Over the past nine years, LINC UP, a community development organization, has celebrated our region’s individuals and organizations who have made their mark here via its Community Spirit Awards.
The event, unlike other awards shows in our region, has a beautiful celebratory feel to it because it highlights those who have impacted our community for the better.
And while over the past couple of years LINC has hosted the Empowered Communities Conference in conjunction with this annual event, this year they will focus on the awards, but also welcome a special guest speaker to round out the community celebration.
This year, the event will be held at Wealthy Theatre and welcome Margarita “Maggie” Anderson as the keynote speaker at the Community Spirit Awards event on Thursday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m.
Anderson is the CEO and Founder of The Empowerment Experiment (EE) Foundation and author of the critically acclaimed book “Our Black Year.” She will dive in to address with the Grand Rapids audience the topic of why showing up for minority businesses is good business and what it means for a city and region.
“Our Black Year” was the Anderson family’s social experiment as they sought to purchase over the course of a year only from black-owned businesses. Her experiment led to a Northwestern University Kellogg School of Business study on the effects of supporting black-owned businesses on the American economy, as well as Anderson’s belief that doing so can revitalize struggling and impoverished communities.
This event supports LINC UP’s mission “To improve the quality of life of individuals and families by creating opportunities to link with resources offered by the organization and its community partners. LINC UP is a community development organization that provides services to Kent County, whose involvement in a host of projects and services reach and impact families, houses, businesses and neighborhoods at large in Greater Grand Rapids.”
For tickets to the event, please register
here.