Tag Archives: Community

The City of Wyoming seeks volunteers to help spruce up its parks

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The City of Wyoming is hosting a community-wide clean-up at its parks for Earth Day. (Supplied)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

The City of Wyoming will celebrate Earth Day, April 22, in a special way with a community clean-up of its parks.

The city has 21 parks that range from neighborhood parks such as Ferrand Park, 4715 Byron Center SW, to nature preserves like Buck Creek Nature Preserve, 4269 Burlingame SW, and George P. Tilma Nature Preserve, 2100 Sheri Lynn Dr. SW.

Clean up will take place from 9:30 a.m. – noon on Thursday, April 22, at various Wyoming park locations. Volunteers will be assigned to different areas of the parks at check-in. All necessary tools, gloves, and bags will be provided. Face coverings and social distancing are required.

According Krashawn Martin, recreation supervisor for the City of Wyoming, the clean-up day will be a kick-off event for the city’s Adopt-a-Park program.

Adopt-a-Park, is a volunteer program in which citizens, area business or organizations can assist in the enhancement and preservation of local parks, nature preserves and green spaces. Groups need to make either a one-time or ongoing volunteer commitment throughout the year. Groups that do make an ongoing commitment will have signage identifying the organization as an Adopt-a-Park volunteer group.

For the Earth Day event, people may sign up individually or groups. Preregistration is required by April 12.

To register for the Earth Day event or to learn more about the Adopt-a-Park program, call 616-530-3164. You can also sign up the for the Earth Day even by clicking here.

Weekend events designed to create a united Division while defining the area’s vision for the future

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This weekend with be three events to help area residents envision the future of Division Avenue. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

The discussion of what the vision should be along Division Avenue will continue this weekend as The Rapid’s Silver Line hosts a series of events that will temporary transform three intersections along the roadway into safer, more active and vibrant spaces.

Each event has a theme with the events starting on Friday, Oct. 2, from 5 to 9 p.m. with the Everyone’s Plaza at Division Avenue and Logan Street. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, will be two events, Everyone’s Corner on Division Avenue and Burton Street and Division Art & Cultural Market at Division Avenue and 43rd Street. All the events will include food, family fun, music, and other activities related to the theme. All the events are free but attendees are required to follow COVID-19 health and safety guidelines including face coverings and social distancing.

In partnership with Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. and the cities of Grand Rapids, Kentwood and Wyoming, the Division United project kicked off in February, just before the COVID-19 lockdown, with a series of open houses at Division Avenue businesses. The open houses were designed to gather input from residents, community leaders and business owners about what they wanted to see along Division Avenue.

Despite COVID-19, the Division United project has continued with some changes.

“We were planning to have a team of ambassadors made up of residents and stakeholders going out and talking to businesses owners and residents about what are some of the different things they would like to see along Division,” said Bill Kirk, business affairs specialist for The Rapid. “Initially, have some in-person interactions.”

A shift was made to community connectors, people who are pretty well known in Kentwood, Wyoming and/or Grand Rapids, who are doing some personal outreach to the community. The Rapid also has been pushing its online survey at divisionunited.org. 

Through this process, Kirk said the group has received some good feedback and learned a few things that the community would like to see such as vehicle traffic slowing down at the intersection of 48th Street and Division Avenue where the Kelloggsville High School is close by.

“For the most part, what people want is more development and activity in the area, but they wanted it done right with future plans being of the mindset that think about Division Avenue specifically while not displacing the communities that are already there,” Kirk said.

The events this weekend, which were organized with help from Better Block, a national nonprofit that specializes in activating underutilized urban areas, are designed to help residents and others envision the possibilities along Division Avenue. There will be no road closures so those traveling in the area will not be impacted. 

In February, The Rapid’s Silver Line kicked off the Division United study with a series of open houses to gather input from residents, stakeholders, and businesses owners. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

Division United follows the Silver Line bus route along South Division Avenue that runs from 60th Avenue in Cutlerville to the Medical Mile/Grand Rapids Community College loop. The Silver Line was Michigan’s first Bus Rapids Transit (BRT) service. When launched in 2014, the Silver Line was looked at as a catalyst for potential economic ground development leading into the downtown area.

 

Hoping to spark the economic development, the Silver Line received a $696,000 Federal Transportation Administration grant to conduced a study with a $174,000 Michigan Department of Transportation match The cities of Grand Rapids, Kentwood, and Wyoming, which have parts of Division Avenue within their boundaries, each contributed $25,000 to the project. The Division United project is to find ways to improve affordable housing options business opportunities, and neighborhood conditions in the corridor without losing much of the diversity that is part of Division Avenue, Kirk said.

Along with utilizing input from residents, the study also includes data on land usage and codes. 

All three cities, Grand Rapids, Kentwood, and Wyoming, are in various phases of updating their master plans with the cities leaving the Division corridor open until the Division United study is complete, which will be in early 2021. For more information about the project, visit divisionavenue.org.

Governments and Nonprofits: New Partnerships or Paradigm Shifts?

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By K. Caldwell, Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University

 

As priorities of government have shifted away from directly providing services and programs, there has also been an explicit and implied expectations shift between government and philanthropy (defined here to include donors, volunteers, charities, and foundations). The partnerships between governments and philanthropy have evolved from working on similar issues independently, to working together or in place of one another. Consequently, there are new challenges in terms of roles, responsibilities, resources, and repercussions that merit exploration.

 

In recent years, philanthropy has undeniably taken on a larger role in meeting community needs and serving as an economic engine. Nearly one-third of nonprofit sector revenues come from public sources to fund vital services (McKeever, 2015). And one in ten workers in America are employed by a nonprofit organization. That workforce is growing in response to society’s demands (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016).

 

What is more fascinating (and perhaps alarming), is the many ways, in which philanthropy is now temporarily substituting for, or flat out supplanting, the traditional roles of government. A few examples from Michigan present very different, yet similarly complicated examples of sector role conflation.

 

Kalamazoo, Mich. launched the Kalamazoo Promise — an effort to provide higher education opportunities for all public-school graduates — with the support of five anonymous donors (Bartik, 2015). In that same community, two other donors have committed their wealth toward the creation of a new nonprofit, the Foundation for Excellence, which provides funds to maintain a stable property tax rate and structure and funds innovative community solutions as defined by city government.

 

Flint, Mich. experienced one of the nation’s greatest infrastructure failures when the city switched its public water source to the Flint River without proper anticorrosion treatment, thereby damaging the plumbing system, and leaching lead into the drinking water (Bosman, 2016). Foundations and nonprofits stepped up as first responders, delivering bottled water and water filters to residents. A group of foundations ultimately
stepped in to underwrite the costs of switching the water back to the original source, and the community foundation launched a response fund to provide for the long-term nutrition and education needs of the children affected by the increased lead levels (French, 2016).

 

When Detroit, Mich. filed for bankruptcy in July 2013, its debt was estimated at $18-$20 billion. Several foundations pooled their resources to help ensure that pensioners could survive on their fixed incomes, while the Detroit Institute of Arts (which was otherwise headed for the auction block) was reinvented as a nonprofit with a solid financial footing. A new fund was developed through the local community foundation to disperse settlement funds to various individuals and organizations involved in the settlement. (Ferris, 2017)

 

If paradigm shifts such as these are a good thing for the sector and demonstrate the versatility and leadership philanthropy can demonstrate, there are important questions to address as these new “muscles” are exercised. Can philanthropy’s assets substitute for those provided through the public sector? If so, are the sector’s current fiscal and operational systems ready to deal with the change? What are the accountability and transparency responsibilities of philanthropy if it is asked to step into leadership roles traditionally occupied by elected bodies? It is important to be cognizant of the challenges that unclear boundaries and unrealistic expectations can bring to such paradigm shifts.

 

Reprinted with permission from Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University.

Two local theater groups sweeten up the holidays with ‘Willy Wonka’ the musical

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WKTV Journal Nov. 16

Recent interviews with the cast of “Willy Wonka the Musica,” at Van Singel Fine Arts Center next week, has us asking what is your favorite candy?

Posted by WKTV Community Television on Monday, November 20, 2017

 

Everyone has his/her favorite candy, but have you ever heard of how good the scrumdidlyiscious candy bar is? You will if you come to the upcoming production of “Willy Wonka” the Musical at the Van Singel Fine Arts Center on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 and 2.

 

The musical is a fun-filled burst of kids, candy, and song, but it’s also a major milestone for the Van Singel Fine Arts Center and the Master Arts Theatre company. The two organizations came together to combine the skilled direction of Master Arts Theatre with the magnificent stage of the Van Singel. Both groups were excited about the partnership, and look forward to other possibilities.

 

“This one is unique and not because we don’t have community theatre, because we have several which is cool,” said Chris Knoblock who portrays Willy Wonka in the holiday offering. “This is a special conglomeration when you take two different organizations and they blend their strengths. You’ve got Master Arts Theatre bringing us the script and the direction and then you’ve got Van Singel bringing us everything they have to offer with the Dan Pfieffer stage and all of the set pieces and all of their expertise.

 

“It is going to be really, really cool and anyone who comes is going to enjoy it.”

 

When choosing their holiday production, the directors wanted something family friendly and community oriented. They wanted families from the community to be able to come to the shows with their children in tow and walk out with everyone singing the same cheerful songs.

 

“[When selecting the show, we wanted] something that was going to be appropriate for the season with the holidays coming up and one that was really going to strike a cord that families could enjoy and come and see together,” Master Arts Executive Director Timothy Van Bruggen.

 

The musical is based on the beloved children’s book by Roald Dahl, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” which has had two films, a 1971 version with Gene Wilder as Wonka and the 2005 version with Johnny Depp as Wonka. (Note, Knoblock said he is channeling his inner Gene Wilder for the upcoming production.) The story follows a very poor boy, named Charlie, who is one of five lucky children to find a golden ticket giving him a once-in-a-lifetime chance to tour the elusive Wonka factory and receive the ultimate reward: lifetime supply of chocolate…or is it?

 

Nate Knoblock, who plays Phineas Trout, and brother Chris, who plays Willy Wonka.

“Willy Wonka the Musical” was also chosen because of the special way it involves kids, according to the show’s director Cathy VanLopik, adding it gives adult actors a chance to work with and mentor the next generation. In fact, Knoblock said it was his daughter, Kylee, who wanted to try out for a musical with her dad that brought Knoblock to Van Singel for the July auditions.

 

“My own father tried out with me for a musical when that wasn’t even his thing and we got to be in a musical together when I was a kid and I thought what fun to do it with my own daughter,” said Knoblock who actually got an extra treat with brother Nate being casted as reporter Phineas Trout.

 

More than 100 people tried out for parts in the production with residents from a number of areas, including Wyoming and Kentwood, being cast. Being this is a first-time venture, Van Singel Fine Arts Center Managing Director Sara Pass said they were pleasantly surprised at the turnout along with how well tickets have been selling at the box office.

 

“We figured we could not go wrong with anything that involves kids, candy, and song especially too because Willy Wonka is so timeless,” Pass said.

 

Showtimes for “Willy Wonka the Musical” is 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 and 2 and 2 p.m Dec. 2 at the Van Singel Fine Arts Center, 8500 Burlingame Ave. SW. The Van Singel is adjacent to the Byron Center High School at the corner of 84th Street and Burlingame Avenue. Tickets are $22 for the prime seating (which is selling fast for all shows) $19 for all others, $17 for students and seniors and $8.50 for children 10 and under. For more information call 616-878-6800 noon- 5 pm. Monday-Friday or visit www.vsfac.com.

The City of Wyoming once again answers the urge to purge with its Community Clean-Up Day

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Residents unload trash into the dumpsters during last year’s Wyoming Community Clean-Up Day.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

Neighbors helping neighbors. Parishioners loading up trucks. Friends helping seniors move items. These are the stories City Treasurer Nancy Stoddard collected from last year’s Wyoming Community Clean-Up Day. Stories she hopes to see repeated at this year’s event set for Saturday, April 22.

 

“We have the same goal we had last year when we put together the Community Clean Up Day,” said Stoddard, who is is part of the Looks Good Committee, one of three strategic planning committees made up of city employees. “That was to reduce blight in the City of Wyoming as well as beautifying the neighborhood. So we are excited to bring this event back to the community again, right on Earth Day.”

 

The event will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at a new location, North Godwin Elementary School located at 161 34th St. SW.

 

“When we first came up with this plan for these community clean ups, we looked at areas of the city that had a particular amount of complaints regarding the improper disposal of refuse and in doing so there are three areas that started to standout in the city,” Stoddard said. “So we are trying to do a clean up in each of those three areas. So this year we have switched it to that North Godwin area.”

 

Entrance to the site will be from the northbound land of Buchanan from 34th Street to the south driveway of the school. Southbound Buchanan traffic will not be permitted to turn left into the site. Traffic will exit from the site to northbound Buchanan only.

 

Stoddard noted that residents living in the area have been notified that Opal and Reiser streets will be closed on 34th Street along with the west end of 34th Street to Buchanan during the event. Residents are encouraged to enter and exit the area via Division Avenue.

 

The set up is similar to last year. Residents must bring a proof of residency or if the person is a property owner, a utility bill showing that, to enter. Upon entering, household hazardous waste and items for recycling will be collected by Kent County (for what is accepted in hazardous waste and recycling, visit the Recycle Kent website), and Salvation Army will be collecting gently-used items (for a list of accepted items, visit the Salvation Army website). The north end will have eight refuse bins from Plummer. The number of refuse bins was doubled from last year due to demand.

 

“We were ecstatic with the turnout [from last year],” Stoddard said. “Three-hundred thirty-six vehicles came through the lot that day. Fifty-one point four tons of garbage, refuse were removed from the city at that one six-hour event.”

 

There will be a charge for mattresses and box springs, $15 each, and tires, which must be cut in half, will be $10.

 

Many of the city’s employees will be volunteering their time again at this year’s event. Also, high school students may use the event toward their required community service hours needed to graduate. To do so, high students need to fill out a form with the city by 5 p.m. Monday, April 17.

 

Also, the Wyoming Public Service Center Yard Waste Drop-Off site, located at 2660 Burlingame Ave. SW, will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are no limits to the size of branches or shrubs, however, residents must unload the yard waste themselves and all containers must be removed from the facility.

 

For more information, visit the city’s website or call the treasurer’s office at 530-7284.

So much to see and do on National Night Out, August 2

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nno picnicNational Night Out celebrates local heroes and the community

 

By Victoria Mullen

WKTV

 

Each year on the first Tuesday of August — this year, August 2nd — homeowners across America are encouraged to lock their doors, flip on their outside lights and spend the evening outdoors celebrating with neighbors.

 

National Association of Town Watch’s (NATW) annual National Night Out program focuses on building relationships between police and community members by offering free family activities, including block parties, cookouts, safety demonstrations and live entertainment. More than 38 million people nationwide are expected to take part this year.

A bit o’ history

Neighborhood Watch is one of the oldest and most effective crime prevention programs in the country, bringing citizens together with law enforcement to deter crime and make communities safer.

 

Sponsored by the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), Neighborhood Watch can trace its roots back to the days of colonial settlements, when night watchmen patrolled the streets. The modern version of Neighborhood Watch was developed in response to requests from sheriffs and police chiefs who were looking for a crime prevention program that would involve citizens and address an increasing number of burglaries.

 

Launched in 1972, Neighborhood Watch counts on citizens to organize themselves and work with law enforcement to keep a trained eye and ear on their communities, while demonstrating their presence at all times of day and night. (The program took off quickly: in just 10 years, NSA data showed that 12 percent of the population was involved in a Neighborhood Watch.) Neighborhood Watch works because it reduces opportunities for crime to occur; it doesn’t rely on altering or changing the criminal’s behavior or motivation.

 

National Night Out has been extraordinarily successful in promoting involvement in crime and drug prevention activities, strengthening police-community relations and encouraging neighborhood camaraderie as part of the fight for safer streets. Since 1984, National Night Out — America’s Night Out Against Crime has grown to involve over 30 million people from more than 9,000 communities.

 

Each year local Police Departments actively participate in the neighborhood Night Out celebrations. Contact Wyoming Staff Sergeant at 616.257.9711 and Kentwood Staff Sergeant at 616.656.6564 for more information.

So, what’s happening?

black hawk for south kent natl night outThe day starts out early — 7 am — at the Consumers’ Energy building (4000 Clay Ave. SW in Wyoming), where mayors and dignitaries from Grand Rapids, Kentwood, Wyoming, Grandville and other local municipalities will gather to recite the NNO credo. Here’s a great opportunity to meet your local leaders!

 

From 10:30 am-2:30 pm, come on out to Woodland Mall near Celebration Cinema and Red Robin for a day of fun, prizes, games, and popcorn! The Kentwood Police Department will have law enforcement vehicles on display so you can get an upfront, close and personal look at the equipment officers use to answer your calls.

 

South Kent’s 7th National Night Out will feature a Black Hawk fly-in at 2 pm and takeoff at 7:45 pm. The fly-in and landing will be to the west of Peppinos (located at 1515 Eastport Dr. SE), so keep an eye on the sky!

 

From 5:30-8 pm, join local police, fire and other neighborhood partners as GR Kroc Center (2500 South Division Ave. SW in Grand Rapids) celebrates community safety and togetherness. A giant slip & slide will be open, plus you can test your family’s skills in the Kroc Summer Games. Concessions will be available to purchase and enjoy FREE ice cream from Country Fresh! Sponsored by Molina Healthcare and National Heritage Academies.

 

The Wyoming Community Enrichment Commission will celebrate from 7-9 pm with demonstrations and appearances by Wyoming PD, K-9 units, a SWAT vehicle and fire ladder truck along with lots of giveaways throughout the night — from kids’ toys up to $50 gift cards. Join in the celebration of local heroes with great local food and entertainment! Don’t miss the last Concert in the Park event of the year — it will be a blast with catchy Conjunto and Tehano music by Grupo Viento de Los Hermanos Valdez. It all happens at Lamar Park, 2561 Porter St. SW in Wyoming. Go here for more info.

 

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Christ Community Church (2400 Forest Hill Ave. SE in Grand Rapids) will celebrate NNO with highlights like face painting, bouncy houses (for the kids, folks), 100-ft-long slip and slides, live music, refreshments, a raffle, lawn games and a dunk tank, with visits from the Kentwood Fire Department, McGruff the Crime Fighting Dog, Kentwood City Police and more. For more info, go here.

 

There’s so much to see and do, and only a couple short hours to enjoy it! So get involved, join in this evening of easy-breezy fun and create some great memories.

Get Fifi and Fido involved, too!

Have a dog? Consider getting involved with Dog Walker Watch! There are dozens, if not hundreds, of dog walkers throughout the community at all times of the day, all days of the week, in all weather conditions, who are often preoccupied with texting, chatting, emailing and listening to music during their neighborhood walks. Dog Walker Watch trains these individuals how to effectively observe and report suspicious activity. Go here for more info.

 

 

More info

Strong police and community partnership is a critical component of community-oriented policing and problem-solving model. Over the past few years, Neighborhood Watch groups have surfaced as highly effective tools in the detection, reporting and prevention of crime and criminal activity.

 

There are many active Neighborhood Watch groups operating throughout our local municipalities. Group participants hold regular meetings that allow you to meet your neighbors and discuss problems which may be occurring in your district and develop strategies and methods for dealing with them. By becoming familiar with your neighborhood, you are better prepared to detect and report suspicious activity or potential problem individuals or vehicles in your area.

 

The Wyoming Police department provides personal assistance to Wyoming residents interested in establishing new Watch Groups and with the facilitation of existing programs. If you or your neighbors are interested in establishing a Neighborhood Crime Watch Program in your Wyoming neighborhood, please contact Staff Sergeant at 616.257.9711. In Kentwood, contact Staff Sergeant at 616.656.6564.

 

Have we missed anything? Let us know — email Victoria at victoria@wktv.org.