The place where art, entertainment, charity, and good eats converge, Heartside is located just southeast of the central city. The historic district features a number of Grand Rapids' most popular destinations. The Van Andel Arena hosts major concerts, and is home to the Griffins hockey team, an affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. Ionia Avenue is known for its vibrant nightlife. Avenue for the Arts, which runs along Division Avenue, showcases local artistic talent in shops and galleries. And the new Downtown Market, just South of Wealthy Street (not technically in Heartside, but close enough) provides a large selection of year-round produce and food options.Housing in Heartside is on fire, where hundreds of repurposed industrial and early 19th Century commercial spaces have been converted into some of the best residential projects in the Midwest.Heartside is recognized and celebrated for its compassion. So amidst the wi-fi coffee shops and modern lofts is a number of upstanding community kitchens, clothing banks, and other services for less fortunate citizens. Heartside joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Today, it offers some of the more fashionable shopping, dining, and entertainment in the city.
Improving old technologies with new is, in many ways, the heart of improving access for humans. It is also a great motivator for those with the talents to do so. Here are the people behind those efforts and why this work is so important to them and within the region.
In the age of the pandemic and growing digital platforms, the Grand Rapids music community looks to the future of music making and live performances.
Improvements to Dégagé Ministries’ entrance and facilities are helping hundreds of people who come through the doors each day, seeking rest, nourishment, support and guidance.
Seniors, nonnative English speakers and other underrepresented populations face significant barriers to health literacy, which health professionals and educators say plays a key role in helping them overcome.
City of Grand Rapids is using a new model, the Participatory Budgeting Project (PBP), that will give residents more say in how its $2 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds will be spent in each of the city's three wards.
High automobile speeds and distracted drivers create increased pedestrian safety concerns, prompting infrastructure shifts and conversations about street safety.
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.
Recently, bus stations for routes like the Silver Line have seen an increase in traffic from unhoused individuals, resulting in safety concerns and prompting a community-wide discussion to seek solutions.
Amidst the uncertainty of COVID-19 and a presidential election year, Grand Rapids artists Alynn Guerra and Carlos Aceves collaborated on a piece that celebrates their Mexican heritage and allows them to display their art to the world. Together they created a fabric art installation for Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, as part of October's Aleprize.
Founded in 2017 with the goal of welcoming new Americans through a variety of programs, Treetops Collective is now a comprehensive system of relationships based on shared goals of education, financial independence, and community building. Mucyo Peninah, a participant in multiple Treetops programs, embarked on a journey of mental health and entrepreneurship, and now shares her lessons with the diverse and dynamic New American community in Grand Rapids.
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