Tag Archives: Amway

Kids’ Food Basket unveils farm name and holds ground break ceremony for headquarters

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Officials at the ground break ing for the new Kids’ Food Basket headquarters.

By WKTV Staff

 

Kids’ Food Basket hosted an official naming ceremony and groundbreaking on Wednesday, Oct. 11, officially kick off the construction of the new organization’s home at the former Pickerd Farm, 1919 Leonard St. NE. Founding CEO, Bridget Clark Whitney welcomed more than 100 guests, including community leaders Hank Meijer, Executive Chairman Meijer and Honorary Co-Chair; Joe Jones, 2nd Ward Commissioner City of Grand Rapids and Campaign Cabinet Member; and Dave Hildenbrand, Senator – State of Michigan.

 

To mark the occasion, the organization unveiled the farm name, Kids’ Food Basket Farm Strengthened by Nutrilite Exclusively by Amway. The name was selected in honor of Nutrilite’s monetary support, volunteer support, and shared methodologies on the farm. A portion of the acreage on the future Kids’ Food Basket site is used to educate youth and adults alike on the immense value of nutrition through innovative programs and experiential learning.

 

“We are so thankful for the dedication of our community! The Kids’ Food Basket future home will meet both an immediate need and make long term impact. This beautiful, centennial farm has provided a space, in the middle of Grand Rapids, to launch an urban farming and experiential learning program. Here we can put down our roots and directly connect kids experiencing hunger to a greater understanding of healthy food, helping them create healthy habits life-long.,” said Clark Whitney.

 

A rendering of the proposed Kids’ Food Basket headquarters to be located at 1919 Leonard St. NE.

In the second year working on the chemical-free, sustainable farm, the harvest has yielded more than 10,000 pounds of fresh sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes, string beans, tomatillos, and mini bell peppers. In addition, the farm has allowed the opportunity to welcome more than 40 groups, totaling approximately 1,000 youth and adult volunteers. The community has engaged in and learned about food production, tending to crops and preparing produce to go in Sack Suppers.

 

“We couldn’t be more excited about our partnership with Kids’ Food Basket and this new urban farm,” said Michelle Meulendyk of Amway Community Relations.  “It has been and will continue to be a way for us to extend the expertise of our Nutrilite farming practices and staff right here in Grand Rapids.”

 

In addition to the farm, the site will be the home to a new Kids’ Food Basket production facility.  Orion Construction will build a 27,000 square foot, two-story building that will house corporate office space and warehouse space on 15-acre site. The building will be constructed using the LEED (Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design) framework and upon completion, will be LEED certified. Within the design are elements such as natural light maximization, low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints, caulks, adhesives, and floor coverings, alternative vehicle considerations, and several other features that provide elements of sustainability. Additional greenhouses and farm-support structures are included in the projects that create on-site learning opportunities.

 

“Kids’ Food Basket’s future location will allow for expanded nutritional programming and increased access to healthy nourishing food for our community’s children. We’re thankful for the communities continued dedication.  We must do more. We are asking our community to rally together and join Kids’ Food Basket’s mission of nourishing kids so they can be their best in school and in life,” Whitney said.

 

Kids’ Food Basket services in a number of schools in the Greater Grand Rapids area including schools in the Kentwood, Godfrey-Lee, Godwin Heights and Wyoming Public School Districts.

Snapshots: Wyoming and Kentwood news you need to know

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Metro Cruise Preliminary Pin Up Girl Contest

 

The 28th Street Metro Cruise Preliminary Pin up Girls Contest is set for this Saturday from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at a new location this year, the Moose Lodge, 2630 Burlingame Ave. SW. Come check out the fun as contests from across the state compete for the chance to be part of the annual Pin Up Girl Contest at Metro Cruise which is Aug. 24 and 25. For more, click here.

 

Boom! Grand Rapids hosts fireworks on Saturday

 

Well if you didn’t get enough on July 4, the Amway Family Fireworks will be this Saturday in downtown Grand Rapids. The activities such as games, food, vendor exhibits and music, will kick off at 5pm at Ah-Nab-Awen Park, which is right next to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, 303 Pearl St. NW. Fireworks will be at dusk (estimated time is 10:30pm) For more, click here.

 

 

City of Wyoming doubles up on events

 

On Tuesday, the City of Wyoming will have two events: a Department of Public Safety Community Open House from 6:30-8:30 p.m. and the Concerts in the Park return to Lamar Park at 7 p.m. Both events are free. For more information, click here.

 

 

Snapshots: Fireworks — fun for everyone

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By WKTV Staff

 

The Fourth of July — also known as Independence Day or America’s Birthday — has been a recognized federal holiday since 1941. The day actually marks when the Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence. (The vote for independence took place on July 2.)

 

This year, most communities will be celebrating the nation’s 242nd birthday on Wednesday, July 4. For today’s Snapshots, we provided a list of Fourth of July activities and wish everyone a safe and happy celebration.

 

Click on the cute little map thumbnails below, and you will be whisked to larger maps which will guide you to where you need to go.

 

Kentwood

Activities begin with a pancake breakfast at the KDL Kentwood (Richard L. Root), 4950 Breton Rd. SE, from 7:30-9:30am and is followed by the NN Mobile Solutions 5K Race & Fun Walk and the parade which starts at Crestwood Middle School, 2674 44th St. SE. The middle school also will be the site for the evening activities that start at 6pm with fireworks at dusk. For more, click here.

 

Grandville

Grandville’s Fourth of July celebration kicks off the day with a flag raising at 8:30am at the Grandville Middle School, 3535 Wilson Ave. SW followed by a parade. In the afternoon at the Middle School, there will be a variety of activities starting at noon with fireworks at dusk. For more, click here.

 

Grand Rapids

The Amway Family Fireworks in Grand Rapids will be July 7, yes, Saturday, July 7. The activities such as games, food, vendor exhibits and music, will kick off at 5pm at Ah-Nab-Awen Park, which is right next to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, 303 Pearl St. NW. Fireworks will be at dusk (estimated time is 10:30pm) For more, click here.

 

Dorr

This community to the south has a five-day celebration that started on June 30 and wraps up on July 4. On Wednesday, there is a community breakfast at the Dorr Christian Reformed Church, 4220 18th St., Dorr, followed by a parade and activities throughout the afternoon. The fireworks will be at dusk (estimated time is 10:20pm) For more click here.

 

Other local communities: 

East Grand Rapids, Ada, Allendale and Cascade will have Fourth of July celebrations as well. These will include parades, activities, and fireworks.

 

Village of Hopkins

Just a little further south, the Village of Hopkins has teamed up with the Gun Lake Casino for its annual Fourth of July celebration. Activities start with a free breakfast. The children’s parade is at 4pm and the main parade at 5pm. The fireworks, which are being billed as the “biggest boom ever,” are scheduled for dusk. For more, click here.

 

Lakeshore

The communities of Grand Haven, Saugatuck-Douglas and Holland all have Fourth of July events taking place. Also, Nelis’ Dutch Village will be celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. A vintage car show is set for Tuesday, July 3.

 

And to the North

Muskegon will be hosting a two-day Fourth of July celebration and the annual Lakeshore Art Festival will be taking place on July 6 and 7. Also, the White Lake area has its Fourth of July parade on Wednesday along with fireworks over the north end of White Lake. Ludington hosts its annual Freedom Festival which includes a parade and fireworks.

 

And one last boom….

At tonight’s Whitecaps games (July 3) there will be fireworks. The game starts at 7:05pm. For more, click here.

 

WKTV Schedule July 4 schedule

9:00am — Senior Exercise: Summer Special

9:30am — Celebrating Life & Food: Celebrating the 4th of July

10:00am — 4th of July Special

10:30am — A Salute To Honor

11:00am — Wings of a Mighty Fortress

12:30pm — Kentwood 4th of July Parade

1:00pm — Lost Boat Ceremony

2:15pm — Lest We Forget

4:30pm — Patriotic Festival of Music

6:00pm — West Shore Symphony: Spirit of America

7:30pm — Kentwood 4th of July Parade

8:00pm — 2017 Metro Cruise

8:30pm — Wings of a Mighty Fortress

10:00pm — Veterans’ Creative Arts Festival

GVSU to host teen entrepreneur camp June 19-23

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By Dottie Barnes, Grand Valley State University

 

About 45 high school students from 21 schools across the West Michigan area will spend a week at Grand Valley State University (GVSU), immersed in the world of entrepreneurship to learn about creating a startup company.

 

The 11th annual Teen Entrepreneur Summer Academy (TESA) is hosted by the Richard M. and Helen DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship (CEI) in the Seidman College of Business and sponsored by Amway. Amway employees help mentor and coach the student teams throughout the week.

 

The teen academy, designed for students grades 9-12, includes interactive lectures, team-building activities, hands-on research, field trips, networking with local entrepreneurs and strategic planning for personal aspirations.

 

On the final day of camp, students will pitch their idea to a panel of local business professionals for a chance to win cash prizes totaling $5,000.

  • What: Teen Entrepreneur Summer Academy
  • When: June 19-23, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
  • Where: L. William Seidman Center, 50 Front Ave., Pew Grand Rapids Campus

* Idea presentations and awards will take place June 23, 2-5 p.m.

 

“Exposure to entrepreneurship education, especially starting early in K-12, can have a lasting impact on students’ lifelong learning and career paths,” said Shorouq Almallah, CEI director. “While TESA is focused on recognizing business opportunity and starting a new business, in a broader sense, TESA helps high school students to develop entrepreneurial attitudes and experiences that meet the needs of the growing knowledge economy.”

 

For more information, contact the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Grand Valley at cei@gvsu.edu or 616.331.7582.

Wyoming-area Students will ‘Shadow’ Professionals on Groundhog Day

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By Victoria Mullen

Punxsutawyney Phil isn’t the only one who will emerge with great expectations on Groundhog Day.*

On February 2nd, area high school students will participate in Groundhog Shadow Day 2016 (#GSD16), an event that allows young people to follow (aka ‘shadow’) professional mentors at a number of local workplaces.

Sponsored by Kent Intermediate School District (Kent ISD) Career Readiness, students will get an overview of their selected company’s industry, the day-to-day operations of specific departments, positions available and requirements for successful employment, such as level of education, career pathways and the like.

“The event gives students the opportunity to ‘pull back the curtain’ on the world of work and to experience ‘a day in the life’ at a job that interests them,” said Amy Pierce, Kent ISD Career Exploration Coordinator – Engineering, Advanced Manufacturing, and Construction, who spearheads the event. “Last year 143 students participated; this year we are poised to have 269 students at 45 companies mentoring under 136 community members.”

In 2015, 87.5% of participating students said that the event increased their understanding of career options. Some found that they are already on the right track to pursue the career field that they shadowed. Many made connections that they believe will prove beneficial later on.

“My career aspirations were further strengthened, and I am more confident about how I will go about pursuing these goals,” said one student.

“I learned that my career field is very team based, which I
like,” said another.

A third student replied, “I really like how ‘real’ it was. It wasn’t like the TV shows that center around a profession; this was a real-life experience.”

This year, students will explore such fields as Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; Architecture and Construction; Arts, A/V Technology and Communications; Marketing; Finance; Health Sciences; Engineering; Business Management and Administration and many more.

“The aim is to help students make educated decisions as they contemplate their post-secondary career and academic choices,” said Pierce.

There will be opportunities to interact with a variety of professionals with different levels of responsibility, education and experience, and students may engage in a hands-on activity or demonstration that reflects the skills needed in that sector. Also on the docket is a preview of current or recent projects so that the students can understand some of the potential work demands required.

Participating organizations and businesses include John Ball Zoo, Spectrum Health, Erhardt Construction, FOX 17, City of Grand Rapids; Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women (GROW), Resurrection Life Church, Priority Health, Grandville Public Schools, Grand Rapids Urban League, West Michigan Flight Academy, Amway, Steelcase and others.

*You know the drill: Each year on February 2, Phil emerges from his temporary home on Gobbler’s Knob, located in a rural area about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the town of Punxsutawyney (do not ask me how to pronounce that). According to tradition, if Phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, he has predicted six more weeks of winter-like weather. (What is not clear is what happens if Phil does not return to his hole.) However, if Phil does not see his shadow, he has predicted an “early spring.” The date of Phil’s prognostication is known as Groundhog Day in the United States and Canada, and has been celebrated since 1887. Source.

It’s win-win, kids. Hidden in the fabric of the lore is the fact that the first day of spring is March 20, which is nearly eight weeks from February 2. So, people complaining about Phil seeing his shadow should just chill. If he sees his shadow, spring is still early by nearly two weeks. If he doesn’t see his shadow, we’ll have an early spring, although just how early is not specified. Even Phil has his limits.

Either way, it’s an early spring.