No. 68

Serving all of Kent County

since 1922 Fall 2016

Scholarships!It’s How We Help Students Succeed.

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Board of Trustees

Laurie Finney Beard (Chair)

Carlos Sanchez (Vice Chair)

Paul M. Keep (Immediate Past Chair)

Wayman P. Britt Kate M. DannChristina L. KellerThomas G. KyrosEmily J. LoeksArend D. LubbersMichael G. RosloniecRobert W. RothWayne D. Wilson

About the CoverThis is Monica Rivera, she’s a student at Grand Rapids Community College and a Community Foundation scholarship recipient. You can read more about her life and career aspirations on page 4. Here’s a hint about her field of study: she chose Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital for her photo.

Fall 2016 / Volume No. 68

4 Scholarship Stories: The Future of Our Community

6 Returning the Favor—George and Jill Bosnjak

7 A Beginner Philanthropist—Brian Bakker

8 Summer Fun with Big Change

9 $465,000 Awarded for Community Good

10 Camps Prevent Summer Slide

11 Meeting our Emerging Community Needs

Tel: 616.454.1751, Fax: 616.454.6455Email: grfound@grfoundation.orgWebsite: grfoundation.org

Current is a quarterly publication of Grand Rapids Community Foundation ©2016 Contributing Writers: Roberta F. King, Amanda St. Pierre, Nicole WinterGraphic Design: James Falk Illustration: Yolanda Gonzalez Photography: Bryan Esler, Terry JohnsonCopyeditor: Joan Huyser-Honig

Leadership Team

Diana R. SiegerPresident

Laurie CraftProgram Director

Roberta F. King, APR Vice President, PR & Marketing

Kate Luckert SchmidProgram Director

Stan Vander Roest Chief Financial Officer

Marilyn W. Zack Vice President, Development

B.E.

“We don’t hire women for management positions.”

Bonnie Miller heard this line countless times as a new graduate from the University of Michigan in the early 1960s. Because she is a smart woman with grit, she forged on and eventually became senior

vice president of United Bank.

Throughout her career and now, as she is embarking on her second decade in retirement, Bonnie is committed to raising up those around her who need a helping hand. “I believe that ‘to whom much is given, much is expected,’” Bonnie said.

While many of our Metz Legacy Society members attribute their charitable giving commitment to their families, Bonnie’s story is a little different. Her parents started with very little. They worked hard and invested everything they had in their children and their business. Bonnie’s father worked for Wayland State Bank (now United Bank), a business that her family eventually came to own. “My parents weren’t philanthropic in the traditional sense. They wanted to leave something to their children, to give us a start in life. We were all college educated and were able to work in careers that we loved,” Bonnie said.

As a member of United Bank’s management team, one of her primary responsibilities was to be out in the community. In this role Bonnie found a deeper purpose. She served on many nonprofit boards and gained a better understanding of community needs and the necessity to help fund programs. Bonnie helped found Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women (GROW) and is also a long-time fan, supporter and volunteer with Grand Rapids Symphony.

Grand Rapids Community Foundation has benefitted immensely from Bonnie’s time and talents. She has served on our investment and audit committees and was a member of our Board of Trustees from 2005 to 2012. Today, Bonnie continues to be an asset to our Program Related Investment (PRI) Committee.

She’s also been a long-time donor, supporting many different funds here, but the thing she is most excited about is unrestricted giving. That’s why she’s designated a gift in her will for our Fund for Community Good.

“I don’t have a crystal ball. I don’t know what our community will need in the future. But I’ve been involved here long enough to know that my resources will be managed properly and will be used for what the community needs most. I count on the Community Foundation to know and to lead. I trust them to decide. I believe in the work that this organization does and in their community involvement and leadership in initiatives. Look at downtown—many things are here because the Community Foundation

answered the call to get things going,” she said.

L E G A C Y S O C I E T Y

Metz Legacy Society Profile:

Bonnie Miller

Metz Legacy Society Lunch with Chris LaPorteWe’re excited to announce the speaker for our annual Metz Legacy Society Lunch on October 4. Artist Chris LaPorte will talk about history, legacy and community in the context of his art. He’s well known for his pencil drawings of life-size people. His work is sometimes inspired by vintage photography, as was his ArtPrize 2010 winning piece, Cavalry, American Officers, 1921. Chris teaches art at Aquinas College.

The Metz Legacy Society Lunch, sponsored by Rhoades McKee, is by invitation to people who have made a gift in their will to benefit Grand Rapids Community Foundation. If you’ve included us in your plans, make sure we know so we can add you to the list.

To learn more about the Metz Legacy Society and make a gift in your will or estate plan, contact one of the Community Foundation’s development team members: Marilyn, Shaun or Jonse at 616.454.1751.

B.E.A.S.

“I don’t have a crystal ball. I don’t know what our community will need in the future. But I’ve been

involved here long enough to know that my resources will be managed properly and will be used for what

the community needs most.”

4

Jarrod Benjamin

Cheyenne Williams

Monica Rivera

When Jarrod Benjamin was a small child, his mom cut up grapes, placed them in a frying pan, and taught him how to flip food. This early experience was the cornerstone of Jarrod’s desire to be a

chef. He graduated from City High School in 2016 and received a Grand Rapids Community Foundation general scholarship toward his culinary arts education at Grand Rapids Community College, where he is a freshman.

Jarrod’s inspiration to become a chef stems from watching and learning from his mother, who always made a point to get up early to cook breakfast for Jarrod and his brothers. It wasn’t until he got older, though, that he realized other families often don’t make time to sit down and converse over a meal. “I think food is a great way to connect with people,” Jarrod said.

He hopes to one day own his own restaurant and is currently investigating various cuisines, with Spanish food as his current favorite. Jarrod hopes to participate in a summer internship in Spain during his education, where he’ll gain hands-on experience in the craft.

Though he’s been cooking alongside his mom for years, Jarrod understands the importance of obtaining a formal education in culinary arts. He realizes that many young chefs try to do too much, to cook beyond their limits. “Cooking is an art that has been here for centuries. It’s important to go to a school where you can hone those techniques,” Jarrod said.

Monica Rivera recalls a moment in her childhood in San Luis, Mexico, when she developed hives after eating shrimp and had to wait in line for three hours before a physician could attend to her. “I remember thinking, ‘Wow,

what are the people with real emergencies doing? There really is a need for physicians,” Monica said. Fast forward a few years to when one of Monica’s grandmothers in Michigan took a fall and had to wait two weeks to see a Spanish-speaking physician.

These stories are just two of many reasons why Monica wants a career in healthcare. She hopes to one day be a bilingual physician and do missionary work in underserved areas in the U.S. and abroad. Monica graduated from Lee High School in 2015 and received the Achille & Irene Despres, William & Andre Scholarship toward her associate of science degree. She is a sophomore at Grand Rapids Community College.

For Monica, this scholarship means she is able to work less and give back to her community even more. Charity and empathy are important values to her family, so this scholarship frees Monica to continue volunteering with refugee families settling in West Michigan.

Growing up in the foster care system, Cheyenne Williams recalls continually being told that she wouldn’t go far. These sentiments fueled her desire to succeed—and succeed she has. Cheyenne

graduated from East Kentwood High School in 2016 and received the Donald J. DeYoung Scholarship toward her study of education and childhood development at Ferris State University, where she is a freshman. This scholarship is given annually to a student who has had contact with the family court. It was created in honor of Donald J. DeYoung, who was a Kent County probate judge.

Cheyenne plans to study childhood development so she can guide other children, whether as a teacher or as a liaison in a hospital helping sick children better communicate with their doctors and families.

“The best thing you can do is be a teacher,” Cheyenne said, even though she once thought she’d never want to be a teacher. One day she looked closely at the three year old girl she babysat. “I realized I’d love to do this every day,” Cheyenne said. “I’d love to teach kids right and wrong and be someone they can look up to for guidance.”

For Cheyenne, this scholarship means that “the world still values education and teachers. It still sees people who have gone through hardships as relevant and contributing to society—not just as charity cases.”

Human dummies, 24-hour shifts, mock ambulances, wrecked cars and EKG machines. These make up the life of Dalton Forman as he trains to become a critical

care paramedic, so he can provide the most advanced medical support outside of the emergency room.

Dalton graduated from Sparta High School in 2013. He completed his basic EMT training soon after and has been working at Rockford Ambulance ever since. Dalton received two scholarships toward his paramedic training at Great Lakes EMS Academy: the Altrusa International of Grand Rapids Scholarship and the Harry J. Morris Jr. Emergency Services Scholarship.

In the paramedic program at Great Lakes EMS Academy, Dalton will acquire much more EMS knowledge and hands- on skill than he currently has. He will study subjects such as cardiology, trauma management and IV therapy. The school prepares students to pass their certification exams.

With his paramedic licensing, Dalton will have the possibility to return to school for a bachelor’s degree in healthcare or medicine. “I’ve talked to a lot of people in the field, and they’ve said that, sure, you can go right to nursing school,” Dalton said. “But they said you get a better understanding when you work through each step and understand the importance of paramedics to hospitals. Without us, the hospitals would not function as well.”

There aren’t enough people willing to take on the long hours and stressful work required of a paramedic. Dalton is incredibly grateful for these scholarships that reduce his financial burden and allow him to follow his dreams. Thanks to these scholarships, the future is his!

Dalton Forman

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• You must be age 701/2 or older at the time of gift.

• Transfers must be made directly from a traditional IRA account by your IRA administrator to Grand Rapids Community Foundation.

• Funds that are withdrawn by you and then contributed do NOT qualify. Gifts from 401k, 403b, SEP and other plans also do not qualify.

• Gifts must be outright. Distributions to Donor Advised Funds or life-income arrangements (such as charitable gift annuities) do not qualify.

QUALIFIED DISTRIBUTIONS:

• Can total up to $100,000.

• Will be free from income tax, but will not generate an income tax charitable deduction.

• Count towards your required minimum distribution for the year from your IRA.

Do You Have Excess IRA Assets?Consider Using Your IRA for Charitable Gifts

IRA Charitable Rollovers are good for charity and they are good for you. That is why the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 permanently extended this giving opportunity.

If you’re interested in finding out more about what it takes to create a scholarship fund to help future students like Jarrod, Monica, Cheyenne and Dalton, please call Program Director Ruth Bishop at 616. 454. 1751

B.E.N.W.Marilyn Zack Jonse YoungShaun Shira

Ready to learn more? Contact Marilyn, Shaun or Jonse at 616.454.1751.

6

O n e H u n d r e d N e w P h i l a n t h r o p i s t s

Busy with careers and two young daughters, George and Jill Bosnjak are active philanthropists—who see giving and being involved as closely connected. George

volunteers as the president of Bethlehem Lutheran Church and is the Alumni Association president for the School of Public and Nonprofit Administration at Grand Valley State University. Jill volunteers for Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Hill Child Development Center, Feeding America and Relay for Life.

In their work life, George is director of sales and business development at Great Lakes Health Connect, a nonprofit health technology firm, and Jill is the firm administrator at EHTC, a multi-service accounting firm in Grand Rapids.

For fun, they travel the world with their two daughters and work on creating diverse and enriching experiences for the family.

Through their philanthropy they support Hill Child Development Center, located in the middle of the Heartside neighborhood. “It serves all children in the core of our city. It is a branch of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, and the staff is constantly adapting to the needs of the children and families they serve. From our two daughters, we recognize that education and developmental support from the earliest of ages is the foundation of our community’s future,” Jill said.

George and Jill also support Grand Valley State University, specifically to provide scholarships to students in need. “Higher education gave us opportunities, both professionally and in the community. Our college experience opened doors, developed us as adults and gave us the means to give back and make a difference,” George said.

“We believe that everyone, no matter how successful, has had help from others,” Jill said.

George and Jill Bosnjak

“We now have the opportunity to contribute to the support of others, even if it is in a small way. Our core measure when we give is through the lens of this question: ‘Does this gift present an opportunity to others?’ In reality, not all of us are presented with equal chances. We believe that by giving, we’re providing the help to others that we’ve both experienced,” George said.

“For us, giving decisions are the building blocks of a relationship. We want to be involved in the organizations we support. We realize that dollars are needed for every program to operate, but often the best gifts are time and talent. This is especially true for our generation, because, while we’re building careers and families, there are often limits in our ability to give financial support. What we all have, though, is the ability to share our knowledge and talent, which is equally valuable,” Jill said.

WHAT DO YOU GET FROM GIVING?“We have the opportunity to make life better and to open a door for someone else, to help fund the passion for learning and teaching. There’s also the peace of mind we receive from knowing that we’ve tried to make things better,” George said.

WHY GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION?“We believe that the Community Foundation takes on challenges in the community that other organizations may not have the time or resources to address. Grand Rapids Community Foundation has a talented staff that we have had the opportunity to meet and build relationships with, and they are committed to creating change at the most crucial areas in our community. Any organization promoting positive change in our local community is one that our family gladly supports,” Jill said.6

T.J.R.K.

We believe that Grand Rapids is a magnetic place. People who live here don’t want to leave, and people who leave are often drawn back. Brian Bakker proves

that theory. He was doing work he loved in metro Detroit, valuing businesses for SRR (Stout Risius Ross), a global financial advisory firm, when he felt the pull to return to his hometown. He left the firm and took another job here, but, within a few years, SRR opened an office in downtown Grand Rapids. So he rejoined the company. “My new office is located just blocks from where I live. I love the energy of downtown, and I especially love the ability to walk to and from where I live, where I work and where I have fun,” Brian said.

Brian sees himself as a beginner philanthropist: “I have increasingly felt that I can and should be doing much more to support the community. Many causes I contribute to involve children. I give to organizations that attempt to give children, often with heavy odds working against them, a better chance at having control over their future.” Since he’d lived before on the West Side, he was drawn to Grand Rapids Community Foundation’s Challenge Scholars program. “A part of me cringes every time I hear complaints about the quality of our city’s public schools. How cool would it be if, one day, people insisted on living downtown specifically for the high quality of its public schools? Challenge Scholars encourages students to think critically about the long-term impact a college-equivalent education can have on their lives. It incentivizes them to prepare by achieving higher academic goals today.”

WHY DO YOU GIVE?“I give because of those around me. Simple answer, but it’s true. The best example is the One Hundred New Philanthropists campaign. I have a number of friends who have joined before me in an attempt to create a new generation of donors—who continue our city’s culture of giving back. I was also fortunate to be raised by great parents who demonstrated the importance of giving as an expression of faith.”

WHY GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION?“Grand Rapids Community Foundation’s commitment to a diverse, tolerant and inclusive community also makes me want to rally behind them. I support the message of spending less time talking about, analyzing and critiquing our differences, and more time realizing the value that comes from those differences.”

As Grand Rapids Community Foundation moves toward its 100th anniversary in 2022, we want to recognize people’s philanthropy. That’s why we created our One Hundred New Philanthropists campaign. This outreach effort asks people to do just four simple things:

• Make an annual gift to the Community Foundation.

• Volunteer in the community.

• Make a provision in your estate plan for the Community Foundation.

• Share your philanthropic story with others.

ONE HUNDRED NEW PHILANTHROPISTS

We’re grateful to George, Jill and Brian for sharing their stories here. If you are interested in being one of the One Hundred New Philanthropists, please contact Shaun Shira at 616.454.1751 or email him at sshira@grfoundation.org.

Brian Bakker

B.E.R.K.

Big Changers are passionate about making a difference in our community. In June, Mary Reagan Shapton, one of our Big Changer donors, opened up her space for an evening filled with good conversations about community needs and resources. Thanks to all who joined us!

Think you might be ready for Big Change? You are a Big Changer if you:• Live, work, play, learn, shop, care, give or just enjoy envisioning all that’s possible for our community.• Are currently growing your career or a business, raising a family and making a life for yourself.• Like the idea of leverage and joining together with like-minded people to maximize your impact.• Value innovation, inclusion, leadership, accountability and hope.• Are ready to make a commitment of $500 or more to the community endowment fund of your choice.

Ready to learn more? Contact Shaun Shira at 616.454.1751 x139 or sshira@grfoundation.org.B.E.

8

AT ITS JUNE AND AUGUST MEETINGS, OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVED FIVE GRANTS TOTALING $465,040.

New Grants! New Grants! This is Leadership

Who: Migrant Legal Aid (for the Pesticide Education Project)How much: $50,000

Purpose: It trains people to educate workers on the new Worker Protection Standards Regulations.

Why it matters: This project helps Migrant Legal Aid educate workers and farms so they can avoid unnecessary exposures to

pesticides and protect the environment.

Who: Kent School Services NetworkHow much: $75,000

Purpose: It continues funding the Kent School Services Network to support the community school coordinators and clinicians.

Why it matters: Students are most likely to succeed when they and their families are equipped with essential tools. This project supports staff members who provide counseling, crisis response, workshops and group services directly to families.

Who: Spectrum Health FoundationHow much: $30,000

Purpose: It funds the continuation of the school-based Youth Tobacco Prevention Program, which includes Tobacco-No Way!, NicoTEAM and Teens Against Tobacco Use.

Why it matters: Spectrum Health Foundation follows the national Centers for Disease Control advice for continuous school-based tobacco prevention education. That’s why program leaders teach students the vocabulary, health messaging and refusal skills for when peers pressure them to use tobacco.

Who: Trout UnlimitedHow much: $75,000

Purpose: It continues the Rogue River Home Rivers Initiative, a collaborative watershed project.

Why it matters: The important Rogue River urban trout fishery is experiencing pressures from growth and development. This multiyear watershed restoration project aims to secure advocates for long-term protection.

Who: West Michigan Partnership for ChildrenHow much: $235,040

Purpose: It will fund the purchase of Mindshare, a software system that will monitor, assess and anticipate the care needed for each child in the child welfare system.

Why it matters: West Michigan Partnership for Children, a new consortium, is a pilot effort that unites Kent County child welfare service providers. The goal is to provide a performance-based child welfare system that analyzes and predicts how to improve safety, quality and consistency of services for children and families.

We appreciate the generosity of the following funds for making these grants possible: Kate Pew Wolters Fund, Michigan Health Endowment Fund, Estate of Curtis M. Wylie, Healthy Youth & Healthy Seniors and Charles Evenson Fund for the Environment.

N.W.

FOUNDATION FACTS AND FIGURESFOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2016

$306 million total assets

$13 million total grants authorized

$10 million total gifts and pledges

687 total funds

GRANTS BY AREAn Environment 4%n Education 38%n Engagement 21%n Neighborhoods 20%n Health 12%n Prosperity 5%

10

Summer camps offer children a chance to grow their minds and stay active, while fostering

independence, creativity, and confidence. However, high camp costs and a lack of transportation make it difficult or impossible for some families to choose summer camps.

“In 2014, parents reported planning to spend an average of $958 per child on summer expenses,” according to a recent New York Times article, “The Families That Can’t Afford Summer.” Unfortunately, the inability of some

parents to fund a summer camp experience contributes to the socioeconomic achievement gap. Children from low-income families lose, on average, more than two months of reading skills over the summer. “Researchers credit the summer slide for about half of the overall difference in academic achievement between lower and higher income students,” the article said.

In 2002, Mary Ives Hunting made a bequest of nearly $2 million to Grand Rapids Community Foundation that created a Field of Interest fund so all children, regardless of socioeconomic status can have a summer camp experience. Since then, we have remained committed to making summer camp a reality for all children in Kent County. The fund awards grants to West Michigan summer camps to increase

access to overnight camps and provide transportation assistance for underserved Kent County children. The Community Foundation awarded a total of $112,000 in grants to 16 camps this year, which helped 4,707 children attend summer camp.

Camp Blodgett, one of several West Michigan summer camps offering financial assistance to campers, provides an income-based, sliding fee scale to ensure that the majority of children attend for $40 or less,

compared to the true cost of $400 per child. Executive Director Erica Czaja understands the importance of ensuring equity of opportunity for student campers. “Even though many live less than a 45-minute drive from Lake Michigan, they often see ‘the big lake’ for the first time when they come to Camp Blodgett! This experience alone shows kids that the world is a much bigger place than they had previously known,” Erica said.

Our community is a better place when all students have access to a summer camp experience and thanks to the thoughtful gift of Mary I. Hunting, many Kent County kids do!

PREVENTING THE “Summer Slide”

Our PR & Marketing department welcomes the return of Amanda St. Pierre as its new Strategic Communication Manager. If Amanda looks familiar, it’s because she has been with the Community Foundation for ten years and most recently worked in development as the Philanthropic Services Specialist. In her new role she will help develop and implement communication strategy and evaluate results.

Shaun Shira has been named Major and Planned Gifts Director. In this new role, Shaun will play a significant role in developing and implementing the Foundation’s strategies for attracting new gifts. He’s also charged with cultivating relationships with professional advisors in order to increase referrals.

We wish Nicole Winter well as she returns to Calvin College for her final semester. Nicole worked as our PR & Marketing intern this summer. She wrote news releases and blog posts, as well as articles for this magazine. She also grew our social media presence through various campaigns, worked on the website redesign team and helped other staff members with their communication efforts. Upon earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in strategic communication this December, Nicole plans to work in public relations in Grand Rapids—the city she is proud to call her new home.

N.W.

Mary Ives Hunting

Amanda St. Pierre

Nicole Winter

Shaun Shira

Staff Changes

Growing the Future of Our Community!

Good is essential so that we can adapt tomorrow to community changes that we can’t foresee today.

In 1992, when we celebrated our 70th anniversary, some people suggested we create physical reminders of our past. On the other hand, we as an organization wanted to explore and address issues facing our community. To that end, we gathered key community leaders, and they suggested that the Community Foundation provide a gift that would set the stage to address the knotty issue of child abuse and neglect. From that we created a large-scale prevention effort known as Perspective 21, which focused on curbing the rising incidence of child abuse in our community. That topic didn’t capture as many headlines as a

When I started at Grand Rapids Community Foundation in 1987, our

city was experiencing an explosion of capital efforts. Grand Valley State University celebrated opening the Eberhard Center, and Grand Rapids Public Museum was exploring the possibility of a new facility. The Community Foundation funded significant portions of GVSU and the Public Museum’s physical growth. We also supported building VanAndel Arena and expanding DeVos Place Convention Center. The growth of Grand Rapids continued throughout the 1990s into the new millennium.

We proved our Community Foundation leadership with a grant to Grand Rapids Art Museum for an architect search process. This search process was the catalyst for Grand Rapids Art Museum leaders to consider its future and ultimately build a world-class museum. We were one of many funders for the capital campaign that followed.

And it didn’t end there, as Frederik Meijer Gardens, the Downtown Market and so many more projects came into being. Many of these capital projects that make Grand Rapids shine were funded through our unrestricted fund, also known as the Fund for Community Good. About half the Community Foundation’s assets are in the Fund for Community Good and Field of Interest Funds. The rest of our assets are in funds that are restricted for donor decisions or other specific causes. Having a robust and ever-growing Fund for Community

new building might have, but, in truth, at that time this attention to child abuse was truly needed—and still is.

During the recession of 2008, the Community Foundation banded together with other area foundations to support a fund that addressed essential needs—food, clothing, shelter and transportation— for people experiencing home foreclosures and job loss. Tapping into our unrestricted funds let us do this.

Growing our Fund for Community Good is crucial as needs in West Michigan shift and change. Just as at one time we needed new structures to house our cultural and community institutions, now we need to find solutions to provide a quality public education for all students, alleviate poverty and end racism. These issues loom large over our community, and we need to see results and resolution soon. While it is important to encourage people in their personal philanthropy, we urgently need to meet the needs of the community as they emerge. Supporting our Fund for Community Good is one excellent way for everyone to help.

“Growing our Fund for Community Good is crucial as needs in West Michigan shift

and change.”

M Y C O M M U N I T Y M A T T E R SM Y C O M M U N I T Y M A T T E R S

P.S. You can make a gift to our Fund for Community Good right now. Simply go to www.givegr.org/2016.

Grand Rapids Community Foundation185 Oakes Street S.W.Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503

Nonprofit OrganizationU.S. Postage

P A I DGrand Rapids, MI

Permit No. 360If you are receiving duplicate copies of Current, let us know, and please pass one along to a friend.

Through a partnership among AARP, Encore and Kent District Library (KDL), three Life Reimagined Checkups will be available this fall:

Monday, October 10, 2016, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. KDL Byron Township Library Branch, 8085 Byron Center Avenue, Byron Center

Thursday, October 20, 2016, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. KDL Wyoming Library Branch, 3350 Michael Avenue SW, Wyoming Spanish speaking only

Wednesday, November 16, 2016, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. KDL Kentwood Library Branch, 4950 Breton Road SE, Kentwood

A Life Reimagined Checkup is a free, two-hour experience to help you understand where you are in life and what your next move could be. Led by a trained Life Reimagined Guide, this workshop brings people together to talk about the challenges they’re facing and how to make the most of them. Share your experiences and get inspired about your possibilities. A Life Reimagined Checkup provides a thoughtful entry into Encore Network GR. For more information, contact Encore Innovation Fellow Jane Royer at jroyer@grfoundation.org.

Congratulations to President Diana Sieger and Board President Laurie Beard, who were both named by Crain’s Detroit to its “One Hundred Most Influential Women in Michigan” list.

Program Officer Janean Couch recently added Innovation Management Certification to her list of credentials. This was a yearlong commitment offered by NewNorth Center to equip professionals with the mindsets, processes and tools to make big things happen. Go, Janean!

C H E C K I N T O A C H E C K U P

Diana Sieger Laurie Beard

Janean Couch

Encore work is made possible by the Lucy E. Barnett Trust for the Elderly. Lucy passed away in 1967 and left a significant bequest to establish this Fund with Grand Rapids Community Foundation.