A frontier fur-trading town that continues to evolve as a hub of innovation and can-do spirit, the Center City district of Grand Rapids is the financial and cultural anchor of Michigan's West Coast. Rising on the eastern shore of the Grand River, Center City features numerous attractions. The Civic Theatre is Michigan's oldest community theatre. The GRAM holds more than 5,000 works in its permanent collection. The Monroe Center walking mall offers a wide selection of coffee houses, restaurants, and boutique shops. Rosa Parks Circle, the district's public park and amphitheatre, hosts weekly blues concerts in the summer and ice skating in the winter. Another unique highlight is La Grande Vitesse, a large outdoor sculpture at the center of government square, which is distinguished as America's first publicly-funded art installation. The district's major festivals include a three-day arts celebration in June, as well as distinct Polish, Irish, Italian, Native American, Latino, Mexican, German, and African American celebrations of cultural heritage throughout the summer. Incorporated as a city in 1850 with a population of 2,686, Center City now is the heart of Michigan's second largest city. Once known as the Furniture Capitol of the World, this also is the epicenter of Grand Rapids effort to redefine its identity as a leader of modern medical research and sustainable design.
This Q & A session with New Community Transformation Fund Managing Director, Ollie Howie, provides an update on how the Fund has been developing and its goals as well as his recommendations for business owners.
Young Money Finances is a Grand Rapids-based mobile nonprofit that aims to educate and empower young people ages 10-17 in financial literacy. Their goal is to provide students with resources and tools not always provided in traditional classrooms.
Oftentimes, the summer can mean a learning drought for many children. Kent District Library provides many free items to help students utilize literacy resources and maintain reading grade levels.
Kent County welcomes new hire, Welcome Plan Coordinator, Hollin De La Cruz as of June 13. The Kent County Welcome Plan is focused on removing barriers and leveraging community input to help New Americans feel more invited in the community.
Just because school is out for summer doesn’t mean the learning needs to stop for children. In the summer months, the Kent District Library provides a safe space for youth to explore their curiosity with STEAM Lab programming.
Summer is almost here. Take a look at a few arts-focused events taking place that you can check out with family and friends.
Children need food to help fuel their bodies and minds, but over weekends and during summer months, many students who receive free or reduced lunches suffer without proper nutrition. Kent District Library’s summer Lunch at the Library program offers youths ages 2-18 free nutritious meals.
In May 2022, Gov. Whitmer announced the Michigan Open Account Coalition, which seeks to connect unbanked or underbanked Michiganders with access to financial services.
To meet the needs of the market, Honeycrisp Ventures shifted its business model to incorporate new commercial construction development. By listening to community needs, maintaining strong partnerships and operating ethically, they have been able to provide positive results for their tenants and smoothly navigate challenging times.
Grand Rapids is known as Beer City, USA, with beer-related events and happenings year-round. With the KDaLe brewing competition and tap takeovers, the Kent District Library is putting the ‘pub’ in public library.
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