The Lakeshore Museum Center in downtown Muskegon is keeping pace by stepping up its cultural presence with more interactive opportunities. A new greeter awaits you at the museum’s main entrance: Moxie, a whimsical mastodon with blue tusks. A life-size mastodon is on display inside, and 20 more mini mastodons are on the loose, challenging scavenger hunters to discover them around Muskegon.
EmbodyGR in East Grand Rapids has made it their mission to address this issue. The nonprofit endeavors to change society by removing negative stereotypes and fostering empathy and understanding through an unusual means: making yoga available to diverse demographics.
Senior Neighbors, an agency that operates out of Grand Rapids and in four other locations throughout Kent County, has developed dynamic programming to enhance the lives of those who participate in the organization.
MomsBloom offers myriad in-home services, ranging from meal prep to emotional support and companionship to care for additional siblings. People who have taken advantage of MomsBloom services refer to the program as the “extended family of the 21st century.”
The budding group of members experienced exponential growth, so, in 2007, four years after its inception, Local First hired Elissa Sengalli Hillary as director and acquired nonprofit status in order to begin fundraising. In just two years, Local First membership grew from 150 to over 500 locally owned businesses and was able to hire additional staff to assist Hillary in brainstorming new undertakings the organization could sustain.
Various nonprofit organizations and churches can now pay a small fee and receive access to household goods, personal hygiene products, and teaching supplies for free. The Storehouse distributes the goods, and World Vision replenishes the supplies as needed.
Wealthy Street Theatre has been a staple in the Grand Rapids community for as long as I can remember.
Inspired by 826 National, a creative writing program started by internationally acclaimed author Dave Eggers, the Grand Rapids Creative Youth Center (CYC) is the only organization in West Michigan that provides students with enriched writing instruction.
A lesser-known fact is that one in five Michigan children are affected by hunger -- a startling statistic, and one that the Grand Rapids-based Kids Food Basket organization is actively trying to combat. While Grand Rapids is commonly thought to be an affluent community, there is also a prevalence of extreme poverty.
Santa Claus Girls has evolved and grown into an organization whose ambitious mission is to see that every child in Kent County is provided with a gift on Christmas morning.
