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Feature Story Kiara Baskin

Meet the women championing breastfeeding for women of color

By Jane SimonsFriday, September 18, 2020
“Representation is really a key factor in the success of Black women breastfeeding...We try to make sure we create a safe space to get their breastfeeding needs met.” -Bonita Agee, a Certified Lactation Counselor and coordinator with Grand Rapids-based Strong Beginnings.
Longform Saugatuck-Harbor

How Saugatuck built its community identity by preserving its natural assets

By Patrick DunnThursday, September 17, 2020
"A big sense of the community here is trying to keep a good hold on the natural environment and not have too much development."
Feature Story Holly Cole is the foundation's vice president of grants and program.

Foundation grants additional $625,000 for COVID-19 relief

By Shandra MartinezThursday, September 17, 2020
The Grand Haven Area Community Foundation was part of a community coalition that granted more than $900,000 this spring, and now they’ve aided the community relief and recovery response with an additional $625,000.
Feature Story Julie Cadman and her three children will finally move into their Habitat home soon.

Bank teams with Habitat to beat COVID delays on Hamilton home

BY ANDREA GOODELLThursday, September 17, 2020
COVID-19 shut down construction across the state, including Julie Cadman's Habitat home. A new grant has re-energized the project and Cadman and her family hope to move in soon.
Feature Story Henry and Lindsay Cherry with their four children.

What’s next for Black advocacy in Holland?

BY ANDREA GOODELLThursday, September 17, 2020
Holland residents Henry and Lindsay Cherry have been involved in advocacy for the Black community for longer than they have been married. In June, they helped organize a peace March and almost 4,000 people lined Unity Bridge. Their new nonprofit hopes to show Black youth their true potential.  
Feature Story AIM

COVID-19 Grant Fund shares $9.5 mil. in federal dollars with county nonprofitsArts in Motion moves in new, much needed direction

By Estelle SlootmakerWednesday, September 16, 2020
The Kent County Non-Profit Organization COVID-19 Grant Fund is distributing $9.5 million in federal CARES Act dollars to local nonprofit and human service organizations, including Arts in Motion.
Development News WMPC

WMPC seeks to make foster care affirming for LGBTQ+ youth

By Estelle Slootmaker, Development News EditorTuesday, September 15, 2020
Grand Rapids Community Foundation LGBTQ+ Fund supports WMPC Foster Care A.L.L.Y. Project, “Affirming and Listening to our LGBTQ+ Youth."
Feature Story The Kruithoff family works on their Ottawa County farm, planting a test plot of different varieties of soybeans for a seed company.

Ottawa County program preserves farmland for future generations

By Shandra MartinezTuesday, September 15, 2020
Seeing farmland broken up to build houses saddens farmer Tim Kruithoff. The Ottawa County Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program allowed him to permanently protect his 148 acres. 
Feature Story Rebekah Bakker was named the 2020 Young Professional of the Year by the Holland/Zeeland Young Professionals.

Young Professional of the Year praises group for opportunities

By Shandra MartinezTuesday, September 15, 2020
Rebekah Bakker was recently named the Young Professional of the Year by the Holland/Zeeland Young Professionals. She credits the group for unique experiential learning opportunities.
Longform Jim Lee, vice president of data policy and analytics at the Michigan Health and Hospital Association.

Data sharing among health providers boosts Michigan's pandemic response

By Estelle SlootmakerMonday, September 14, 2020
Beyond the color-coded counties and line graphs we've all seen, data sharing has helped Michigan's many health providers better understand and respond to the pandemic.
Feature Story Downtown Holland launched its outdoor expansion program in June, allowing shops and restaurants to expand their operations onto the sidewalks and parking spaces. 

Downtown Holland extends popular outdoor expansion program

By Shandra MartinezThursday, September 10, 2020
The successful program that allows shops and restaurants to conduct their operations outside was set to expire Sept. 7. However, the Holland City Council has voted to extend the arrangement, developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, through Dec. 1.
Feature Story Zeeland residents Jordan and Jill Emmick have signed on for Zeeland's first Good Neighbor Pledge.

Zeeland challenges residents to be great neighbors

By Shandra MartinezThursday, September 10, 2020
City asks residents to take the Good Neighbor Pledge and pick up a pennant to display outside their homes. With the pandemic keeping many people inside, leaders decided there was no better time to join the national campaign and strengthen Zeeland’s "great neighborhoods."
Feature Story Kiosha Jeltema is a West Michigan Works! Business Solutions Manager.

Job seekers can now connect face-to-face with employers at virtual job fair

By Shandra MartinezThursday, September 10, 2020
West Michigan Works! is debuting new video chat technology at its next hiring event, set for Sept. 16. Each employer will have a virtual “booth,” where discussions about job seekers’ skills and experience will be conducted.
Feature Story Trash

How West Michigan's trash has changed in quarantine

By Allison ArnoldFriday, September 4, 2020
COVID-19 has affected nearly every aspect of the typical day-to-day, but its impact on West Michigan’s waste and recycling reflects how much our lives have changed.
Feature Story Treetops

Empowering new Americans through relationships, product development

By Lauren Fay Carlson, Managing EditorFriday, September 4, 2020
Founded in 2017 with the goal of welcoming new Americans through a variety of programs, Treetops Collective is now a comprehensive system of relationships based on shared goals of education, financial independence, and community building. Mucyo Peninah, a participant in multiple Treetops programs, embarked on a journey of mental health and entrepreneurship, and now shares her lessons with the diverse and dynamic New American community in Grand Rapids.
Longform Kevin Fischer.

COVID-19 a "potential positive" for how Michiganders receive and perceive mental health services

By Estelle SlootmakerThursday, September 3, 2020
Relaxed state and federal regulations have allowed providers to offer more services online, resulting in increased engagement and opening the door to destigmatizing mental health.
Feature Story Crop dusting planes maneuver to avoid electric lines, irrigation towers, woods and more when working. (Photo by Bev Berens)

More farmers are using cover crops to keep pollutants out of lakes and streams

By Bev BerensThursday, September 3, 2020
A cover crop “blanket” helps hold soil and contaminants like phosphorus in fields, reducing runoff into Lakeshore waterways. It also builds organic matter and nutrients, improving soil health.  
Feature Story Michael Sandoval graduated from Michigan State University in 2019.

MSU grad praises TRIO Upward Bound, Promise Scholarship for success in college and beyond

By Michael SandovalThursday, September 3, 2020
Michael Sandoval was surprised when he received a Holland/Zeeland Promise Scholarship, which meant he could attend MSU without accumulating student debt. He credits summers spent in Upward Bound classes at Hope College with keeping him focused on what he wanted to achieve, academically and in life.  
Feature Story Kevin Foster started Capital for Compassion in 2004.

Capital for Compassion works to enable homeless to ‘live a more gracious life’

BY PAUL R. KOPENKOSKEYWednesday, September 2, 2020
Capital for Compassion comes alongside Lakeshore nonprofits as they strive to provide affordable housing and shelter for the homeless. The Holland company wades through complex funding regulations to ensure they have the resources to carry out that mission.  
Partner Content Shanna Moore leads CrimFit programming.

CrimFit Nutrition Program brings exercise and nutrition education to thousands of Flint kids at home

By Santiago OchoaTuesday, September 1, 2020
As Flint kids begin online-only schooling, opportunities for physical exercise and nutrition education will be scarce. But a team of Crim Fitness Foundation staffers is working to address that by bringing the Crim’s Nutrition Program (CrimFit) out of the classroom and into families' homes. 
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