A term all-too familiar to educators is “Summer Brain Drain” — that students tend to regress in their educational skills over the summer school break. It is expected to be even more of problem with the final months of the 2019-20 school year moving to online learning instead of in-class learning, the so-called “COVID Slide”.
According to a 2019 article by GreatSchools.org, teachers spend an average of 4-to-8 weeks every fall reviewing materials students have studied but lost mastery of over the summer, and most fall behind particularly in math and spelling.
But again this summer, educators across Kent ISD are collaborating with partner organizations — including the Kent District Library — to turn a brain drain into a brain gain, and to keep learning going all summer for all students through the ISD’s free Summer Brain Gain program.
The program provides online learning, resources students can engage with on their own and printable packets available to students in grades K-12 in Kent County and beyond.
Registration for instructor-led courses is available by grade level for all public, private and homeschooled students began June 15. These courses and other learning opportunities continue to begin June and July and conclude Aug. 7.
“We have brought together experts in curriculum and instructions from all around Kent ISD to create courses, gather learning opportunities and connect families with resources appropriate for their students at every grade level,” Kelli Brockway, Director of Teaching and Learning at Kent ISD, said in supplied material. “The idea is to bridge the learning gap between June and the start of the new school year.”
Preliminary estimates suggest additional learning losses due to the pandemic, or “COVID slide” as it’s been called.
A report by Dr. Megan Kufeld and Dr. Beth Tarasawa for the Collaborative for Student Growth at NWEA suggests learning loss may range from 30 percent in reading, to more than 50 percent in math and in some grades, according to supplied material. It also suggests when students return in the fall, learning may be nearly a full year behind what likely would be observed in normal conditions.
Summer Brain Gain programs offered include GRASP, the Grand Rapids Public Schools Program for math and reading that is free for Kent ISD students this summer.
Connections to vetted online apps, resources and links to learning that children and teens can engage in on their own are also part of the program, according to Kent ISD. Summer Brain Gain also links students and families to educational offerings by area cultural and community organizations who are School News Network Education Everywhere partners such as John Ball Zoo, Grand Rapids Public Museum, Van Andel Institute, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park and more. All resources are located at kentisd.org/SummerBrainGain.
Printable packets and links to Kent ISD’s Summer Brain Gain program are available through partnerships with Kent District Library, Grand Rapids Public Library and Literacy Center of West Michigan. Packets can be ordered for printing and pick up at library locations throughout Grand Rapids and Kent County.
Through the Kent District Library partnership, students can order printed packets from their local KDL branch and KDL will print it and have it available for them to pick up. For more information visit here.
Registration is now open but the deadline to register for GRASP is June 30. Summer Brain Gain materials and connections will be available through Kent District Library, Grand Rapids Public Library and Literacy Center for West Michigan starting this week, on June 22.
Kent ISD is a regional educational service agency that provides instructional and administrative services to more than 300 schools, 20 public districts, three non-public districts, and many public school academies and non-public schools within the ISD’s boundaries.
For more informant about the Kent ISD, visit their website kentisd.org.
West Michigan’s Gilmore Car Museum, in promotional material for its exhibit “The Negro Motorist Green Book”, retells an often-told story about travel for African-Americans in the United State’s deep south in the middle years of the 1900s.
In the spring of 1946, Jack Roosevelt Robinson, former multi-sport standout at UCLA and a U.S. Army veteran, and his bride of two weeks were flying from Los Angeles to Florida for baseball’s spring training season — twice along the route they were bumped from flights so their seats could be occupied by passengers with white skin.
Historic photo identifying restaurant as for “White Trade Only”. Location and date unknown. (Library of Congress)
During a stopover in New Orleans, they were not allowed to eat in the “whites only” airport restaurant. After arriving in Florida, the driver ordered them to sit in the back of the bus.
But the Robinsons, Jackie — soon to wear the Brooklyn Dodgers’ No. 42 on his back — and Rachel, were not alone. African-Americans faced discrimination in many aspects of life, including lodging, dining, when trying to find a drinking fountain or a restroom or even when trying to buy gasoline for their cars.
And that era is the backdrop of the Gilmore’s exhibit “The Negro Motorist Green Book” comes into the picture — an exhibit focused on the book series “The Negro Travelers’ Green Book”.
History of the Green Book
According to supplied information, Victor Hugo Green published “The Negro Travelers’ Green Book” with a listing of places — some commercial, some private homes — where dark-skinned people could stay and eat, where they could buy gas and even which towns to avoid for their own safety.
The 1954 Green Book. (Gilmore)
Green, an African-American mail carrier in New York City started the series in the mid-1930s and his company kept it going until passage of civil rights legislation in the 1960s.
Green and his wife were from Virginia and as they traveled to visit family, they encountered Jim Crow Era restrictions. He got the idea to start the series when a Jewish friend showed Green a guidebook used to avoid “gentile-only” establishments and Green started his Green Book. He enlisted mail carriers across the country to help him compile and update the listings.
Decades after the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment ended slavery, African Americans continued to suffer unequal treatment, especially in the Deep South. Jim Crow Laws discriminated against blacks in nearly every aspect of public life, including travel.
The Gilmore exhibit
While many people saw the Academy Award winning movie “Green Book”, visitors to the Gilmore Car Museum can now learn more about the book and its role in black travel in an exhibit which opened in 2014 and has since gained much praise.
The Gilmore Car Museum’s Green Book Diorama. (Gilmore)
David Lyon, automotive historian and author, recently pointed out that Gilmore’s display is likely “the only Green Book exhibit at an automobile museum in this country, and perhaps the world,” according to the Gilmore.
The exhibit includes the life-like museum figures of a mother and daughter and — the Gilmore being a car museum after all — a classic and restored two-tone 1948 Buick sedan parked at an Esso filing station. Information panels provide details, a large video plays interviews with African-Americans who experienced discrimination while traveling and a copy of the Spring 1956 edition of a Green Book is there for museum visitors to examine.
“It’s a story that had been pretty much forgotten,” Jay Follis, Gilmore museum curator, said in supplied material. “We’ve had a tremendous number of people seeing it and saying, ‘I’ve never heard of this.’”
There’s a reason the gas station in the Gilmore museum diorama has an Esso pump. Esso was a brand of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company.
The 1942 Green Book. (Gilmore)
Follis explained that Esso had a program to help African-Americans buy and operate its service stations. Esso also provided offices and support for the staff that helped Green produce and publish his guides.
The Green Book diorama is one of two cultural exhibits that are a permanent part of the Gilmore museum’s display. The other — “The American Exodus” — focuses on the hardships of the Depression-era migration from the Midwestern “Dust Bowl” to the promised-land on the West Coast.
In addition to the Gilmore’s nearly 400 vehicles, many of them housed in historic buildings and re-created automobile dealerships, its 90-acre campus includes a vintage gasoline station and authentic 1941 Blue Moon Diner that serves lunch daily.
The Gilmore Car Museum is located at Hickory Corners, between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, for more information visit gilmorecarmusuem.org or call 269-671-5089.
Woodland Mall’s Apple Store reopened this week, joining the three anchors and dozens of other stores and restaurants in again welcoming shoppers and diners. (Supplied)
Woodland Mall’s Apple Store reopened this week, joining the three anchor stores and dozens of other stores and restaurants in again welcoming shoppers and diners while still maintaining safety and cleanliness protocols, according to a statement from the mall management.
Apple, Macy’s, J.C. Penney and Von Maur are among the 80 retailers and restaurants that have reopened since June 1. A complete list of venue open at the mall, as well as updates on safety and cleanliness protocols, can be viewed on Woodland Mall’s website.
“We are so pleased that much of the mall has reopened and is ready to serve West Michigan again safely,” Cecily McCabe, Woodland Mall marketing director, said in supplied material. “It’s a true pleasure to again welcome shoppers and diners from across to region back to Woodland Mall. The response over the first few weeks has been very positive, and we are delighted to welcome back more of our community.”
In order to comply with Michigan requirements, occupancy numbers remain limited as the mall operates on reduced hours — Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. (Some stores may limit those hours.)
Woodland Mall asks guests to follow CDC recommendations, make use of the several hand sanitizer stations located throughout the mall, wear masks and practice physical distancing.
Guests will notice some changes for their safety, as well as the safety of employees, according to the statement. In addition to its rigorous cleaning and sanitizing schedule, Woodland Mall managment company, PREIT, has carefully reviewed policies and procedures and thoroughly cleaned the mall using CDC-recommended disinfectant. Common area furniture and other elements where physical distancing cannot be enforced have been removed. While the play area remains closed indefinitely, food court seating is now available at reduced capacity.
Woodland Mall recommends shoppers visit individual retail or restaurant websites for the most current information and services including curbside pick-up, appointments and reservations. Retailers participating in the mall’s Mall2Go: Contact-Free Pickup program can be found on its website.
Continuing to provide some clarity to what K-12 public school education might look like in the fall — including a possible return to in-person learning — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced June 17 that she plans to announce on June 30 a “Michigan’s Return to School Roadmap” that will provide details on “what will be required and what will be recommended” for schools to reopen.
“Our students and educators have made incredible sacrifices these past few months to protect themselves and their families from the spread of COVID-19,” Gov. Whitmer said in supplied material. “I am optimistic that we will return to in-person learning in the fall … (but) schools must make sure to enact strict safety measures to continue protecting educators, students, and their families.
Gov. Whitmer also said her office is working with the Return to Learn Advisory Council and leaders in health care “to ensure we get this right,” but that the state also needs more flexibility and support from the federal government.
“This crisis has had serious implications on our budget, and we need federal support if we’re going to get this right for our kids,” Gov. Whitmer said.
On May 15, Gov. Whitmer, buy executive order, created the COVID-19 Return to School Advisory Council. On June 3, the governor announced a group of 25 leaders in health care and education to serve on the advisory council. Local persons on the council include Kevin Polston, superintendent of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, and Nicholas J. Paradiso, vice president of government relations for National Heritage Academies.
The advisory council was created to “identify the critical issues that must be addressed, provide valuable input to inform the process of returning to school, and to ensure a smooth and safe transition back to school,” according to the governor’s statement.
“The most important thing we can do when developing a return to school plan is closely examine the data and remain vigilant in our steps to fight this virus,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services chief deputy for health, said in supplied material. “I will continue to work closely with Governor Whitmer and the Return to Learn Advisory Council to ensure we continue to put the health and safety of our students and educators first.”
The West Michigan Jazz Society is partnering with Amore Trattoria Italiana and Kaczmarski Hearing Services to present a “Jazz in the Park(ing Lot)” music festival on Friday, June 19, from 4-7 p.m.
Clif Metcalf Organ Trio (Supplied)
Jazz fans will be able to order one of Amore Trattoria Italiana’s dinners — and even a bottle of wine — for takeout with curbside service, while you wait in your car and hear live jazz in the parking lot.
“Since we cannot host our traditional Monday night summer series, ‘Jazz in the Park’, we will be sponsoring local musicians and jazz venues in West Michigan to host safe and socially distant outdoor concerts,” according to a WMJS statement.
The schedule of bands include GR Groove (4-5 p.m.), Clif Metcalf Organ Trio (5-6 p.m.), and In The Blue Jazz Ensemble (6-7 p.m.)
In The Blue Jazz Ensemble (Suppied)
“This event is going to be a great event, primarily focused on the music, but also it will be serving as our WMJS membership drive. We are encouraging attendees to purchase a meal from Amore, watch (and listen to the jazz) for a brief time slot while they enjoy their meal … and then to leave the event to allow for social distancing and to limit the size of the crowd.”
A portion of restaurant sales and musicians’ “earplugs” profit during the event will be donated back to WMJS from both Amore and Kaczmarski Hearing Services. Dr. Beckie Kaczmarski will be onsite for walk-up appointments and will be fitting for custom musicians’ earplugs, according to supplied material.
The event will also be live streamed from the WMJS Facebook page, if you are not comfortable with attending in person, according to the statement. A digital donation jar to show your support for WMJS is also available here securely through PayPal.
One cannot walk through the current main building area of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park and not take note of, pause to wonder about, the mysterious white-shrouded “Woman In Arm Chair”.
“Woman In Arm Chair” by George Segal. (William J Hebert)
Is she alive? Sleeping? Is she someone’s grandmother? Someone’s muse?
Such is the work of George Segal, one of the masters of Pop Art and so much more.
Meijer Gardens will now offer more clues into the master’s mind as the venue announced June 15 the opening this week of its highly-anticipated but delayed multi-media exhibition, “George Segal: Body Language” — a show which combines the artist’s sculptures side-by-side with a recent gift of prints from the Segal Foundation.
The exhibit, the announcement states, “explores Segal’s career and focuses on his remarkable versatility in representing body language across different media including plaster and various print techniques.”
The exhibition will open today, Tuesday, June 16, and will run through Jan. 3, 2021.
“Neysa” by George Segal. (Chuck Heiney)
“George Segal: Body Language” will span the career of Segal and focus on his “creative vision in representing body language across a variety of materials.” This is the first exhibition of Segal’s work at Meijer Gardens since 2004 and will be the first time that a selection of the gift of 32 prints, one sculpture and three wall reliefs from the Segal Foundation and Rena Segal will be on display.
“We are thrilled to share this selection of George Segal’s sculptures, reliefs and two-dimensional works with our guests,” Jochen Wierich, Meijer Gardens’ Curator of Sculpture & Sculpture Exhibitions, said in supplied material. “Segal’s exploration of the human body across different media continues to resonate. By showing the wide range of prints he made while also working on sculpture, we hope to add a new and largely unexplored dimension to this important 20th century artist.”
As detailed in the announcement, approximately 60 years ago, Segal “embraced a new working process that catapulted him to become one of the most recognized twentieth-century sculptors.”
During the summer of 1961, Segal was introduced to medical gauze bandages which he began to use as a primary material to cast plaster sculptures. The following year he was included in the legendary exhibition “The New Realists”, along with Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg and Jim Dine. In response to this group exhibition, the American media began to refer to the artists as a new movement: Pop Art.
“Girl in Bright Red Shirt” by George Segal. (Chuck Heiney)
“The George and Helen Segal Foundation is pleased to see Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park exhibit their collection of Segal works along with rarely seen prints,” Rena Segal, President of the George and Helen Segal Foundation, said in supplied material. “It is wonderful that his work will inspire new audiences.”
There will also be several special exhibition programs associated with the show. (Exhibition programs are drop-in and registration is not required. Please note, due to COVID-19, programming might change. Please visit MeijerGardens.org/Segal for a current list of exhibition programming.)
Among the special programs scheduled are:
— Sculpture Walk: Figures in the Gardens. Sunday, July 12, at 2 p.m. (Free with admission.) Amber Oudsema, curator of arts education, will lead an exploration pf the Sculpture Park during an hour-long walk, discussing sculptures that focus on the human figure. Learn about how artists investigate the human condition through the body.
— Lecture: Exploring Process — Printmaking. Sunday, Aug. 9, at 2 p.m. (Free with admission.) Mariel Versluis, working artist and chair of the printmaking program at Kendall College of Art and Design, will discuss the processes of printmaking. Topics will include why an artist might choose one printmaking process over the other, when to add color and which medium is her favorite.
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is located at 1000 E Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids. For more information visit meijergardens.org.
Kent County announced Friday, June 11, that a majority of the county’s departments, offices and agencies will resume in-person services today, Monday, June 15, including the animal shelter, the county clerk, veterans services and others.
However, court operations — 17th Circuit Court, 63rd District Court, and Probate — are open but remain closed to in-person services, following the mandated phased approach ordered by the Michigan Supreme Court. Court staff is assisting the public by e-mail and telephone. Additionally, to the greatest extent possible, hearings and proceedings are being conducted electronically and live-streamed via YouTube, according to a county statement.
While a majority of offices will reopen on June 15, residents are encouraged to visit the county’s website to determine if their service can be fulfilled remotely. Visitors are also asked to stay home if they are feeling any symptoms of illness or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, wear a mask if they are medically able, limit visits to one person per household, and maintain a 6-foot physical distance between others.
Please visit the county’s website — accesskent.com — for specific information on how to interact with each county department, office and agency.
Kent County Health Department worked with Guiding Light to provide an COVID-19 isolation facility for homeless persons. (Kent County Health Department)
The Kent County Board of Commissioners voted Thursday to allocate $94.2 million of a $114.6 million federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act grant to assist “a range of local governments, community partners, and small businesses which experienced costs due to COVID-19,” as well as to reimburse the county’s direct coronavirus mitigation efforts.
The remainder of the CARES grant available, $20.4 million, was placed in reserve for a possible second wave of COVID-19 infections, according to the June 11 county statement.
But Kent County’s efforts to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, and assist other county entities impacted, started almost on Day 1, when the crisis was labeled as such in late-March, including quickly applying for and receiving the CARES Act grant and forming a COVID Relief Subcommittee to spearhead a countywide effort starting in April.
Prior to this week’s formal county commission action June 11, WKTV talked with Kent County Administrator Wayman Britt about the county’s efforts and expenditures.
The Kent County Health Department and the county’s communication team have supplied the public information on COVID-19 in many ways, including a series of live videos. (Kent County video screenshot)
“First and foremost, we wanted to keep this community safe,” Britt said in a late May interview. “We wanted to communicate (with the public) right off the bat, and we have pushed hard on our communication. The health department has been stood up with additional resources … county staff has managed the communication … that was first and foremost, right up front, making sure we got out in front of this.”
Britt said county representatives, in the first days of local impact of the pandemic, “got out” and met a wide range of community groups via Zoom meetings, “with church leaders, with the black community … the Latinx community, the Vietnamese community. We got out to the chambers, the Grand Rapids chamber (of commerce). The business side of things.
“Communication was really huge. Developing the relationships, continuing to grow the relationships. … Really just getting ahead of it. Every day (to begin with) we conducted command meetings, emergency management meetings every day, but that is ramped back now.”
The county either set up or assisted in setting up homeless shelters and isolation centers. They worked with Grand Valley State University and Michigan State University and a host of other organizations. They focused on reducing the risk at high-risk facilities such as the county correction facility and juvenile detention facility. They focused on developing hotspots across the county.
Wyman Britt, Kent County Administrator/Controller. (WKTV)
“The team has done a fantastic job, getting out to the nursing homes, to the convalescent centers. Making sure we jumped on that,” Britt said.
“I can’t believe the work we put into this thing. It is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in my life. It is just every day grind it out. … We have weathered the storm. We weren’t ready but we got ready quick. Unfortunately we lost 70 plus (county deaths to the virus as of late May, the number now stands at 111), but compared to other parts of the state … this community has responded.”
County leadership led funding process
Considering the often slow response time of many governmental entries to form and execute a plan as complex as Kent County’s COVID-19 response and recovery plan, the action this week by the Board of Commissioners was fast — by design.
“The COVID-19 public health crisis has significantly affected residents and businesses across our county, and it was critical for our board to allocate this federal funding as quickly as possible,” Kent County Board of Commissioners Chair Mandy Bolter said in supplied material. “As we do on so many issues, we worked closely with several businesses, organizations and non-profits to develop a comprehensive plan to ensure the funds meet the needs of our community and reflect the intent of the federal legislation.”
As part of the Federal CARES Act, Kent County was awarded a grant of $114.6 million from the U.S. Treasury on April 24 from which the county could gain reimbursement for COVID-19 mitigation expenses and economic relief for a wide range of economically impacted community groups and businesses.
According to Britt, Kent County was one of only four counties in the state, in addition to the City of Detroit, to receive CARES Act grants. But to take advantage of the grant, to be able to seek reimbursement, the county had to review needs, plan for how those needs would be met, and formally allocate funds to meet those needs.
That is where the COVID Relief Subcommittee — basically the already formed county commission Executive Committee, with some others added for specific needs such as state legislative liaison — came into play.
“Their charge was to analyze all available funds coming into the county, and how they are being applied,” Britt said. “The needs of the community. The process and strategies to allocate and disperse CARES funds under the guidelines established by the Federal Government. … We don’t want to duplicate efforts, but we want to make sure we can push those dollars to as many places as we can.”
The county, in addition to the CARES Act grant of $114.6 million, is also looking at other funding reimbursements sources for COVID-19 expenses and recovery efforts, including possibly from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The COVID Relief Subcommittee met twice a week during the past two months and, according to supplied material, “received testimony from representatives of underserved communities who are being disproportionally impacted by the pandemic, as well as representatives of local chambers of commerce” and other groups and individuals.
County expenses and community support
A set of funding recommendations — and executive report — was then developed for the full Board of Commissioners’ review and approval. Among the funding approvals was $35 million in direct county expenses —including community education, emergency operations, homeless population response, surveillance and contact tracing, testing, public safety and correctional facility.
Kent County Health Department staff at a county COVID-19 testing station. (Kent County)
As of a May 3 estimate of Kent County expenses, the latest report available, the county has spent or committed to spend about $6.3 million of the $35 million allocated. The major expense areas are $1.86 million in payroll — including $1.3 million in county Health Department payroll — as well as a separate expenditure of $1.5 million for “Essential Worker Compensation”.
“There are these essential workers who have no alternative but to be here (and can’t work from home) — they have to be here,” Britt said. “Our health department, our nurses who are engaged with setting up the homeless shelters. Our sheriff’s correction officers. Our road patrol officers. Those are essential workers. … What’s happening there is we are providing them eight hours of vacation for every week worked during the COVID, because they are on the front lines and to offer incentive for them to be here.”
The essential workers “have been very supportive of doing what is necessary to keep our community safe. … We have to have the right people on staff to ward off this terrible pandemic.”
The other major county expenditure included in the May 3 report are $1.1 million in medical and safety supplies.
Other CARES reimbursable expenses approved by the board this week included $25 million in business assistance, $15 million in assistance to local governments, $12.2 million for care of venerable populations, $3 million in “return to work” personal protective equipment (PPE) for county businesses, and $3 million to aid the county’s existing and newly homeless.
Administrator Britt and county administration will now develop a “process to distribute the funds” in partnership with the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, the Heart of West Michigan United Way and other groups. Additionally, “the County will contract with a firm to conduct an audit on the distribution and use of the CARES Act funding,” according to the county’s June 11 statement.
The CARES Act funds must be fully spent by Dec. 30 or will be forfeited back to the federal government.
For more information on Kent County’s CARES Act and COVID-19 related activities, visit here. Copies of the COVID Relief Subcommittee Executive Report is available in English and Spanish here.
Note: this is an update to the story as the original date of the event, June 11, was a storm washout and it was rescheduled to Monday, June 15.
Wyoming High School will host its WHS Class of 2020 commencement ceremony, scheduled for July 28 at Grand Rapids First, but first it will allow the community to celebrate local seniors with a WHS Senior 11 Night Celebration Parade Monday, June 15.
According to a June 10 statement from the Wyoming Public Schools office, the parade will begin at 8:20 p.m., with a caravan of Wyoming high seniors traveling Burlingame Avenue down Prairie Parkway, to the Wyoming Wolves football stadium parking lot, and then exit Prairie Parkway to Michael Avenue.
“Our Class of 2020 has experienced so much throughout the course of their successful journey to earning their high school diploma,” WPS Superintendent Craig Hoekstra said in supplied material. “This parade is one of the many ways our Wyoming Public Schools staff, and greater community, are showing them that we love and care about them, no matter the circumstance. We don’t want this pandemic to be the hallmark of their senior year.”
(Public Domain image)
District staff and members of the community will line the parade route to congratulate and celebrate the Class of 2020 and their families. Wyoming High School staff will be stationed along the gates of the football stadium and throughout the stadium parking lot near the concession stand. Those in attendance are encouraged to wear a mask and practice social distancing.
Upon arrival at the football stadium, seniors will be given their high school diploma and awarded an Alpha Wolf 11 Champion of Character Award.
“Our hope is that each one of them knows now and remembers on their life’s journey that they were surrounded at all times by people who had an unwavering commitment to support and celebrate their success, every step of the way,” Hoekstra said. “I am very proud of this graduating class for staying committed to their studies, not losing focus on their goals, and demonstrating grit like no other class before them has had to. The perseverance that they have shown will serve them well as they do great things in our world.”
The WPS statement stressed that the parade does not replace the WHS Class of 2020 commencement ceremony scheduled for July 28, at 7 p.m., at Grand Rapids First.
For more information on Wyoming Public Schools visit wyomingps.org or follow them on social media: Facebook and Twitter @WolvesWPS and Instagram @WPSWolves.
The City of Kentwood has reopened its Little Free Pantry by appointment and is also in need of donations to support community members who may be struggling to keep food on the table, the city announced June 11. Through the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, a partnership with Meals on Wheels also has senior meals available.
Located within the Kentwood Activities Center at 355 48th St. SE, the pantry typically serves hundreds of people each year, but that is expected to increase due to the financial hardship some individuals may be facing as a result of the coronavirus and associated closures, according to the city’s statement.
“Even before COVID-19, the demand for our pantry goods had been steadily growing and the shelves were becoming empty on a weekly basis,” Val Romeo, director of Kentwood Parks and Recreation, said in supplied material. “We’d like to be able to continue to fill the immediate and local need we have here in our community.
“In order to do that, we need the help of individuals and organizations who are able to give financially or provide tangible donations, such as canned goods, shelf-stable food and personal items like toilet paper, shampoo and toothpaste.”
The City of Kentwood’s Little Free Pantry is in the Kentwood Activities Center. (City of Kentwood)
Kentwood’s Little Free Pantry is available by appointment from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Those who would like to utilize the pantry are asked to call ahead to 616-656-5270 and set up a time to come in. Upon arrival to the Kentwood Activities Center, a staff member will allow the individual in to take the items they need.
In addition to bringing donations to the Kentwood Activities Center, businesses, community organizations and other groups may partner with the city to better stock the pantry by accepting a Kentwood Little Free Pantry collection bin for canned goods and other non-perishable items at their facility. More information, including the application for a collection bin, can be found at: kentwood.us/littlefreepantry.
Meals on Wheels also available
The Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department has also partnered with Meals on Wheels Western Michigan to bring back the Senior Meals program in a grab-and-go format for residents who are age 60 or older.
Participants can do curbside pickup at the Kentwood Activities Center on Mondays between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. However, the meals must be reserved ahead of time by calling 616-656-5270 no later than the Friday before. There is no cost to participate, but donations are accepted. More information is available at mealsonwheelswesternmichigan.org.
When summer 2020 live music schedules were being made out early this year, one concert on many people’s “must buy” ticket list was Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s June 24 stop at Grand Rapids’ DeVos Performance Hall.
Not only does the alt-country/true country singer/songwriter extraordinaire and his tight band always bring it, they would be bringing along new music from his scheduled May release of Reunions.
Then came March and the pandemic and the spate of sometimes-good, sometimes-not “concerts from home” by every musical artist trying to keep their names and music in mind.
Still, while Isbell’s DeVos concert is a “postponement waiting to happen” at this point — Yes, websites still say you can buy tickets, but, no, it ain’t happening — Reunions was released as planned.
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit’s Reunions album cover. (Supplied)
And intentionally or by fate, Isbell’s latest collection of music is bluntly reflective not only for our current times (of varying degrees of isolation and social unrest) but for our pending times (of more social unrest and political trials).
Even the album cover speaks of isolation.
And the first single off the release, “Be Afraid”, is a straight-ahead rocker that seems to speak directly to our trying times.
“We’ve been testing you … And you failed … To see how long that you could sit with the truth, but you bailed … I don’t think you even recognize the loss of control … I don’t think you even see it in yourself.”
Read that anyway you want. A fragile society and our place in it? A broken political system the we may have only one last chance to fix? A racial divide that each of us carry some blame for? You call it.
The artist on his music
Well before Mr. George Floyd’s killing and the ensuing social unrest, Isbell seemed to be speaking to issue: “I’m trying to encourage people to be themselves as loudly as possible,” Isbell said about “Be Afraid”. “I don’t know if I’m in any position to do that but I think if we’re going to make any progress as a society then people have to be brave enough to say what they feel.”
But Isbell, and his Reunions work with the 400 Unit, is much more than cryptic lyrics you can read into and a country/rock blur of music that often sounds like nothing else available on the download.
Following in the wake of his recent string of astoundingly accessible yet personal solo work after burning out with the Drive-by Truckers, starting with 2013’s Southeastern, either Isbell’s solo guitar sound or his Big Unit sound has carried him and his audience far. (From not selling out a Meijer Gardens summer concert to filling up the DeVos, for example.)
And while Reunions does revisit some old ghosts — personal trials, relationship failures, surviving at all costs — some of it sounds a bit bigger, a bit more stadium rock; but without losing the small-town perspective driven by a solitary voice and his guitar.
Jason Isbell. (Supplied/Alysse Gafkjen)
“I felt like we had made a statement with Southeastern, Something More Than Free, and The Nashville Sound. Those albums are looking at what happens post happy ending,” Isbell said in supplied material. “They’re saying “I survived—now what?” So I wanted to make something different. … This record probably gets closer to the music I actually like to listen to than anything I’ve done in the past.”
Reunions is Isbell’s seventh full-length studio album and the fourth released with his band, the 400 Unit, a tight, seasoned group which now also includes his wife and mother of his child, fiddler and singer Amanda Shires — yes, of recent fame by forming the country music supergroup “The Highwomen” alongside Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris and Natalie Hemby. The new album also includes several special background vocals from special guests including David Crosby.
A tour of the track list of Reunions, similar to his other recent releases, finds Isbell sliding like a pedal steal riff from anthem rock to ballad to country love song to hymn. And rarely are they not worth the walk.
My favorites — outside of the in-your-face “Be Afraid” and personally introspectiveness of “It Gets Easier” — include the troubadour storytelling of “Overseas”, the gentle touch of “River” and “St. Peter’s Autograph”, and the twangy country sound of “Letting You Go”, which explores his newfound job of father.
“It was a challenge to write about something that is so important to me but that’s my wheelhouse,” Isbell said. “I like writing songs about things that could get maudlin, but pulling back before they do. … I feel like my job as a parent is not so much to protect as to prepare. I think it’s easier said than done because our instinct is to protect at all costs but I feel it more important to prepare her for the world. It’s hard to let them go.”
And Reunions is as much about a past that is still in the shadows as it is about working through the present and into the future.
“There are a lot of ghosts on this album,” Isbell said in supplied material. “Sometimes the songs are about the ghosts of people who aren’t around anymore, but they’re also about who I used to be, the ghost of myself. I found myself writing songs that I wanted to write fifteen years ago, but in those days, I hadn’t written enough songs to know how to do it yet. … In that sense it’s a reunion with the me I was back then.”
After getting Reunions, all we can do now is wait for better days and another summer concert season.
Reunions is available for download at the usual suspects, but please give some business to local record stores such as Grandville’s Corner Record Shop.
Education leaders local and statewide are warning of what Superintendent Godfrey-Lee Public Schools Kevin Polston calls “unprecedented budget deficits” at Michigan public schools resulting from decreased tax revenues due to the COVID-19 economic crisis.
While the looming school funding concerns are just beginning to hit the news, the community may have some questions, need a little background and history.
Why will lower tax revenue impact public school funding? How does the state fund public schools? What is the recent history of changes in tax-payer funding of schools? How do public schools spend their state funding?
The Kent ISD recently produced informational videos that tries to explain the state’s taxpayer funded public school finances — including one specific to current school funding concerns. (See additional information videos descriptions and links below.)
Superintendent Polston, in a recent Godfrey-Lee schools community-wide email, makes clear the current — and urgent need — for community understanding and action on the current threat to public school funding. He also urges increased state and federal support for public schools.
“Without federal intervention, the budget shortfall for the remainder of 2019-2020 through 2021 school year would total $6.2 billion for all Michigan public schools. Godfrey-Lee alone could see a deficit of over $1.2 million ($700 per student) for just the 19-20 school year that is about to end,” Polston said. “Further cuts are projected for the 2020-21 school year that begins on July 1, 2020.
“Put in context, this is roughly twice as large a deficit as Michigan public schools faced in the Great Recession, yet federal aid to date has been less than 20 percent than was given at that time. In fact, of the $2 trillion of aid granted by the (federal COVID-19 recovery) CARES Act, less than 1 percent went to fund public education.”
Polston points out that school districts are required by state law to present a balanced budget by June 30, 2020 for the upcoming school year, even though the state has not provided an answer about the shortfall for 2019-20 or given a projected budget for 2020-21.
“This is unacceptable,” he said. “To meet our legal requirement, we have to use the budget forecasts that have been provided (to Godfrey-Lee schools). These forecasts call for $2,750,000 in cuts for our upcoming school year. Cuts of this magnitude would devastate GLPS and would challenge the district’s future solvency.”
To aid Kent County schools districts explain the current funding system, and the need for community support and action, the Kent ISD produced a series of short videos.
An ISD is a regional education service agency. The job of Kent County’s ISD, one of the state’s 57 agencies, is to “help local school districts with programs and services that are best done on a regional basis — things that are highly specialized or that would be far too expensive on an individual basis,” according to the Kent ISD.
The videos:
History of Michigan Public School Finances, which details how school financing in Michigan is guided by Proposal A which was approved by Michigan voters in 1994 which shifted ‘day to day’ school finance to a state-based model.
What Public School Finances Fund, which details how public schools in Michigan spend a majority of their resources on personnel and describes how dollars are divided up to fund education in this state.
Taxes and Public School Education, which explains how everyone who works or lives in Michigan helps to support public schools by paying taxes, and where tax dollars for public education come from and how they are spent.
COVID-19’s Impact on Michigan School Funding, which details how school finance will be greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the economic impact will negatively affect Michigan’s public schools.
Kent County Health Department’s Wyoming location, The Potter’s House school, is a “walk-through” testing site is available Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to noon., until Aug. 1. (KCHD)
The Kent County Health Department’s efforts to make COVID-19 testing more widely available to specific segments of the public has expanded by the opening of community testing sites, including ones at the Wyoming’s The Potter’s House school, and in Kentwood at the Kent County Health Department South Clinic.
According to a June 3 statement, testing is available to individuals over the age of six months who live in a community impacted by COVID-19, have a known exposure to a person with confirmed COVID-19 or symptoms of COVID-19, or work in a job that puts them at high risk for exposure (jail, homeless shelters, nursing homes or assisted living facilities, food processing facilities, or any business that limits the ability to practice social distancing, or has repeated close contact with the public).
“Expanding COVID-19 testing in Kent County is important,” Christopher Bendekgey, the department’s community clinical services director, said in supplied material. “We wanted to establish sites in the geographic areas where we are seeing the highest incidents of positive cases and where individuals have less access to transportation.”
Federal CDC-privided Coronavirus test kit. (Kent County Health)
The Potter’s House “walk-through” testing site is located at 810 Van Raalte Dr. SW, and available Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to noon., until Aug. 1. The Kentwood “drive through” site is located at Kent County Health Department South Clinic, 4700 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Mondays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. noon, until Sept. 1.
Other sites in the county which offer the tests include the drive-through Kent County Health Department Main Clinic, 700 Fuller Ave. NE, Mondays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to noon, until Sept. 1; and the walk-through Baxter Community Health Center, 958 Baxter SE, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., until Sept. 1.
Registration for the testing is “strongly encouraged” and can be done by visiting accesskent.com/health or by calling 616-632-7200.
No insurance or identification is needed to receive the free test. However, people who have health insurance are asked to bring their insurance cards.
Individuals must wear a mask when arriving at a testing location. The test is administered by inserting a small swab into the nose and gently collecting nasal secretions from the back of the nose and throat. “It can cause mild discomfort but is a quick procedure,” according to the county statement.
Results should be available within three to five business days. If positive, individuals will receive further information from KCHD.
Part of the goal of the increased testing availability is “so we can get more accurate idea of the spread of COVID-19 in our community,” Bendekgey said. “It will not only protect individuals and their families but is an essential part of our overall strategy towards recovery.”
The Kentwood City Commission recently passed a resolution reducing regulations and expediting the site plan review process some local businesses. (WKTV)
The City of Kentwood announced today that “in an effort to support Kentwood businesses and jumpstart the local economy,” the Kentwood City Commission recently passed a resolution reducing regulations and expediting the site plan review process for temporary outdoor retail, food, beverage and personal service uses.
Effective immediately and through Nov. 1, the resolution suspends time limits on temporary sign display and waives business license fees, according to a Wednesday, June 3, statement.
Retailers, restaurants and personal service businesses, such as training facilities, wanting to add expanded outdoor spaces for customers now have the opportunity to apply for such allowances through a streamlined administrative review process, the statement continues.
“It goes without saying — COVID-19 and shelter-in-place requirements over the past three months have had tremendous impacts on our local businesses,” Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley said in supplied material. “As we look to restart the local economy, the City of Kentwood remains committed to being a help and not a hindrance for our business community, and has implemented a number of measures to assist.
“The resolution passed is intended to ease and expedite businesses’ abilities to serve customers in a manner that’s consistent with evolving public health recommendations.”
The review and approval of site plans for general retail sales, food, beverage and personal service establishments in the city seeking to utilize outdoor areas, such as exterior building aprons or parking areas, will be conducted through the Planning Department. Interested businesses are asked to complete the online application at kentwood.us/businessrestart for consideration.
Under the temporary sign moratorium, one temporary sign of up to 32 square feet in area is allowed per business. Other restrictions in the Zoning Ordinance applicable to temporary signs, such as sign placement and similar matters, remain in effect.
For the licensing year, city business license fees for all businesses located in the city will be waived with the exception of the following: transient, waste hauler, door-to-door, and snowplowing licenses, or hazardous material fees.
As part of the City Commission resolution, the city’s Economic Development Corporation and two members of the Planning Commission were tasked to review city ordinances and regulations and propose to the City Commission changes to enhance the local business environment during the state of emergency and to submit those recommendations to the City Commission for its consideration in an ongoing fashion until Nov. 1 or as further extended by the City Commission, according to the city.
Deposit bottles and cans can be simply recycled as glass or metal, but with the return process being phased back in, there is probably some cash to be made. (Public Domain)
The State of Michigan Department of Treasury, this week, issued a Notice Regarding Phased Reestablishment of Michigan’s Bottle Deposit Return Program, which includes instructions that beginning June 15 some retailers must reopen their bottle return facilities and resume the collection of returnable beverage containers and refund of customer bottle deposits.
The collection of returnable beverage containers was temporarily suspended by an Executive Order issued by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on March 23.
According to supplied material, this applies to retailers “with bottle return facilities located at the front of the store or housed in a separate area and serviced exclusively by reverse vending machines requiring minimal or no person-to-person contact.”
Retailers reopening their bottle return facilities must ensure those facilities comply with all state-mandated safety protocols and restrictions, the statement continues.
In addition, retailers may take any or all of the following steps:
— Limit the number of beverage containers that may be returned by a single individual per day to a deposit refund amount of $25.
— Establish special or limited hours of operation for bottle return facilities.
— Limit the number of available and operating reverse vending machines.
— Periodically close bottle deposit facilities as needed for cleaning and supply management.
— Implement such other procedures or restrictions as each retailer may determine are necessary or advisable to promote safety and/or efficiency.
The statement also points out that consumers have the option of recycling their returnable beverage containers if they choose not to return them to a bottle deposit redemption facility.
The City of Kentwood on Monday, June 1, released a tentative road construction and maintenance schedule for the summer, including a map of varied levels of work and possible impact on commuters. (See map at end of story.)
The City Commission has approved a resurfacing and maintenance program which includes improvements to 40 miles of major and local roads, at a cost of $695,982.
The projects are funded through the Michigan Transportation Fund, which is supported by taxes on the sale of gasoline and diesel fuel as well as fees collected by the Secretary of State for vehicle registrations.
“We appreciate the patience of residents and businesses as we work to maintain and improve this important infrastructure, which is critical for a safe and functioning community,” Brad Boomstra, Kentwood city engineer, said in supplied material. “While we understand the short-term inconvenience of road construction can be frustrating, quality roads offer many benefits in the long run. Crews will work as quickly as possible to minimize impacts on commuters.”
Pavement management decisions are made in accordance with industry principles based on hard data, such as the PASER ratings obtained each year. According to the statement from the city, Kentwood maintains one of the highest-rated major street networks in Kent County according to data compiled by the Grand Valley Metro Council.
Major streets scheduled for maintenance include: East Paris Avenue from 52nd Street to 60th Street, 52nd Street from Division Avenue to Kellogg Woods Drive, and 29th Street from west City limits near Breton Avenue to 28th Street.
Street resurfacing and maintenance projects currently underway include: 44th Street from Breton Avenue to Shaffer Avenue, reconstruction of Roger B. Chaffee Memorial Boulevard, and other preventative street maintenance work throughout the city, including routine street marking, crack sealing and patching.
A number of neighborhood roads will receive cape seal treatments in June and July. According to the statement, a cape seal is a multiple component treatment designed to create a smooth surface with increased durability. Cape seal projects will take two non-consecutive days on each segment of road, and no street parking will be available while the work occurs. Affected homeowners will be informed via direct mailing.
The City aims to have its resurfacing and routine maintenance completed by the end of September. Message boards on major streets will give commuters advance notice of when closures will begin. Commuters can also receive updates via the city’s social media channels Facebook and Twitter. For more information, including another version of the map, visit www.kentwood.us.
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, in the wake of the death of George Floyd and resulting protests in Grand Rapids and across the county, on Monday issued a statement through the district superintendent’s office condemning both racism in any form but also anti-racism protest violence in any form.
The statement not only commented on the death of Floyd, an African-American, while in custody of Minneapolis, Minn., policemen, but also on the district’s own ongoing efforts to combat racism. (A Spanish language version of the statement is available at the end of this article.)
“Our hearts go out to the family of Mr. George Floyd as they mourn his tragic death,” the June 1 statement from the Godfrey-Lee Public School’s Superintendent Kevin Polston reads. “Many in our country are hurting as Mr. Floyd’s death is yet another reminder of the impact systemic racism has on people of color in America.
“It is the responsibility of those with privilege and power to create change to utilize their influence for the betterment of our society. We cannot continue on the slow trajectory we are on and expect to achieve equality. Change must happen now and we call on protesters to continue to demand change, but to do so in a peaceful manner.”
The district statement points out that earlier this year, the Godfrey-Lee Public Schools Board of Education approved an equity policy to guide our work in creating an equitable education system for each member of our school family. (The policy is available here.)
A key action from the policy pointed out in the statement is as follows:
“Interrupt and dismantle harmful or inequitable practices and policies, eliminate implicit and explicit biases, and create truly inclusive, culturally responsive, antiracist school environments for adults and children.”
Superintendent Polston then closes the statement this way:
“This is our promise to the community,” Polston said.” You have my full commitment to use the access, voice, privilege, and authority I have to create change. … To use an analogy, there is enough food at the table for everyone to eat, but that means some will have to eat less so that all can be nourished. … The future of our children is at stake, we cannot stand by and watch.”
The City of Kentwood announced today that it will again offer its annual Community Clean-up Day, and open its brush and leaf drop-off sites for Kentwood residents, beginning Saturday, June 6, with brush and leaf drop-off available through July 11.
This year’s Community Clean-up Day will accept yard waste, trash and general debris for disposal, and electronics for recycling at the Kentwood Department of Public Works, located at 5068 Breton Ave. SE, between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. (See site map below.)
Following Community Clean-up Day, the city’s brush and leaf drop-off sites, also located at Kentwood’s DPW facility, will remain open through Saturday, July 11. Hours of operation for the drop-off sites will be from noon to 8 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
“The Department of Public Works is grateful to be able to continue to provide convenient leaf and brush drop-off sites and the annual clean-up day for Kentwood residents,” John Gorney, director of Public Works, said in supplied material. “We encourage residents who have been looking forward to decluttering their homes and property during this time to take advantage of these free collection services.”
Red Creek Waste Services will be on hand at the Community Clean-up Day to accept general debris and trash for disposal.
Comprenew will also be present to recycle electronic waste, such as mobile telephones, computers and fax machines. Individuals with questions about other electronics that can — and cannot — be accepted are asked to call their toll-free number at 833-266-7736.
The City of Kentwood will accept yard waste — including brush, sticks, tree limbs and logs — at the brush drop-off site, as well as leaves and grass clippings at the leaf drop-off site. Leaves should be loose when dropped off, not left in bags.
Items for donation and household hazardous materials will not be accepted during this year’s clean-up event.
The clean-up day and drop-off services are available to Kentwood residents only.
Anyone wishing to participate is asked to enter the drive off Breton Avenue where staff will check for residency and direct traffic flow to maintain physical distancing. For the safety of City staff and community members, all participants are asked to adhere to CDC guidelines, including staying at least six feet from other people and wearing cloth face masks.
After an 18-month search by Grand Rapids’ Fountain Street Church for its next senior minister, the congregation today confirmed the calling of the Rev. Mariela Pérez-Simons, who made clear in her first sermon that, despite the challenging times, there is hope and beauty in the world.
The Rev. Pérez-Simons, who most recently served at the All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will be taking the pulpit held by the Rev. W. Frederick Wooden for 15 years. In so doing will she becomes the 11th senior minister of the historic church of “liberal theology” — and becomes not only the first female to hold the post but also the first person of color.
The Rev. Christopher Roe, left, and the Rev. Mariela Pérez-Simons. (YouTube screenshot)
Opening a mostly prerecorded Sunday morning virtual church service, the Rev. Pérez-Simons, joined the Rev. Christopher Roe, Minister for Spiritual Life and Learning, offered reaction today to the weekend’s first peaceful — and then, separately, violent — local protests spurred by the social injustice in the country.
“Beloveds, we are shocked, we are heartbroken, we are angry, we are confused, we are ready for change, we are ready for justice,” the Rev. Pérez-Simons said, in a glimpse of her passion for social action. “And we pledge to be part of the solution.”
Following the virtual church service, the results of congregation voting were announced at a virtual meeting of church members. The Rev. Pérez-Simons — “Rev. Mariela”, as she often asks to be addressed — has spend the last few weeks meeting with various church committees, groups and individuals in virtual setting.
But the church’s Senior Minister Search Committee previously conducted extensive and in person interviews with the church’s new senior minister.
“During the long and thorough interview process, the Search Committee has been impressed by Rev. Mariela’s intellect, insight and sensitivity. We are moved by her personal story,” according to an April statement to the church members announcing Rev. Pérez-Simons as the final candidate and detailing the mail-in confirmation voting process. “Rev. Mariela was born in Cuba into a life of extreme poverty. As a child, she sought solace in nature and in the Catholic Church.”
Seeing beauty in troubling world
While Rev. Mariela’s religious journey led her from the Catholic Church to the Unitarian Universalist Association church, she has never wavered from her love of nature — as evidenced by a discussion with WKTV about her views of beauty in a world even during troubling, even ugly, times.
Cabin in the Woods. (Mariela Pérez-Simons)
Part of the discussion included her work in art photography — she has an on-line gallery at fineartamerica.com and samples on her personal website — specifically discussed was a 2014 photograph she titled “Cabin in the Woods”, taken in New Hampshire.
“I took that photo one early morning, right after an overnight snowstorm,” Rev. Mariela said to WKTV. “It was a powder-like snow, shimmering in the morning light. And everything was so quiet, the air so crisp. January in New England. My husband is from New Hampshire. I was just taking a walk, and that cabin caught my attention right away …
“Beauty — in nature, in art, etc. — is a huge part of not only my theology, my work as a minister, but also my social justice work. In fact, that was what I preached on for my ordination, because it’s a pillar of who I am and what I do.”
She then referenced a recent sermon in which she discussed her finale paper in seminary.
“I wrote about the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 6 verses 25-31, where Jesus asks us to consider the lilies of the fields, to look at the birds of the sky,” she said in an April 26, 2020 sermon in which she talked about the beauty of nature. “He was pointing us towards the beauty of creation, towards the heaven that is here and now. The most beautiful Earth.
“Beauty has been a fascination of mine since I was a very small child, living in poverty in Cuba. And, naturally, it became a theological focus.”
(The online video sermon, “The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible” is available here.)
The Rev. Pérez-Simons’ history
In the statement of introduction by Fountain Street Church’s search committee, Rev. Mariela described herself this way:
“I am a religious naturalist — someone who falls on their knees with reverence for things like hurricanes, or sunrises, or perfect cumulus clouds. … this period of my life shaped my ministry today and my understanding of what ‘church’ is and how it can change the lives of individuals, particularly those who are suffering due to social injustices.”
According to supplied material, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Instituto Superior Pedagogico in Havana while studying elementary education. In 1995, she and her family entered the United States as asylum seekers.
Rev. Mariela Pérez-Simons with husband Dean and daughter Lulu (Supplied)
During the next two decades, she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Writing/Literature from Bennington College and started a web design and photography firm. She is married, to Dean Pérez-Simons, and is the mother of Christopher, age 23, and Lucia (Lulu), age 13.
While volunteering at her UUA church, leading women’s circles, working at an eco-spirituality sanctuary and creating a garden at a homeless day center, she “felt a strong pull to the ministry,” according to the Fountain Street Church announcement.
“The call was perfectly clear, the longing was excruciating, but I needed a few more years of inner work to feel worthy of being a minister,” she said in supplied material.
In the aftermath of “the election of 2016”, she received “the final push.”
The Meadville Lombard Seminary, the Unitarian Universalist seminary in Chicago, offered her a full-ride Presidential Scholarship. The school is one of only two UUA seminaries in the world, has an historical relationship with the University of Chicago — which Fountain Street Church, and several of its past ministers, have ties to — and is a member of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools.
Rev. Mariela graduated at the top of her class with a Master of Divinity after her ordination at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Tulsa — the largest UUA church in the world.
And now her next stop on her religious journey will be in West Michigan.
Fountain Street and social action
“I like that Fountain Street is an urban church … a church that is open to possibilities and wants to grow with me: in health, in vitality, in enthusiasm, in diversity and in numbers,” she said in supplied material.
Social action, already a huge focus of Fountain Street, will be another focus of its new minister, as “Rev. Mariela’s social justice work shows a special passion for marginalized communities, bi-lingual rights, refugee reform and diversity in every form,” according to the announcement.
“I approach social action from a strong theological and spiritual place — from a place of abundance,” she said in supplied material. “I come to this as an asylum seeker, so I am uniquely qualified. But it’s not about me; it’s about us. I can’t do what I’m passionate about if the congregation isn’t involved.”
And in the difficult days in which Rev. Mariela takes leadership of Fountain Street Church, social action has never been more important.
For more information on Fountain Street Church visit here.
The State of Michigan Secretary of State’s office announced May 28 that currently closed branch offices will reopen June 1 “by appointment only for essential transactions not available online.
“While the offices were closed to the public we conducted more than 3,000 emergency appointments for essential workers and planned and implemented protocols so that we could reopen in a way that ensures the safety of employees and all Michiganders,” Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said in supplied material. “Customers can be confident they’ll be able to conduct their business with us safely and efficiently.”
Beginning the week of June 1, all 131 branch offices in Michigan — including two in the Wyoming and Kentwood area — will be open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for appointment-only services for transactions including: driver licenses and state ID transactions that must be done in person; title transfers; operator, CDL, chauffeur, mechanic and motorcycle testing; and seasonal commercial vehicle renewal.
The Wyoming branch office is located at 1056 Rogers Plaza SW, and the Kentwood area branch office is located at 3601 28th St. SE.
According to the Secretary of State’s announcement, branch staff will follow strict health and safety protocols, including wearing masks, standing six feet apart, using desk shields, and continuously disinfecting shared or common surfaces. Branch doors will be locked, and each branch will have a greeter to let customers with appointments in at scheduled appointment times.
In addition to preparing to reopen branches, the Michigan Department of State began sending updated renewal forms this week, color-coded based on the type of transaction needed and with streamlined information to explain how best to conduct the transaction.
To schedule an appointment visit Michigan.gov/SOS or call 888-SOS-MICH. Advance appointments can be made up to 180 days ahead of time. Same-day appointments become available 24 hours prior to the appointment time.
Kentwood’s Woodland Mall announced May 27 that it plans to reopen Monday, June 1, for shopping appointments with new sanitation protocols in place “to enhance the safety of all and to promote physical distance.”
The reopening, City of Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley points out, continues the promise of local economic recovery from COVID-19 caused retail business restrictions.
“The mall and (Woodland Mall management) PREIT have made a significant investment in Kentwood with the redevelopment (of the mall), which has resonated with our residents and the broader community,” Mayor Kepley said in supplied material. “We wish the mall continued success as we work collectively to jumpstart our local economy.”
While several mall retailers and restaurants have offered limited curbside pickup since March, the mall itself closed March 23. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s recent executive order permits Michigan retailers to offer shopping appointments.
Visitors will be encouraged to use hand sanitizer stations located throughout the mall, and it is recommended shoppers wear masks for the safety of all.
In order to comply with State of Michigan requirements, access and total mall occupancy numbers will be limited initially. The mall will be operating on reduced hours: Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Some stores may modify those hours further.
Given the limited occupancy allowance, the mall will temporarily ask all guests under the age of 18 to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
According to supplied material, Woodland expects many of its retailers to join Von Maur and Urban Outfitters in offering appointments to up to 10 shoppers at a time, although smaller stores may choose to limit the maximum number of shoppers further.
“To say we are excited about Monday’s reopening is an understatement,” Tony DeLuccia, Woodland Mall general manager, said in supplied material. “Our retailers are eager to welcome back customers now that shopping by appointment is permissible in Michigan. … We are truly thrilled to be opening our doors again and have spent significant time and energy to ensure we can do so safely.”
Guests will notice other changes when they return to Woodland Mall.
Parent company PREIT has “carefully reviewed policies and procedures and thoroughly cleaned the mall using CDC-recommended disinfectant,” according to supplied material. “Common area furniture and other elements where physical distancing cannot be enforced have been removed. The play area will be closed indefinitely, and food court seating has been eliminated.”
PREIT and its service providers have also established a rigorous cleaning and sanitizing schedule, particularly for high-touch surfaces. All housekeeping, maintenance and security staff will follow CDC and state health guidelines, and will be wearing masks and gloves when working.
Even during the mall’s temporary closure, it has supported West Michigan during this time of COVID-19, including hosting three community food drives, which will continue to operate during the pandemic.
“Woodland Mall has been a gathering spot for our community for more than 50 years,” DeLuccia said in supplied material. “That has not changed, even though we have made some modifications to ensure the safety of all. We are ready to open our doors on Monday and look forward to seeing our friends and neighbors again.”
The City of Kentwood has held several Plan Kentwood community information gathering events as part of the Master Plan update. (Supplied/City of Kentwood)
As a key element of the City of Kentwood’s Master Plan update, the city is seeking public input on its long-range vision for growth, land use, development and open space conservation.
The current Master Plan update has involved numerous public interactions between planning staff and the public. The latest draft plan and associated documents are available for public review on the City’s website at kentwood.us/PlanKentwood. Comments will be accepted through July 31.
“We are nearing the finish line in the Master Plan update process, which is critical for maintaining our community’s vision with thoughtful consideration of future growth,” Terry Schweitzer, Kentwood Community Development Director, said in supplied material. “All the engagement we’ve had so far with residents, businesses and property owners has been vital to the journey, and we look forward to hearing additional feedback as we work toward the plan’s adoption.”
Persons interested in submitting comments may do so online at kentwood.us/PlanKentwood; over the phone by calling 616-554-0707; via email to eplanning@kentwood.us; or by mail to PO Box 8848, Kentwood, MI 49518.
As the plan update nears completion, there will be a work session on Aug. 11, followed by a public hearing to adopt the 2020 Master Plan on Aug. 25. Both opportunities will allow for additional public comment directly to the Planning Commission.
The Master Plan, according to a statement by the Kentwood planning department, is an official public document adopted by the Kentwood Planning Commission.
“The forward-looking development plan considers the long-range goals and desires of residents and property owners, as well as local, regional and market trends,” the statement reads. “The Master Plan features goals, policies and recommended actions to guide land use decision-making for Planning Commissioners and City Commissioners during the next 20 years.”
A Master Plan is reviewed at least every five years but is modified and updated as deemed necessary by the Planning Commission. The most recent update was completed in 2012.
The objective of the update process is to plan for new population growth and redevelopment while protecting key environmental features, creating sustainable economic opportunities and providing public services.
Beginning last summer, the city sought public input on proposed changes through “Plan Kentwood” — a community engagement series that consisted of five opportunities for the community to share their thoughts at different events throughout the city.
Key areas of city under review
Discussions during the community engagement series focused on a few key areas where changes were proposed: Section 13, which consists of 263 acres of open land between 28th and 36th streets, Patterson Avenue and East Paris Avenue; a 480-acre area referred to as Section 34, which is located between 52nd and 60th streets, the Princeton Estates plat and Wing Avenue; the 28th and 29th Street commercial corridor; and the Division Avenue corridor.
Proposed changes from the 2012 plan impact policies and principles for all development in the city, as well as recommendations related to the undeveloped and redeveloping land.
This public comment period allows the Planning and City commissioners, neighboring communities, government agencies, public utilities, transportation and telecommunications providers and the general public to further review and comment on the draft plan.
The Planning Commission will then have the opportunity to make changes to the plan based on the input received. After changes are made, the Planning Commission will seek to adopt the 2020 Master Plan, and then present it to the City Commission for acceptance.
Both Michigan and Kent County report COVID-19 numbers routinely, but a big question these days is what specifically does those numbers mean — people who are sick, people who had the virus and did not get sick, people who never contracted the virus for whatever reason?
Kent County, for example, reported 3,385 cases as of May 23 (with 68 deaths), while statewide numbers had 54,881 “confirmed cases” as of May 25.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced last week that it had changed the way it reports data on COVID-19 testing to make those numbers a little clearer.
“The change makes the data more accurate and relevant as the state continues to expand diagnostic testing to help slow and contain the spread of COVID-19,” the Man 23 MDHHS statement read. “The update to the website separates out the results of two different types of tests – serology and diagnostic. Michigan – along with some other states – has not separated data for diagnostic and serology tests.”
Data on serology testing – also known as antibody testing – is separated from the other testing numbers. Currently, serology testing can be used to help determine whether someone has ever had COVID-19, while traditional viral diagnostic tests determine if someone has active disease.
“Accuracy and transparency are paramount as we continue to respond to this pandemic,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health, said in supplied material. “We continue to expand and improve data reporting to make sure the public understands where their community stands with the COVID-19 outbreak.”
Digging into the numbers
MDHHS emphasizes that the change in reporting does not affect the number of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in Michigan. It does lower the percentage of positive tests over the last nine days — when serology testing became more common. Michigan’s overall percentage of positive tests since the beginning of the outbreak remains virtually the same — changing from 14.2 percent positive tests to 14.3 percent.
Michigan’s COVID-19 website now shows results for 512,891 total tests reported to the state – with 450,918 diagnostic test results and 61,973 serology results.
Diagnostic tests are most helpful in tracking the spread of COVID-19 since they can show the number of people who currently have the COVID-19 virus. Serology tests are still being studied regarding their utility. They are currently most helpful in understanding how much a community may have been exposed to the disease.
“However, it is unknown if the presence of an antibody truly means someone is immune to COVID-19, and if so, for how long,” the statement continues. “Results of antibody tests should not change decisions on whether an individual should return to work, or if they should quarantine based on exposure to someone with the disease.”
Approximately 12 percent of Michigan’s tests overall have been serology tests; about 60 percent of those have been from the past nine days.
The City of Kentwood and its Public Works Department has an annual tradition during National Public Works Week of inviting the pubic into its buildings to see all the impressive equipment and big trucks that serve the community.
But, in this time of social distancing, and in lieu of a traditional open house for National Public Works Week, the city announced May 20 the the Department of Public Works is, instead, bringing the big trucks to the community on Friday, May 22.
Friday morning, from 9 to 11 a.m., a fleet of vehicles will parade through the western portion of the city from Division Avenue east to the Paul Henry-Thornapple Trail, beginning at Division and Maplelawn Street. From 1 to 3 p.m. in the afternoon, the trucks will take a route through neighborhoods east of the Paul Henry Trail. (See the map of streets to be covered below.)
“We invite residents to enjoy the parade from their porch, yard or driveway and wave as we pass by to allow for safe physical distancing outdoors,” the city stated in supplied material.
Also on May 22, the Department of Public Works will be giving away free Red Maple tree seedlings. Native to Michigan, Red Maple trees are known for their beautiful fall coloration. Those interested in the seedlings may pull up to the front of the Public Works building, located at 5068 Breton Ave., between 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
To ensure physical distancing guidelines are followed, the city asks that upon arrival, residents stay in their vehicles, and a staff member will bring up to two seedlings and tree care instructions to the vehicle for safe loading. For more information, call 616-554-0817.
It took exactly one day for opposition to come rolling in after Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced May 19 that all registered voters in Michigan will receive an application to vote by absentee ballot in the August and November elections.
“By mailing applications, we have ensured that no Michigander has to choose between their health and their right to vote,” Benson said in a statement from her office. “Voting by mail is easy, convenient, safe, and secure, and every voter in Michigan has the right to do it.”
According to the Secretary’s office, of the 7.7 million registered voters in the state, about 1.3 million are on the permanent absent voter list, and their local election clerk mails them applications ahead of every election.
“Additionally, some jurisdictions are mailing applications to all local registered voters,” according to the Secretary’s statement. “The Michigan Department of State’s Bureau of Elections has ensured all remaining registered voters receive an application.”
But ranging from two Wednesday, May 20, Tweets from President Donald J. Trump, to a statement to WKTV from Kent County Clerk/Register Lisa Posthumus Lyons — both Republicans — not everyone agrees with the Democrat Secretary of State’s action.
“My office was not consulted nor had any knowledge that the Secretary of State would be violating the law by sending unsolicited ballot applications,” Lyons said to WKTV. “We support conducting elections according to the constitution and Michigan law, and this practice is unconstitutional.”
A Twitter back and forth
On his official @realDonaldTrump Twitter account, the President today said: “Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election. This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!”
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson
Secretary Benson, responding to the President’s May 20 Tweet, Tweeted herself: “Hi! I also have a name, it’s Jocelyn Benson. And we sent applications, not ballots. Just like my GOP colleagues in Iowa, Georgia, Nebraska and West Virginia.”
After Secretary Benson responded, the President’s original Tweet was deleted and another posted which corrected the original by saying “Michigan sends absentee ballot applications to 7.7 million people …”.
Secretary Benson also defended her action in her original, May 19, statement.
“We appreciate that some clerks are proactively protecting public health by mailing applications to all their registered voters, and we are fulfilling our responsibility to provide all voters equal access,” Benson said in the statement. “We know from the elections that took place this month that during the pandemic Michiganders want to safely vote.”
Mostly absentee May voting set records
According to the Secretary’s statement, record-breaking turnout was recorded in the approximately 50 elections held across 33 counties on May 5, with nearly 25 percent of eligible voters casting ballots and 99 percent of them doing so by mail or in a drop box.
In contrast, from 2010 to 2019, average turnout in local elections in May was 12 percent.
The absentee ballot application mailing from the Bureau of Elections includes a cover letter with instructions from Secretary Benson, according to the statement. Once a voter signs their application, they can mail it or email a photo of it to their local clerk, whose contact information is included on the application. The application is also available for download at Michigan.gov/Vote. At the same website, voters can also register and join the permanent absent voter list so they always have the option to vote by mail.
“The vast majority of voters across the political spectrum want the option to vote by mail,” Benson said in the statement. “Mailing applications to all registered voters is one of the ways that we are ensuring Michigan’s elections will continue to be safe, accurate and secure.”
May ballot was a unique voting process
After an executive order by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the May 5 voting was conducted using a hybrid system of encouraging absentee voting, either by mail or by dropping of absentee ballots, and having only a few vote-in-person sites. The Wyoming and Kentwood city clerk’s offices were the only locations to vote in person in the cities on May 5.
While Kent County election officials, and the city clerks of both Wyoming and Kentwood, abided by the state mandate in May, Kent County Clerk Lyons said her office will conduct the August and November elections by current laws — unless there is another executive order by the Governor.
“Until the legislature changes the law or the Governor issues an executive order, we are preparing to run the August and November elections as a normal — with in-person and absentee voting options available,” Lyons said to WKTV. “We will also continue to work with our local clerks to protect the health and safety of election workers and voters while preserving the security and integrity of the election.”
In Jerusalem, at the Aqsa Mosque — Islam’s third holiest site, where Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven — Muslim worshipers have been kept out of the religious compound throughout the entire month of Ramadan for the first time since the dark days of the Middle Ages when crusaders controlled Jerusalem.
In Dearborn, Mich., home to one of the largest Muslim populations in the United States, gone are the community gatherings for evening prayers and nightly feasts to break Ramadan fasts with friends and family. But this year, something that could be done while still abiding by social distancing guidelines, there has been a blossoming of a modern Ramadan lights tradition to spread joy and offer some of the holiday spirit similar to the hanging Christmas lights.
In Kentwood, At-Tawheed Islamic Center and masjid (mosque) has been empty since March 13, and local Ramadan traditions including Friday prayers followed by the breaking of fasts, and its annual Eid Al Fitr congregation or community celebration, scheduled for Saturday, have been cancelled.
Imam Morsy Salem. (At-Tawheed website)
While At-Tawheed’s religious leader, Imam Morsy Salem, still offers online virtual teachings, he has been unable to lead prayer services as he would normally as such prayer services can only be done in person in the masjid.
Prayers, however, go on. Privately. Mostly at family homes, but also at places of essential work and even in outdoors — when Michigan’s infamous spring weather allows. But it is not the same …
“Our five daily prayers, including Friday congregation and sermon, are cancelled and are not held at the masjid for now,” Tareq Saleh, a member of the At-Tawheed management team, said to WKTV. “While muslims can still pray pretty much anywhere, praying at the masjid has always been one of our daily to-dos, and it bears bigger reward. The houses of Allah (masjids) are our refuge from the world to connect with him almighty.”
At-Tawheed is only one of at least five Muslim religious centers in the Greater Grand Rapids area serving congregations representing dozens of national and ethnic backgrounds ranging from Egyptian to Kashmirian to Bosnian to Somalian.
The Kentwood family of Hamid Elmorabeti, at prayer at home. (Supplied)
“We can still pray at home, either individually or in groups with family members, i.e. husband with his wife and kids. But no mass congregation prayer can be held through online services or anything of that nature,” Saleh said. “What our imam has been doing is broadcasting his lectures online and holding Quran recitation groups through Zoom service.”
While Ramadan fasting, during daylight hours for most healthy people, has remained the same, the change has come in the breaking of fasts daily and particularly at the end of the month of Ramadan.
“The biggest challenge we are facing with this situation is the congregation part … performing prayers at the masjid, the Friday prayer and sermon, breaking fast with the community, the night prayers in Ramadan, and coming soon the Eid prayer and celebration, Saleh said. “All of our acts of worship can be done at home or while a person is in isolation with the exception of Friday prayer and sermon and Eid prayer.
“While the Friday prayer requires a group of people, some big families with enough adults maybe able to hold a Friday congregation at home or wherever they are isolated.”
Tradition of fasting, supporting those in need
“Fasting is an obligation upon every adult Muslim,” he said. “There are certain conditions to permit breaking someone’s fasting, such as traveling or being sick. (But) Muslims fast wherever they are. The place, in its self, is not a condition to break fasting. So, yes, muslims are fasting at homes this year with their families.”
For a separate WKTV Journal story on Ramadan, and its religious customs and traditions, see a story here.
The At-Tawheed masjid has actually been closed since March 13, “when all the places of worship in town started closing their doors in response to the stay home and social distancing recommendations by the government,” Saleh said. “There will not be an Eid Alfitr congregation or community celebration this year due to the pandemic and the extension the governor put in place until May 28.”
The month of Ramadan, based on the lunar cycle, this year began on April 23 and last until Saturday, May 23.
“There isn’t any activities that are still taking place in the masjid other than the food pantry,” Saleh said. “The team has been able to support those of need through distributing food while taking all precautions to keep both community members and volunteers safe. Actually (a few) weeks ago an entire semi-truck full of potatoes was donated and distributed to the community through our food pantry program.”
For more information on the At-Tawheed Islamic Center, visit their website here.
In addition to information and connections to many COVID-19 related resources, the State of Michigan is now offering confidential emotional support counseling, available 24/7, at no cost to Michigan residents who call the state’s COVID-19 hotline.
Michigan Stay Well counselors are available any time, day or night, by dialing the 888-535-6136 and pressing 8 when prompted. Language translation is available for non-English speakers.
The service is part of a federally funded grant program implemented by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Administration (BHDDA) in partnership with the Michigan State Police.
“Because of COVID-19, many of us are grappling with strong emotions, including anxiety, depression and fear,” MDHHS Director Robert Gordon said in supplied material. “We want Michiganders to know it is okay to have these feelings — and okay to ask for help. You don’t have to carry this burden alone.”
Callers to the COVID-19 hotline will hear a recording that begins by saying to press “8” if they would like to speak with a Michigan Stay Well counselor. The counselors, though not licensed professionals, have received specialized training from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s (SAMHSA) Disaster Technical Assistance Center on how to provide emotional support to residents of federally declared disaster areas. A major disaster was declared in Michigan on Friday, March 27, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
BHDDA hopes that adding Stay Well counseling services to the hotline will provide callers with relief from the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Emerging or lingering anxiety, distress, irritability and loss of hope are important feelings to recognize in ourselves and others, and it can help to talk to someone,” Dr. Debra Pinals, psychiatrist and MDHHS medical director for behavioral health, said in supplied material. “If it’s helpful, the counselors can also provide callers with referrals to local mental health agencies and substance use disorder support services.”
State employee volunteers also continue to answer general COVID-19 questions on the hotline. The current hours for general questions are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Considering the medical science surrounding what we already know about the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important for people to continue the practice of wearing a mask while in public. The personal policy of behaving as if you are carrying the virus is ultimately a wise one as it directly saves the lives of those around you.
We encourage everyone to remember that COVID-19 is a newly discovered virus and the medical and science community is the best source of it’s characteristics.
Because of the ability for anyone to put anything up on the internet and social media and pass it off as legitimate, we also encourage caution when absorbing what you may read or see. Please stay with mainstream news sources and with the CDC (Center for Disease Control).
We also encourage everyone to be aware that minimizing the spread of COVID-19 is the surest and fastest way for our society and State to get beyond this pandemic. Practicing this behavior, as recommended by medical and science professionals, will also likely bring a more solid and sustainable re-opening of our local economy.
The following link, to a recent article by writers at the magazine Science, who’s COVID-19 reporting is supported by the prestigious Pulitzer Center, is an example of good reporting on the science of COVID-19. (Linked with permission.)
After less than three months on the job, the president of Exalta Health — a south Grand Rapids healthcare provider to persons regardless of their employment, health insurance and limited financial ability — has resigned and the organization will now be led by an interim president.
Exalta serves residents of both Wyoming and Kentwood.
Exalta Health announced early this month that former Byron Center School District superintendent Dan Takens, who took over as Exalta Health president in early February “decided last week that he needed to resign for personal reasons and the board reluctantly accepted that resignation.”
Ed Postma. (Exalta Health)
Takens replaced Bill Paxton, who had retired. Ed Postma, a member of the Exalta Health Board of Directors and a former chair of the board, will take over as interim president as the board enters a new search process, according to supplied material.
Postma worked at Amway for almost four decades in international contract compliance, risk management and international business development, and he is presently a consultant with Cross Creek Consulting.
“Even in the midst of COVID-19,” Postma said in supplied material, “when we have seen fewer patients in person, it has been clear to me and to many others how important Exalta Health is to a part of our population that is often ignored.
“Not just our medical and dental services, but our behavioral and spiritual care services have been a lifeline to many. People know we are here for them, and we plan for that message to continue to come through loud and clear in this time of transition too.”
According to supplied material, in 2019, Exalta Health served 1,099 medical patients, 1,210 dental patients and provided just over 9,000 total services. Staff at the facility includes a medical director, a dental director, social workers, a chaplain and a variety of administrative positions. It also relies on more than 100 medical, dental and other volunteers annually to provide its services.
About 17 percent of Exalta Health patients have insurance, of which most use Medicaid, meaning insurance is just 4.2 percent of its revenue. “The donor community, including businesses, individuals, churches and foundations, helps cover the gap between what services cost and what patients can pay,” according to the Exalta Health statement.
Exalta Heath is located at 2060 Division Ave S. For more information visit exaltahealth.org.
Grand Rapids’ Fountain Street Church, in partnership with Grand Rapids Community Media Center, will host a free and live virtual screening of the new Doo Wop music documentary “Streetlight Harmonies, to be followed by a question and answer event, Wednesday, May 20, at 6 p.m.
Hosted by Fountain Street’s Virginia Anzengruber, the event will feature film director Brent Wilson, producer Theresa Page, Doo Wop legends Vito Picone, Sammy Strain, Terry Johnson, and Wealthy Theatre’s Sarah Nawrocki.
The event is a fundraiser for both Fountain Street Church and the Grand Rapids Community Media Center. Rent or purchase the film through May 20 on Amazon Smile will result in a percentage of the proceeds being donated back to Fountain Street Church or Grand Rapids Community Media Center (whichever is chosen).
According to supplied material, “Streetlight Harmonies” is “an entertaining journey through the groups, songs, and harmonies that evoke both days gone by as well as current hits … Streetlight Harmonies uncovers a definitive period of music and the artists that defined it. Millions know the music but few know the artists and their history that laid the foundation for Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues, and built a bridge to the Civil Rights Movement.”
“Streetlight Harmonies” is a Ley Line Entertainment production, distributed by Gravitas Ventures. For more information on “Streetlight Harmonies” visit streetlightharmonies.com.
People who know the local independent music scene know there are not two more different venues than Grand Rapids’ Pyramid Scheme and Spring Lake’s Seven Steps Up — at the first, you’ll likely loose your voice screaming for bands like The Beths or Fruition; at the second, you’ll quietly chill to the sounds of Darlingside.
But both venues, along with more than 1,000 “independent” music clubs and promoters across the county, are trying to find a little power in numbers — and help themselves survive the crippling impact of COVID-19 — by joining the newly established National Independent Venue Association.
While independent venues and promoters are small businesses, nationwide, the estimated direct annual impact they provide to their local communities nears $10 billion, according to the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA). In addition to supporting employees and artists who are dependent upon live music for their livelihoods, the industry serves as a “magnet and financial engine for local economies … for every dollar small venues generate in tickets sales, area restaurants, hotels, and retail establishments realize $12 in revenue.”
But that same group also reports that 90 percent of members informally predict they will not be able to reopen if there is no financial support and the shutdown extends to six months.
To find out what is the current mood, and long term outlook, of the independent music industry, here in West Michgian and across the country, WKTV visited the eerily empty rooms of Pyramid Scheme and Seven Steps up last week.
What we found was a bleak present with stages dark and employees on unemployment, but an unclear future unless venues can get clarity on when and how they can reopen, get some some government help.
The problems started even before the two venue were forced to close their doors to the public, back in mid-March.
Pyramid Scheme co-owner Tami VandenBerg. (WKTV)
“It has been a nightmare couple of months, as you an imagine, sort of cascading from March,” Tami VandenBerg, co-founder and co-owner of Pyramid Scheme, said to WKTV. “The first sign of huge trouble was when we heard South by Southwest (annual independent music festival in Austin) might be cancelled. Myself and other members of my team go down there. That is a massive event for our industry. … That was a big red flag.”
And then came not only musicians cancelling but national and state restrictions on certain businesses where people would congregate.
“It was devastating to layoff all our staff and cancel all our shows,” VandenBerg said, trying to count how many shows were cancelled. “It was brutal. Spring is usually a really busy time for us. … it is clear this is an epic mess.”
Michelle Hanks, who with husband Gary Hanks, own and manger Seven Steps Up, also saw the train wreck coming and could do nothing about it.
Michelle and Gary Hanks, owners and mangers of Seven Steps Up. (WKTV)
“It came to a crashing halt on March 14, that’s when we got the call,” Michelle Hanks said to WKTV. “Our last show was March 8. … Most of the shows have not been cancelled, they have been rescheduled. We just don’t have dates for them. … We are already discussing rescheduling for the third time, in some cases.”
In the case of Seven Step Up, Michelle Hanks said “probably going into the neighborhood of 45 to 50” shoes have been delayed or lost all together. At Pyramid Scheme, VandenBreg simply pointed out a busy spring schedule would usually see bands in four of five nights a week.
“Part of the issue with this industry is that it is not just Seven Steps Up, it’s — I loved one of the ways somebody said it — we are an ecosystem,” Michelle Hanks said. “We are an ecosystem of independent venues and independent artists. … The artists really need to tour across the United States, not just here and there.”
Financial losses mount, but unified action could help
Small music venues, like large concert venues and neighborhood brew pubs, are suffering financial hardship partly due to a “first to close; last to open” scenario — coupled with no concrete date of return.
A crowd at the Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids. (Pyramid Scheme Facebook)
According to supplied material, independent music industry magazine Pollstar estimated a $9 billion loss in ticket sales alone — not counting food and beverage revenue — if venues remain closed through the end of the year.
“We have been hit, already hit, extremely hard,” VandenBerg said. “And we will be one of the last places to reopen, as I have seen in the Governor’s plan. We’ll be able to open our front bar sooner, with limited capacity and protective gear. … but in term of live music, that is one of the last things that is going to open.”
“The big challenge is the uncertainty,” Gary Hanks said. “We are postponing and putting dates put there, after in the fall and winter, but all of us — agents, artists, venues — don’t really know if those are going to happen. … We may be told we can reopen, but we may be told there are going to be so many restrictions on that, in terms of audience size, that it, just financially, can’t work.”
Both VandenBerg and the Hanks agree they see some hope in their joining the NIVA, and the group’s work in Lansing and Washington, D.C., to request emergency governmental relief they can actually use.
In general, the NIVA is seeking modifications to small business loans and the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), tax relief, mortgage and rent forbearance, continued unemployment insurance for employees and “guidance on how to reopen safely when the time comes,” according to supplied material.
NIVA wrote a letter to Congress in late April advocating for “targeted legislative and regulatory assistance.” In part, the letter read:
“Without your help, thousands of independent venues will not survive to the day when our doors can open to the public again. While we have no income, we do have essential employees, employee benefits, debts with personal guarantees, rents or mortgages, utilities, insurance, local, state and federal taxes, and the massive burden of ticket refunds for more than 100,000 canceled shows due to COVID-19.”
One area of advocacy is to have ticket refunds become allowable as business losses — Seven Steps Up has given more than $4,000 in refunds and, “for us, that’s a killer,” Gary Hanks said.
A key group effort is waiving the PPP requirement for loan forgiveness to be contingent on employee retention if companies have no work to offer employees for several months — currently for loan forgiveness business have to bring people back to within a few weeks.
“One of the things that is a challenge for us, and for other small venues like us, is we can’t just bring our employees back for one show,” Michelle Hanks said. “They will loose their unemployment, at least for that week. … We have to be able to get up and do a regular number of shows for it to make any kinds of sense for anyone.”
Darlingside at Seven Steps Up. (Seven Steps Up Facebook)
Seven Steps Up usually has 7-9 part-time employees for 132-seat sold-out shows.
Pyramid Scheme “on a really busy night, a sold-put night, when we’ve got 420 folks in the back (in the concert room) and another 200 up front (in a bar area), those are our capacities, we can have 15 people working, from sound to security to bartenders,” “VandenBerg said. “When I think about when we will be able to get back to that (level of employment), I just don’t know. It’s really heartbreaking.”
A hopeful future, with a little help from their friends
Both VandenBerg and the Hanks said despite their current and short term problems, they are hopeful.
“In the midst of all this depressing uncertainty, the formation of NIVA has at least given us a glimmer of hope that our nine plus years of blood, sweat, and tears will not go down the drain,” Michelle Hanks said. “Out of crises, good things can sprout up.
“Independent venues have been so independent, fiercely independent, of each other. We don’t typically talk about anything,” she said. “So bringing all the venues together, we are talking about developing best practices for how we deal with things like merch areas, green rooms, queuing people into the venues, security. … That’s been really, really great. But in terms of what they are doing nationally, for us, there is a huge campaign going on right now to contact our elected officials.”
But support the community, from small venue music fans — the “scream at the top of your lungs” crowd or the “kick-back and chill” in a listening room crowd — is and will always be essential for such venues, whether it is buying some merch, or buying tickets for shows that may be delayed, or GoFundMe fundraisers.
“If people love live music, there is several great venues in West Michigan alone … If they want to help, find your venue that you love to go to” and support them in anyway you can,” Michelle Hanks said.
For more information on the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) visit NIVAssoc.org. For more information on Seven Steps Up, located at 116 S. Jackson., Spring Lake, visit sevenstepsup.com. for more information on Pyramid Scheme, located at 68 Commerce SW, Grand Rapids, visit pyramidschemebar.com.
St. Cecilia Music Center’s Royce Auditorium stage may be quiet now — first due to delayed and cancelled dates, and soon due to it usual summer hiatus — but, boy, when the lights come back on this fall the venue will be supercharged with must-see concerts for every musical taste.
Announcing its “largest concert season in its history,” late last week, St. Cecilia’s 2020-21 season will kick off in September with the rescheduled folk series visit by Marc Cohn, with the first jazz series concert coming in October with songbird Dee Dee Bridgewater together with pianist Bill Charlap, and the first Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center concert planned for November.
While there is likely something for every fan in the current lineup of 18 shows (the folk series usually grows a little as the season goes on), there are a few highlights, especially the February 2021 inaugural jazz WinterFest featuring Christian McBride and Friends — three nights of music including an undoubtedly hot night of cutting edge jazz on a usually cold winter day when Christian McBride with Inside Straight take the stage Feb. 27.
“Each year our outstanding artist roster grows as the word spreads about the incredible beauty and acoustics of Royce Auditorium,” Cathy Holbrook, St. Cecilia executive director said in supplied material. “We always hear how much artists love our setting, the acoustics in the hall and the ever-so-welcoming audience who they get to see up-close and personal while performing. … This year we are excited to launch a new WinterFest Jazz Festival with Christian McBride and Friends.”
There will be some adjustments as far as ticketing is concerned, St. Cecilia also advises.
“Due to the changing restrictions surrounding COVID-19, we are planning for tickets to be on sale July 1,” Holbrook said in supplied material. “This will allow us to make any further adjustments to this schedule as needed. Our hope is to start concerts in the fall as planned.”
Holbrook also advises that St. Cecilia will scrupulously follow the “new normal” when it comes to safe venue operation and “recommended cleaning and disinfecting protocol.”
And the concert rundown …
As mentioned, the Acoustic Café Folk Series will kick things off with singer-songwriter Marc Cohn in November, and include another rescheduled date with Shawn Colvin in January. Returning artists from past seasons include the Milk Carton Kids in December and Leo Kottke in February, as well as first-time St. Cecilia visits by Sam Bush and then the Watkins Family Hour in November, Kat Edmonson and then Rodney Crowell in March and The Mark O’Connor Band in April.
Rodney Crowell (Supplied/Greg Ross)
To spotlight just one: If you know your Nashville/Austin country music scene, you know Crowell. Not only is he often considered one of he Godfathers of the Americana music scene, but he has sung with and written music for/with the who’s-who of the genre: Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Vince Gill and Lee Ann Womack — just to name drop a few.
The St. Cecilia jazz series — in addition to the Christian McBride-led jazz Winterfest, running Feb. 25-27 and Grammy and Tony Award-winning singer Bridgewater with Charlap on the keys in October — also includes the always-superb saxophonist Joshua Redman, visiting with his quartet in January, and acclaimed trombonist, composer and producer Delfeayo Marsalis, with the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, in April.
Joshua Redman Quartet. (Supplied)
McBride’s run on the Royce stage begins Feb. 25 evening he and fellow bassist Edgar Meyer for a “double Double Bass” extravaganza; the Feb. 26 will be a traditional jazz show showcasing McBride’s celebrated jazz career with his trio and special guest jazz singer Cyrille Aimée; and then McBride’s quintet, Inside Straight, on stage “for an unforgettable night of energetic and inspiring jazz” on Feb. 27.
(A bit of ticketing advice, the Joshua Redman night will likely be just as special a night and just hot a ticket as McBride’s Winterfest.)
And, of course, chamber music fans will get their annual night(s) of bliss as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will perform three concerts: “Sensational Strings” in November, featuring the music of Dvořák, Beethoven and 20th-century master Erwin Schulhoff; “Magical Schubert” in January, featuring three of Franz Schubert’s most significant chamber music works; and “The Brahms Effect” in April, celebrating the music and influences of composer Johannes Brahms.
For more information on St. Cecilia Music Center’s 2020/2021 season, visit scmc-online.org or calling 616-459-2224.
There are many models for consumers to “buy local and eat local” — home and community gardens, farmer’s markets, CSAs, farm stands — but a group of small, local producers are giving the European-bred REKO model a try, and doing so for many reasons.
Yes, the direct producer-to-consumer financial model is good for sustainable agriculture businesses. And, yes, there is something about being able to see the fields and greenhouses where your root vegetables, or micro-greens, were grown.
But in the age COVID-19 and other concerns of food safety, of wondering how many hands have touched your food before yours, the Facebook-based sales model developed in Finland and mostly unheard of in the U.S. — pronounced “RA-ko” — also holds a certain attraction.
Karin Uebbing, of Byron Center’s Woodbridge Dairy Farm. (WKTV)
The model’s direct producer-to-consumer ordering and delivery system “shortens the (number of) hands that touch food, there is less of a line to get to your food,” Karin Uebbing, of Byron Center’s Woodbridge Dairy Farm, said to WKTV last week, at the opening day of a weekly delivery location in Ada. (The REKO also has a delivery location in Holland.)
Currently local vendors can be found at rekomarket.com, and the list includes bakeries and a local ice cream producer in addition to farms producing vegetables, meats, eggs, tea, herbs, honey, maple syrup, cornmeal, and even wool and locally-made compost — Jenison’s Wormies Vermicompost is a member.
“We are a pasture-based protein farm … meat and eggs, (our) milk is a heard-share. That’s a little bid different,” Uebbing said of her farm’s offerings.
Rebecca Henderson, farm manager at Ada’s Green Wagon Farms. (WKTV)
The driving force behind the new market concept, Rebecca Henderson, farm manager at Ada’s Green Wagon Farms, explained the system: Each week, small-scale, sustainable farmers and producers post available products to a public Facebook group, managing their own sales from their online stores. Then bags of food are brought to the drop-off locations for pickup.
And unlike many Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) groups, a membership is not required, and consumers can order one week and not the next, depending on what’s available.
“Right now we have a whole lot of leafy greens,” Henderson said to WKTV. “But we are about to get into the summer season, so pretty soon we’ll have summer crops like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers. But right now we have everything from kale to lettuce (and root crops from) beets to carrots to parsnips.”
History of REKO, in Europe and in Michigan
“Reko is a trade model that started in Finland about seven years ago, it is spread pretty widely across Europe,” Henderson said. “We first heard of REKO at the Northern Michigan Farm Conference in 2019 from Swedish farmer Richard Perkins.
A customers picks up a delivery from Green Wagon Farms at the Ada location of a local REKO market in early May. (WKTV)
“There are so many great things about REKO for the consumer, but for us, the presale market is efficient, eliminates wasted product we might have at the end of a slow day at the farmers market, and requires virtually no setup or tear-down.”
And, echoing Uebbing, there is a “producers’ hands to consumer’s hands” advantage.
“It produces a quick and easy transition between producers and consumers,” Henderson said to WKTV. “We have always enjoyed (a personal relationship between producers and consumers). We go to the farmers market year around. We see weekly, dedicated customers coming to us. We get to build relationships with those people.
“It is great for consumers to build that relationship with their producers. But, also, in light of everything that is going on, people care more and more where their food is coming from. There is a huge surge in local food right now. Consumers want to know their food is being handled safely. We have had this idea, to bring this Reko model to the local market, and there is no better time to do it.”
How the local REKO works
As explained by the local REKO’s promotional material: “For the consumer, (the model) brings market-shopping into the digital age, allows for planning and shopping to be done in the comfort of your own home — and accelerates the actual pickup time to a short weekly errand, instead of a half-day event. In the days of COVID-19, avoiding congested grocery stores, supporting local businesses, and finding a one-stop pickup for a variety of staple goods is particularly meaningful.”
Customers and vendors at the Ada location of a local REKO market in early May. (WKTV)
As witnessed at the Ada drop-off location last week, until further notice, REKO is et up for no-contact pickup, requiring social distancing and masks for all shoppers and producers. Pre-payment options are available, and desired, for most vendors.
Availability from producers will be posted weekly on the Facebook group for each drop-off location (Holland and Ada) as producers may not attend every week and require different order deadlines. Market shoppers must place their orders prior to the deadline and pick up their pre-packed orders within the short pickup window.
The two current REKO markets are Thursdays from 3-3:30 p.m. in Ada, at The Community Church, and from 12-1 p.m. in Holland, at the Holland Town Center and the hope is to continue the markets year-round.
“For us, I’m not trying to feed the world, I’m just trying to feed the community,” Woodbridge Dairy Farm’s Uebbing said. “It’s what allows us, as a farm, to stay in business. We are direct to the end-consumer. If I didn’t have them, we would not be here.”
The Inner City Christian Federation (ICCF), reacting to a need for more COVID-19 related family “stay-at-home” housing, announced this week that it has expanded its emergency shelter services with a recently renovated and opened 3-bedroom home in Grand Rapids immediately adjacent to its existing 5-unit emergency shelter, Family Haven.
According to supplied material, the new space was purchased from the City of Grand Rapids and allows ICCF to “serve and support additional families experiencing homelessness” during the current coronavirus conditions.
“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our neighbors experiencing homelessness are facing even more challenging obstacles to finding stable housing. Adding to our capacity at Family Haven at a time like this was the right thing to do,” Ryan VerWys, CEO and President of ICCF, said in supplied material. “We’re thrilled to be able to offer another place in our community where entire families experiencing homelessness can stay together in a safe, clean, welcoming environment while they find permanent housing.”
The new housing unit is a 3-bedroom house suitable for a small family, according to supplied material. The exact street location was not made public.
Renovations were completed with “tremendous support” from local churches, businesses, and volunteers. New mechanicals, including a new furnace, were donated by a local distributor. Plumbing and HVAC work was donated by DHE in Hudsonville.
The home was furnished with “generous donations” from Huizen’s Furniture, Estate Sales Warehouse, Ada Bible Church, Covenant Christian Reformed Church, and Berean Baptist Church.
ICCF is the oldest non-profit affordable housing provider in the state of Michigan, according to supplied material. 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 Haven emergency shelter, 439 units of affordable rental housing, newly constructed homes for purchase, homeownership education and financial counseling.
St. Cecilia Music Center likes to say that “seeing an artist in Royce Auditorium is like having that artist play for you in your living room.” So it seems only appropriate these days that with St. Cecilia quiet and the Royce stage empty, the music center and jazz pianist Emmet Cohen are bringing a livestream concert from his living room to your living room.
St. Cecilia will present one of its 2019-20 season’s Jazz Series artists, Cohen, in a special livestream concert on the music center’s Facebook page Thursday, May 14, from 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Cohen appeared in January with his trio and special guest, legendary saxophonist Benny Golson — and also performed the night prior at St. Cecilia’s Maestro Society Dinner. He has also played at SCMC with Christian McBride and Tip City.
According to supplied material. “Emmet says that he loves the people at St. Cecilia, and wanted to do a concert specifically for our audience.”
