Dakota Shayne: From Books and Cookies to Fitness and Urban Growth

At 25, Dakota Shayne smartly comprehends how to meld a literacy-based non-profit that partners with local businesses and promotes story time, optimal community fitness and his overarching goals of growing Grand Rapids as a model urbanization center.

 

Aside from philanthropy, his raison d’etre is fitness. He does marketing and public relations, but he’s also an entrepreneur. Shayne moved to Grand Rapids from Phoenix after experiencing the buzzing creative culture of ArtPrize 2009.

 

“I really like how Grand Rapids is a model city for urbanization. I see my role, in terms of urban renewal, as promoting it on a basic level. We must focus on wellness and community and really include our whole community within the creative culture. I’m an asset to this community because I understand the importance of philanthropy and wellness,” says Shayne.

 

Shayne is the executive director of Downtown Books and Cookies, a story-telling and cookie sharing project where community leaders read their favorite childhood stories to West Michigan children once a month. As a fitness instructor, he marshals a holistic fitness journey for clients seeking total health as a trainer at Renewal Body Bootcamp, a new and distinguishable TRX fitness studio located in Eastown (415 Norwood, behind Wolfgang’s). TRX is a form of suspension training leveraging body weight and gravity via harnessing straps.

 

Upon meeting, I quickly realized his priorities: being well and constantly active, making a real mark on humankind and having fun along the way. He saw an opportunity to actualize his passions and the results are notable.

 

“Downtown Books and Cookies started as a small idea submitted in the 5x5 event.”  5x5 is an opportune springboard for potential success headed by Pomegranate Studios, where five contestants with a presaging idea have five minutes to convince a panel of five judges to award their idea $5000.

 

“Although my idea was not selected, it definitely ignited something,” says Shayne. “I promoted it heavily on social media and had to restructure my thoughts on how to succeed on zero funding,” he adds, laughing.

 

But that budding notion became a reality and since its May 2011 inception, it has swept across the city, creating a room full of connected individuals in different downtown locations celebrating the story. Children grasp the significance and fun of reading. Meanwhile, downtown businesses and individuals are spotlighted. “Word of mouth paired with social media helped the word travel,” says Shayne.

 

So how do these monthly reading gatherings flow?

 

“Every month, a new downtown venue is selected and we bring on a panel of three to four community leaders who each pick a book relevant to their childhood. We ask them to pick a book that they used to read, or one they currently read to their own children. We try to have at least one book relate to the venue or the theme.”

 

Generally, the event occurs during the last Saturday of every month. The panel reads to an audience of children, ages 5-10, and their families, while snacking on healthier versions of traditional munchies; cookies and cupcakes sans refined sugars from Wednesday Evening Cookies and Bartertown Diner and organic milk from Forest Hills Foods.

 

“Because wellness is a huge element, we want to educate the public on the vegan route. However, the kids don’t know that it’s vegan and they love the food,” Shayne says. Afterwards, the fun continues during an activity relevant to the event. The general duration is an hour and a half.

 

Downtown Books and Cookies Event Director and Shayne’s right-hand gal, Sheri Heffron, cued in on additional specifics. “We value wellness, literacy and inclusion, and then focus an event on a particular theme. For example, for our December/holiday theme, our activities coordinator gathered boxes to represent the skyline, and the children painted them. We also had a yoga activity after readings at the Funky Buddha Yoga Hothouse,” says Heffron.

 

Success has ratcheted upward. Attendance grew from 12 the first session to 42 the second. Shayne’s aims of re-centering on family and story time hits home. “Beyond literacy, reading developed my imagination and creativity. Living in a single-parent home, I feel I learned more at home because that reading experience is so real. It’s intimate and genuine.”

"We are targeting an age demographic. The kids’ parents now get lost in the Internet, and so we are slowing life down for them too,” adds Shayne.

 

Heffron points out, as President of the Kendall College Art Education Student Association, the impact of making the connection from hearing the words to seeing the adults’ mouths move. The youngsters are developing vocabulary and recognizing the enjoyment of reading.

 

Goals for 2012 include collaborating more with local businesses. “We want as many people to benefit as possible. We hope to eventually enter the Ann Arbor market,” Shayne says.
 

The duo also yearn to continue engaging families in the city center and devise a pamphlet with 10 tips for parents for at-home reading. “This is an activity that is geared toward kids, and they know that. It’s just cool to see them interact in a safe and vibrant place,” he says.

 

Shayne noticed upon visiting that Grand Rapids has a robust creative culture but lacks a solid fitness and wellness culture. His love of helping others stems from personal experience. “I grew up as an overweight kid, and it’s a struggle at a young age. But, I got into sports in high school and changed my diet and lifestyle. I had some great coaches who helped me develop a methodology that I use on my clients today.”

 

At Renewal, Shayne emphasizes stability, balance and the core muscles. “I am not a meat-head trainer; I’m more of a life coach. My services go beyond our one hour together at the gym; it’s interactive and holistic. I will go grocery shopping with my clients, for instance.”
 

Jen Malinowski owns Renewal, predicated upon suspension-training via body weight and gravity -- the first TRX studio in town.
“TRX is a big fitness trend in larger markets, like New York and Chicago, and now that it is here, people love it... Being jacked and tan is irrelevant; we just engage the core at all times and have fun,” Shayne explains.

 

As an art admirer, Shayne devotes time to curating and selling the work of his disabled artist uncle, Derrick Hollowell, who creates jazz pieces for HopCat. Moreover, he is readying a new artist collective work space project with other local artists to launch in the spring.

 

In his spare time, Shayne hangs out around town. He is a self-proclaimed “HopCat fanatic,” mentioning it at least five times during our discussion. “I really like what is happening on Division Avenue of the Arts, the local music scene is cool and I try to catch shows at the Pyramid Scheme. For food, I love the Winchester, and obviously MadCap Coffee,” which is where we met.
 

The January DBC series will occur at MoDiv featuring Ann Marie Bessette, Victoria Upton, Paul Jendrasiak and the first ever child reader, 10-year-old William Heffron.
 

Ultimately, Shayne wants to improve people’s lives. His efforts in fitness and volunteerism at Downtown Books and Cookies are a balm to a thriving city on the verge of further urban growth and a strong community atmosphere.

 

“Being in the wellness industry, where you see every type of person, I know the importance of communicating. If we are not physically and spiritually sound, we cannot do much to rebuild the city and be relevant.”