The West Michigan Aviation Academy boys basketball is not just a one-man — or one family — show, but the first two names on the roster are senior Joey Riebel and sophomore Luke Riebel, and the Aviators are led by first-year head coach (and father) Austin Riebel.
And as the Aviators have jumped out to a 6-3-1 (with the 1 being a cancelation/postponement), and 3-0 in Alliance League play, it is clear that the family and friends plan may well be working to perfection.
“Both of the boys” are starters and key players, Coach Riebel said to WKTV. “Luke is our leading scorer right now, averaging about 15 (points) a game right now. He’s got a gift and the gift is he can really shoot the ball.”
Joey, “my oldest, is our point guard. He plays a ton. He makes us go. … He is our third leading scores … averages six assists a game and only three turnovers a game, which is great for us.”
First-year head coach Austin Riebel and his Michigan Aviation Academy boys basketball at practice. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
But the team is more than just the Riebel boys, and coach Riebel was quick to mention junior 6-foot-6 big man Ethan Dyksterhouse. He is the team’s second leading scorer, averaging about 14 per game with nine rebounds per game. “He has great size inside.”
Coach Riebel also pointed out another big man in the Aviators rotation, 6-7 senior Jonas Bont, as well as senior Zakaria Mohamed, two of the team’s senior captains.
“Zakaria is a great shooter,” he said. “And Jonas does a lot of the intangible things for us … he is a great offensive rebounder.”
The other varsity players on the squad are seniors Eliot McNutt, Gabe Wade and Karsten Kotchenruther; juniors Nolen Sperring Heath Tamlyn and Ian Brown; and sophomore Braeden Mowry.
Michigan Aviation Academy boys basketball team, with head coach Austin Riebel, at practice. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
“They get along really well, we have a great group of guys,” coach Riebel said. “And we actually have a fourth senior captain, Hayden Leenheer. He kind of leads our reserve squad.”
Coach Riebel is assisted by coach Joey Saladino.
But there is not doubt that the Riebels are the heart of this seasons’ Aviators.
And while it is a great experience to coach his sons, coach Riebel says, it might not always be that way for for his sons/players.
“It is pretty special to coach, not one but two of my boys,” coach Riebel said, but “we talked about it ad nauseam even before I decided to do this. … There are definitely hard times, being the dad and the coach, but we worked thorough it.”
Coaching background
While coach Riebel is new to the West Michigan Aviation head coaching job, he is not new to the program or to coaching in West Michigan.
Michigan Aviation Academy boys basketball team, with head coach Austin Riebel, at practice. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
He has 23 years of experience coaching high school basketball in West Michigan, including serving as assistant coach on the Aviators varsity team for the previous three years under Tyler Whitcomb, who left the program for an athletic director position.
The Aviators were 12-6 in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, which ended with a playoff lost at Grand Rapids Christian.
“I have three sons playing basketball and, with two of them here, that’s why I came here” as an assistant coach, Riebel said. And now, (taking the Aviation Academy head coaching job) “is what works for me. … it just made sense.”
Before coming to the Ford Airport school, Riebel coached at Godwin Heights high, where he taught for 17 years, and spent 10 years in various coaching positions at Forest Hills Central, where he played prep ball and graduated.
He attended Hope College, played a little basketball there, and earned a degree. Now, he is vice-president of TrueSuccess — which, according to its website, “provides research-based educational tools that simultaneously equip kids with behavior and literacy skills that are essential to unleash potential” — and is in his second year as director of the West Michigan Lakers, an AAU travel boys basketball team.
This is a perfect time to check out World of Winter in downtown Grand Rapids. Plenty of activities are planned today through March 6.
But, if you want to escape winter, and you’re more focused on summer, it’s also a good weekend to go downtown Grand Rapids for the annual camper and RV show. It’s only a few months away from warmer days.
I also talk a little about basketball and “Star Wars,” two of my favorite passions.
It’s all in my Gonzo’s Top 5, exclusively on WKTV Journal.
Have a great, safe weekend.
Here we go.
Gonzo’s Top 5
From a previous year’s City of Kentwood Daddy-Daughter Dance, which this year will be expanded to be an “all family” dance. (WKTV)
5. Daddy Daughter Dance
Pre-registration is sold out for this event as kids bring their dads, moms, grandparents or other relatives as their “date” to a Winter Wonderland theme on Saturday (Jan. 22) at Kentwood Library, 4950 Breton SE. Organizers are accepting names over the phone for the waiting list and will notify if there are cancellations. Call 616-656-5270 to be added to the waitlist. More info at https://www.kentwood.us/events_detail_T53_R52.php.
4. Grand Rapids Gold ‘Star Wars’ Night
If you’re a “Star Wars” fan looking for an excuse to see a Grand Rapids Gold basketball game, then head out to “Star Wars” Night on Saturday (Jan. 22) at the DeltaPlex Arena. “Help the Gold channel the force and take down the Fort Wayne Mad Ants,” says the team. The first 500 fans in the door will receive a free lightsaber. And anyone who wears a Star Wars costume or merch gets a free ticket to the game. Doors open at 6 p.m. The game tips off at 7 p.m. Also, the Saturday $44 Four-Pack special is available. Fans get four tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas for $44.. More details at https://grandrapids.gleague.nba.com/star-wars-night/.
3. The Harlem Globetrotters
Speaking of basketball, one of my favorite memories as a dad and coach was taking my middle school basketball team to see the iconic Harlem Globetrotters in action. One year we even had a player come to practice to show off their skills. I promise you this is an experience the kids will never forget. The Globetrotters perform at 2 p.m. Sunday (Jan. 23) at Van Andel Arena. More information and ticket information at www.vanandelarena.com.
2. World of Winter Weekend
As part of the World of Winter in downtown Grand Rapids, musical performances and other forms of entertainment will take place throughout downtown from 6-8 p.m. Friday (Jan. 21). You will find these performers throughout the neighborhoods, just in time to grab a drink or a bite at a restaurant or bar. Also this weekend, a pop-up circus performance, curated by GR Circus, takes place from 6-8 p.m. Saturday (Jan. 22) at Ah-Nab-Awen Park near the Gerald R. Ford Museum. You can enjoy live fire performers, hula hoopers, aerial acts, juggling, stilt walking, and more. On Sunday (Jan. 23) enjoy a walking art installation tour. More details on all events at https://worldofwintergr.com/events. World of Winter continues through March 6.
Grand Rapids Camper, Travel & RV Show
When you factor in a dozen West Michigan RV dealers representing more than 100 RV lines combined with 200,000-plus square feet, you get one of the biggest RV Shows in the state. The Grand Rapids Camper, Travel & RV Show also features a great selection of RV accessories, as well as campground and travel destinations. The show is today-Sunday (Jan. 23) at DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids. Tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for children ages 6-14. A Family Zone area for kids is available Saturday and Sunday. Join us Saturday morning at the show, from 9:30 – 11 a.m., for Also, a pancake breakfast to benefit the Cran-Hill Ranch Summer Camp Scholarship Fund is open from 9:30-11 a.m. Saturday. Cost is $5 for adults or $3 for kids and includes all you can eat pancakes, sausage, coffee and orange drink. For more details about the show go to https://showspan.com/GRV/.
That’s it for now.
As always, I welcome your input and recommendations for events to include in my Top 5 list. If you have something for me to consider, just send me an email at michigangonzo@gmail.com.
Have a great, safe weekend.
John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s next. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He also relaunched his YouTube Channel. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com.
The West Michigan Aviation Academy girls basketball team’s Jan. 19 home game against Holland Black River might be seen as a microcosm of the current struggles of a very young team with talent yet to take flight.
The Aviators, now 0-8 overall on the season (0-2 in Alliance League), played scrappy defense and were right in the game well into the second half before a few tough shots were made by the visiting Rats, a few easy shots were missed by the Aviators, and some missed opportunities from the foul line led to a 39-32 loss.
West Michigan Aviation Academy action during a game Jan. 19. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
The good news is that 1st-year head coach Jasmine Hall has a plan for her young team — a combined JV/varsity team this season with only one senior (who was out ill against Black River), five juniors and eight underclassmen in uniform.
“This year we have eight freshman and sophomores, we are pretty young, and my idea here is to keep them together, to let them get the experience,” Hall said. “This way, next year, I hope to put my more developed players onto a varsity team and then get a JV team with a few returning players, more kids coming into the program and the freshmen coming up.”
And coach Hall has a reputation and avocation of “developing” young basketball talent.
After starting out on the basketball sidelines at Grand Rapids Central High School as a statistician, she has been an assistant coach at many levels. She coached youth and school teams, spent two years coaching at Davenport College (now University), and mot recently coached both basketball and track in Grand Rapids Public Schools.
She holds degrees from Davenport, including an MBA, and is currently head coach and owner of the West Michigan Elite Stars, a women’s development basketball team which will be playing under the WABA league.
West Michigan Aviation Academy 1st-year head coach Jasmine Hall, with Aviators freshman standout Sofia Vandenhoek (11) and junior leader Caden Schifini (10) during a timeout of a game Jan. 19. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
A few of Hall’s current Aviator players are already making their mark on the Hall’s team, and setting themselves up as players to build a program around.
“Over the next couple, three years, one of them is definitely going to be Sofia (Vandenhoek, a freshman), she’s an all-around athlete — she’s six feet tall, she can shoot the ball, she can play inside and outside,” Hall said. “I have high expectations for her.”
Another freshman coach Hall is looking forward to developing is Lucy Lawrence — “She is a great ball handler.” And coach sees the ability of one or more of her juniors to step up and be team leaders in their senior years; they include Alondra Herrera, Ava Bazuin, Audrey Mileski, Caden Schifini and Addison Turk.
The only senior in the program is Kendal Springborn. The other sophomores and freshmen are Alayna Atkinson, Presley David, Amber Hilbrands, Meredith Jarchow, Abbie Ruis and Abigail Toonder. Coach Hall is assisted by Marco Vogel.
Construction and reconstruction will begin at Lee middle and high school this spring. One of the new projects will replace an area of the building which collapsed in 2019 with a new entrance off Havana Street, as well as a new multipurpose area. (Supplied)
Construction and reconstruction will begin at Lee middle and high school this spring, including enclosing the currently unusable interior courtyard to be used as a cafeteria and other purposes. (Supplied)
Construction and reconstruction will begin at Lee middle and high school this spring, including a new area which will include a band room. (Supplied)
Construction and reconstruction will begin at Lee middle and high school this spring, including a new area which will include a band room. (Supplied)
The long saga of a much-anticipated makeover of the Wyoming Lee Middle and High School building will move into high gear early this year as, following the final approval of a general contractor late last year, construction will begin as soon as spring weather allows.
In 2020, Godfrey-Lee Public Schools district voters voted to support a bonding proposal which would allow the district to put out bonds for about $18 million for a wide range of building and facility projects.
At the time, the district not only faced the task of modernizing portions of its middle and high school that are nearly 100 years old, it had to make repairs to a portion of the building which collapsed in 2019. But modernization and repairs are only the most obvious part of the historic and still bustling building.
“As far as the new construction, I am most excited for us to begin to make our facilities worthy of the amazing students that we serve,” Eric Mockerman, district Board of Education president, said to WKTV. “I am (also) happy that our building will be more accessible to our community in multiple ways and it will overall be easier to navigate throughout the facility. I am very excited for the addition of our new band room that will better fit the needs of the phenomenal program that will use that space.”
According to information provided by Dirk Weeldreyer, district interim superintendent, the building effort will be a two-year project, expected to be completed in the 2023-24 school year.
Construction and reconstruction will begin at Lee middle and high school this spring. One of the new projects will replace an area of the building which collapsed in 2019, shown at left. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Among the projects are the reconstructed portion of the building along Havana Street in the space where the building collapsed and was demolished. An existing entrance to the gym will be redone, and the area demolished turned into a new media center on the first floor and new classroom spaces on the second floor.
Also planned is a new cafeteria and multi-purpose space that will be built in the area that is currently the unused courtyard of the building. And there will be a new band room addition on the north side of the building.
“Our current construction timeline calls for activity on our new/rebuilt spaces to commence in early spring 2022,” Weeldreyer wrote in an email. “We will need to work from the ‘inside out’ on these new spaces, so the first thing to happen will be excavation and preparation of the interior site (inside the current courtyard).”
There will also be interior renovation work in the existing classroom spaces starting in the summer of 2022, and renovation will continue over the subsequent 18 months or more.
It is unclear if letter jackets are still in style at high schools but, if they are, East Kentwood High School’s top esports players earned their letters recently as the Falcons won the Esports State Championship in League of Legends at Eastern Michigan University, beating Northville High School.
The title is the latest success story for the school’s new esports teams and players, who compete in the emerging competitions of electronic sports, also called competitive video gaming. Some of the games they compete in include Super Smash Bros, League of Legends, Valorant, Fortnite, and Rocket League.
State esports title team from East Kentwood High School League of Legends team, from left, are Kha Di Le, Andrew Hua, Tony Truong, Jacob Le, Anna Ngo and Brandon Le . (Supplied)
The early December League of Legends matches were streamed on Twitch by PlayVS, with professional “shoutcasters” calling out the games.
East Kentwood’s League of Legends team members include Kha Di Le, Andrew Hua, Tony Truong, Jacob Le, Anna Ngo and Brandon Le.
The League of Legends team are the top players in the school, but coach Bill Dixon told WKTV that he and his fellow coaches expect as many as 100 students to compete at some level this school year.
“Only one of these kids is in athletics, so for the rest, Esports gives them an opportunity to connect with their school with something other than academics,” Dixon said.
A history of support and success
“Esports started for East Kentwood High School about 4 years ago,” Dixon said. “A group of four teachers and administrators (Dixon, Justin Michalowski, Chad Songer and Geoff Westman) decided to offer this opportunity to our students. The rationale was there is an underserved student population that needed an outlet to compete for their school outside of the traditional athletic model.
“We wanted to keep the important elements of athletics: eligibility standards, practices, team building and try outs. What separates Esports from traditional sports is that 90 percent of our student population are playing these games and have a chance to participate.”
The East Kentwood High School esports team, at right, in action. (Supplied)
The school’s esports program has produced back-to-back championships in both Valorant and League of Legends levels, and compete in state leagues such as PlayVS, Michigan High School Esports Federation (MIHSEF) and Michigan High School Esports League (MHSEL).
“We have several Kentwood graduates that are competing at the collegiate level at schools like Michigan State (University), University of Michigan, and Grand Valley (State University),” Dixon said.
And, Dixon said in a previous announcement, at the recent League of Legends event, “I was also approached by three different college Esports coaches (Grand Valley, Oakland University and Davenport) that are trying to recruit our kids, offering scholarships.”
Dixon added that the East Kentwood program was “fortunate early on to get support, funding and vision from our principal, Omar Bakri.”
Since it’s beginning, the team has competed in more than 10 different competitions, “sometimes on a national/online format and sometimes with in person competitions,” he said. And East Kentwood has also hosted five events bringing in over a dozen different local high schools.
Bringing home the hardware — State esports title team from East Kentwood High School League of Legends team show off their medals. (Supplied)
“We’ve been fortunate to have excellent teams of great, committed students who have produced back to back championships in both Valorant and League of Legends,” Dixon said.
The East Kentwood program, in cooperation with the West Michigan Sports Commission, also helped run the “Rift Clash”, a League of Legends tournament, which was held live locally in 2019 and online in 2020. That tournament had 15 colleges and 1 high school — the host Falcons — competing. East Kentwood was able to beat several colleges and advanced to the semi-finals in 2020, before falling to MSU, the eventual winner of the tournament.
That team roster included Anna Ngo, Terry Pham, Ben Pham, Daniel Nguyen, Tony Truong and Scott Luu.
The is no denying Wyoming Lee High School boys basketball team’s first-year head coach Dominic Shannon and his coaching staff have work in front of them to lead the Legends program out of some tough days.
But he has youth and talent on his side, both on and off the court. And he has his thin varsity team and still-building program buying into what he is teaching on and off the court.
“This program has been under construction for the past so many years, and just looking at the banners (on the gym wall) there has not been much activity. … we do have a lot of work to do,” Shannon said to WKTV at a recent practice. “But, at the same time, that is motivating us.”
What is also motivating the team is the communication, the trust, that is developing between a young team and a young coaching staff — Shannon is 35 years old and top assistant Landon Mitchner is 38.
“With us being younger, the relatability is there. The conversation is there. There is trust there,” Shannon said. “That is a buy-in strategy for coaches … they will understand the importance of what we say. I think our ages are a huge factor here.”
Another factor working in the favor of the Legends (or “Leyendas” in Spanish, a dominate second language in the district) is that while the varsity team is thin, with seven or eight players depending on injuries, there is talent on varsity and on the larger JV team.
And there, too, much of it is young.
Wyoming Lee High School boys basketball head coach Dominic Shannon at a team practice. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
“We have a very low count this year, but instead of discouraging us it has been pushing us,” Shannon said “We have some young talent”, specifically senior captain Dominic Burrell, junior Keontae Taylor and freshman Troy Fox — who was also named captain of the team.
Taylor is “the most athletic kid I have coached so far. … He is our fuel to the engine. … He is offensively gifted … When he goes, the team goes. … Honestly, I think he is an all state caliber talent.”
Burrell is a big man, with a rebounder’s body and a way with words — “His presence on the defensive end has been felt in all three games. He’s been an anchor for us. Communicating, making sure guys are in the right place. And he is a rebounding machine.”
And Fox is “a very young floor general. He’s a freshman but he is also very physical, we love his presence on the defense.”
“When those three guys are firing on all cylinders, we will be competitive.”
And the leadership the three bring is in practice as well as in games.
“We are raw on the edges but at the same time we have been growing with this leadership that has been flowing through the team,” Shannon said. “These young men set the table every single day in practice. They embody everything we are asking of the student athlete in regards to the classroom, being a leader, and they are also carrying it over, using their voice on the court.”
The team is only three games into Shannon’s leadership, but after a 0-4 record last year in a pandemic-ravaged season and a 4-17 record the year before, the Legends (1-2 overall) gained their first win of the young season just before the holiday break — 55-48 at Wellspring Prep.
The Legends will return to action Jan. 4, at home against Holton, and are playing a partial independent and partial Alliance League schedule (the league the school is moving to). Lee will also be the WKTV Featured game Friday, Feb. 18, as part of a girls and boys doubleheader against Byron Center Zion Christian (also Hall of Fame night).
“The win before break, I think it is good for the program,” Shannon said. “That win, the energy it generated, has carried over to practice.”
Coach Shannon: player, coach, mentor
Coach Shannon’s journey to Lee is really a return to Grand Rapids.
He graduated from East Kentwood High School in the early 2000s, and in 2010 he graduated from Saginaw Valley State University, where he played one year of college basketball.
He was a graduate assistant at Salem University and has coaching experience at the high school level, two years at Saranac and one as a varsity assistant at Forest Hills Central.
In addition to his coaching gig at Lee, Shannon is program director of All-In Sports, a sports training program with travel basketball teams.
And his background, Shannon said, made him understand that leading the Legends program is more than simply what happens on the court.
“The main thing, outside of the Xs and Os, outside the game, we want to make sure we are feeding the young man, preparing them for real life,” Shannon said of his and his assistant’s work. “The basketball, the Xs and Os, competing, that is what we are here for. (But) the main component of this basketball team, for me and my coaches, is making sure that we are challenging these young men to be better young men every single day.”
Booklovers, and those with lovers of books on their last-minute shopping list, are in for a treat as several new releases from well-known authors, as well as debut writers, are available just in time for the holidays.
And how better to get that last gift than by buying local, or making a holiday roadtrip out of it?
“There are a ton of really solid, interesting books by well-known authors, as well as those who haven’t written before,” said Tim Smith, Operations Manager for Schuler Books.
Schuler Books on 28th Avenue is a big bookstore with a small bookstore feel. (WKTV/D.A. Reed)
Founded in 1982 by Bill and Cecile Fehsenfeld, Schuler Books includes locations in both Grand Rapids and Okemos. The Grand Rapids location on 28th Street “offers a wide array of new and used books for adults and children, an extensive selection of book-themed gifts, and a café where shoppers can enjoy coffee and a bite to eat,” they say. And a “friendly, helpful staff contribute to the welcoming feel shoppers experience.”
And if you’re really into last minute Christmas shopping, Schuler Books invites all ages to come and enjoy the live reindeer that will be outside the store Christmas Eve.
Adding to the inviting atmosphere is the knowledge that the staff at Schuler Books have personally hand-picked each book lining the shelves.
“We have a team of buyers that meet with publishing reps (representatives),” Smith said, “and over time have curated our stock. There are core items, of course, but also items specific to each store and its location.”
Changes in readers’ tastes
Schuler’s Smith also mentioned a shift in what buyers are looking for in reading material.
“Over the past couple of years, but especially this year, it has been different because people are looking for books connected to particular current events that people are trying to understand,” said Smith. “People see the world is changing, that there are large changes happening, and people are looking to books to understand these things.”
Popular titles at Schuler Books this holiday season substantiate Smith’s observation, with several books addressing current topics prevalent in society today:
“Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem” by Amanda Gorman. (WKTV/D.A. Reed)
“How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America” by Clint Smith speaks to racial understanding.
“Firekeeper’s Daughter” by Michigan author Angeline Boulley concentrates on the indigenous community.
“Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem” by Amanda Gorman incorporates a call to action for people of all ages to use their abilities to make a difference.
Other popular titles offer inspiration, humor, and a connection with nature:
“Taste: My Life Through Food” by Stanley Tucci; “The Impossible Mile: The Power in Living Life One Step at a Time” by Johnny Agar; “All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings” by Gayle Boss; “Where the Deer and the Antelope Play” by Nick Offerman; “A Carnival of Snackery” by David Sedaris; “Get Untamed” by Glennon Doyle, a companion journal to Doyle’s 2020 release, “Untamed”; “The Sentence” by Louise Erdrich.
Maybe make a day-trip shopping
If you like to do a little strolling around a small-town downtown with plenty of shopping, epilogue books, founded in July 2018 by Pat and Valerie Burkholder, is celebrating their fourth holiday season in Rockford.
Some of the staff picks at epilogue books in Rockford. (WKTV/D.A. Reed)
Tucked into a strip of stores just off East Bridge Street, epilogue books features a comprehensive selection of new books for readers of all ages, including several by Michigan authors.
“We try to support local Michigan authors and artists,” said Cindy Coats, bookseller at epilogue books.
Coats also said that the staff at epilogue books hand-picks each book that is placed on the shelves.
“We look at what books are projected to be top-sellers,” said Coats said, “as well as what people are asking for.”
And the staff also looks at trends: “People come in asking for books that are being made into movies, like ‘Dune’ (Frank Herbert) and ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ (Liane Moriarty),” said Coats.
Biographies and autobiographies have also proven to be a rising trend.
“People have been out of work, or not in their normal realm of work, for a year and a half and used that time to write their stories,” Coats said. “(Readers) like hearing where people came from, and especially about overcoming adversity.”
Several new releases on epilogue’s shelves cater to this topic, including “Will” by Will Smith, and “The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music” by Dave Grohl.
Pick one; all are worth reading. (WKTV/D.A. Reed)
“Atlas of the Heart” by Brené Brown, a self-help book that focuses on how to develop meaningful connections with the people in our lives, is another popular title this holiday season.
Cookbooks are also a top seller this year. “Lots of celebrities are now writing cookbooks,” said Coats. “Pop culture is really interjecting into food.”
The bookseller pointed to “An Unapologetic Cookbook,” written by TikTok sensation Joshua Weissman. “We can’t keep these on the shelf,” Coats said with a laugh.
Other popular titles offered by epilogue books include: “Go Tell the Bees That I am Gone” (Outlander Series, Book 9) by Diana Gabaldon; “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides; “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid; “Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives” by Dav Pilkey.
A new reproduction of “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” by J.K. Rowling is also dazzling shoppers with its full color illustrations and eight interactive paper craft elements.
“They are stunning,” said Coats, touching the cover as she passed by.
And say ‘“Hi” to Tommy
epilogue books’ Tommy the Bookstore Dog. (WKTV/D.A. Reed)
Visitors to epilogue books will most likely be welcomed by the store’s most popular member, Tommy the Bookstore Dog, a mild-mannered golden retriever who loves to interact with customers.
“People come in just to see Tommy,” said Coats. “One woman drove all the way from Lansing after seeing him on a TikTok video, just to meet him.”
And after the holidays, an upcoming event that booklovers will want to mark on their calendars is a book signing with ABC’s chief meteorologist, Ginger Zee, featuring her upcoming release, “A Little Closer to Home.” A Rockford native, Zee will be at epilogue books Jan. 15 to meet fans and sign books.
Kentwood Police Captain Stephanie Morningstar was with family as she was promoted from sergeant to the department’s first female captain in 2018. Now she is the department’s first deputy chief. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
The leadership change at the City of Kentwood Police Department continues as, following last week’s appointment of Chief Bryan Litwin to replace retired Chief Richard Roberts, the City of Kentwood announced Dec. 15 that Captain Stephanie Morningstar has been promoted to deputy police chief.
Deputy Chief Morningstar previously was a captain in the Kentwood Police Department’s Services Division. Chief Litwin had previously been deputy chief.
As deputy chief, Morningstar is responsible for assisting with the planning, coordination and management of the city’s police, code enforcement and traffic engineering functions and staff, according to the announcement.
“Deputy Chief Morningstar brings exceptional leadership, communication and strategic planning skills as well as more than 20 years of experience with the Kentwood Police Department to her new role,” Chief Litwin said in supplied material. “Her expertise in the department’s investigative, patrol and training efforts will be invaluable as we continue to focus on reducing serious crime, increasing traffic safety and serving the community with excellence.”
Kentwood Police Department Deputy Chief Stephanie Morningstar. (Supplied)
Morningstar started her career in Canton Township before coming to Kentwood in 2000. She served as a patrol officer, general case detective, patrol sergeant and detective sergeant before becoming the department’s first female captain in 2018.
As the former captain of the Services Division, Morningstar oversaw the Detective Bureau, Special Investigations Unit and Records Bureau, as well as the city Justice Center’spolice and court building maintenance, operations and security. Additionally, she has provided guidance and instruction at major crime scenes and conducted complaint investigations to ensure quality customer service.
“I am honored to be deputy chief of the Kentwood Police Department and serve our community in this role,” Morningstar said in supplied material. “I look forward to continuing our efforts to deliver professional police services and partnering with residents and other community members to make sure Kentwood is a wonderful place for everyone.”
During her tenure with the City of Kentwood, Morningstar has taught precision emergency vehicle response driving to police academy recruits at Grand Rapids Community College since 2007. She also developed and presented lectures on death investigations at the Grand Valley State University Police Academy from 2014-18.
Morningstar serves on several specialized units, including the Kent County Child Death Review Board, Sexual Assault Response Team, Adult Mobile Crisis Unit and Human Trafficking Coalition Coordinated Response Team. She is also a Kentwood District Court Sobriety Court advisor.
Morningstar has completed numerous trainings in different types of interviewing, interrogations and investigations, according to the city’s announcement, as well as critical incident stress management and peer support. She has also completed leadership programs through the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police and Grand Rapids Police Department Leadership Institute.
Morningstar graduated from Grand Valley State University and GVSU Police Academy in 1996 with a degree in criminal justice.
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, after selecting Dr. Mike Burde, currently Assistant Superintendent at Kenowa Hills Public Schools, to be the next GLPS superintendent last month, the school board approved his contract at its meeting Monday, Dec. 13.
Superintendent Burde’s first day on the job will be Jan. 3. And a long list of “exciting “ work awaits him.
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Mike Burde. (Supplied)
“It’s an honor to be selected as the next superintendent of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools,” Burde said to WKTV. “I am eager to get started in listening, learning, and building relationships in the schools and in the community. With bond construction projects scaling up, new curriculum programs, and forward-thinking continuous improvement efforts, it’s an exciting time to be a Legend!”
Burde will work with Interim Superintendent Dirk Weeldreyer as he transitions out of this role.
The Board, in a previous statement, said it was “especially thankful for Mr. Weeldreyer’s leadership” since the beginning of the school year.
“We have been fortunate to have the time to conduct a thorough search, and it has been time well spent,” GLPS board President Eric Mockerman said in the statement.
Mockerman also told WKTV he and the district is excited to have Burde take over in the new year.
“I am excited to get to work with Dr. Burde. He comes to us with a wealth of experience that I believe will lead Godfrey-Lee well into the future,” Mockerman said. “While we were going through the interview process the board was impressed by Dr. Burde’s experience as well as the thoroughness that he had planned for his first 90 days.
“I spoke personally with several of Mike’s references through the hiring process and I also had the opportunity to speak to several of his current board members who backed up 100 percent what was told to me by his references. Mike … is more than ready to hit the ground running with all of the work that needs to be done. I think he is an excellent fit for Godfrey-Lee.”
Superintendent Burde, according to a biography on the Kenowa Hills Public Schools website, become the district’s assistant superintendent in 2012. Since then, “he has supported the district’s implementation of building and district improvement plans that support student-centered education; which the district calls Personal Mastery. Dr. Burde has also been an active advocate for the K-12 instructional technology; assisting in the planning and implementation of district’s ongoing 1:1 technology initiative. In addition, he’s worked to develop strong partnerships with organizations such as KnowledgeWorks, the Michigan Department of Education, and the Michigan Association of State and Federal Program Specialists (MASFPS).”
He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Education from Spring Arbor University, Masters of Arts in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University, as well as a Doctorate of Philosophy in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University.
For 15 years, Dr. Burde has been involved in public school administration at the elementary, secondary, and central office levels. He began his professional career at Ionia Public Schools, where he served as a middle school social studies teacher before taking on various leadership responsibilities at Belding Areas Schools.
Burde and his wife, Jacqlyn, have two children: Katherine and Marilyn.
The City of Kentwood announced this week that after action by the City Commission on Tuesday, Dec. 7, Deputy Chief Bryan Litwin will be the next Chief of the Kentwood Police Department.
As chief, Litwin will lead a team of nearly 95 personnel, including 71 sworn police officers. And, according to the city announcement, “he will continue the department’s efforts to recruit and hire individuals who are representative of Kentwood’s diverse community, collaborate with other City departments to support community safety and engagement efforts and work to enhance quality of life.”
Additionally, he will continue to provide “the best training and equipment possible for members of the police department,” and will also oversee the department’s goal of obtaining state accreditation in 2023 through a “continued commitment to following state and national best policing practices and procedures.”
“Throughout Deputy Chief Litwin’s 22-plus years of service to the City of Kentwood, he has played an integral role in the department’s service, recruitment and training efforts,” Mayor Stephen Kepley said in supplied material. “I have no doubt the department will continue to provide excellent service to our community as has been provided by our department under the leadership of the chiefs before him.
“I look forward to the future accomplishments the department will achieve under Chief Litwin’s leadership and direction.”
Litwin joined the Kentwood Police Department in 1999 as a patrol officer. He has also served as a field training officer, community services officer, Staff Services Bureau officer, special response team member and team commander.
The Kentwood Justice Center which houses 62-B District Court and the Kentwood Police Department. (WKTV)
He was promoted to sergeant in 2012, captain in 2016 and then to deputy police chief in 2019. As captain, he managed the Professional Standards Division, served as the public information officer and oversaw the police cadet program, which recruits and develops future police officers.
“It will be an honor to serve as police chief and continue to work alongside the dedicated professionals of this outstanding department,” Litwin said in supplied material. “We will continue to commit ourselves to serving the community with excellence with a high emphasis on community engagement, transparency and accountability.”
During his tenure with the City of Kentwood, Litwin has taught ethics in law enforcement to police academy recruits at Grand Valley State University and led GVSU’s Police Academy Subject Control program. He served as chair of the department’s training committee from 2016-19. Litwin has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from GVSU.
Litwin also helped implement the City’s first Youth Police Academy, which gives high school students and recent high school graduates hands-on experience in a variety of police-related tasks.
Litwin has completed numerous trainings, including leadership programs through the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police and Grand Rapids Police Department Leadership Institute.
Litwin serves as chairman of the GVSU Police Academy Advisory Board and Kent Career Technical Center Law Enforcement Advisory Board. He also has served as president of the West Michigan Tactical Officers Association.
“Deputy Chief Litwin has long been an integral part of our leadership team, demonstrating steadfast dedication to the department, profession and service to our residents,” retiring Chief Roberts said in supplied material. “With the leadership, communication and strategic planning skills he has illustrated during his career, I have complete confidence he will continue to provide exemplary leadership and fulfill the department’s mission.”
Robert Roelofs may be new the boys varsity head coaching position at East Kentwood High School, but he is no stranger to the boys program, having served as the junior varsity coach since 2015, and no stranger to Falcons basketball fans having led the girls varsity team in the early 2000s.
So he knows the school, he knows the fan base and, maybe most importantly, he knows the players on the varsity squad having coached many of them earlier. All of those things, plus a more normal off-season for the program, should help the Falcons rebound from a rough 2020-21 season.
“Obviously you have a pretty good idea of their skill sets, their strengths and weaknesses,” Roelofs said to WKTV as his varsity (and junior varsity) teams practiced recently. “It’s pretty advantageous for me to know the kids … I know them and they know me.”
Roelofs takes over the men’s program from Jeff Anama. The Falcons were 3-12 in last year’s pandemic impacted 2020-21 season.
The team opens its season Saturday, Dec. 11 vs. Lansing Sexton at Battle of I-96 at Ottawa Hills High School.
East Kentwood High School varsity boys basketball head coach Robert Roelofs at a varsity and junior varsity practice Dec. 3. (WKTV)
“We lost four starters from last year’s team, the one starter back is Marshaun Flakes,” Roelofs said. “He started for us as a sophomore, he played for me as a freshman on the JV team … very good basketball savvy. Competitor. Long, athletic kid.”
“We have a couple returning kids. Timmy (Leutrim) Sahitolli. Jack Scrimshaw, who played limited minutes last year. Timmy never played for me, but Jack played for me as a sophomore and had a good year. (Scrimshaw is a) good shooter, long kid. Timmy is kind of a workhorse, strong kid.”
“We have some kids from last year’s JV team,” Roelofs added. “Razah Townsend, 6-(foot)-3, about 225 (pounds) and strong, a linebacker type kid. We will look to him for some production in the post. Some guards who are coming through. Feng Logan, he played a little bit on the varsity, athletic, a quick guard.”
New coach has history of success
Roelofs is a graduate of Creston High School, and later Aquinas College. (He also has higher degrees from Central Michigan and Grand Valley State universities.)
He coached at West Catholic and Ravenna high schools in the 1980s, then was at Northview in the 1990s, where he had success with first the varsity girls and then the varsity boys teams.
He has been a social studies teacher and coach at East Kentwood since 1997, where he led the girls varsity team from 1999-2004, when his Falcons went 80-33 and made a trip to the final four one season. He got back onto the Falcons sideline again when he took over the junior varsity team in 2015.
Having run the East Kentwood girls varsity team for five years, and the varsity boys and girls programs at Northview, Roelofs experience in running a “program” and not just running a team will also help his transition to varsity this year.
“There is a lot of administrative things that you are responsible for when you are the head coach. It’s one of the things that has come back into my mind here, the last two weeks,” he said. “Young coaches ask that questions all the time — they are pretty good at the ‘Xs’ and ‘Os’ stuff but they do not understand the administrative stuff. Transportation, schedules, parent communication. All that stuff that goes on in the periphery that you are not really tuned into as a JV coach. It is a huge advantage.”
And is there any difference in coaching girls and boys basketball? Maybe just a little.
“The game is the same — it is organically the same game, right?” he said. “But from a standpoint of motivational techniques, there is definitely some changes (to the boys game). Some of them you have pat on the back and some of them you need a little kick in the butt. (But) I don’t really see the need to change anything in terms of the game.”
Bouncing back from an pandemic-altered season
The varsity program struggled a bit last year, a very unusual year due to the pandemic. But Roelofs thinks a more normal off-season will greatly benefit the Falcons.
“The bad thing about the team last year really goes back into the offseason,” he said. “Most of the kids could not participate in AAU. We were very limited in what we could do relative to offseason workouts. Their individual prep, individual skill level, wasn’t there. There was a very limited preseason, they didn’t scrimmage anybody. It was almost like an AAU season — you jump right into the season and start playing.”
“In terms of the carryover to this year, we had a different preparation process. We had a summer program. We had a fall league we played in. There really wasn’t much of a carryover. … It maybe is impacting our younger players, they missed about a year in their development.”
And with only three games on the schedule before the end of the year, and the beginning of OK Conference Red play on Jan. 7, early on Roelofs is looking as much for improvement as wins.
“We don’t say we want to win X amount of games, that comes as a byproduct of maturation, of good luck sometimes,” he said. “We are just going to try to put a good group of kids together. Make sure they play hard, to play together. … That’s what we are looking for. If you do all those things, you win your fair share of games.”
The Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce’s 15th Annual Santa Parade will return on Saturday, Dec. 11, starting at 10 a.m., with the parade route running down South Division Avenue from 33rd Street to just before 44th Street.
Expected to be in the parade are more than 50 entrants, including five school bands, and — of course — Santa.
Santa riding into town at the 2019 Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce Santa Parade. (WKTV)
WKTV will also be on-hand as well to record the festivities, with cable television re-broadcasts scheduled for the night of the parade, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m., and again Sunday, Dec. 12, at 10:30 p.m. WKTV’s coverage of the parade will also be available on-demand later.
Sponsors of the parade include Consumers Energy, Wyoming Moose Lodge, Car City, City of Wyoming, Diversified Protection and Investigations, The Chiropractic Doctor, Godwin Plumbing, Hobart Sales, HOM Flats, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Marge’s Donut Den, Rivertown Community Federal Credit Union, Steelcase, Supermercado Mexico, The Rapid and VanDyk Mortgage.
WKTV featured community events appear on cable television in Wyoming and Kentwood on Comcast Channel 25 and AT&T Channel 99 Community Channel. See the programming schedule at wktv.org. Community events covered by WKTV’s video coverage team are available on-demand within a week at wktvlive.com.
Compiling a series of photographs of the career of City of Kentwood Police Chief Richard Roberts two things stand out — there is a ton of him standing proud among his “Brothers in Blue” and a close second is him getting personal with community members, especially kids.
As Chief Roberts prepared to retire from his position this week, and end a career of four decades in police work and 30 years with the City of Kentwood, he sat down with WKTV and reflected on what has changed and what has not over his career.
“What doesn’t change, over the years as I think back, is what I thought about (when he started), what drove me to get into police work,” Chief Roberts said. “A sense of community. To help the community, be an advocate for those victims of crimes, to try to solve them, to hold people accountable. Just basically make a community a safe place for people to live, to have businesses, raise a family. … Those are the same reasons that young people, now, are seeking to get into this profession.”
Kentwood Police Chief Richard Roberts with wife Maria in an undated photo. (Supplied)
Along the way, however, Chief Roberts said, there has been good days and bad days; there has been mentors and young officers to be mentored; there has been the constant support of a policeman’s family — including his wife, Maria — who he said are “in it as much as we are.”
“It has to be that way,” he said. “We are one of those handful of careers where we work nights, holidays and weekends. This career, the family of someone who has chose this career, has to understand that. … There has to be that support from the family.”
If he did not know that the first day on the job, he knows it now.
And about that first day …
From first day, to an unexpected career path
On his first day as a patrol officer, before he even joined the Kentwood Police Department, he learned lessons about knowing your beat and dealing with the community.
“It was 38 years ago and I can remember my very first call,” Chief Roberts said. “It was a small department, one square mile, City of Roosevelt Park, over near Muskegon … It was a call for me to respond to a traffic crash.”
Problem was, as he tells the story, he did not know the city very well, wasn’t from that area, and ended up — shall we say — taking the long way to go a short distance.
“Seemed like it took me forever to get there. … (But when he did) they asked me ‘What took you so long?’,” he said. “It’s a 1-square-mile city and they could hear my siren going all around them.”
And while on that first day in a patrol car Chief Roberts really had no thoughts of one day being a department chief, he did have the mindset of taking advantage of the opportunities presented.
“I didn’t have any long-term plans to become a chief,” Chief Roberts said. “I had some shorter-term goals that I wanted to, first, take advantage of the opportunities as they came along. And my first opportunity was as a field-training officer.
“The reason that interested me is that my field-training officers here at Kentwood turned out to be some of the people that I looked up to the most throughout my career. … That is one of the most important positions here, training our new officers.”
He added that he had some “aspirations” to be a supervisor, “but there was no race to get there.” Yet he certainly got there.
Prior to joining the Kentwood Police Department, he served as deputy corrections officer at the Kent County Sheriff’s Office and as a police officer with the City of Roosevelt Park.
Roberts joined the Kentwood Police Department in 1987 as a police paramedic and has served in many different roles, including 24 years in supervisory and management positions — the last few leading a team of nearly 95 personnel, including 70 sworn police officers.
Uniquely, Chief Roberts was the first in the Kentwood Police Department history to move through the ranks from patrol officer to police chief. In addition to his paramedic experience, he also served as a detective, field training officer, field training supervisor, road patrol supervisor, Staff Services Bureau supervisor and Detective Bureau supervisor. He also served on the crisis negotiating team.
Roberts was promoted to captain of the Patrol Division in December 2012, deputy police chief in August 2017 and then to chief in November 2019.
Along the way, there were mentors and people to be mentored, he said.
“I had two very good sergeants,” Chief Roberts said. “Sgt. (Michael) Hollinrake and Sgt. (Ted) Herrington. Both were my primary sergeants early on in my career. … Just the way they carried themselves. They were good officers themselves before they became supervisors, and both of them encouraged me to take advantages of opportunities as they came along.”
Later on, he said, Capt. Scott Yerrick and Capt. Randy Williamson mentored him after he became a supervisor.
Technology, policy changes but job remains the same
While a lot has changed over the years, in Chief Roberts career and in police work in general, he said. But most of it was for the good of law-enforcement officers and most of it is good for the community they “protect and serve.”
When he first started there were no computers in the car — “Everything was done over the radio. We hand wrote everything. Now there is so much technology in these vehicles that the officers can use.”
And that use of technology extends to all aspects of police work.
“I kid with my detectives now, with all the technology that is available for investigations, I could never go back in there,” he said. “It has changed a great deal.”
When he worked as a detective, “we were door-knockers. Talking to people. Talking to people on the phone,” he said. “But now much of modern investigations are done though social media platforms and many other computerized resources.”
And as far as changes to the “way” police do their business, he simply said “policies evolve over time” and those policies are driven by case law, changes to equipment, and more and more of a focus on being part of the community not just the protector of the community.
“I think what has changed in policy goes along with what has changed in policing over the last 30, 40 years,” he said. “It has moved to more of a profession than just a job. More and more of our staff are college educated.
(Photo supplied by Kent County Sheriffs’ Office)
“Along with new technology came police changes. Probably the most prevalent one is body cameras. The use of that and the policies on the use of force. Use of force has been standard and defined based on case law, for many, many years. … What has evolved is what tools we may have to deal with the use of force” including tasers and pepper spray … “The soft techniques.”
What hasn’t changed, he said, is community involvement, community interaction.
“We are the guardians for the community,” Chief Roberts said. “So, they count on us to protect them from crime, to try to keep crime at a reduced level. We do the best we can. … Part of serving is answering their calls when they call us. But what else can we do to enhance our community?
“We can work with the community, be transparent with them, because they have to trust us. So we spend a lot of time having positive interactions with our community, not just enforcement actions.”
Chief Roberts’ retirement is effective Friday, Dec. 10. Upon the recommendation of Mayor Stephen Kepley, the City Commission confirmed Deputy Chief Bryan Litwin to become the city’s next police chief during its Dec. 7 meeting.
WKTV Featured Game coverage of local Kentwood and Wyoming area high school basketball — and an occasional prep hockey game — will kick into a full-court press in January 2022 when conference play starts.
But the crew will be out and about for a few pre-holiday-wbreak games beginning this week with girls basketball when Godwin Heights High School visits Wyoming Lee on Tuesday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m., then boys basketball when West Michigan Aviation Academy hosts Grand River Prep on Friday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m.
Two other December games are on the WKTV Feature Game schedule, including the Wyoming high girls hosting South Christian on Tuesday, Dec. 14, and a boys and girls basketball doubleheader on Friday, Dec. 17, at South Christian when Unity Christian visits.
Complete local basketball schedules as well as up-to-date scores of previous night’s games are also available at wktvjournal.org/sports-schedules-scores. (You can also just just bookmark WKTVjournal.org on your phone or other device and click on the blue banner at the bottom of the screen.)
The tentative January and February WKTV Feature Game schedule is as follows:
Always looking for volunteers in front of and behind the cameras, WKTV Featured Game sports crew includes volunteer announcers, from a 2020 game at East Kentwood, Ron Schultz and Mark Bergsma. (WKTV)
Friday, Jan. 7 , Boys and girls basketball, NorthPointe Christian at Kelloggsville
Tuesday, Jan. 11, Girls basketball, Holland at Wyoming
Friday, Jan. 14, Boys and girls basketball, Calvin Christian at Godwin Heights.
Friday, Jan. 21, Boys basketball, Zeeland East at Wyoming
Tuesday, Jan. 25, Boys basketball, Ottawa Hills at South Christian
Friday, Jan. 28, Boys and girls basketball, Kelloggsville at Godwin Heights
Wednesday, Feb. 2, Boys hockey, Manistee at East Kentwood
Friday, Feb. 4, Boys and girls basketball, Grand River prep at Potter’s House
Tuesday, Feb. 8, Boys basketball, Holland at Wyoming
Friday, Feb. 11, Boys hockey, Petoskey at East Kentwood
Friday, Feb. 18, Boys and girls basketball, Zion Christian at Wyo. Lee (HOF night)
Tuesday, Feb. 22, Boys basketball, Caledonia at East Kentwood
Friday, Feb. 25, Boys and Girls Basketball, Tri-unity Christian at Potter’s House
WKTV featured games will on cable television in Wyoming and Kentwood on Comcast Channel 25 and AT&T Channel 99 Community Channel, rebroadcast on the night of the game and various days and times the week after. See the programming schedule at wktv.org. For more information on WKTV coverage of basketball and other winter prep sports, follow us at wktvjournal.org/sports.
All Featured Games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV’s video coverage team, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvlive.com.
Kent County 17th Circuit Court Family Division Judge Kathleen A. Feeney, on the court’s 2021 Adoption Day. (Kent County)
Kent County 17th Circuit Court Family Division Judge Patricia Gardner, right, with adopted youth Marissa Holmes, center, on the court’s 2021 Adoption Day. (Kent County)
Kent County 17th Circuit Court Family Division Judge Terence J. “T.J.” Ackert, on the court’s 2021 Adoption Day. (Kent County)
The Overway family, with newly adopted son Pierce, who was adopted on Kent County 17th Circuit Court Family Division’s 2021 Adoption Day. (Kent County)
The Kent County 17th Circuit Court, Family Division, marked its 25th Annual Adoption Day Dec. 2 with 27 adoptions finalized, a new record for the annual event, according to an announcement from the county. This year’s theme, “You are Deer to Us,” had many of the virtual courtrooms decorated and judges dressed in festive reindeer attire.
“We celebrate every single adoption that is finalized in our courtrooms throughout the year,” 17th Circuit Family Division Judge Kathleen Feeney, said in supplied material. “But our annual adoption day is a way to collectively honor these momentous occasions and to celebrate with the children and families whose lives are forever changed through adoption.”
The 17th Circuit Court’s Family Division finalizes an average of 300 adoptions each year, with the largest number in a single day typically slated for the Annual Adoption Days. Statewide, 2,161 adoptions are finalized in 2019. Of this number, 8 percent of the adoptions were youth between the ages of 13 to 17, according to the announcement.
This year, the Family Division judges had added reason to celebrate as nine teenagers officially joined their adoptive families. Among those adopted were 15-year-old Pierce Overway, who has spent the last seven years in foster care, with 10 different foster home placements and 15-year-old girl Marissa Holmes, who has spent more than seven years in foster care, with 13 different placements.
“The tragic truth is, teen adoptions are rare,” 17th Circuit Family Division Judge Patricia Gardner said in supplied material. “Like Pierce and Marissa, far too many kids spend years moving from one foster home to another with no sense of permanency. Many age out of the foster care system before they’re adopted.
“We are so happy for Pierce and Marissa and for their families. Theirs is a story of deep love, commitment and renewal — as are the stories of every single adoptive family.”
WKTV has been informed by the City of Wyoming that the planned Wyoming Gives Back event planned for next week has been cancelled due to health concerns for public gatherings.
This follows an announcement this week that the Kent County Health Department is alarmed by the rising COVID-19 cases which have led to local hospitals operating at “extremely high capacity.”
The health department is also encouraging residents to “do their part” and get vaccinated and take other measures to slow the spread of the virus. Among the statistics which have alarmed health leaders are current test positivity rate of 22.8 percent, as of early this week, as ell as a 7-day average for new cases is 645.
“This is a crisis for all of us who live and work in Kent County,” Dr. Adam London, KCHD Director, said in supplied material. “The capacity for hospitals to provide care, which is exasperated by staffing shortages, is at a tipping point. We should all expect increased wait times for emergency, urgent, and primary care as well as delays in ambulance transfers and some surgical procedures until we control the spread of COVID-19 in the community.”
Among the recommendations issued by county health officials are:
Get vaccinated against COVID-19 and Influenza. “Vaccines are widely available, safe, and effective. According to our local hospital leaders, most of the individuals who are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated,” according to the county health. “If more people get vaccinated, it will greatly help reduce the number of COVID-19 patients in our hospitals. We also strongly urge residents to get the influenza vaccine. If you have questions about the vaccines, talk to your health care provider and visit vaccinatewestmi.com to find a location for a COVID-19, booster, or influenza vaccine location.”
Wear your mask in public settings. “While masks are not perfect, they provide an additional layer of protection by reducing the spread of virus laden droplets in exhaled air. Masks are especially important for people who are not vaccinated, not fully vaccinated, may be infected and do not have symptoms, or have health conditions that make them more vulnerable to becoming sick if they are infected with COVID-19.”
Get tested. “To help mitigate the spread of the virus,” it is important to get tested if you have been around someone who has COVID-19, experiencing any symptom of COVID-19, before attending indoor gatherings with people above the age of 65 or with underlying health conditions, or if you have been around someone with COVID-19, get tested five days after exposure.
“I am thankful to everyone who has been following our recommendations since the onset of the pandemic,” London said this Thanksgiving week. “The current problems would be far worse if not for your actions. We are now asking for your consideration once again as we look to slow the spread of the virus, regain access to our hospitals, and continue to work to get this pandemic behind us.”
The lights are up on houses all over the place, and this week the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood begin sharing their Holiday spirits. (publicdomainpictures.net)
Some call it Black Friday — Friday, Nov. 26 — but for many in the community it is “dressing up the house for the holiday” day. And this year, the City of Kentwood is offering prizes to people who get their residences in the holiday mood.
The city is inviting residents to show off their decorating skills in its inaugural holiday light display contest, which will run Nov. 26 to Jan. 3, 2022, with the top vote-getters earning prizes, according to an announcement from the city.
“This is a fun way to get into the holiday spirit with neighbors and friends,” Katelyn Bush, Kentwood recreation program coordinator, said in supplied material. “It’s also a great opportunity for residents to tap into their inner Clark Griswold and show off their creative side while brightening the season for others in our community.”
(If you do not get the ‘Griswold’ reference … wait for it … wait for it …)
Residents interested in participating are asked to register online and then submit photos of their outdoor holiday light display. The city will post the photos on its social media platforms, where community members can vote for their favorite display.
The top three vote-getters will earn prizes and bragging rights for a year. The prizes include:
First place: Kentwood’s Clark Griswold Trophy — named after Chevy Chase’s character in the holiday favorite “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” movie — as well as a $40 gift certificate to any Kentwood Parks and Recreation program and department swag.
Second place: A $20 gift certificate to any Kentwood Parks and Recreation program and department swag.
Third place: A $10 gift certificate to any Kentwood Parks and Recreation program and department swag.
Kentwood residents may register for the contest at bit.ly/HolidayLightContest and submit photos of their display at eRecreation@kentwood.us or on social media using the hashtag #KentwoodLightContest between Nov. 26 and Jan. 3.
The military and veteran “Welcome Home” celebration of Operation Handshake at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport this holiday season. (GR Ford Airport)
Active military members and veterans will receive a patriotic welcome home on Nov. 24 with the return of Operation Handshake at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport, an event which includes patriotic activities and a new “Thank You Letter” effort.
In its sixth year, the daylong event will feature veterans groups lining the concourse exits of the airport to greet and thank military members and veterans returning to West Michigan, according to an announcement from the Ford Airport. Members of the Patriot Guard Riders and Blue Star Mothers will be present from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. to greet the honored travelers while waving American flags, offering words of thanks and singing patriotic songs.
“The Ford Airport is proud to welcome our troops and veterans back home,” Lisa Carr, public safety and operations director for the Ford Airport, said in supplied material. “It is important we recognize our service members for all that they do – and have done – for our country. As a huge supporter of active and retired military, I am especially proud of our participation in Operation Handshake.”
Operation Handshake is free and open to the public. Per federal requirements, masks must be worn at all times by airport guests ages 2 and older.
Families of military members and veterans traveling through Ford Airport on Nov. 24 are encouraged to participate in Operation Handshake and to provide flight information to Patriot Guard Riders, including arrival time. Information may be provided to Phil Pakiela via email at papapakiela@gmail.com or by phone at 616-916-3064.
“It is hard to put into words how much it means to see the expression on a veteran’s face as they are greeted by a flag line and rendered a salute in their honor,” Pakiela, captain of the Patriot Guard Riders of West Michigan, said in supplied material. “So many of them have been forgotten – we don’t ever want that to happen again. We want our active-duty military and veterans as well as their families to know they are appreciated.”
New this year is Operation Gratitude, a “thank you” letter campaign that encourages airport tenants and guests to share their appreciation for deployed troops, veterans, wounded heroes, caregivers, and recruits. The airport is providing note cards to tenants this month, “collecting the messages of gratitude and delivering them to active military personnel,” according to the announcement.
Guests at the Airport on Nov. 24 will have the opportunity to write notes of thanks and drop them in a box located in the Amway Grand Hall.
“We invite Airport guests to take a moment to join us in honoring our military heroes during this season of gratitude,” Carr said.
For more information on the Ford Airport visit flyford.org.
WKTV’s sports coverage crew was back at work big-time this fall, following a shortened season in 2020 due to the pandemic, as our high school football Featured Game coverage was all over Wyoming and Kentwood — and even make a road trip to Hastings for a playoff game.
And as they can every year, high school sports fans can get their Turkey Day football fix this year as we broadcast 15 hours of football on our cable Channel 25.
The special day of games start at 9 a.m., and highlights the best of our high school football games from the season. The schedule of games (with link to the games on WKTV’s On-Demand video internet channel, at WKTVLive.org ) is as follows:
9 a.m. — Forest Hills Northern at Wyoming High. On-demand
11:15 a.m. — Middleville at South Christian. On-demand
1:25 p.m. — West Ottawa at East Kentwood. On-demand
4:10 p.m. — Kelloggsville at Godwin Heights. On-demand
WKTV broadcasts on Wyoming and Kentwood cable channels. On Comcast cable, Channel 25 is the Community Channel, where sports events and other community events are shown; Channel 26 is the Government cChannel, where local government meetings and events are shown. On AT&T cable throughout the Grand Rapids area, viewers go to Channel 99, and then are give the choice to watch Wyoming (or Kentwood) Community (Channel 25) or Government (Channel 26).
Kent County’s efforts to assist Afghan refugees being resettled in West Michigan gained a boost as the Kent County Board of Commissioners, at a Nov. 18 meeting, approved two grants to meet the health and nutritional needs of newly arriving Afghan refugees.
One grant is a $333,000 Refugee Resettlement Food Assistant Grant from the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services which will be managed by Kent County Community Action (KCCA), according to an announcement from the county.
The second is a $180,000 Refugee Screening Grant from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity which will be administered by the Kent County Health Department (KCHD).
The health department will screen newly arriving refugees for contagious disease, review and document medical history, administer vaccinations, and provide referrals for primary care physicians, according to the announcement.
“Kent County is expecting more than 350 refugees from Afghanistan and the responsibility to provide health screenings and immunizations for these new residents falls on local public health,” KCHD Public Health Division Director Joann Hoganson said in supplied material. “These funds will allow us to provide screenings and other support services to the Afghan refugees and assist them in their transition to a new life in the United States.”
The KCHD will also provide health education services that include an introduction to the U.S. health care system along with information about nutritional healthy living and Medicaid health insurance coverage.
Kent County Community Action has been providing meal assistance to local Afghan refugees. (Supplied/Kent County)
The food assistant grant will assist KCCA in its temporary meal and housing assistance to refugees.
“I am glad that KCCA can help during this time of need,” KCCA Program Manager Rachel Kunnath said in supplied material. “I cannot imagine what these families have been through over the past few months, and it is my hope that these meals are a little taste of home that brings them comfort.”
Local resettlement agencies determine the needs of each family as meals are provided to those in temporary living quarters until permanent housing is established. To date, KCCA has prepared more over 1,000 meals which are packaged in boxes containing 20 culturally appropriate meals with four to five different varieties and pita bread.
FIRST Tech Challenge Kentwood qualifier middle school robotics competition was hosted by Kentwood Public Schools’ Red Storm Robotics program on Nov. 6. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
The Red Storm Robotics middle school program’s Green team, getting some coaching. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
The Red Storm Robotics middle school program included the Green team, awaiting the beginning of competition. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
The Red Storm Robotics middle school program’s Green team, awaiting the start of competition. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
The Red Storm Robotics middle school program’s Green team’s robot, in action. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
The Kentwood Public Schools Red Storm Robotics program has long been known as having a model high school program at East Kentwood High School, both its students and the robots they build.
The Gunter family are Red Storm Robotics from head to toe: Timothy Gunter III with parents Tim and Cui. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
And after a 2020 of virtual events due the pandemic, the East Kentwood team will be back before crowds this school year as it hosts the Kentwood FIRST Robotics competition, scheduled for April 1-2, 2022, with a many as 40 teams expected to compete in a “Rapid React” game challenge that will be announced in January.
But the success of the high school program begins with the steady stream of talent moving up from the its middle school ranks, talent already on display before a large crowd as Kentwood Public School’s middle school robotics program sent five teams against others schools at the FIRST Tech Challenge Kentwood qualifier, hosted by Red Storm Robotics, on Nov. 6.
Getting back to live competition “means everything to these kids, we haven’t been able to do this for two years … we are just so excited for this event today,” Trista VanderVoord, who works with the Kentwood Public Schools Red Storm Robotics program, said to WKTV at the event.
And for the students, the event was not only a chance to see and be seen by their family and friends, it was a chance to match up their robotic creations up against others schools and other robots inventions.
Kentwood middle schooler Giselle Triggs is part of the Red Storm Robotics middle school program’s Green team. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
“It is really exciting to be able to see a bunch of these other robots,” said Giselle Triggs, a member of Kentwood’s Green Team and who is in her first year of being part of the Red Storm Robotics program.
“Everybody is really cool, and everybody is giving complements,” Christian Posthumus, a member if the Grey team, said. “The only problem is that there are so many people watching you … It’s just scary. If you mess up, everybody will see you mess up.”
The Kentwood teams did not “mess up” much at the FIRST Tech Challenge, however, as two of the five teams qualified for a state competition in December.
Two teams move on to state competition
In results of the competition, as detailed on the Red Storm Robotics Facebook page after the challenge, Red Storm Red team qualified for the state competition and earned the 2nd place Control Award, the 3rd place Think Award, and the 3rd place Inspire Award (Inspire is the highest award in FIRST Tech Challenge). Red Storm White team will be joining the Red Team, as the “Bot Tart” crew won the 2nd place Motivate Award and the Connect Award.
Kentwood student Christian Posthumus is part of the Red Storm Robotics middle school program. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Additionally, the Red Storm Green team “had a fun first competition” as the all-rookie 6th and 7th grade team were decked out in magician capes, top hats and magic wands.
Red Storm Gray was another all-rookie 6th and 7th grade team, members of which shared their team spirit by distributing a dozen handmade shark awards to other teams throughout our competition.
The Red Storm Blue placed 12th in the qualifier and also received the Promote Award for their video submission on “If I could tell my younger self one thing about FIRST Robotics, it would be…” as well as winning the Motivate Award.
Goals of FIRST Tech Challenge
The FIRST Tech Challenge is a national program of FIRST Inspires where “students learn to think like engineers,” according to program material. Teams design, build, and code robots to compete in an alliance format against other teams. Robots are built from a reusable platform, powered by Android technology, and can be coded using a variety of levels of Java-based programming.
This year’s tech challenge, Freight Frenzy, is presented by Raytheon Technologies and had students race against time to transport “essential goods and explore the future of transportation,” according to supplied material.
This year’s Santa Claus Girls operation will look different than it did in 2018. But the desire to support local families in need has not changed. (Supplied/Santa Claus Girls)
The historic holiday non-profit and volunteer-run Santa Claus Girls program, which most recently operated out of Kentwood but has temporarily set up its toy shop in Grandville, will return this Christmas season after last year breaking a century-long run of helping families due to the pandemic.
The Santa Claus Girls program, shown in this undated photo, has been around for more than a century, but is changing these days. (Supplied/Santa Claus Girls)
After 112 years of service to the West Michigan community, losing its facility and unable to gather volunteers in numbers in 2020, Santa Claus girls was determined to get back to business in 2021, Tina Hudson, president of Santa Claus Girls, said to WKTV.
But things will be different — a new workplace, a compacted work schedule, a smaller number of kids and families supported, a different plan to get the gift package out to the community, and — maybe most importantly for the future — changes in how the group is funded.
“We are back this year but in a very different format,” Hudson said. “We are working out of West Michigan CDL for four days — Dec 9-12. (The group usually works months ahead of time to gather and put together gift packages). This will entail an extremely high intensity work time for us. We are fortunate, though, to at least have this time and space.”
West Michigan CDL, a Grandville truck driver training school with a well-known Commercial Drivers License (CDL) program, has allowed Santa Claus Girls to use their facility this year. But, Hudson has pointed out, they are a working facility and, so can only offer up a short period of time.
“Due to limited time constraints, we estimate being able to service approximately 2,500-3,000 families rather than our usual 5,000 to 6,000. So that means 5,000 kiddos rather than the 12,000 to 13,000 we usually do,” Hudson said, noting that they have already reached their registration limit. And, “again due to limited time and storage space, we are not able to accept donations of toys, clothing, etc. this year.”
The client families, this year, will be given a control number and pickup time— “We are not delivering, curbside pickup only,” she said.
The Santa Claus Girls are not all “girls”, as in this 2019 photograph. (WKTV)
The children who will be given gift packages will be the same ages Santa Claus Girls have always done: infant to age 12 of both genders. But due to the limited time they will not be wrapping gifts, so parents will have that option. The gifts will be bundled and placed in non-see-through plastic bags and given to the parents.
“The parents will not be coming into our building but snaking around the parking lot (in cars) to the pickup door,” Hudson said.
One other result of the change of practice this season is that the program will — actually wants to — deplete its stockpile of toys and clothes and other items. And they will then turn to their future work of finding a more permanent home, restocking their shelves and finding other means of financially supporting the program.
“We lost our storage space at Knoll (Industries in Kentwood), due to its sale and had to move out any remaining items we had after Christmas 2019,” Hudson said. “Meijer was kind enough to step up and send trucks for us to move things into and they are storing goods for us. We hope to deplete our inventory this year and find a permanent home, but so far no luck.”
And talking about “hoping” for the future, even their funding sources will need to change.
“We operate on a $200,000 budget, all donations from the community. With not working last year due to COVID our donations barely came in,” she said. “We are working with what is in a bank account and dearly hope to have donations return to us this year.
“Besides losing Knoll we also lost our longtime sponsor — The Grand Rapids Press. We are now a stand-alone charity and are praying the community steps up and helps us out.”
For more information about the Santa Claus Girls, visit santaclausgirls.org.
After reviewing 14 applications for its Superintendent of Schools position, the Godfrey-Lee Public Schools Board of Education is moving forward this week with its selection process by scheduling interviews with three West Michigan educators.
The interviews will be held Tuesday, Nov. 9, and Wednesday, Nov. 10, with the interviews open to the public and the public “encouraged to attend.” Interviews will be held at the Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center, 961 Joosten St. SW, Wyoming.
The interview schedule for Nov. 9 will have Dr. Michael Burde, current Deputy Superintendent at Kenowa Hills Public Schools, scheduled for 6:45 p.m.; and Brevet Bartels, current Middle School Principal at West Ottawa Public Schools, scheduled for 8 p.m.
On Nov. 10, at 6:45 p.m., Ana Aleman-Putman, current Principal at Grandville East Elementary School, is scheduled to be interviewed.
“We were pleased with the applicant pool and interest demonstrated in the Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, especially with the large number of superintendents retiring in Michigan over the last two years and all the difficulty facing school districts during the pandemic,” Board President Eric Mockerman said in supplied material. “We believe these quality candidates may meet our needs and expectations.
“We look forward to finding out more about the candidates’ leadership abilities and what each candidate has to offer our students, staff, and community. The Board continues to appreciate the input from the public and encourages people to attend the interviews.”
According to a statement from the district, 19 educators responded to the posting with preliminary applications for the position. Five candidates eventually withdrew or did not complete the application fully. Applicants consisted of current superintendents, central office administrators, principals, intermediate school district employees, and a teacher. The position attracted interest from California, Illinois, Michigan, and Canada.
The superintendent search became necessary as Kevin Polston accepted the position of Kentwood Public Schools superintendent after serving the district for four years. Interim Superintendent Dirk Weeldreyer has served the Godfrey-Lee Schools for the last several months. The process has been facilitated by the Michigan Leadership Institute.
“It is our hope to have a new superintendent in place by January 3 (2022), realizing we may have to be somewhat flexible regarding that date,” Mockerman said.
A district description made as part of the initial search process states that total enrollment is about 1,761 students with Hispanic/Latino students at about 1,398 of that total. Staff includes 123 instructional staff, 61 support staff and 13 administrators. Its most recent budget expenditures were $27,605,217.
Also, district voters approved a Godfrey-Lee Public Schools bond request in 2020 to fund a wide-ranging building, reconstruction and technology effort. The project went out to bid in October with construction slated to begin in late winter/early spring of 2022. The current construction/renovation timeline calls for all projects to be completed by early 2024.
South Christian High School senior leader Jace DeMann talks to WKTV about how he and his team deal with the Sailors playing all their games on the road. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
The Grand Rapids South Christian High School football team has, in some ways, an offense built for a November playoff game, and they are certainly of the mindset that playing on the road is just another bus trip to their next game.
The Sailors followed up a 6-3 regular season with an impressive 52-7 road win at Plainfield (also 6-3 in the regular season) in Week 1Division 4 District semifinal state playoff game.
Such a scenario often means a home game in the second round, but South Christian will be on the road again this week, at Interstate 8 Athletic Conference champion Hastings (9-1 after a 56-18 opening round win over Charlotte) — a game which will be the WKTV Featured Game of the week with both cable television and on-demand replays available.
Of course, going on the road is nothing new for head coach Danny Brown or Sailors senior leader Jace DeMann, as the team currently plays their home games at East Kentwood High School as South Christian fully builds out their new campus in Byron Center.
Grand Rapids South Christian High School’s home football field does not have the Sailors’ logo on it and still requires a bus to get there — for the time being, it is at East Kentwood High School. (WKTV)
“Obviously, we’d love to have our own field and home field advantage,” Brown said to WKTV this week as he team practiced — at Kelloggsville High School’s field. “We get home crowds, when we play at East Kentwood, but it is not like having all our true fans. … But what it (playing on the road) really helps us to do is just focus on the moment at hand.
“It really doesn’t matter if we are traveling or not, because as you say, we are getting on the bus to play our home games. I think, for us, I am big on preaching that week, that game. Let’s only worry about the task at hand. I think that little bus ride, no matter where we are going, helps dial that in. It’s never about the travel, or who we are playing. It’s about us, and I think that kind of bus ride, going wherever, kind of sums that whole philosophy up.”
DeMann, also talking to WKTV this week, said in some ways the bus trip is valuable as a moment of personal reflection in anticipation of playing a game he loves to play.
“Leaving the campus it’s pretty normal … it’s a normal bus ride, but when we get there, we do a quiet time. Just think about what your roll is for the game. What you have got do in the game to prepare yourself,” DeMann said.
“We are definitely not intimated by it (playing on the road), once we get between the white lines it’s just playing the game we love, football. Every week we put our passion into it … It is just the next game up. … It’s just another week of football.”
Resilient defense and balanced offense
South Christian High School head coach Danny Brown talks to WKTV about his team’s ability to both run and pass the ball on offense — and why that is even more important in a early November playoff game. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Two things have been clear this season for the South Christian football team: the have a bend-but-don’t-break defense and, for a team that has averaged almost 36 points a game this season, the Sailors are not a high-powered passing attack — unless they need to be.
First that defense, which allowed an average of 17.7 points per game so far but which Coach Brown says has improved as the year has gone on.
“Even though we are giving up 17 (points per game), we feel we weren’t as good as we needed to be,” Brown said. “The biggest thing for us is we have a couple of really good playmakers up front. We’ve struggled at times just a little bit, but we’ve been good enough that we kind of have the ‘bend but don’t break.’ Teams are getting yards on us, but we are just not letting them score. … It’s impressive that we are not letting teams in” the end zone.
And, Brown says, he likes to see his team having a balanced attack — which they do, rushing for 2,192 yards, averaging 219 per game, with 37 touchdowns, while passing for 1,727 yards, averaging 172.7 per game, with 12 touchdowns.
Part of that affinity for a balanced attack is borrowed from Urban Meyer (one-time Ohio State University and current NFL head coach) and part is Coach Brown knowing that his team can adapt to changing defenses and changing weather.
“I think the beauty of this team is that depending on the team, the scheme we are playing against, we have the ability to either run or throw … it is huge that we are not heavy one way or another, especially being in the spread (offense),” Brown said. “Urban Meyer used to say, when he was coaching a game, … he wanted 200 and 200 hundred. 200 passing and 200 rushing yards, and we are pretty close to that.”
And “for us, as the playoffs roll, we continue to win, with the cold weather, being able to run is a huge asset. Just because you never know what the weather is going to dictate.”
Where and when to see WKTV coverage
WKTV featured games will on cable television in Wyoming and Kentwood on Comcast Channel 25 and AT&T Channel 99 Community Channel, rebroadcast on the night of the game and various days and times the week after. See the programming schedule at wktv.org. For more information on WKTV coverage of football and other fall prep sports, follow us at wktvjournal.org/sports.
All Featured Games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV’s video coverage team, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvlive.com.
Voters in the Kelloggsville Public Schools district approved a $11.3 million bond proposal Nov. 2 which will allow the district to build a S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) building at the high school as well as other building projects.
With 100 percent of school district precincts counted, in both the cities of Kentwood and Wyoming, the bond measure was passed 634-524, according to final unofficial results supplied by the Kent County Elections Office. The vote total of 1,256 was 13.4 percent of the 9,366 registered voters in the district.
The Kelloggsville Christian Reformed Church on 52nd Street was one of the polling places Nov. 2 as voters passed a Kelloggsville Public School bond measure. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
“On behalf of the Kelloggsville Board of Education, staff and students, we want to thank our community for passing the bond,” Eric Alcorn, Kelloggsville Public Schools director of human resources,” said to WKTV. “Once completed, both areas will provide space and opportunity for our students to explore their interests and to enhance learning. We cannot thank our community enough for the support.”
The goal of the funding is to “provide opportunities for S.T.E.M., robotics, and business classes,” according to a statement on the district website. The additions “would expand opportunities for our students to explore technology through an updated media center, S.T.E.M. building, and (to) participate in our robotics program.”
Passage of the bond measure would not increase residential take above the current tax rate, also according to district supplied material, “it would simply continue with the existing debt levy.”
The funds from the bond measure will allow for the construction and addition of a S.T.E.M. building at the high school complex, a new media center at Southeast elementary, continue efforts to “provide and update safe and secure entrances” throughout the district, and well as technology upgrades to “enhance instruction.”
In addition to Kelloggsville High School, the district includes Kelloggsville Middle School, Southeast Kelloggsville Elementary, Central Kelloggsville Elementary, West Kelloggsville Elementary, Kelloggsville Virtual School and the Kelloggsville Early Childhood Learning Center.
When it comes to getting young students engaged with robotics as part of their STEM technology education — including Kentwood Public Schools Red Storm Robotics program — it can’t wait for high school.
So Kentwood Public School’s middle school robotics program will send its teams, five of them, against others schools when it hosts the FIRST Tech Challenge Kentwood qualifier, hosted by Red Storm Robotics, on Saturday, Nov. 6, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The challenge will take place at the East Kentwood Freshman Campus, 6170 Valley Lane Dr. SE, and the public is invited to the free event. (There was no in-person challenge in 2020 due to the pandemic. There was a virtual challenge.)
“I’ve been impressed with the FIRST robotics programs,” Wendy Ljungren, Chief Operating Officer for Anzen Unmanned and one of the adult leader of Red Storm Robotics, said to WKTV. “The students that go through FIRST have the STEM and teamwork skills needed for our country to continue to advance.”
The FIRST Tech Challenge is a national program of FIRST Inspires where “students learn to think like engineers,” according to program material. Teams design, build, and code robots to compete in an alliance format against other teams. Robots are built from a reusable platform, powered by Android technology, and can be coded using a variety of levels of Java-based programming.
This year’s tech challenge, Freight Frenzy, is presented by Raytheon Technologies and will have students race against time to transport “essential goods and explore the future of transportation,” according to supplied material.
The City of Kentwood and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) will provide a no-cost COVID-19 vaccine clinic Thursday, Nov. 4, at the Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE.
The clinic will offer COVID-19 vaccines, including booster shots, from 2-5 p.m., in the library’s Community Room.
The clinic will be open to all community members and no appointment will be necessary.
The Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be available for first, second and third doses, as well as boosters. Vaccine and booster eligibility is determined by the current CDC guidelines.
For information about COVID-19, community members may visit michigan.gov/coronavirus or call the COVID-19 Hotline at 888-535-6136 (press 1). The hotline is available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
With Halloween now past, many see the holiday season upon us, and local vendors and crafters are gearing up to help holiday shoppers with their early shopping needs.
After widespread and disappointing cancellations in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, West Michigan crafters and vendors are excited to announce that they are bringing back their holiday craft shows this fall. And the month of November is filled with must-shop events that not only deliver handcrafted items, tasty treats, and unique gift ideas for local communities, but provide funds and support for many area school programs.
The Byron Center Fine Arts Boosters (BCFAB) are especially thankful to be able to host their annual craft show on Nov. 13 at Byron Center High School, as it is the largest fundraiser for their school’s fine arts programs. (For a extensive list of local craft and vendor fairs, see bottom of story.)
“All funds raised will go directly to support our students in the school district,” Kim Kohlhoff, president of Byron Center Fine Arts Boosters, said to WKTV.
All Byron Center public school fine arts programs, grades K-12, are impacted by the success of this fundraiser, Kohlhoff said, and the craft show fundraiser supplements the general budget given to each school to fund the main requirements of the fine arts programs.
The Byron Center Fine Arts Boosters’ annual craft show at Byron Center High School supports the schools fine arts programs including the jazz band. (Supplied)
“Funds raised through the annual craft show help support guest artists who come in from all over the nation to teach and perform with our students, as well as help with financial support for those students who take private lessons and attend fine arts camps,” Kohlhoff said.
The ability to provide financial support to students and give them the opportunity to perform with experienced musicians are only a small part in maintaining the Byron Center Fine Arts programs.
Life skills are also a central theme in the Byron Center Fine Arts objective — “Students learn to become a better person and grow as an individual,” said Kohlhoff.
Handcrafted items are always holiday gift worthy, as these from the Byron Center Fine Arts Boosters’ annual craft show at Byron Center High School. (Supplied, from previous year)
This year’s craft show boasts over 200 vendors and something new — food trucks. Instead of the usual concessions, several food trucks will offer a variety of food for shoppers. Stationed outside next to a protected sidewalk, food truck vendors will fill food orders that shoppers can then take into the school cafeteria to eat if desired.
“We have great community support,” Kohlhoff said of the craft show. “Vendor places are highly sought after and we have several veteran (returning) vendors who come every year, often calling the day after the show has ended to apply for a spot in the show for the following year.”
The Byron Center Fine Arts Boosters Craft Show will be held on Nov. 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Byron Center High School, 8500 Burlingame SW, and offers free parking. Admission fee is $3 at the door, with children 12 and under admitted for free.
Additional November craft and vendor events include:
The Byron Center Fine Arts Boosters’ annual craft show at Byron Center High School supports the schools fine arts programs including the jazz band. (Supplied)
Karla Black, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator at Kent County Health Department, was invited to Hands on Health to discuss COVID-19 and the vaccines with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services’ Nancy Piersma, Community Education Coordinator, and Rowan O’Dougherty, Board President. (WKTV)
Kentwood non-profit Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services is always looking for new ways to serve the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing communities. And WKTV Community Media is always looking for ways to work with groups in service of its Wyoming, Kentwood and West Michigan audience.
So the two this fall have partnered to begin a new multi-media project, Hands on Health, to provide health education in a format that is accessible to the Deaf, Deaf/Blind, Hard of Hearing — as well as other community members.
The first two episodes are now available on WKTV cable channels in Wyoming and Kentwood (check out the initial schedule below and WKTV cable schedule), on the WKTV Video Podcast page, and on the social media platforms of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (D&HHS) — YouTube and Facebook.
D&HHS, according to supplied material, has served the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing (D/DB/HH) communities across West Michigan for more than 25 years. The agency began after a deaf man’s medical emergency turned nearly fatal due to the emergency services’ lack of accessibility.
“The situation shone a light on the lack of access and services for the D/DB/HH communities,” Deb Atwood, D&HHS executive director, said in printed material. “Today, our agency serves 27 counties across West Michigan, providing a wide range of services specifically for the D/DB/HH communities.
“Each day, we work toward our mission of providing equal communication access, education, and advocacy to the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing in pursuit of all life’s opportunities.
The genesis of Hands On Health
A study published in 2016 by a group of University Medical Departments found that health literacy among the deaf is alarmingly low. When compared to their hearing counterparts, deaf participants were 6.9 times more likely to have inadequate health literacy.
These disparities are caused by several factors including communication barriers, fewer opportunities for incidental learning, and especially lack of accessible information. Many within the D/DB/HH communities are not given appropriate access to information that allows them to understand or practice autonomy over their own health.
“Our agency has recognized the of issue inadequate health literacy among the D/DB/HH in the Greater Grand Rapids area and throughout West Michigan,” Erica Chapin, D&HHS community and partnership manager, said in printed material. “These issues were made alarmingly clear throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. With limited accessible information about COVID-19 and vaccines, D/DB/HH individuals have been susceptible to misinformation and unable to make informed decisions about their health and safety.
“This situation has brought to light the lack of information on general health and wellness topics. To combat this issue, our agency is starting the ‘Hands On Health’ video series that provides health education in a format that is accessible to the D/DB/HH and other communities.”
These first two episodes feature two deaf hosts — Nancy Piersma, Community Education Coordinator, and Rowan O’Dougherty, Board President — with guest Karla Black, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator at Kent County Health Department, who was invited to discuss COVID-19 and the vaccines.
Hands on Health has premiered on WKTV Cable Channel 25 with Episode 1 continuing today, Oct. 21, at 5 p.m. Episode 2 will premiere Oct. 25 at 9 p.m., and continue Oct. 26 at 9:30 a.m., and Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. They may also run at different days and times; see the weekly schedule.
For more information and to donate to Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services, visit www.deafhhs.org/donate.
Hands on Health continues a discussion on COVID-19 and the vaccines, hosted by Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services’ Nancy Piersma, Community Education Coordinator, and Rowan O’Dougherty, Board President. (WKTV)
The football stadium at Wyoming High School, which will be filled with fans Friday as the school and the community honors Jack VerDuin, who coached football at Wyoming Park High School. (WKTV)
If you ask someone in the Wyoming-area high school football community to name a few people whom long-time Wyoming Park coach Jack VerDuin impacted as a coach, teacher, friend and mentor be prepared for a long list.
And, as Wyoming High School is set to honor the late VerDuin by naming its new field in his honor this week, it is probably no coincidence that the first two people who talked to WKTV were more than happy to do so and are also now respected educators.
A photo of Jack VerDuin when he coached football at Wyoming Park High School. (Supplied/Wyoming High School)
“For me, it was a lot of things outside of football … as a teacher and an athletic director,” said Oogie LaMar, who was on VerDuin’s state title football team and is currently Director of Adult Education and Community Relations at the Kent ISD. “Many of my memories of him were the times off the field. Back in the day, in study hall. He was my study hall teacher, and so a lot of the discussions we had were just about life and team-ship — being a good person, being a good teammate. Being committed to principals … about the team, but (also) families and how to treat other people.”
VerDuin, who rolled up a 243-118-6 record with the Wyoming Park Vikings before the school merged with Wyoming Rogers into Wyoming high in 2012, was given many honors in his lifetime and after he died in 2007.
He coached the Vikings for 38 seasons beginning in 1962. During the years, Wyoming Park won 19 conference championships and the Class B state championship in 1984, a 33-20 victory over Monroe Catholic Central. The Vikings were then the state runner-up in 1985.
VerDuin is a member of the Wyoming Hall of Fame, Grand Rapids Hall of Fame, Michigan High School Hall of Fame and the Michigan Football Hall of Fame.
But maybe the honor he would appreciate the most would be the special place he occupies in so many of the young people he influenced, on and off the football field.
“Jack influenced me as a person by helping me grow up. He had high expectations and a belief that if we all follow the process, we will all be champions,” said Thom Vander Klay, who played for VerDuin as well and is now a coach and teacher at Wyoming high. “He rarely let his kids believe they were anything but unbeatable … and he was right.”
Teaching how to coach, how to succeed off the field
Vander Klay, to a large extend, also learned how to coach and how to lead an athletic program, from VerDuin.
“He was way ahead of his time regarding finding the right fit for positions for the football team seven years down the road,” Vander Klay said. “For example, he would watch the 7th grade sporting events (not just football) and find who he wanted for each position on his football teams. We generally all played the same position in the same system on both sides of the ball for 6 years. After that long people get pretty good at what they are trying to do.
“He was not concerned with younger teams’ records as it was all about getting better within the system,” he said. “I have worked as a coach to use Jack’s work ethic, attention to detail, and ways to work with each student athlete from where they come from in order to create synergy and teach them they can achieve when they believe in the process. Not just in athletics but when they are adults and are carrying out their plans.”
That idea, often-used these days, of “planning your work and working your plan” was just part of VerDuin caring more about his students as people than simply as athletes.
“Jack was a consistent professional and had great passion for kids and working hard,” Vander Klay said. “He was a big picture guy that would not accept excuses for falling short of his best.”
LaMar told much the same story — “He really just wanted us to do our best … he always expected that.”
Intentional or not, VerDuin was unique
Of course, Coach VerDuin was not without his (occasional) mistakes, with his teams and with his style of dress, as both LaMar and Vander Klay reluctantly talked about.
“I do remember when I was coaching with Jack and he came back from Florida (he coached in Naples, Fla., for two seasons) and he thought he could have the same type of pregame speech to a team we had that was just outmatched that year,” Vander Klay said. “He told them how bad our opponent wanted to beat us and how hard they had prepared and how they were so ready for us. The problem was our kids, who were not that experienced and (were) young that year, believed him and we got drilled.
“We said ‘Maybe you can’t use that same speech for a bit coach’ and he smiled and said ‘I get it.’ Two years later he led Park to another championship.”
And that style of 1980s’ coaching attire?
“He did have those white shoes that he wore, the turf shoes,” LaMar said. “As I look back, and see he and all our coaches in their tight shorts, back in the day, but I guess that was just maybe the style.”
WKTV’s Feature Game crew will be at Wyoming high this week as the Wolves host Grand Rapids Union and also a special celebration for the school’s new stadium being named in honor of Jack VerDuin. The celebration — which will also be 1971-72 Team Reunion Night, Community Night and Senior Night — includes free admission. There will be a Wyoming High School open House at 6 p.m., then the Jack VerDuin Stadium Dedication at 6:45 p.m., followed by game kickoff at 7 p.m.
Voters in the Kelloggsville Public Schools district will be asked to approve an $11.3 million bond proposal on the Nov. 2 ballot which will allow the district to build a S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) building at the high school as well as other building projects.
Kelloggsville students would gain technology space and equipment. (Supplied)
“Our goal is to give our students an exceptional facility that will provide opportunities for S.T.E.M., robotics, and business classes,” according to a statement on the district website. The additions “would expand opportunities for our students to explore technology through an updated media center, S.T.E.M. building, and (to) participate in our robotics program.”
The last day to register to vote by mail for the November ballot is Oct. 18. See here for a map of the school district, which has voters in both Kentwood and Wyoming.
Passage of the bond measure would not increase residential take above the current tax rate, also according to district supplied material, “it would simply continue with the existing debt levy.”
The funds from the bond measure will allow for the construction and addition of a S.T.E.M. building at the high school complex, a new media center at Southeast elementary, continue efforts to “provide and update safe and secure entrances” throughout the district, and well as technology upgrades to “enhance instruction.”
In addition to Kelloggsville High School, the district includes Kelloggsville Middle School, Southeast Kelloggsville Elementary, Central Kelloggsville Elementary, West Kelloggsville Elementary, Kelloggsville Virtual School and the Kelloggsville Early Childhood Learning Center.
The Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce hosted candidate forums for elections in the Wyoming and Kentwood area. Among them were the City of Kentwood City Commission At-large, Ward 1 and Ward 2 candidate forums. The forums were produced through the facilities of WKTV Community Media.
The At-large commission seat, one of two at-large seats, is voted upon by the entire City of Kentwood. Kentwood’s Ward 1, which also has two commissioners, includes voting Precincts 1-9, roughly the southwest areas of the city. Ward 2, which also has two commissioners, includes voting Precincts 10-18, roughly the east and northeast areas of the city. For a precinct and ward map, click here.
The non-partisan candidates for the At-large seat are incumbent Commissioner Betsy Artz and candidate Leonica Riley Erwin; candidates for the Ward 1 seat are Clarkston Morgan and Meochia Thompson (this is the seat currently held by Commissioner Emily Bridson, who is running for mayor); and candidates for Ward 2 are Jessica Ann Tyson and Dan VanderMolen (this is the seat currently held by Commissioner Tom McKelvey).
Note: Commissioner Artz and Mr. VanderMolen were not able to attend their respective forums.
To view the on-demand video replays of the forums, visit the following links:
The City of Kentwood City Commissioner candidate forums will air on WKTV cable television, Government 26. See the initial schedule of days and times below. Visit here for a WKTV Weekly Schedule of all programs.
They are also available on-demand at WKTVLive.org.
One highlight the 2012 Color Tour’s Eastern Kent County Route, and the three historical covered bridges in that area, is the Fallasburg Covered Bridge which is celebrating its 150-year anniversary. (Kent County Road Commission)
The Kent County Road Commission knows the county’s rural roads really, really well. So who better to give residents advice on where to venture to parts of the county they might not normally think to explore our local annual color tour?
The county recently unveiled the first two routes of its annual color tour, with additional routes to be announced soon.
The road commission began producing the color tour in the 1950s and continued for over 30 years before being discontinued. While the reason for the suspension is not clear, the color tour was revived again in 2016 with much excitement and success.
“The Color Tour has really taken off in popularity over the past couple of years, so we definitely look to add new stretches for our repeat travelers,” Maura Lamoreaux, Communications Manager for the Kent County Road Commission (KCRC), said to WKTV.
Lamoreaux said that, while KCRC does make adjustments from year-to-year, the routes remain similar. The road commission tries to avoid any late-season construction and keeps a close eye on the project schedule. Part of the reason the tour routes are revealed in stages is not only to maximize an area’s particular peak color, but to make sure the roads are free of construction when possible.
One highlight the 2012 Color Tour’s Eastern Kent County Route, and the three historical covered bridges in that area, is the history Ada Covered Bridge. (Kent County Road Commission)
The initial KCRC list has chosen to highlight the Eastern Kent County Route and the three historical covered bridges in that area during the 2021 Color Tour, with the Fallasburg Covered Bridge holding a special place of honor as it celebrates its 150-year anniversary.
Similar to the Fallasburg Bridge, the Ada Covered Bridge and Whites Bridge were also constructed using Brown truss design, with all three bridges being built within four years of each other. While Fallasburg Covered Bridge and Whites Bridge are open to vehicular traffic, Ada Covered Bridge welcomes only pedestrian traffic.
The Western Kent County Color Tour Route showcases apple orchards and the fall harvest over 35 miles of road. Drivers must exercise caution as they may encounter slow-moving farm equipment moving from field to field, so patience is requested as motorists enjoy an unhurried drive.
The White Pine Trail is also accessible from the western route with miles of scenic enjoyment for cyclists and those wishing to participate in a leisurely stroll or nature hike.
The 2012 Color Tour road ways are filled with rural roads soon to be bursting with color. (Kent County Road Commission)
All routes provided by the KCRC can be driven individually for shorter trips or connected if a longer outing is desired. As day trippers enjoy the beautiful vistas and diverse topography throughout Kent County, they can stop at nearby public parks for nature walks and picnics or partake in the many other local stops and activities.
This fun and inexpensive outing is one that residents can enjoy alone or with family and friends, according to the road commission. KCRC also urges motorists to utilize the color tour as a way to visit parts of the county they have not yet seen.
“Personally speaking,” Lamoreaux said, “I threw my dog in the car and drove the entire color tour last year. We walked the parks and stopped for cider and donuts. I was simply amazed at the beauty of the county and how much fun it was to experience all corners of it.”
Kent County Road Commission hopes the color tour routes will help infuse a sense of pride for the gorgeous county that residents call home, and also for the road network that leads them to their destinations.
For more information on Kent County’s 2021 Fall Color Tour and maps detailing the various routes, visit here.
The Friends of Art Award, “Rain After Dark”, by Carolyn Sowa of Caledonia. (Muskegon Museum of Art)
The Muskegon Museum of Art’s 92nd Michigan Contemporary Art Exhibition this fall continues the museum’s “well-established legacy of showcasing the work of Michigan artists, from talented beginners to accomplished professionals in the longest running juried show of its kind in Michigan.”
The exhibit opened Sep. 23, with a public reception and awards program, and the show will be on display until Nov. 10. Also coming up at the museum is its annual Appraisal Fair fundraiser on Oct. 16. (See more information later in this story.)
“The (contemporary art) exhibition presents a look at the issues, themes, and materials inspiring today’s Michigan artists,” Art Martin, MMA Director of Collections and Exhibitions/Senior Curator, said in supplied material. “The artwork is meant to engage, challenge, and inspire conversation.”
Best of Show winner, “Kellie Looks Left”, by Bryan Hoffman of Saugatuck. (Muskegon Museum of Art)
Several west Michigan artists are among the artists honored and having their works on display.
The Best of Show winner, “Kellie Looks Left”, is by Bryan Hoffman of Saugatuck; Honorable Mentions of the exhibition include, “silenceINsojourn” by Ralph “Nunzi” Annunziata of Grand Rapids, and “Ebb and Flow” by Henry Droski of Grand Rapids.
The Curator’s Choice, “The Waters Began at Home,” is by Lee Ann Frame of Fruitport. The Friends of Art Award, “Rain After Dark”, is by Carolyn Sowa of Caledonia. The West Michigan Potters Guild Eleanore Smith Memorial Ceramics Award went to Jamey Limbers of Lowell (for Untitled #2), and the Docent’s Choice Award, “Desperate Times”, is by Nathan Margoni of Benton Harbor.
Juror (and artist) of exhibition
Juror Karen Hampton selected the works in the exhibition. Hampton is an internationally recognized conceptual artist whose work “addresses issues of colorism and kinship within the African American community,” according to the announcement.
Hampton is a weaver, dyer, painter, embroiderer, storyteller, and teacher whose work exhibits nationally and internationally. She taught at Howard University in Washington, D.C. from 2007-2011, and in 2017 was an assistant professor and Critical Race Issues Resident Artist at Michigan State University.
The Muskegon Museum of Art is located in downtown Muskegon at 296 W. Webster Ave. For more information visit muskegonartmuseum.org or by calling 231-720-2570. The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays and closed Mondays.
MMA Appraisal Fair returns October 16
The Muskegon Museum of Art will host its returning (usually annual) Appraisal Fair on Saturday, Oct.16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Appraisers from DuMouchelles Art Galleries in Detroit will be at the event to evaluate collectibles, jewelry, art, and antiques. DuMouchelles appraisers combine decades of professional experience in many areas and have regularly appeared on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow.
Director’s Choice. “Dream Lake Sunset”, by Peter Blackburn. (Muskegon Museum of Art)
The event provides an opportunity to help participants decide if a formal appraisal (apart from this event) should be sought for high-value items.
All proceeds benefit the Muskegon Museum of Art.
Appraisals will be available by advance-ticket reservations only as the system should decrease wait times and crowding. The cost is $30 per item for non-MMA member ($20 per item for members) and tickets are available at the Museum Store counter or by calling 231-720-2580.
Each ticket includes a 10-minute verbal evaluation for one item, one museum admission, and free coffee and cookies. Ticket holders must check in at Museum Store upon arrival. Customers will receive notification of their turn with a text message from museum staff.
Kent County Animal Shelter’s Angela Hollinshead with “George” — who has since found a home. But there are many more like George awaiting. (KC Animal Shelter)
The Kent County Animal Shelter’s staff members are always enthusiastic about participating in the Bissell Pet Foundation’s “Empty the Shelters” fall event, which starts next week, not only for the funding provided to support the adoption event but also for the publicity to make people aware of the event.
But they also know there is always a need for sheltering needy animals, and a year-around need to support current and possible future animal lovers in finding their perfect housemates.
“Bissell is wonderful in that they provide all the resources shelters need through media sites to make people aware of the event, as well as funding it,” Angela Hollinshead, division director of the Kent County Animal Shelter, said to WKTV. But “we will always need adopters. There will always be a need for people willing to adopt the pets that come through our door.”
Who could resist? (KC Animal Shelter)
The Bissell Pet Foundation’s fall national “Empty the Shelters” adoption event, running Oct. 4-10, is a quarterly effort that has helped more than 61,787 pets in shelters find their “forever homes” by sponsoring reduced adoption fees for $25 or less. This fall’s event will be hosted in more than 180 shelters in 38 states, including about 11 in West Michigan, including the Kent County Animal Shelter.
Founded in 2011 by Cathy Bissell, Bissell Pet Foundation began its “Empty the Shelters” campaign in 2016 by sponsoring adoptions across the country and in Canada.
“Shelters are in dire need of support in the wake of natural disasters and overcrowding due to obstacles such as increased length of stay and slowed adoptions for mid-to-large sized dogs,” Bissell said in supplied material. “Our fall ‘Empty the Shelters’ will support the adoption of thousands of pets across the country, helping shelters in this time of crisis. Opening your home to a shelter pet will save a life and create space to give another pet a chance.”
Among the participating West Michigan shelters are Al-Van Humane Society, Crash’s Landing, Faithful to Felines, Harbor Humane Society, Heaven Can Wait Animal Haven, Humane Society of West Michigan, SPCA of Southwest Michigan, Van Buren County Animal Control and Wishbone Pet Rescue Alliance.
Because every shelter is not participating for the full event, potential adopters are encouraged to visit the “Empty Shelters” website to find the nearest participating shelter and confirm their adoption day details.
Animal rescue, adoption efforts are year-round
“The pets who come to us are not broken or damaged, oftentimes coming to us through circumstances that are no fault of their own,” Hollinshead said. “We have met some truly wonderful animals.”
While the pet intake numbers fluctuate from month-to-month, Hollinshead said that they take in approximately 142 animals per month.
Need a little, or big, companion while working from home? Kent County Animal Shelter may have a perfect match awaiting. (KC Animal Shelter)
“These events help us a lot because we don’t turn away stray animals,” she said. “The reduced adoption fee helps us find homes for pets who have been here longer.”
Since 2019, Hollinshead has also noted a 48 percent decrease in pets coming into the shelter due to resources they are now able to offer current pet owners. Some of the resources available include spaying and neutering, food resources, and a behavior specialist who can help pet owners with training for their animals.
“These options allow us to focus more on each individual pet and its needs and provide better outcomes,” Hollinshead said.
If an individual or family is not able to adopt, Hollinshead also encourages community members to consider fostering shelter animals, volunteering at the shelter, and raising awareness of the need for continued help from the community.
Located on Fuller Avenue in Grand Rapids, the Kent County Animal Shelter will be participating for the full duration of the event, Oct. 4-9. Potential adopters may contact the shelter at 616-632-7300 if they have any questions.
