At the turn of the 20th century, at end of a streetcar line that stretched from downtown Grand Rapids to Reeds Lake, the city of East Grand Rapids was born. This community earns national recognition for its quality education, walkable neighborhoods, stately homes, and ever evolving and vibrant Gaslight Village shopping district.
Designed to showcase West Michigan musical talent, the VIBES collection is expanding to include a pop-up mini concert series. On Thursday nights, the VIBES Reference Desk Mini Concerts transform library branches to live music settings.
Public libraries exist to serve their communities. At the heart of their mission, the goal is to provide materials and resources that reflect and represent their diverse communities, including LGBTQ+ and BIPOC populations. A recent uptick in book-banning discussions is putting pressure on libraries, including Kent District Library, threatening their future funding and millages.
When every business is a technology business, every worker must be a tech worker. West Michigan has the tools and the talent to support tech needs in the area and around the world and here’s who is helping shape that pipeline.
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.
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.
GRow1000 returns to employ young adults ages 15 to 24 in professional career opportunities and mentorship. One partner organization, Spectrum Health, explains how participants can benefit from this program.
While the pandemic emphasized the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine, it also highlighted a need for other vaccinations to be discussed. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reports significant drops in childhood immunization rates across both county and state levels.
Facing health disparities, many health care organizations are working to answer the question, “How do we deliver equitable care?” Spectrum Health aims to address the issue by providing the community with targeted resources and initiatives.
Though National Heart Month reminds us the importance of diet and exercise, the CDC reports a national rise in obesity and physical inactivity, proving heart disease to be the leading cause of death, even amongst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Kent County Health Department and local health care providers are collaborating on what may be the biggest inter-organizational vaccination effort in Michigan’s history.
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