Katie Jones talks with Melvin Eledge to find out what the Grand Rapids Safety Ambassadors are all about. Turns out they're taking hospitality and customer service to a whole new level downtown.
Part artist, part community organizer, Hugo Claudin serves as a creative connector for Grand Rapids with LINC's Believe 2 Become program. Katie Jones gets his take on how art and engagement foster neighborhood community.
Tatum Hawkins works with the Grand Rapids Initiative for Leaders to cultivate potential in urban teens and young adults. The program promotes diversity and interdependence, and it engages young leaders in solving community problems to make an impact.
At the Open Doors Center for Self-Directed Teens, students are responsible for their own education, with a curriculum built on engagement, innovation, and respect. Katie Jones peeks behind the doors and spies a new, alternative model for school right here in Eastown.
Kate Hunt, director of Design for Good West Michigan, pairs nonprofits with local talent to solve problems, create solutions, and build community.
UIX checks in with Start Garden, the local venture capital fund, on how it's tweaking its funding model so it can keep growing new ideas. Writer Katie Jones interviews Start Garden founder Rick DeVos and finds a new focus on nurturing winning ideas is in the works.
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