the Kroc Center.
The event will be cancelled in the event of heavy rain or lightning. Visit the Kroc Center’s Facebook page or call 616-588-7200 for more information and updates.
Knowing when to call for hospice care can be a difficult decision, but many families say they wish they would have called sooner. Hospice care is available to anyone who’s received a physician’s diagnosis of six or fewer months to live.
By Emmanuel Hospice
It’s sometimes easier to define what hospice is not rather than trying to absorb all the things it is – especially in assessing when one should reach out.
“A common misconception is that we’re available only at the eleventh hour, or just days or weeks before someone passes,” says Dana Shelton-Clark, an admissions social worker with Emmanuel Hospice. “But hospice care is really holistic support for anyone who’s been given a physician’s prognosis of six or fewer months to live. And that’s only a requirement for admission.
“There’s no ticking clock, no time limit for the amount of time the hospice benefit can be used as long as someone remains eligible.”
What Shelton-Clark and her colleagues too often hear from patients and their caregivers is this: We wish we would have called sooner.
Dealing with an approaching death can be understandably trying, to say the least. At Emmanuel Hospice, says Shelton-Clark, a team approach is instituted to rally around the loved one and care for them in mind, body and spirit. And there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, either. Instead, care and options are customized to consider each individual’s wants and needs.
“We often get comments such as ‘I didn’t know this is what hospice is’ and ‘I didn’t know hospice could provide this,’” she explains. “All it really takes is a phone call to set up a meeting that will provide a clear and accurate window into all the services hospice offers.”
Shelton-Clark notes some people put off calling hospice because they’re being counseled by medical personnel still fighting for a cure.
“We understand that,” she says, “because most doctors are trained in an approach to do all they can to ‘fix’ the problem. But cures are not always possible, and hospice is a treatment option that should be offered and considered.
“Our focus is to instead provide interventions that relieve symptoms and allow patients to focus on how they really want to live, so that they have as many good days and months as possible.”
Shelton-Clark emphasizes hospice will come to wherever it is the loved one calls home – their own house, or a relative’s, or an assisted living facility or memory care unit. During a first discussion, there’s never any obligation to sign on or take next steps. That’s up to the individual and their caregivers. But sometimes, just that initial meeting is enough to help people understand their options going forward.
Some people actually improve during hospice care, in some cases enough to no longer require services. But they’re free to return if they decline to a point where they again meet eligibility standards; there are never any deadlines imposed.
Shelton-Clark acknowledges that the role of Emmanuel Hospice is as much to provide education as it is to provide care – doing all it can to acquaint people with what hospice is and why it’s better to reach out earlier than later.
“There are so many ways for us to assist,” she says, “especially for that person who’s been in and out of the hospital and is ready for that revolving door to finally stop. That’s the time to give us a call and learn more.
“Our compassionate and experienced team is ready to answer any questions you may have.”
The IRS restricts specific investment options for an IRA.
These restrictions do not allow investment in collectibles, antiques, and other assets. Here is a list: If an IRA invests in collectibles, the amount invested is considered distributed in the year invested. The account owner may have to pay a 10% additional tax on early distributions.
Learn what a prohibited investment in an IRA is important in retirement planning. (pxhere.com)
Here are some examples of prohibited assets held in an IRA: • Artwork • Rugs and other home furnishings • Antiques • Precious metals, some exceptions for gold bullion • Gems, diamonds, other precious stones • Stamps and coins as collections • Alcoholic beverages • Certain other tangible personal property based on the exact nature of the asset • A partnership or company that owns sells or buys these items could be a named asset within an IRA. • Insurance products are also not allowed except for annuities.
Assets that are allowed to be held in an IRA include: • Stocks • Bonds • Mutual funds • Real Estate Investment Trusts • Brokerage accounts • Banks products such as CDs and savings account • Insurance company annuities
If your IRA is engaged in any prohibitive practice, you may be exposed to being taxed as a distribution and also be liable for a 10% penalty.
Remember that an IRA is just a tax-deferred receptacle for invested assets. Almost any category of investment can be placed there, and different IRA custodians make their money by selling and managing these assets. If you open one at a bank, you’ll be able to invest in CDs or savings accounts. If you open it at an insurance company annuity could be a viable option. If you select to open an IRA at a brokerage and mutual fund company, you’ll be able to invest in mutual funds, stocks, bonds as well as other options.
Always make sure your IRA matches up with your goals, and if you do not fully understand the investment options available to you, get a second opinion. Owning an IRA can be a massive advantage to you in later years, make certain your IRA is designed for your specific period and goals.
Dave Stanley is the host of Safe Money Radio WOOD1300 AM, 106.9 FM and a Financial Advisor and Writer at Integrity Financial Service, LLC, Grandville, MI 49418, Telephone 616-719-1979 or Register for Dave’s FREE Newsletter at 888-998-3463 or click this link: Dave Stanley Newsletter – Annuity.comDave is a member of Syndicated Columnists, a national organization committed to a fully transparent approach to money management
Miss Metro Cruise 2021 Dr. Joules Kelvin was out encouraging people to participate in the 2022 Miss Metro Cruise competition during May’s Metro Cruise Dust-Off. (WKTV)
Dr. Jules Kelvin (Juliette Brown) admits when she is dressed up in her retro ’50s attire of a white dress accented with large pink flowers, attendees often are surprised to learn she is an actual doctor.
When that happens, the 2021 Miss Metro Cruise cheerfully explains how it is possible to do both — be a scientist and a pinup.
“I have always been underestimated when I look pretty but that is unfortunately something that happens,” she said. “So, the nice thing about the pharmaceutical industry is that it is less judgmental in that way. People can be a little quirky and flashy and still be taken seriously. Ultimately, as a scientist we are judged on our body of work that we accomplish and so it is a little different in pinup, because people judge you on what you look like.”
This weekend, Kelvin will be doing the judging as she helps find her replacement at the Miss Metro Cruise preliminary contest, which will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Moose Lodge, 2630 Burlingame Ave. SW. The preliminary contest, hosted by Kentwood’s JA PR Group, will feature classic cars with the contest narrowing the contestants down to the final 10 who will compete at the Wyoming Kentwood Chamber of Commerce’s 17th Annual Metro Cruise, set for Aug. 26 and 27.
“I love to plan an outfit and go through all the effort of getting everything just right in my appearance,” Kelvin said of participating in pinup contests like Miss Metro Cruise. “What I love most is sharing the experience with other pinups that I meet.
“I think it is a really accepting and inclusive group in a way that other things based on appearance are not.”
Participating in pinup contests was not even on Kelvin’s radar until a couple of years ago. She was working on doctorate in neuroscience at Michigan State University.
“To be totally honest I was sort of a late bloomer academically,” Kelvin said. “I had tried every different major you could think of except for science. I think I let it intimidate me when I was younger. It always seems scary and overwhelming like ‘That is a lot of math.’
Dr. Joules Kelvin, from Lansing, at the 2021 Miss Metro Cruise preliminary contest. She was named 2021 Miss Metro Cruise at last year’s event. (WKTV)
“As I had my daughter, it was time to be somebody’s role model so I decided to rip the bandage off and go back to school and take a chemistry class and it turned out I was really good at it.”
She earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Saginaw Valley State University because she wanted to go into the medical field. While attending grad school at Michigan State University, she met people in the pharmacology school and found they were “my people.” She earned a doctorate in neuroscience where most of her research has focused.
She also met some other people who connected to another side of her personality.
“I tend to be the more quirky one among the scientists,” she said. “I tend to be a little bit more fashionable then a lot of my colleagues. I like being flashy on the weekends and I have always enjoyed being kind of girlie.
“I think people think you can’t be both, which is just not true.”
It all clicked and after the workshop, Kelvin began to look for photo opportunities working with photographers and attending car shows.
“I have to say the people I meet during pinup are the most diverse, motivated and powerful group of women I’ve encountered,” she said, adding that the group represents different ages, body types, sizes, and aesthetics.
“I always say that my favorite part of the pinup is the sisterhood,” she said.
But the pageants were intimidating because, as Kelvin put it, “not only do you have to put it all together but you have to get up in front of people and be clever.”
In fact, Miss Metro Cruise is the second pageant title she has won in the couple of years of participating. She admitted that the event seemed overwhelming since it was in two parts and featured several well-established pinup artists.
“When I got there everyone was so kind and it was just really welcoming and nice,” she said. “Actually, I think it was lower pressure than other pageants because they do their best to make sure that everyone feels like they are included and they encourage new people to come and do it.”
The win encouraged her to participate in Detroit’s Autorama competition last February, where she again surprised herself by taking home the title.
Kelvin has her sights on a couple of competitions in March of 2023, but for now she is enjoying a break from competing.
There will be plenty of classic cars at the Miss Metro Cruise preliminary contest this Saturday. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)
“I just like going, being positive, and supporting other people who are competing, especially people who are newer,” she said. “And it is nice going and not competing sometimes because I am dealing with a little bit less pressure.”
Along with supporting those competition, she also hopes to have the chance to break the stereotype that scientists are not that interesting by talking to children and young adults about her career path.
“I would like to tell people that they shouldn’t let science intimidate you,” she said. “Scientists are in general very excited about science. If you are curious, come chat us up because we will tell you anything you want to know and some things you don’t.
“I love talking about what I do and how I got there but also the same goes for pinup. Pinup can seem intimidating and overwhelming from a distance, but if you just go talk to a pinup they will tell you their experience of getting there and how it scared them a little bit at first and if you are curious about it you should absolutely try it. We all support each other.”
Bigfoot sightings go back centuries with documation of feet and hand prints. (pxhere.com)
Bigfoot vs. Dogman!!! We proposed that question as our “Final Thought” on episode 42 of Grand Rapids Ghost Hunters Podcast. Offering insights and opposing opinions was our featured guest Linda Pomranky of Michigan Sasquatch Experience and the lead investigator of the Michigan Chapter of North American Dogman Project Shetan Not was our guest co-host.
We learned that Michigan offers equal opportunity for both Bigfoot and Dogman as our prime real estate includes dense forests, swamps, vast farmland, plenty of fresh water, and abundant small game. Roughly 53% of Michigan is forest with more than 19 million acres considered timberland. With three national forests and six state forests we have the largest state forest system in the nation. Our state borders four of the five Great Lakes and with all our rivers, streams, and inland lakes we are never more than six miles from fresh water.
According to folklore, the Michigan Dogman was first witnessed by Lumberjacks in 1887 in Wexford County and was described as seven foot tall with blue or amber eyes with a dog’s head and human body and a chilling scream like a person. The legend was popularized in 1987 by a radio personality from WTCM radio. An abbreviated version of Steve Cook’s song says, “A cool summer morning in early June, is when the legend began, at a nameless logging camp in Wexford County where the Manistee River ran.” It goes on to say a logger named Johnson chased what they thought was a dog into a log, poking it with a stick. It let out an unearthly scream and came out of the log, and stood upright. The song goes on to say, “Somewhere in the north-woods darkness, a creature walks upright, and the best advice you may ever get is never go out, at night.” Artistic renditions of Dogman portray a fierce beast and are truly frightening.
Artistic depictions of Bigfoot are not nearly as ominous. Bigfoot sightings go back centuries, are worldwide and in every culture and continent except Antarctica. It’s believed sightings often go unreported. Bigfoot sightings have been reported as close as Grand Rapids and Kent County as well as Ottawa, Muskegon, Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Jackson, and Oscoda counties. “Hot Spots” in Michigan appear to be Cheboygan/Black River, West Branch/Rifle River, Traverse City, and the western part of the Upper Peninsula. Michigan ranks in the top 10 among other states for Bigfoot sightings, sometimes as high as fourth.
Bigfoot sightings have been documented all over the world. (pxhere.com)
According to the experts, Sasquatch assets include the defensive abilities to blend in with the landscape completely camouflaged and an infrasound stunning roar that has a paralyzing effect. Communication is achieved through a language of whistles, knocks, growls, whoop howls, and high pitched screams. It’s said they talk to each other with a kind of “Samurai chatter.” Bigfoot evidence is compelling and extensive, including: encounters/sighting many by hunters, footprints, vocalizations, broken branches, beds, nests, musty/moldy smell, thousands of photos, footprint castings, hand prints, hand castings, body impressions, scat, and hair.
Sasquatch has many names depending on the area; “hairy giant” on the Pacific Northwest, Ohio Grassman, Florida Skunk Ape, Himalayan Yeti/Abominable Snowman, “Chinese Wildman”- Ojibwa “Wildman”, “Stinky Beast”, and perhaps the Kentucky Bearilla. My Bigfoot people tell me you might smell a Sasquatch before you see it so “Skunk Ape” may provide the best description.
While Bigfoot appears to be omnipresent, luckily according to the Legend of the Michigan Dogman, it will only visit every 10 years or years ending in seven, so we are good until 2027. “Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf?” Check back in about six years!!!
Alissa VanderKooi said that her grandfather, Henry Pestka, would not often speak of his past life as a Jew in Nazi-occupied Germany.
“On that rare occasion that he would speak of this dark period of his life, his focus was never on the darkness but always on the light. His ability to see the light through the darkness is something that we pass on from generation to generation,” VanderKooi said.
“Ways to Say Goodbye”by Ariel Schlesinger. (Photo by D.A. Reed)
One such story Henry chose to tell his granddaughter was of a paint store worker who would offer him a piece of bread when he was brought in by Nazi soldiers to buy paint. Even after a soldier threatened to kill her, the worker worked out a signal with Henry so she would know if, depending on who his guard was that day, it was safe to give him the bread.
“This memory that my grandfather chose to share with me was one of the kindness of a stranger during the darkest of times,” said VanderKooi.
In honor of Pestka and the millions of Jews who perished in the Holocaust the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park through a partnership with The Jewish Federation of Grand Rapids recently dedicated the Holocaust memorial Ways to Say Goodbye. The piece, which was made possible through a donation from Pestka family, was created by artist Ariel Schlesinger in 2019 and was originally on display in the United Kingdom.
“As time goes on and memories of the Holocaust fade, it is important to remember the barbarity human beings are capable of,” said Steve Pestka, son of Henry Pestka. “It is equally important to contemplate the strength of the survivors and their ability to continue and rebuild their lives. It is our hope that this work of art will promote an appreciation of our shared humanity and a reminder that hatred and intolerance continue to this day and the consequences of the ultimate dehumanization of human beings.”
Henry’s Story
During World War II, the Pestka family were prisoners of Auschwitz, a concentration camp in Poland. Both of Henry’s parents and all of his siblings perished during the Holocaust. Henry was the sole survivor of his family and attributed his survival to being given a job as a painter.
Henry Pestka’s son, Steve, speaks to the crowd during the June 30 dedication. (Photo by D.A. Reed)
After surviving the Holocaust, Henry lived for a short time in Paris before joining his only living relatives, an aunt and uncle who had moved to New York City before the war. He was not a fan of the big city and remembered one of his father’s friends, Sam Weissman, who had moved to America from Poland before the war and came to live in Grand Rapids. Henry wrote a letter to Weissman and asked if there would be any work for him in Grand Rapids. Weissman assured Henry he would be able to make a living in West Michigan.
It was in Grand Rapids that Henry found the family and community he previously lost.
“He felt embraced by the people here and the sense of community he so desired,” VanderKooi said. “He never spoke of the hardship of learning a new language or being an outsider. Instead, he always spoke of the warm embrace he received from his community and the opportunities made available to him.”
Henry married Weissman’s niece Beatrice Bergman and began a family. He built a very successful real estate development business becoming known as a pillar of the community. Henry passed away in 2013 at the age of 93, and the sense of belonging he found in Grand Rapids is what prompted the Pestka family to choose West Michigan as the place to honor his memory and those of the six million Jews lost in the Holocaust.
“We are deeply grateful for this gift adding such an important work of art to our permanent collection,” said David Hooker, President & CEO of Meijer Gardens in supplied material. “Our community will forever benefit from this extraordinary gift which serves to educate and promote peace.”
Saying Goodbye
Artist Ariel Schlesinger speaks to a guest after the June 30 dedication. (Photo by D.A. Reed)
Ways to Say Goodbye, a 20-foot-tall aluminum cast of a fig tree with shards of glass inserted among the branches, can be found in the Garden’s outdoor Sculpture Park and is considered an exceptional work of contemporary sculpture dealing with themes of profound loss and grief. Modeled after a living fig tree in northern Italy, Schlesinger chose this metaphor of the Jewish people and their history because of its symbolism of the Jewish struggle for survival both during and after the Holocaust. While appearing fragile and clinging to life, the fig tree is also representative of great endurance.
The shards of glass in the tree represent Kristallnack, or Night of Broken Glass, which took place on Nov. 9-10, 1938. On those nights, the Nazi regime encouraged Germans to riot against Jews and nearly 100 Jewish people died.
During the ceremony, Schlesinger, who is most known for his public sculpture outside the Jewish Museum in Frankfurt, posed the question: “How is it possible to relate to complete horror through artistic representation?” The artist admitted the weight of his task, “which is (to) acknowledge traumas, grief, and losses in the form of public remembrance.”
“While this is not an act of representation, but rather recognition…of an important aspect of our beings,” Schlesinger continued. “To celebrate humans’ resilience even after catastrophe. Here, people will come, look, and survey this dream. The images reflected in the viewer’s eyes will also include sky, clouds, the trees around. Everyone sees what their heart and soul see. With our past, imagining a better future for all.”
A place to remember, reflect
Frederik Meijer Gardens CEO David Hooker with Jewish Federation of Grand Rapids Executive Director Nicole Katzman (Photo by D.A. Reed)
Meijer Gardens and the Jewish Federation of Grand Rapids see Ways to Say Goodbye as a gathering place for the Jewish community of Grand Rapids, offering a place to reflect, pray, and remember, while also being a teaching tool for educators both locally and nationally to address the Holocaust and its legacy.
“For our generation, (the Holocaust) is unfathomable,” said Pestka family friend, Shannon Gales. “So it’s wonderful that they are doing this and honoring the memory to continue to remember.”
David Alfonso, MD and JFGR Board Chair said, “It is incumbent upon us, as well as the generations that will follow us, to tell their stories so that we may embody the saying, ‘Never Again.’ We hope that this sculpture will serve as a beacon of light, a means of inspiration and education, for future generations that will view it and carry on its message of hope and remembrance.”
VanderKooi agreed: “History, the good and the bad, has a way of repeating itself and it is our responsibility, not just as Jews, but as a society, to educate ourselves about the bad in order to prevent it from being repeated or denied.”
Cantor Rachel Gottlieb Kalmowitz ended the ceremony with these inspirational words: “Let the pain of our memories and the love of those lost spur us to educate and inspire, to mourn and to hope, and to do all that we can to ensure the voracity of our words when we say, ‘Never Again.’”
To learn the stories of Henry Pestka and other West Michigan Holocaust survivors, visit West Michigan Holocaust Memorial, a Jewish Federation of Grand Rapids website made possible by the Finkelstein Brothers Endowment.
KDL is looking for local champions in literacy for its KDL Literacy Champion award.
Jeopardy! champion James Holzhauer openly admits that it was the children’s nonfiction section of his library that helped him bring home big winnings and, as a thank you, he donated some of those winnings to local libraries in his area.
Country singer and musician Dolly Parton has always believed that not being able to read was what kept her own father from accomplishing his goals in life and for that reason she started Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in East Tennessee.
Former First Lady Barbara Bush’s work as an educator carried over into her public life as she became an advocate for literacy which lead to the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.
Holzhauer, Parton, and Bush have been recognized as literacy champions, a person who has gone above and beyond to improve literacy within their own community.
The Kent District Library hopes to recognize and an individual and organization who have gone above and behind to improve literacy in the Kent County area through its newly created KDL Literacy Champion Award.
“Literacy is the foundation of all learning for our children and throughout life,” said KDL Executive Director Lance Werner. “There are many people and organizations who have exceptional passion for literacy, creating a profound impact on life in our community. The KDL Literacy Champion Award shines a light on and celebrates them.”
The award will be given to one individual and one organization who does or has done something exceptional to promote literacy. To find those individuals and groups, KDL has opened public nominations through July 31. Nominations may be submitted online at kdl.org/literacychampion.
Nominees should have demonstrated leadership and exceptional achievement in advancing reading. Individuals can be teachers, tutors, school librarians, authors, and others. Organizations can be schools, non-profit services, for-profit businesses, and government entities.
Nominations will be reviewed by a panel from KDL and its Board of Trustees. Winners will be publicly announced and celebrated on Sept. 15 at the eighth annual Literary Libations Gala. Each winner will receive $1,000 in cash, a crystal trophy and two tickets to the KDL’s Literary Librations Gala.
Clean and usable items may be dropped off on June 25 and 26 at 2929 Ottawa Ave. SW, Grandville. (Supplied)
Have some unwanted items that need a new home? Cherry Health is looking for gently used or new items for an upcoming community thrift sale in support of the Sheldon House, a program focused on breaking the stigma of mental illness.
Cleaned and usable items may be dropped off from 4-7 p.m. Saturday, June 25, and Sunday, June 26, at 2929 Ottawa Ave. SW, Grandville. Items that will not be accepted are mattresses, sleeper sofas, cribs/car seats, tube TVs, stuffed animals, and hazardous chemicals/waste.
If you are looking for assistance in cleaning out, Moxie Life Organizing, which is partnering with Cherry Health for the sale, offers serves from life consulting to full-service decluttering, organizing, and staging.
The sale will be at the same location, 2929 Ottawa Ave., SW, on Wednesday, June 29, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday, June 30, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Half price items will be available starting at noon on June 30.
Sheldon House is a clubhouse model program that provides support, opportunity and resources to adults with mental illness in Kent County. With the help of personal staff, members attending Sheldon House have a place to feel accepted, needed and supported. Other benefits include gaining skills, obtaining employment, pursuing education opportunities and building a support system.
The upcoming sale proceeds will be used to support Sheldon House’s members who are aspiring to achieve their personal goals and contribute to the communities they live in. Cherry Health’s Sheldon House program is one of 47 Clubhouse Programs in Michigan and among hundreds of clubhouses worldwide. The accredited program provides strong outcomes, including improved physical and mental health, decreased hospitalizations, reduced incarcerations, greater employment opportunities, and increased overall quality of life for those living with mental illness.
For more about the Sheldon House project and the sale, visit the Sheldon House website.
Moxie Life Organizing helps turn this into……an organized space that looks like this.
