Tag Archives: Kentwood Community Church

Kentwood community celebrates MLK day with food drive, special program

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By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

Celebrating the words and actions of Martin Luther King Jr, Kentwood residents and city leaders recently came together to mark the day with a special program at the KDL Kentwood branch.

 

Activities included a proclamation from Mayor Stephen Kepley who was assisted by honor students from East Kentwood High School with the reading. The guest speaker was Kyle Ray, pastor of Kentwood Community Church, with music by Craig Tyson.

 

“I always want the City of Kentwood, being so diverse, to use this day to remember the things that Martin Luther King Jr. taught us,” said Mayor Stephen Kepley after yesterday’s program. Kepley said it is not just about King’s words but also his service. “This is a day of service. We wanted to actually but our words into action because, I think, words without works is dead. So we wanted to have the works –the service — and we have used this day and other previous Martin Luther King Jr. days to provide food for those in need. We wanted not only to sponsor our little free food pantry but also the food pantries of West Michigan.”

 

Last year, the city officially launched its little free food pantry, where you take an item or items when needed and leave an item or items when you can. As part of this year’s activities, the city hosted a food drive for the little free pantry at Celebration! Cinema South and the Family Fare located on Kalamazoo Avenue. According to city staff, the little free pantry has been very well received.

 

“I have heard stories of people who were in need a year ago and things got better, and now, instead of taking food that they need, actually are supporting the food pantry,” Kepley said. “They have done a 360. There was a need for them and now things are better off. They got a better job, some income coming in, and are bringing food to the little food pantry.”

 

Because the Kentwood Activities Center is being remodeled, the little free food pantry has currently been moved to the KDL Kentwood Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE. Staff has noted that the temporary location has been as busy as the Kentwood Activities Center one.

 

“It has been so successful we are actually looking to have a second location here at the library,” Kepley said, adding that the city then would have two little food pantries, one at the Kentwood Activities Center and one at the KDL Kentwood branch.

 

Food donations are accepted year around for the pantry. Donations are accepted at the Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE, during normal business hours, currently at the KDL Kentwood Branch, and once the Kentwood Activities Center reopens in March, donations will be accepted there as well.

Kentwood Community Church hosts last job fair for 2016

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Kentwood Community Church is set to host its last Community Job Fair for this year on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at its Wyoming campus, 2950 Clyde Park Ave. SW.

 

The Community Job Fair, which is from 9 a.m. to noon, has been around for three years and continues to draw employers from all trades, including healthcare, industrial, transportation, retail, sales and more. About 47 employers will be on site hiring for hundreds of locally available jobs. Many employers interview on the spot.

 

For more information, visit www.grjobfair.com.

 

Employers registered to be at the fair cover a variety of fields from the building industry to the restaurant business. Some of the employers scheduled to be at the fair are Avalon Building Concepts, Avis Budget Group, Block by Block, Blu Perspective, Boardwalk Subs, Compass Point Labor Management, Dean Transportation, Diversified General Contracting Inc., Electro Chemical Finishing, Elwood Staffing, Enviro-Clean, FedEx Ground, Fettig, Genius Phone Repair/Tech Defenders, Grand Rapids Building Services, Griffin Transportation/Accurate Truck Service, Haworth, Kent Quality Foods, Life EMS Ambulance, Macy’s, Mercy Health, Manpower, Maxim Healthcare Services, Michigan Turkey Producers, MOKA, Morrison Industrial Equipment, Health Care Associates.Community Caregivers, New York Life, Notions Marketing, PineRest, Porter Hills, Snelling, Spectrum Community Services, Stratosphere Quality, Taco Bell, Tekton, Teleperformance, The Avon Shop, Thresholds, Tradesmen International, Two Men and a Truck, UFP Technologies, Unidine Corporation at Metro Health Hospital, Williamson Employment, and WSI

 

A current list of employers and jobs available is available at:
http://kccarena.com/Custom/OnlineForms/community_job_fair_registered_employers.pdf

 

Job seekers are encouraged to bring several copies of their resume. Online registering is encouraged. Pre-registered participants will receive a packet upon arrival.

 

All job seekers who both pre-register online and attend the Nov. 9 Community Job Fair will be placed in a drawing for a $25 MasterCard/ Gift Card.

 

Several service and support organizations including: AARP, Disability Advocates of Kent County, GMSK Foundation (Veterans Services), Goodwill’s ACHIEVE Program  and Celebrate Recovery will be on hand to assist job seekers who may need information regarding interpersonal and professional skill building, resume assistance and interview classes.

 

For more information about the event, visit the Community Job Fair Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/1759335601018528/

Slight changes make Kentwood’s Fourth of July celebration really sparkle

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Get a front row ticket for the Grand Rapids fireworks at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
Kentwood’s Fourth of July fireworks will be at Crestwood Middle School.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

 

This year, the City of Kentwood has made a few tweaks to its annual Fourth of July celebration – which will be observed on Monday, July 4 – in an effort to make the activities more centralized.

 

Kentwood’s Marketing and Events Coordinator Laura Barbarick said there was a move by city staff at the recommendation of Mayor Stephen Kepley to pull the events together in one place. So it was decided to have the Kentwood Community Church as the main spot for the morning events with all the evening activities remaining at Crestwood Middle School.

 

The celebration – which has been taking place for more than 35 years in Kentwood – will kick off like it always has with a pancake breakfast from 7 – 11 a.m. in a tent in the east parking lot of Kentwood Community Church, 1200 60th St. SE. Cost is $7/general, free/children 3 and under for pancakes, sausage and eggs.

 

Barbrick noted that because both the 5K race and the parade start and end at Kentwood Community Church, participants and visitors will need to vary their route to the church since 60th Street between Eastern Avenue and Ridgebrook Drive will be closed. The recommend route is to enter the Celebration! Cinema South drive off of Kalamazoo Avenue and follow until it dead ends into Eastport Drive. Turn right and follow Eastport until it dead ends into Ridgebrook Drive, turning right on Ridgebrook Drive to the church.

 

Because of the effort to centralize events both the Autocam 5K Race & Fun Walk and the parade routes are reverse from last year.

 

The 5K begins at 8:30 am. with racers traveling west towards Eastern, north on Eastern with a turn around near the front of CVS so they head south on Eastern and then east on 60th Street. Registration is open up to the day of the race with late registration and check in are at Kentwood Community Church. For more information, visit www.classicrace.com.

 

Immediately after the race will be the parade, set to start around 9:30 a.m. The parade starts at 60th Street and Ridgebrook in front of Kentwood Community Church and will travel west on 60th Street then north to the 52nd Street and Eastern Avenue intersection. Anyone interested in participating in this year’s parade should contact the Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department at 656-5270.

 

The Fourth of July celebration activities continue in the evening at 6 pm. with a carnival at Crestwood Middle School, 2674 44th St. SE., and concluding with fireworks at dusk. There will be a variety of games and rides for the whole family to enjoy. Concession and food trucks will be onsite until 10 p.m.

 

Volunteers are needed for all portions of the celebration. To volunteer or for more information about the event, visit the Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department’s website, www.yourkprd.org or call 656-5270.

Community Job Fair Looking to Double in 2016

Local Business, Non-Profits, Our Cities, Upcoming Events, , , , ,

job fair 2By: Mike DeWitt

 

With the start of a New Year comes resolutions and a promise of a brighter tomorrow. For those who lost a job or are looking for a different career path, a job fair can be a beacon of hope in the dense fog of uncertainty. Thanks to Kentwood Community Church and West Michigan Works!, there’s a bright, shining beacon every month right here in Wyoming, Michigan.

 

The Community Job Fair is held monthly at the Wyoming Campus of Kentwood Community Church. The event brings in 40 businesses looking to fill over 1,000 immediate openings! 2015 marked the first full calendar year of the event, and the results were eye-popping.

The shakers behind the KCC Job Fair: From left, Kristina Herron, administrative assistant, Pastor Rich Avery and Jayne Lindblom with Michigan Works!
The shakers behind the KCC Job Fair: From left, Kristina Herron, Community Engagement Coordinator, Pastor Rich Avery and Jayne Lindblom with Michigan Works!

 

“Last year we hosted 161 local employers and over 1,800 job seekers,” explains Community Engagement Coordinator, Kristina Herron.

 

While those numbers are impressive in year one, there’s reason to believe they can go even higher… much higher.

 

“We’re hoping to double our number of job seekers,” adds Herron. “We just started advertising and putting out promos towards the end of last year. We ran our first ad in October and saw immediate feedback. We’re to the point where employers have to pay to attend and we have a wait list! I don’t think it’s a stretch to double our attendance.”

 

That type of growth is impressive, and it’s a testament to the work Kentwood Community Church and West Michigan Works! have put in.

 

The job fair is free for all job seekers regardless of age or experience level.

 

While no longer free for employers, it’s an inviting atmosphere that works in their best interest. Employers are offered coffee, a comfortable sized booth, and a bevy of potential employees all in one place. One employer was encouraged by their peers to join the Community Job Fair because “it’s the best in the area!”

 

There’s a reason a wait list exists.job fair

 

“Back in June, we accidentally overbooked and had 50 employers,” recounts Herron. “I think that was the moment I realized ’This is big time, it’s here to stay.’”

 

It’s important for any job fair to get both employers and potential employees into the door, but what makes a job fair have staying power is its ability to create jobs. At the Community Job Fair, job seekers must come prepared to find a new job. Several employers have interviewed and hired right on the spot!

 

With all the success in 2015, not only is the job fair here to stay, but it’s future is brighter than ever. Make sure to stop by.

 

Who: Kentwood Community Church & West Michigan Works!
What: Community Job Fair
When: January 13 from 9:00am – 12:00pm
Where: Wyoming Campus of Kentwood Community Church, 2950 Clyde Park Ave SW, Wyoming, Michigan 49509
Why: To find a job and build a new future!

 

Future Dates: February 10 and March 9

Community Job Fair