Tag Archives: Frey Foundation

Ford Airport unveils art program highlighting local artists

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, ,
(Above): Artist Nick Nortier begins stenciling and painting for his mural, “The Great Blue” that will be along the Concourse B walkway in the post-security area. (Supplied)


By Tara Hernandez
Gerald R. Ford International Airport

The Gerald R. Ford International (GFIA) Airport is unveiling a new art program that will feature local West Michigan artists, scenery, sculptures, and exhibits.

For its debut, the program will feature two live muralists – Grand Rapids native Nick Nortier, and Grand Rapids-based artist Kyle DeGroff. Nortier’s painting, “The Great Blue,” will feature a blue heron on a Michigan waterway with a stunning purple and orange sunset in the background. Nortier says he believes the blue heron is one of the most beautiful creatures in Michigan, and the mural is both an ode to the heron and the Great Lakes.

“This mural is one of the largest interior walls I have ever painted and in an area with an immense amount of foot traffic – thousands of people come through every day,” said Nortier. “I am excited to have this opportunity to leave my mark at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport, and I look forward to being a part of the inaugural team of artists for this new program.”

The Airport Art Program is in partnership with the Frey Foundation which focuses grantmaking efforts on art in the local community. The Foundation’s commitment to the Airport came through a donation to the Gateway Transformation Project. The program will feature rotating exhibitions, and the initial mural space will change periodically.

“The Frey Foundation is thrilled to support local and diverse artistic expression in the Gerald R. Ford International Airport,” said Holly Johnson, President of the Frey Foundation. “It serves as a gateway to our community, welcoming both first time visitors and long-time residents alike. The addition of public art installations, such as the mural by Nick Nortier, help create a sense of place, highlighting the unique culture as well as the talent and creativity abundant in our great city.”

DeGroff’s mural will be on the walkway to Concourse A and features bold, bright colors and animals in slumber.

“With the Gateway Transformation Project we added over 59,000 square footage with our new security checkpoint, restaurant space, hallways, and more,” said Gerald R. Ford International Airport President & CEO Tory Richardson. “The spaces where these artists are working will liven up our walls, transform the guest experience, and showcase the talented artists we have here in West Michigan. We are proud to partner with the Frey Foundation to encourage community engagement in cultural experiences.”

Other future art installations include a sculpture by Grand Rapids artist Jason Quigno depicting traditional Native American symbolism in Michigan, set to be unveiled in Summer 2020. “The President Ford Mural” by Grand Rapids artist Paul Collins will be re-installed on the east end of the Airport lobby near Valet Parking this Spring. Additionally, a replica “Le Grande Vitesse” by artist Alexander Calder and a Calder plane will be placed in the front lobby area after Gateway Transformation Project Phase II is complete in August 2020.

Frey Foundation awards $150,000 for community land trust and supporting programs

3-bottom, , ,

Ryan VerWys, executive director of the Inner City Christian Federation (Frey Foundation). The ICCF was awarded $150,000 to create a Community Homes Land Trust.

The Frey Foundation is pleased to announce Inner City Christian Federation (ICCF) as the recipient of its inaugural Housing Innovation Award. ICCF will use the $150,000 award to create a Community Homes Land Trust and support structures designed to create and preserve affordable homeownership and rental opportunities for ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families in Kent County.

 

“We are honored to receive this award and are excited to expand affordable housing opportunities in our community,” said Ryan VerWys, ICCF President & CEO. “We recognize the need for solutions to affordable housing that go beyond new construction. With the support of the Housing Innovation Award, we will leverage existing assets to bring affordability to both renters and homeowners.”

 

In the planned Community Homes Land Trust model, homes are sold at below-market prices to income-qualified households who cannot afford to buy on the open market. Upon resale, any home in the Land Trust remains affordable by utilizing a portion of the appreciation to reduce the purchase price for the next owner, preserving affordability from generation to generation.

“A diverse, cross-sector Selection Committee unanimously recommended ICCF’s Housing Innovation proposal for its potential for impact, scale, and ICCF’s intent to share the Community Homes Land Trust framework with other housing organizations whose beneficiaries could be served by this tool. Their proposal included well-vetted ideas designed to preserve affordability and access over the long-term,” said Lynne Ferrell, Frey Foundation Program Director.

 

Frey Foundation President Holly Johnson (Frey Foundation)

“Our trustees are committed to being at the table and playing a meaningful role in moving the needle on housing insecurity on behalf of ALICE families in West and Northern Michigan,” said Ellie Frey Zagel, third generation Free Foundation trustee and chair of th initiative. “This work can’t be done by one funder or in silos. we are committed to learning and listening for emerging opportunities, and are willing to try new approaches to make an impact on those we seek to serve.”

 

This is the foundation’s first venture into “prize philanthropy,” a grant making tool designed to spark innovation and engagement for community impact.

 

The Frey Foundation issued an open call for innovative ideas to accelerate access to sustainable, quality housing opportunities in Kent County in late September. The deadline for applications was October 29, 2018. A range of ideas were submitted by several local non-profit organizations. Submissions were evaluated by an external, diverse and multi-sector Selection Committee of seven coordinated by Executive Director John Weiss and the staff at Grand Valley Metro Council (GVMC)

 

“We designed a process to give community stakeholders license and incentive to get in a room and think creatively and collaboratively. We see this process having broader learning implications for the foundation and others involved with intrinsic benefits that will continue to unfold,” said Frey Foundation President Holly Johnson.

 

While the Frey Foundation serves the broader West and Northern Michigan regions, the Housing Innovation Award opportunity focused on serving Kent County’s ALICE population.

 

About the Frey Foundation

 

Edward and Frances Frey established the Frey Foundation in 1974 out of a deep love of community and their commitment to philanthropy. Since that time, two generations of the Frey family have come along to continue their legacy, working to enhance the lives of children and families, protect natural resources, promote the arts, and build community. Learn more about the foundation and its grant making at www.freyfdn.org.

 

About ICCF

 

ICCF is the oldest non-profit affordable housing provider in the state of Michigan. Active in the Grand rapids area since 1974, ICCF serves more than 2,200 households a year through its programs and services. Program offerings include Family Have emergency shelter, 439 units of affordable rental housing, newly constructed homes for purchase, homeownership education and financial counseling. Visit www.iccf.org for more information.

 

 

Kent District Library goes mobile to reach underserved areas, improve reading proficiency

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, , , , , , ,

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

In Kent County, about 50 percent of the third grade students are at a grade level reading proficiency, and 50 percent are not. It is odds that the Kent District Library hopes to improve upon with the launch of its new bookmobile.

 

“There are several studies that have shown that if [students] hadn’t hit reading level proficiency by third grade they have a deficit that actually kind of hobbles their ability to be successful in further schooling efforts especially after they get done with high school,” said KDL Executive Director Lance Werner. “They face a struggle pretty much for the rest of their lives.”

 

However, by getting reading materials to students before or as they enter third grade, KDL hopes to help make a dent in the area’s third grade reading issues. To help with that, KDL decided to turn to an old program it offered about 30 years ago  — a bookmobile.

 

KDL Executive Director Lance Werner in the new KDL Bookmobile.

“A lot of people say, why not just use technology, and the honest God truth is not everybody has access to technology and sometimes taking a low tech solution makes sense,” said Werner during a recent unveiling of the bookmobile at Steelcase. “We want to make sure people have access to physical materials and actual books as well as technology.

 

“That’s the whole purpose of the bookmobile. It is literally a library on wheels.”

 

The bookmobile was made possible through a $208,000 grant from the Steelcase Foundation with a Frey Foundation grant covering the bookmobile’s materials and J&H Family Stores covering a full year of fuel.

 

The bookmobile is 36 feet long, 11 feet tall and 8.5 feet wide. It weighs about 22,000 pounds with the collection inside. That collection includes books, DVDs, audiobooks, magazines, and video games. The bookmobile itself is a hotspot and will also have hotspots available for checkout as well as iPads and computers. Additional, from April to October, the bookmobile will have two bicycles available for checkout.

 

The white, green and blue vehicle has a TV screen on the outside to allow for movie presentations. There is also a lift on the back of the bookmobile, so it is handicap accessible.

 

The new KDL Bookmobile was unveiled at a special event at Steelcase. The Steelcase Foundation helped to launch the project with a $208,000 grant.

The bookmobile will be visiting a number of locations from area schools to retirement centers. KDL Community Engagement Manager Sara Proano said materials can be tailored to a specific location. So if the stop is at a school, age appropriate items will be available, and if the stop is a retirement center, materials, such as large print books, will be geared more towards that age range.

 

Werner said the biggest focus is the areas that are underserved because they are rural and/or there are not libraries available.

 

“There are a lot of areas of Kent County that are underserved and we want to make sure we are able to reach people where they are at,” Werner said, adding that the bookmobile will be visiting schools in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas.

 

“We aim to be a part of the campus and have stops on their campuses to make sure that kids not only have excellent services from their media centers in the school, but excellent services from the Kent District Library and a lot of times school kids have the biggest transportation issues out of all of us and really for some of those kids the only chance they will get to visit the library will be to visit the bookmobile when it comes to their school.”

 

The bookmobile will run Mondays through Thursdays plus Saturdays. Fridays are reserved for special events and maintenance. The bookmobile will return to locations so that people have time to return materials, Werner said, adding that materials can be returned to any KDL branch.

 

For the bookmobile schedule visit kdl.org and go to events, clicking bookmobile under branches or go to kdl.org/bookmobile where people can request a visit from the bookmobile.

 

Snapshots: Wyoming, Kentwood news you need to know

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, , , ,

Quote of the Day

"Art is not a cleverness contest. It is an honesty contest to hone the capacity to truly be that which you are."

        ~ Ran Ortner, ArtPrize's first public vote winner

 

Take a ‘leep’ into art

 

“Pink House” by Kendra Postma

The Leep Art Gallery, in the Postma Center at the Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, will be featuring the work of Kendra Postma in the exhibit titled “These Are A Few of My Favorite Things.”

 

“My paintings often take on a dreamlike or spiritual aura to me. Inspiration often comes from walks on the beach with the water lapping at my feet and fills me with a sense of peace, or sometimes it’s my chickens which influence what I create. I always have an intense desire or need to create something that nourishes my soul,” Postma said.

 

The exhibit runs Oct. 3 – Jan. 2. Find out more here.

 

 

Better Homes

 

The Frey Foundation is currently seeking innovative ideas to accelerate access to sustainable, quality housing opportunities in Kent County. The foundation is specifically focused on addressing housing access for people who are employed yet may be struggling to make ends meet.

 

The foundation will award a grant of up to $150,000 to an agency or partnership that submits an innovative, actionable plan, concept or collaboration that effectively reduces the number of ALICE families paying more than 30 percent of monthly income for housing. Submissions will be evaluated, and an idea selected, by an external, multi-sector advisory committee coordinated by the Grand Valley Metro Council.

 

Ideas are currently being accepted online. The deadline for submission is Oct. 29. More information is available at freyfdn.org/housinginnovation. Go here to learn more.

 

But Some Swing In It

 

Glenn Bulthuis with the Hark Up horns

The Van Singel Fine Arts Center has announced its upcoming season which kicks off with Swing Night at the Van Singel featuring Glenn Bulthuis and the Hark Up Big Band. The event is Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m. with tickets $18 for adults and $12 for students (high school and younger. Click here, for more information.

 

 

Fun Fact:

Nov. 22, 1963

It was not only the day that American President John F. Kennedy died but also the day that "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" author C.S. Lewis died. On Oct. 6, Chicago-based Ballet 5:8 will perform a re-imagining of C.S. Lewis's "The Great Divorce." The performance is set for 7 p.m. at the DeVos Center for Performing Arts, 2300 Plymouth Ave. SE.

Frey Foundation grant aims to increase access to housing in Kent County

3-bottom, , , ,

 

The Frey Foundation is currently seeking innovative ideas to accelerate access to sustainable, quality housing opportunities in Kent County. The foundation is specifically focused on addressing housing access for people who are employed yet may be struggling to make ends meet, a circumstance defined by the United Ways as ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed).

 

“This concept of launching an innovation award to catalyze community creativity around this important topic aligns with the foundation’s core values.” said Ellie Frey Zagel, chair of the initiative.

 

According to the Heart of West Michigan United Way, at least 25 percent of Kent County’s households are considered among the ALICE population. For families in these circumstances, adults in the household are employed and earning above the Federal Poverty Level. However, they do not earn enough o cover the basic cost of living, considered to be $56,460 per year for a family of our in Kent County.

 

“Innovation requires us to reexamine an issue and consider different perspectives” said Frey Foundation President Holly Johnson. We hope this opportunity results in new ideas, partnerships and new ways to leverage change.”

 

The foundation will award a grant of up to $150,000 to an agency or partnership that submits an innovative, actionable plan, concept or collaboration that effectively reduces the number of ALICE families paying more than 30 percent of monthly income for housing. Submissions will be evaluated, and an idea selected, by an external, multi-sector advisory committee coordinated by the Grand Valley Metro Council.

 

For families whose circumstances fall within the ALICE parameters, many factors contribute to housing insecurity. “Low supply and high housing costs are just the start,” said Lynne Ferrell, Frey Foundation Program Director. “Beyond basic supply and demand, stagnant wages, illness or unanticipated household expenses can hinder a family’s ability to afford rent or a mortgage payment. This can snowball into an eviction or damaged credit and present an entirely new set of challenges.”

 

To be considered, ideas should address at least one of the following:

• Finance
• Creative Development• Policy

 

This call for housing innovation is an addition to the foundation’s regular grantmaking. While the foundation serves West and Northern Michigan, this particular opportunity is focused on Kent County.

 

Ideas are currently being accepted online. The deadline for submission is Oct. 29. More information is available at freyfdn.org/housinginnovation.

Ottawa County Park Foundation’s Grand River Greenway Campaign gaining momentum

3-bottom, , , , ,

Jessica VanGinhoven

Ottawa County Parks

 

Ottawa County Parks Foundation’s effort to complete its Grand River Greenway Campaign is gaining significant traction with two recent gifts from regional foundations.

 

The Grand River Greenway Campaign is the culmination of the 30-year vision to protect thousands of acres of high quality natural and recreational lands along the Grand River in Ottawa County and then connect these lands with a multi-use ADA accessible trail. The proposed trail also will complete a contiguous connection from Millennium Park in Kent County to Grand Haven beaches and other destinations such as Grand Valley State University, downtown Grand Rapids, and the Bass River State Recreation Area. In order to accomplish this vision, Ottawa County Parks plans to acquire 700 acres of additional land and construct 27 miles of new trail (with 13 miles of the trail along or near the river or other water features). This will require $21 million in funding, with the Parks Foundation seeking $7.2 million in philanthropic gifts to leverage anticipated public funding.

 

Recent grants from two West Michigan family foundations, Wege and Frey, totaling $860,000 help build momentum for the Greenway Campaign, which is still pursuing “lead” commitments from donors.

 

“The show of support from Kent County donors demonstrates that the Grand Rapids area philanthropic community understands the regional value and impact of our vision,” said Peter Secchia, who is co-chair of the Grand River Greenway Campaign Committee and a major donor.

 

Secchia has long been interested in revitalization of the Grand River as a leading contributor and supporter of Millennium Park as well as other initiatives such as the MSU Gran Fondo, a fund-raising bicycle race from Grand Rapids to the lakeshore near Grand Haven. “One of the things that I love about this project is not only that it will make the Grand River more accessible to thousands of families, but that it will also connect Grand Rapids and Grand Haven together with a river pathway route for the first time. People will be able to start from Millennium Park, travel from park to park, have ice cream or a burger in Jenison or Allendale, and end with a sunset on the Grand Haven Pier.”

 

It was this type of regional impact that drew the support of Wege and Frey Foundation trustees.

 

“The Grand River is an important ecological and recreational asset. Improving riverside lands in Ottawa County and connecting them to Kent County will add incredible value to the on-going work in Grand Rapids to restore the Grand River and the City’s namesake rapids” said Mark Van Putten, President & CEO of the Wege Foundation.

 

While the Campaign has been successful in engaging donors, Greenway Campaign committee members say broad community awareness of the value of the Greenway is not widely known. “This Greenway, with its tremendous green space and natural wildlife offerings, will enhance the physical, mental, and economic well-being of our community by increasing access to the river’s natural spaces,” said Monica Verplank, co-chair of the Greenway Campaign Committee.

 

Recent gifts represent great progress; still the Grand River Greenway Campaign is actively seeking additional partners. “We are very thankful for the support from our neighbors in Kent County and we hope to have more announcements to come in the near future, but our work is not done yet,” said Tom Werkman, President of the Ottawa County Parks Foundation and a member of the Greenway Campaign Committee.