General

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Gender bias is embedded in AI that youths use to make life decisions, report warns

Marketing firm’s Grand Rapids office highlights AI gender bias, urges businesses, educators, and families to rethink how young people use technology.

Latest in General
Health center trains local residents as dental assistants to fill workforce gaps

HealthLinc, a federally qualified health center, covers training costs while preparing local residents for dental assistant jobs, strengthening workforce pipelines and expanding access to care.

Kent ISD’s planned CTE Center in Caledonia highlights the exciting surge of career-connected learning sweeping across the state

Kent ISD’s second CTE center in Caledonia is more than a new building—it’s a bet on opportunity, supported by an already impressive 96.7% graduation rate for Kent County's CTE students and a countywide goal to welcome 10,000 students annually to the power of CTE by 2030.

#RG20LookBack: Jeff Hill and the power of showing up for each other.

For his seventh #RG20LookBack, Tommy Allen reflects on the lasting impact of his predecessor, Jeff Hill, who served as Rapid Growth publisher from 2008 to 2015.

Using social media to match those in need with someone who can help

Abby McKiernan turns personal struggle into community action, creating platforms that connect neighbors, remove stigma and make asking for help easier.

A volunteer stocks the food club at Community Action House in Holland, Mich.
New campaign seeks to reduce Michigan businesses’ food waste by doubling food donations

A new initiative led by the nonprofit Michigan Sustainable Business Forum is seeking to double the amount of food that Michigan businesses donate to food banks and rescues.

#RG20LookBack: North Monroe’s focus on parks, people, and play is transforming this neighborhood.

For his sixth #RG20LookBack, Rapid Growth’s Tommy Allen revisits Monroe North’s transformation into a vibrant riverside neighborhood shaped by redevelopment.

#RG20LookBack: DACA — A personal view from here to Washington

For his fifth #RG20LookBack, Rapid Growth’s Tommy Allen reflects on thinking he understood DACA—until sudden federal changes forced him to learn faster, listen closer, and document how policy reshapes neighbors’ daily lives.

#RG20LookBack: How neighborhood identity factors into planning a socially productive park

As part of Rapid Growth's 20th anniversary, we revisit a 2014 innovation story by Anya Zentmeyer, documenting a subtle but significant shift in Grand Rapids public planning sessions and citywide meetings.

Two British influencers explore what makes Michigan ‘special’

Sometimes it takes outsiders to remind us how extraordinary our everyday really is. Thanks, Josh & Jase. 

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