“The great thing about this is that it gives access to shares to investors that may not have the means to make larger investments,” says Dayne Bartscht, co-founder and managing partner of Eastern Market Brewing Co. “The minimum investment for us is $500, which is still a lot of money to a lot of people, but it gives an opportunity for someone who believes in us to make a smaller investment and hopefully we'll be able to repay that many times over.”

Ottawa County caters to the growing base of bird watchers and enthusiasts with birding programs, a photo contest, scheduled bird walks and waterfowl field trips. Volunteers are needed for the Christmas bird count that runs from Dec. 14 to Jan. 4.

Grand Rapids singer Tyler Zahnke was one of 10 music students who are blind selected to attend the SongSight event with Scott MacIntyre, of “American Idol” fame.

In response to community needs, the Kent District Library (KDL) has partnered with Corewell Health (formerly Spectrum Health) to offer a free mental health series. This is in addition to their regular virtual resources and physical materials available for checkout to help with anxiety, depression, health and wellness.

“I really appreciate that they're trying to address the Arab community here and its culture and really integrating the alley project with the museum,” says Diana Abouali, Director of the Arab American National Museum. “It’s cohesive and coherent with the building and what we do.”

A new partnership between Grand Rapids Community College and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services can help connect students with outside resources to help them be successful.

Habitat for Humanity is building five townhomes in Holland that will be exclusively for those who have mental or physical disabilities.

Michigan providers and activists are working hard to ensure the guardianship system effectively serves Michigan's older adults.

Gratia Lee, Good Food Systems Director at Access of West Michigan, discusses collaborative efforts to create a just food system in Kent County.