Greater Wyoming Community Resource Alliance

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

With more than a 1,000 traffic fatalities in the state of Michigan, distracted driving has certainly become a concern with law enforcement.

The Wyoming Department of Public Safety, through a recent grant from the GM Foundation, hopes to educate area students about the dangers of distracted driving from alcohol to cell phones.

“We are going to be going into all of our local high schools partnering with them and bringing in the Save a Life tour. We will have some presentations and hopefully some interactive displays with the teenagers there just showing them the potential of distracted driving and the consequences that could be,” said Wyoming Chief Kim Koster.

An interactive display from Save a Life.

The Greater Wyoming Community Resource Alliance, which received the grant, plans to help the Wyoming Department of Public Safety bring in the program Save a Life, an international campaign designed to get the message out about the dangers of distracted driving. The program includes highly advanced impaired and distracted driving simulators that give participants a completely realistic, sober perspective on the effects of driving while impaired or distracted.

“We are receiving generously from General Motors a check that will be used specifically by our police department for distracted drivers,” said Mayor Jack Poll, who was at the opening ceremonies or the 28th Street Metro Cruise where the grants were presented. The 28th Street Metro Cruise is usually the last weekend in August.

For the past several years GM has recognized and supported local organizations that help with a number of projects within the community. The GM Community Grants program, funded by the GM Foundation, is providing about $2 million to hundreds of organizations in 48 communities where GM employees live and work. Of that amount, $30,000 was awarded to the GM Components Holdings LLC in Wyoming to give to local organizations.

GM Foundation awards three grants totaling $30,000 recently at the 2018 28th Street Metro Cruise.

That amount was split between three organizations, the Greater Wyoming Community Resource Alliance, the West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC), and Feeding America.

WMEAC will use most of its grant money toward its Teach the Watershed program at Godfrey Lee Elementary School, said WMEAC Director of Development Mary Robinson.

“We work specifically with fourth graders to teach them about the watershed and air pollution and how then can be actors in stopping pollution,” Robinson said. “We will also have a fall water festival that will include kids from the elementary school but also from the early childhood center.”

The last group was the Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank which will utilize the grant to help support 14 school mobile pantries feeding more than 14,000 families. One of the locations is Wyoming’s Parkview Elementary.

Recipients of the GM Foundation grants with GM and UAW Local 167 representatives.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

Five local organizations, which provide a range of services from environmental to empowerment of girls, were selected to receive a total of $25,000 from the GM Community Grants program funded by the GM Foundation.

“This is not only where our employees come to work each day, it is where our families, friends and neighbors live,” said GM Components Assistant Plant Manager Michael Skilling, who made the announcement during the Metro Cruise opening ceremonies on Saturday. GM Components Holdings LLC is located at 2100 Burlingame Ave. SW.

Wyoming Mayor Jack Poll and Wyoming Police Chief James Carmody

The GM Foundation is providing $2 million to more than 180 organizations in 47 communities where GM employees live and work. One of the five local organizations to receive a grant was the Greater Wyoming Community Resource Alliance.

“This is the fourth time we have received this from GM and its speaks of their commitment to the community,” said Wyoming Police Chief James Carmody who along with Wyoming Mayor Jack Poll accepted the $5,000 check for the Greater Wyoming Community Resource Alliance.

The money will be used to help fund scholarships for youth and families to participate in health, wellness, and recreational activities; public safety initiatives including National Night Out festivities and support and advocating for citizen-driven committees and organizations including Pinery Park Little League, the Community Enrichment Commission and neighborhood associations.

“Most of the stuff we do is really interesting in that 100 percent of the donations/contributions that come to the Alliance go back out,” Carmody said. “So there is no administrative costs and that’s a great benefit to the people here, especially to the local community which is our focus.”

Poll added that the Alliance has had a number of people from the city step up to volunteer and commit time to make Wyoming a good place to live and work.

“They are very good neighbors,” Poll said of the donation from GM Foundation.

Accepting for WMEAC was (left) Executive Director Bill Wood and Director Development Mary Robinson

These following groups also each received $5,000 each from the GM Community Grants program:

Feeding America – West Michigan Food Bank, which supports four School Mobile Pantries, feeding more than 1,200 families over a four-month period. “At Parkview Elementary, less than a mile from the GM facility, the School Mobile Pantry distributes 7,500 pounds of fresh produce, dairy products, and grains directly to individuals in need,” Skilling said.

Finish the Mission Veterans Relief Fund, which has the goal to make West Michigan the most Veteran Friendly community in the nation, will use the money to help local veterans in need and with ongoing capital improvement projects at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans.

West Michigan Environmental Action Council will be using the funds to support “Teach for the Watershed” at Godfrey-Lee Elementary School. This program gives all fourth graders the hands-on opportunity to learn about their watershed, storm water contamination and what they can do to prevent pollution. Skilling noted that mentors from GM volunteer to help students make a connection between science and science-based careers. The funds also will support WMEAC’s Annual Mayors’ Grand River Clean Up.

YWCA – Grand Rapids provides prevention and empowerment services for women and girls. The grant will be used to provide girls with experiences that develop their awareness and engagement in their community, all while supporting their individual and collective power to become the next generation of leaders.