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Estelle Slootmaker, Development News Editor

Estelle Slootmaker, Development News Editor's Latest Articles

City secures expertise of longtime crusader against childhood lead poisoning

Paul Haan is the City of Grand Rapids Community Development Department's new lead programs specialist. Haan has been working to eliminate childhood lead poisoning since 2004.

For too many Kent County children, “Normal was Never Enough”

“Normal was Never Enough” campaign brings attention to childhood disparities in Kent County, what is being done to eliminate them and policy changes to address root causes.

Housing Kent looks at root causes of and solutions for Kent County’s homelessness crisis

Housing Kent seeks to increase access to affordable housing and decrease homelessness by intentionally focusing on eliminating racial disparities in housing.

City of Wyoming makes strides for cultural competency

The City of Wyoming has enlisted Dr. Rik Stevenson to engage all city staff in cultural competency training as part of its ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion strategy.

Grand Stand Pictures brings Grand Rapids Black freedom struggle to the screen

Local, Black-owned Grand Rapids film company, Grand Stand Pictures, filming documentary based on “A City Within a City: The Black Freedom Struggle in Grand Rapids, Michigan.”

Incubator kitchen & food retail space “first domino” in redeveloping Boston Square Together district

Kzoo Station: A Community Kitchen + Eatery will soon infuse new economic opportunities into Grand Rapids’ Boston Square neighborhood. SpringGR and Amplify GR, partners in the Boston Square Together project at 1445 Kalamazoo St. SE, are renovating the 1,416 square-foot shuttered Good Shepherd Auto Repair building into a commercial kitchen and multi-tenant, retail, food-business space.

Ramped-up expungement program will help deserving Kent County residents gain a “clean slate”

Legal Aid of Western Michigan will launch a three-year criminal record expungement project to help Kent County residents access better jobs, housing and education opportunities by moving on from long-past mistakes.

Black, woman engineer addresses STEM at the roots

STEM Greenhouse provides children of color with classes and role models who inspire them to pursue careers in science, math and other fields where Black, Brown and other underrepresented faces have not been traditionally seen.

More Grand Rapids businesses now eligible for Small Business COVID Adaptation grants

City of Grand Rapids Economic Development Office has expanded eligibility for Small Business COVID Adaptation Program grants to include Grand Rapids Neighborhoods of Focus and six Corridor Improvement Authorities.

Oak Hill Cemetery is area’s first arboretum: “There are some giants in that cemetery.”

The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and Morton Arboretum have designated Grand Rapids’ Oak Hill Cemetery as West Michigan’s first accredited arboretum.

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