Tag Archives: Hope Network

Public Museum, Hope Network offer sensory friendly museum night

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The streetcar at the Grand Rapids Public Museum (Supplied)

By Kate Kocienski
Grand Rapids Public Museum

In recognition of World Autism Awareness Day, the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) and Hope Network invite visitors affected by autism and other sensory processing needs to visit for a Sensory Friendly Museum Night on Thursday, April 22, from 5:30 until 8 p.m. held at the GRPM.

The Museum will adapt sounds, lighting and activities within the current exhibits to create a low-sensory experience for the evening. Visitors can add an experience to see Sean Kenney’s Wild Connections Made with LEGO® Bricks, as well as a visit to the Chaffee Planetarium to view the GRPM created show, Subatomic: Detecting the Unseen, in which the lighting and sound will be adapted. This Planetarium show will play at 6 p.m.

One in every sixty-eight children are on the Autism spectrum, with another child being diagnosed every 20 minutes. Hope Network has been at the forefront of autism treatment since opening its first Center For Autism in Kentwood in 2011, which was Michigan’s first all-inclusive treatment center. Hope Network now has five Centers For Autism across the state, all of which use Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy and comprehensive clinical services to empower those with autism to overcome challenges to achieve their highest level of independence.

“Hope Network has long been committed to positively impacting the lives of children and families affected by autism,” said Phil Weaver, Hope Network President and CEO. “We are honored to sponsor this event which allows families the opportunity to enjoy a fun night out to enjoy all that the Grand Rapids Public Museum has to offer.”

The West Michigan Habitats at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. (Supplied)

“The Museum strives to create inclusive experiences for all visitors, including being both physically and cognitively accessible,” said Dale Robertson, President & CEO of the GRPM. “We are pleased to partner with Hope Network again to allow families to explore the Museum in a low sensory environment, and to take part in our Subatomic Planetarium show which was designed for audiences with sensory processing challenges.” 

The GRPM partners with KultureCity to improve the Museum’s experience for guests with a variety of sensory processing needs. A limited amount of sensory bags containing fidget tools, noise canceling headphones and other resources are available for checkout at the Museum’s front desk.

Pre-registration for the Sensory Friendly Museum Night is required; visit grpm.org to sign up. To add Wild Connections or the Subatomic Planetarium show, use the “continue shopping” feature and find Wild Connections under the Admission tab and Subatomic under the Planetarium tab. For additional information, please visit grpm.org. 

Local resident hopes to build awareness about autism through walk

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Crystal Lettinga with her sister Coral at the Hope Network’s Blue Bridge Walk for Autism. (Supplied)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Crystal Lettinga understands the challenges of taking care of someone with a disability. Since the age of 12, she has helped her twin sister Coral, who has autism, get to class and do other daily tasks.

And while the two graduated from Byron Center High School in 2017 and are now on separate journeys — Crystal is a sophomore at Olivet College and Coral attends a secondary program in Grand Rapids — Lettinga has continued to work toward raising awareness about autism and helping the caregivers receive the love and support they need.

It is one of the reasons she organized Olivet College’s first Walk for Autism Awareness Wednesday, April 3. The walk starts at 5 p.m. from the Olivet College Square. Olivet is about an hour away from the Kentwood and Wyoming communities, located just north of Battle Creek on I-69.

According to Hope Network, one in about 68 children are affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder, which is a developmental disorder marked by two unusual kinds of behaviors: deficits in communication and social skills, and restricted or repetitive behaviors. Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls, according to Autism Speaks, and it affects all ethnic and socioeconomic groups.

“I am a Hope Network ambassador and I have participated in the Blue Bridge Walk for Autism (in Grand Rapids) for several years,” Lettinga said. “I saw this as my opportunity to do something for the community, epesically those with autism.”

The walk is open to anyone who wants to participate. The first 400 people will receive a free t-shirts. The walk itself, according to Lettinga is less than a half mile, making it something anyone can do. There also will be family-friendly activities and games, so as to give families a chance to make it an evening out, Lettinga said.

“It is an open environment where people aren’t judged and can just be who they really are,” Lettinga said. “It is also an opportunity for people to socialize with other people who are going through the same thing.”

Lettinga understands firsthand the importance of not only the person with autism to have people to connect with, but that the caregiver has that same opportunity. At the age of 12, Lettinga’s father suddenly died and she found herself a lead caretaker for her sister Coral, who is non-verbal. 

“It is difficult to have a conversation with Coral, but through the years, I have learned how to communicate with her,” she said. She escorted her to class everyday from about fifth-grade to when they graduated from high school.

“I remember when she was first diagnosed and we had to drive to Detroit because there were no autism centers in the Grand Rapids area or West Michigan,” Lettinga said.

A center offers structured educational programs and tailored therapy which have shown to help children with autism. The discovery that the only available autism center was on the east side of the state lead to the Lettinga family to be advocates and help establish the Hope Network Center for Autism on the Coral Lettinga Campus about eight years ago. Two years ago, the Hope Network Center for Autism in Holland was established with Lettinga adding the hope is to establish another in the Lansing area.

“It is so important for people with autism to learn social skills, living skills and just the basic necessities of life,” she said. 

After high school, the family realized the two sisters would be taking different paths. Coral now attends a secondary program in Grand Rapids while Lettinga studies journalism and mass communications at Olivet College. 

Lettinga said the journey has not been easy, but she would not change it as it has given her the opportunity to help raise the awareness about autism to others. 

“I know would not have had some of the opportunities I have had from helping to open the autism centers to speaking with former Lt. Governor Brian Calley about autism,” she said.

She also does not see herself slowing down from her role as an autism advocate, stating that no matter where she goes in life, she will continue her work in helping people better understand what it is and how it impacts not only the person who has autism, but those round them.

State continues move to phaseout driver responsibility fees

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Former 90th District State House Rep. Bill Haveman and Kentwood District Court Judge William Kelly mark the second phase of the elimination of the driver responsibility fees.
Former 90th District State House Rep. Joe Haveman and Kentwood District Court Judge William Kelly mark the second phase of the elimination of the driver responsibility fees.

You are pulled over by the police for a headlight being out on your vehicle. You receive a defective equipment ticket and you forget to pay the ticket, so your driver’s license gets suspended. You get pulled over again and this time you are cited for a suspended driver’s license and not only end up paying fines for the suspended driver’s license, but also, a few weeks later, receive a $500 driver’s responsibility fee. Then a year later, you receive another notice from the State of Michigan for a second $500 driver responsibility fee.

 

Now those fees are only one year as the second wave of phasing out the driver responsibility fees took effect on Oct. 1, 2016.

 

“A lot of people were calling the state and asking what the second bill was for,” said Kentwood District Court Judge William Kelly, who with former 90th District House Representative Joe Haveman, lead the charge to abolish the state’s driver responsibility fee.

 

kell2“People would say “Didn’t I already pay this?’ and “Why I am getting hit again with this fee?’ It really became a punishment on a group of people who really could not afford it.”

 

On Monday, Kelly hosted a small celebration marking the second phase of the gradual elimination of these fees.

 

“When we brought this before the state government, there was some hesitation because it is such a revenue generator for the state,” Kelly said. Enacted in 2003 when the state was in an economic recession, the fines generate about $100 million for the state treasury. However, about $600 million in fees have gone delinquent or unpaid since the fees were put in place.

 

Kentwood District Court Judge William Kelly cuts the cake as former State House Rep. Bill Haveman watches.
Kentwood District Court Judge William Kelly cuts the cake as former State House Rep. Joe Haveman watches.

“I have a woman who has come into this court and because of the vicious cycle the fees create, now has 56 driver responsibility fees,” Kelly said. This is because if a person does not pay the fee, his/her license can be suspended. If the person gets caught driving with a suspended license, they will get another driver responsibility fee and so the cycle goes.

 

“They can’t pay the fines unless they work, yet they can’t work because they have no way to get there since their license has been suspended,” Kelly said. “In the end, for many, the only way to get out from under these fines is to declare bankruptcy.”

 

Gov. Rick Snyder signed the driver responsibility fee reduction in 2014. Both Judge Kelly and Haveman were on hand for the event.
Gov. Rick Snyder signed the driver responsibility fee reduction in 2014. Both Judge Kelly and Haveman were on hand for the event. (Supplied photo.)

In 2013, Kelly meet Haveman and the two decided to tackle the driver responsibility fees. The following winter, Haveman presented a bill to eliminate the fees and through a compromise, it was agreed that the fees would be gradually eliminated. The first phase took place last year, with fees being 100 percent the first year and 50 percent the second. On Oct. 1, that was reduced to just a one-year fee assessment. On Oct. 1, 2018, the fees will be reduced by 50 percent and on Oct. 1, 2019, the fees will be completely eliminated. Haveman noted that when he introduced the bill, he had the support of the entire house.

 

“There was some hesitation due to the revenue it generated but most were pretty much saying ‘Heck yes, this is the dumbest thing,’” said Haveman who is now the director of government relations at Hope Network. Haveman was forced out of the State House because of term limits but before leaving, Haveman said he made it clear that this was the one item at the top of his bucket list that he wanted to complete before leaving.

 

“We are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” Kelly said. “We are very, very happy. Obviously, we wish we could have done it sooner, but we realize that a compromise was going to have to be made in order to get it done.”

 

So pleased is Kelly that he plans to celebrate each phase of the elimination. “So make sure to come back in October 2019. We should have a pretty big celebration then,” he said.

Legacy Trust Award Collection artists showcase their work at DeVos Place during ArtPrize

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The 2016 winners of the Legacy Trust Award Collection will showcase their artwork at DeVos Place during ArtPrize 2016.

 

Installation has begun for Josh Andrus, Paula Clark, Debra Dieppe and Hope Network Neuro Rehabilitation, who received top honors in the seventh annual LTAC competition for adult artists with disabilities. Sponsored each year by Legacy Trust, LTAC is a mini-art competition that supports four adult artists with disabilities by providing a cash prize, along with venue and marketing support to display their art in ArtPrize.

 

This year, 101 artists from Ada to Zeeland and the Upper Peninsula submitted artwork to the LTAC competition. In addition to two days of public voting at the Grand Rapids Art Museum, LTAC held online voting, which drew votes from throughout Michigan, across the U.S. and from other countries. Prizes and sponsorships were awarded to the two top vote-getters as well as one winner chosen by a panel of celebrity judges and one winner selected to receive the Lillian Perry Walker award.

 

This year’s Legacy Trust Award Collection will feature:

  • Andrus’s piece, “Cattails and Irises,” is an impressionistic acrylic painting inspired by nature walks and the flora found in his backyard. Andrus often turns to nature to unleash his creative spirit, which is apparent in many of his works. Andrus won one of the public votes.
  • Clark’s “Autumn Hues” is an abstract piece that utilizes acrylic paints in a sculptural and expressionistic way to form a fall landscape. Inspired by the rich hues found in the fall season, Clark expressed her love of nature through the piece. Clark received the celebrity judge award.
  • Dieppe’s “She Was Made of Magic That Only I Could See” is a mixed-media piece that expresses the importance of love in finding self-peace. Dieppe drew on personal traumas that have shaped her life to develop the hidden, but significant, imagery found throughout the piece. Dieppe won the Lillian Perry Walker Award, which is chosen by the LTAC steering committee.
  • is a 3-D exhibition of 28 paper masks, each created by a unique artist, that expresses how brain injury affected each artist or how they triumphed over brain injury. The piece is part of a national project to spread the word on the prevalence of brain injury. Hope Network also won the public vote.

 

“We continue to be inspired by the creativity each artist in the LTAC competition brings,” said Mary Ann Sabo, board chair of LTAC Arts, the nonprofit that supports the Legacy Trust Awards Collection. “The four winners truly encompass the spirit of LTAC and are wonderful representatives for the larger disabled community.”

 

This year’s celebrity judges included Richard App, owner of Richard App Gallery, Rosalynn Bliss, Grand Rapids mayor, Meegan Holland, special projects manager for Gov. Rick Snyder, Chris Smit, executive director of DisArt and David Thinger, artist and LTAC 2015 winner.

 

Legacy Trust will work with each of the four artists to market their entries, secure media coverage prior to and during ArtPrize 2016 and support their entries into the world’s largest art competition.  ArtPrize is slated for Sept. 21 through Oct. 19.