Related

• Community's Endowment 2016 Impact

  We're pleased to announce 16 competitive grants totaling $550,00 from our Community's Endowment in 2016. 

  Community and Economic Development

   Washington School Green

  • Amount Awarded: $15,000

  • Purpose: To develop a new Washington School park together with the city, neighborhood, and developer.  The park will preserve public access and provide neighborhood gathering space, a play area for young children, and a place of beauty in this historic neighborhood.

  • Why this matters: This project will have a lasting impact in preserving public green space in the historic core city of Holland which will be available for community members to enjoy for years to come.

   

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  Environment

  Outdoor Discovery Center - ecoSystem Education Network

  • Amount Awarded: $65,000 over 3 years

  • Purpose: The ecoSystem Education Network builds on the success of the ODC outdoor education model for the benefit of the entire community.  Through a multi-faceted approach of strategic visioning, classroom modeling, nature playscape design, and professional development, ecoSystem will provide teachers and schools with the resources needed to offer nature-based learning opportunities to the students and families they serve. 

  • Why this matters: Research shows that children in the U.S. are spending, on average, less than an hour outside every day.  At the same time there is substantial evidence of the positive impact that time outdoors has on children’s physical and mental health as well as educational outcomes.  A critical, evidence-based strategy for shifting this dynamic involves schools integrating nature-based education and increasing academic and recreational time outdoors.  Through ecoSystem, ODC will equip local educators to bring this approach into schools and classrooms throughout our community which will allow significantly more children to experience nature-based education on a daily basis. 

  Macatawa Area Coordinating Council - Creating a Green Infrastructure Vision for the Macatawa Watershed

  • Amount Awarded: $21,000

  • Purpose: To develop a green infrastructure suitability map and additional analysis of cost and implementation priorities.  The project will include community engagement focusing on the Holland Heights neighborhood and a green infrastructure training seminar for local decision makers, planners, engineers, and contractors.

  • Why this matters: Green infrastructure is a cost-effective approach to managing wet weather impacts that provides many community benefits including better water quality, improved community resiliency during significant rain events, and increased community greenspace. Unlike “gray” infrastructure that is built to move stormwater away from urban enviornments, green infrastructure is designed to absorb stormwater at its source, restoring aspects of the natural water cycle.  Understanding which areas of our community are best suited for green infrastructure is a critical step to maximizing the positive impact of future local investments in green infrastructure.

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  Health

  Michigan Health Endowment Healthy Ottawa Fund

  • Amount Awarded: $80,000 over 3 years

  • Purpose: To invest in new and expanded programs which advance positive action on the priority issues identified in the Ottawa County Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). The three priority issues are: access to health care, mental health, and healthy behaviors (nutrition/exercise). CFHZ and the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation have each committed $80,000 to this fund along with a $330,000 grant jointly received from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. Combined, $490,000 has been awarded to the following programs:

  • $40,000 to the Wayne Elhart be nice. Memorial Fund to provide matching funds for schools within the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District to offer the “be nice.” education program on mental illness awareness and suicide prevention.
  • $55,000 to Holland Community Hospital to expand the School Nursing Program to the high school level in Holland Public Schools.
  • $70,000 to TCM Counseling to extend counseling and school services to the Holland/Zeeland area and to increase counseling and psychiatric services in the Tri-Cities.
  • $75,000 to Love INC of the Tri-Cities to expand the hours of the Free Health Clinic to more broadly meet the needs of the community.
  • $100,000 to the Ottawa County Food Policy Council to expand Project Fresh for seniors, grow the Meet Up and Eat Up Summer Meal program for low-income children, increase access to Community Supported Agriculture, and launch the Prescription for Health program to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.
  • $150,000 to the Ottawa County Department of Public Health to launch Pathways to Better Health, an evidence- based community health worker model that has been proven to reduce health care costs while improving health outcomes for patients.

  • Why this matters: The collaborative efforts of our local hospitals, healthcare providers, the county health department, and numerous community health organizations have provided in-depth local data about our greatest health needs and have garnered a high level of commitment from key community partners. The Healthy Ottawa Fund will bring a critical third piece to this equation by providing an infusion of financial resources to accelerate implementation of the CHIP’s recommended strategies.

  Ottawa County Health Department - Miles of Smiles Adult Expansion

  • Amount Awarded: $10,000 

  • Purpose: For the purchase of an adult digital dental x-ray sensor to facilitate appointments for the Medicaid insured and financially qualifying, low-income uninsured adults in Ottawa County.

  • Why this matters: There is significant unmet need for dental services for low income adults in our region.  The 2015 Community Health Needs Assessment found that more than 50% of adults without a high school degree in Ottawa County had not gone to the dentist in the last year and untreated dental conditions can lead to other serious health complications.  With the new equipment, the Miles of Smiles Mobile Dental Unit will have more capacity to serve these adults.

   

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  Housing

  Ladder Homes - Housing Capacity Expansion

  • Amount Awarded: $30,000 

  • Purpose: To purchase an additional 4-plex apartment building near the two other existing 4-plex buildings that Ladder Homes owns in Holland Heights.  This will provide capacity for 8 additional residents, growing the client total count from 18 to 26.

  • Why this matters: Ladder Homes provides affordable housing with supportive services for adults with mental illness.  The organization currently has over 40 people on its waitlist for housing. This project will have a lasting positive impact on the individuals with mental illness who are able to access affordable permanent housing as a result of the expansion.  It will also benefit these individuals’ families and the community that they be able to live in a safe, stable housing arrangement with the kind of supports needed to be sustainable and healthy for them. 

   

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  Human Services

  Benjamin's Hope - Community Integrated Life Enrichment Program

  • Amount Awarded: $75,000 over 3 years

  • Purpose: To provide a new, collaborative service-delivery model that will create meaningful daytime engagement opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

  • Why this matters: The need for daytime enrichment opportunities was already significant and growing prior to Kandu, Inc.’s closure, but those events have heightened the urgency around new efforts like Benjamin’s Hope’s program. It is important for our community to offer high-quality support services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who for a variety of reasons have been unable to attain employment. These services have a significant impact on the quality of life and personal growth and development of the individuals participating. They also provide crucial support for families and caregivers and are often essential to making integrated living arrangements sustainable for families and their loved ones with disabilities.

  Goodwill Industries of West Michigan - Holland/Zeeland Career Training Center

  • Amount Awarded: $40,000

  • Purpose: To create a new Career Training Center in Holland that will offer vocational rehabilitation, career training and skill development for individuals with disabilities and other barriers to employment.

  • Why this matters: The closure of Kandu, Inc. in August 2015 has created a significant gap in services for community members with developmental disabilities, over 200 of whom were previously employed at Kandu. Goodwill has a track record of successfully providing similar services to this population in other communities and the new Career Training Center will have a lasting impact in helping to rebuild the Holland/Zeeland area’s overall capacity to provide employment opportunities to individuals with developmental disabilities.

  Lighthouse Immigrant Advocates - Immigration Legal Services

  • Amount Awarded: $30,000 over 3 years

  • Purpose: To provide high quality, affordable direct legal services to the chronically under-served immigrant population in Ottawa County.

  • Why this matters: This program addresses the key barriers of cost, location and language that very often prevent immigrants from accessing the legal processes that exist for their specialized needs. Although our immigration system is complex and expensive to navigate, it does offer a variety of legal options for individuals who aren’t currently citizens to live, work and study in the U.S. Many of our local nonprofit organizations work with families where some or all of the family members have difficulty accessing these options because of the specific legal work required. Taking these legal steps would in many cases allow these individuals and families to more fully participate in and contribute to our community. The launch of this program marks a significant improvement in local access to affordable legal services for immigrants and will allow all of our local efforts to serve these families to be more effective.

  Beacon of Hope - Building Campaign

  • Amount Awarded: $30,000 

  • Purpose: To purchase a new building at 225 West 30th Street in Holland to meet the growing community demand for Beacon of Hope’s counseling services.

  • Why this matters: Beacon of Hope provides no cost counseling services to those who are uninsured or under-insured. Their services fill a critical safety net gap for low income residents struggling with mental health issues who otherwise might not receive care. The new building will provide the physical capacity for Beacon of Hope to respond to the increased need for these services in our community.

  Hope Network - Development Center

  • Amount Awarded: $25,000

  • Purpose: To complete leaseholder improvements necessary to launch a program that will provide employment skills to the developmentally disabled in the Holland/Zeeland area.

  • Why this matters: The closure of Kandu in August 2015 has created a significant gap in services for community members with developmental disabilities, over 200 of whom were previously employed at Kandu.  Hope Network has a track record of successfully providing similar services to this population in other communities and the new Development Center site will have a lasting impact in helping to rebuild the Holland/Zeeland area’s overall capacity to provide employment opportunities to individuals with developmental disabilities.

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  Seniors

  Resthaven - Green House Long-term Care Cottage

  • Amount Awarded: $40,000

  • Purpose: To construct a 10 resident Green House cottage on the Resthaven Care Center campus which will serve seniors who may deplete their financial resources due to the longevity of care required.

  • Why this matters: The Green House model provides seniors with a high level of nursing care in a small group setting with private personal space, a living environment that looks and feels like a home, smart technology, and an emphasis on natural light and green space inside and outside of the home. As our community prepares for growing housing and care needs for our elders, the new Green House will extend the range of options available to local seniors.

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  Youth

  Neighbors Plus - Meet Up & Eat Up Summer Learning Initiative

  • Amount Awarded: $20,520 

  • Purpose: In collaboration with the West Ottawa summer lunch program, 200 elementary aged children in the Leisure Estates Mobile Home Community will engage in brain stimulating summer activities that focus on grade retention in reading, vocabulary and math.

  • Why this matters: Research shows that students in low-income households experience greater summer learning loss than their peers and that lack of access to summer learning opportunities is a major cause.  The learning loss students experience each summer adds up over the course of their school years and contributes to overall gaps in educational outcomes.  The Meet Up & Eat Up Summer Learning Initiative will provide the kinds of educational activities that help prevent summer learning loss. 

  Calvary Reformed Church - Blacktop Rec Playground

  • Amount Awarded: $15,000

  • Purpose: To help build a playground for high need students in Holland Heights.

  • Why this matters: The Blacktop Rec program serves over 100 youth ages 5 through 12 four days a week throughout the summer. The existing playground was built more than 25 years ago and is worn out to the point that it is no longer safe for use.  The new playground will provide a safe place for students to play and exercise for many years into the future.

   Holland Public Schools - Equity Alliance

  • Amount Awarded: $14,000 

  • Purpose: To research, plan and facilitate events and programming to equip a wide range of stakeholders with the knowledge and skills to recognize, respond to, and remedy conditions that deny some students access to educational opportunities enjoyed by their peers.  

  • Why this matters: Local data shows that educational outcomes for children of color and children from lower socioeconomic households fall statistically below their fellow students.  These achievement gaps are present for elementary aged students and the gaps widen as students enter middle and high school.  These same students receive a disproportionate number of disciplinary referrals and are underrepresented in honors and advanced placement classes.  Forming a group like the Equity Alliance, that will bring together teachers, students, parents, administrators and other school staff to explore ways to close these gaps, has shown to be an effective practice in other organizations and is an important strategy for building a culture where all children can access the resources they need to learn and thrive. 

• Community's Endowment 2018 Impact

  The Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area is pleased to announce the awarding of 12 grants totaling $550,200 from the Community’s Endowment in 2018.  

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  Arts and Culture

  Holland Symphony Orchestra – Link Up  

  • Amount Awarded: $45,200 over three years
  • Purpose: In partnership with Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, this program unites the classroom with the concert hall and will annually provide over 1,400 local fourth-grade students with the opportunity to explore music through a yearlong curriculum of classroom activities and a culminating concert in which students perform with the Holland Symphony Orchestra.
  • Why this matters? Many schools have reduced arts and music opportunities for students in recent years due to budget cuts. This program will increase access and aims to inspire a lifelong interest in music for participating students. 

  Holland Historical Trust – Spark!Lab

  • Amount Awarded: $40,000
  • Purpose: To establish a Smithsonian Institution innovation and invention activity-based program at the Holland Museum.
  • Why this matters? Building on West Michigan’s leadership in design, innovation and entrepreneurship, Spark!Lab will offer museum visitors the opportunity to become inventors themselves. Spark!Lab activities are designed around common themes that connect Museum collections and exhibitions to science, technology, engineering, and math. These themes will change on a regular basis, ensuring that children and families have something new to explore each time they return to the Museum.

   

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  Community and Economic Development

  City of Holland – Civic Center Place Improvement Project

  • Amount Awarded: $20,000
  • Purpose: To renew and renovate this sixty year old building to make it a more desirable and multi-functional space for the community.
  • Why this matters: The Civic Center is a pivotal part of the City’s vision for making Holland a great place to live, work and play. The renovated space will have a lasting impact on residents, visitors, and their experience of downtown Holland for years to come.

  Holland Community Aquatic Center – Expansion Evaluation

  • Amount Awarded: $25,000
  • Purpose: To provide an economic impact study and architectural conceptual design services that will allow Holland Community Aquatic Center to better understand the effects of its programs and services on the local economy and conceptualize facility designs that better serve the community.
  • Why this matters: The information generated by this project will inform pivotal decisions about HCAC’s future and will help develop a plan that maximizes capacity to deliver on all three of its core competencies simultaneously: community activities, instruction, and competition.

  Ottawa County – Diversity Equity and Inclusion Office

  • Amount Awarded: $25,000
  • Purpose: To create a county diversity, equity, and inclusion office, consisting of a Director and Senior Secretary, to identify and eliminate implicit bias in internal policy, procedures and practices and external service provision.
  • Why this matters: Implicit bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. While we all have these implicit biases, research shows that we can recognize and overcome them with the right tools. This new office will support Ottawa County and other local governement partners in this work in alignment with the county’s goal of promoting a culturally diverse environment where all employees, residents, and visitors are valued and welcomed.

  Talent 2025 – Evidence Based Selection Process

  • Amount Awarded: $5,000
  • Purpose: To provide technical assistance and peer learning support to employers in developing their own customized Evidence Based Selection Process (EBSP) for hiring new employees.
  • Why this matters: EBSP has been proven to benefit both employers and employees and contribute to a stronger, more inclusive local economy by improving quality of hire, reducing first year turnover, and increasing workforce diversity. This initiative will test the model in a variety of different industries and organizational sizes to see if it can produce similar results for a wide range of employers and their employees.

   

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  Human Services

   

  Center for Women in Transition – Prevention Pays: Domestic & Sexual Violence Prevention Initiative

  • Amount Awarded: $75,000 over 3 years
  • Purpose: To enhance the community's capacity to recognize, respond to, and prevent domestic and sexual violence by equipping the local community - specifically focused on faith communities and local businesses - with the knowledge and tools they need to understand domestic and sexual violence and what to do when it shows up within their community. 
  • Why this matters: Ottawa County continues to see an increase in incidents of domestic and sexual violence. This program will have a lasting impact on employers and faith communities’ capacity to respond to these situations and increase their ability to keep victims themselves and others in these places of work and worship safe from harm.

   

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  Youth

  Bridge Youth Center – Refresh Capital Campaign

  • Amount Awarded: $40,000
  • Purpose: To refurbish the Bridge's 17 year old building with revisions that will help better serve the organization's core mission of providing a place where all kids are safe, loved and valued.
  • Why this matters: The Bridge is the only youth serving organization offering daily programming physically located in Zeeland and serves over 150 middle and high school students a week. The capital improvements will have a lasting impact on the Bridge’s ability to provide a positive, safe, and welcoming environment to students that is well equipped for the size and scope of programs the organization offers.

  Ottawa Area Intermediate School District – Reading Now Network Developmental Evaluation

  • Amount Awarded: $50,000 over 2 years
  • Purpose: To accelerate and expand the impact of the Reading Now Network in West Michigan through real-time learning and evaluation so that more children can reach their third grade reading milestones, setting them up for continued success in the rest of their schooling.
  • Why this matters: Third grade reading is a critical individual milestone and a key community indicator that many people have watched closely for years. The Reading Now Network has brought new insight and understanding to how schools can best support students’ learning to reach their third grade reading goals. Given the strength of the initial results and the momentum the initiative has with local schools, the Developmental Evaluation model is uniquely well suited to help RNN maximize the impact of its work for schools and students.
    
    

  Out on the Lakeshore – Youth Programming

  • Amount Awarded: $75,000 over 3 years
  • Purpose: In response to community demand, OOTL is launching programming for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning (LGBTQ) youth, their families and allies including weekly support group meetings, a mentoring program, an anti-bullying campaign and daily drop-in hours. OOTL youth programming will build a caring network of support by providing a safe space to gather and grow in self-understanding. 
  • Why this matters: Local LGBTQ youth and their families have expressed a need for opportunities to meet and talk in person with others who share their experiences. Bullying and harrassment are frequent themes in these students’ day to day experiences which leads to increased mental health concerns. While many valuable resources are available online and through social media, students and parents specifically want help connecting in person in the community where they live, work, and go to school. Having access to safe space, resources and a supportive community could be life changing and even life-saving for these students.

  Ready for School – Start School Ready

  • Amount Awarded: $75,000 over 3 years
  • Purpose: To pioneer a transformative early learning experience for children and caregivers. Once implemented and scaled across multiple school districts, up to 500 more children a year will reach the threshold of kindergarten prepared to succeed in school and in life. 
  • Why this matters: Entering kindergarten prepared to learn has significant lasting impact for children themselves, their families, schools, and the community at large. Ready for School has made tremendous progress in helping our community move the needle on kindergarten readiness from less than half to 63% and believes that Start School Ready is the most effective strategy to build on this success and reach beyond the 63% readiness level.

  West Ottawa Public Schools in partnership with TCM Counseling – In-School Counseling

  • Amount Awarded: $75,000 over 3 years
  • Purpose: To provide counseling services to students in West Ottawa Public Schools who are currently going without professional mental health services.
  • Why this matters: Data from the Ottawa County Youth Assessment Survey (YAS) confirms what many of us have experienced first hand – that the numbers of local students experiencing depression and thinking about or attempting suicide continue to increase. The in-school counseling program will provide an important resource to students facing these difficulties and removes the barriers of cost and transportation that often prevent students from accessing these kinds of support services. Receiving needed mental health counseling services as a child or teenager has a lasting impact on those students’ lives in supporting them with current challenges and equipping them to navigate these issues in healthy ways as they enter adulthood. In a moment of crisis, rapid access to mental health services can have a life-saving impact.
    
    
    

• Community's Endowment 2019 Impact

   The Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area is pleased to announce the awarding of 17 grants totaling $568,604 from the Community’s Endowment in 2019.

  Community and Economic Development

  Herrick District Library – Groundworks

  • Amount Awarded: $75,000 over three years
  • Purpose: To open and operate Groundworks at Herrick District Library's main facility.  This will be a place for adults to learn and collaborate in real-time, while exploring digital media content, with access to relevant technology and community experts.
  • Why this matters? The launch of Groundworks aligns with the results of a yearlong community listening effort that the library conducted in partnership with the Harwood Institute.  One of the key findings from this process was that residents are looking for lifelong learning opportunities that enrich their lives and provide new avenues for exploring entrepreneurship. Groundworks will provide an accessible space for community members to explore new tools and gain new skills for life and work.   

  Washington School Neighbors – The Community Garden Project

  • Amount Awarded: $10,000
  • Purpose: To purchase property to relocate and continue the neighborhood's community gardens along with installing water service to the property and developing the land for gardening.
  • Why this matters? The new garden location will ensure that this opportunity continues to be available to neighborhood residents for the long term.  Having access to grow fresh fruits and vegetables in safe soil also offers long term health benefits for participating residents.  

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  Health

  City on a Hill Ministries Health Clinic – Behavioral Health Integration Program

  • Amount Awarded: $46,270 over 3 years
  • Purpose: To integrate mental health services into the Continued Care Clinic that currently serves as primary care for many of the patients who utilize the clinic.
  • Why this matters: Access to mental health services was one of the top needs identified through our most recent Community Health Needs Assessment conducted jointly by the County Health Department and local hospitals.  Many patients referred for mental health care struggle to follow through in receiving care due to cost, time, transportation, stigma and other barriers.  Accessing mental health care in the same time and place that these patients are seeking help for their physical health will greatly reduce these roadblocks to treatment.  

  Holland Free Health Clinic – Increasing Access to Healthcare for the Hispanic Population in our Community

  • Amount Awarded: $20,000
  • Purpose: To remove language and cultural barriers that prevent Hispanic patients from gaining access to health services in the Holland/Zeeland area.
  • Why this matters: Over a quarter of patients served at Holland Free Health Clinic are Hispanic and half of those individuals speak Spanish as their primary language. Reducing or removing language and cultural barriers will improve access and quality of care for these patients which will have long term benefits for their health.  

  Ottawa County Department of Public Health – New Miles of Smiles Mobile Dental Unit

  • Amount Awarded: $10,000
  • Purpose: To purchase a new Miles of Smiles mobile dental unit.
  • Why this matters: Nearly one in five adults in Ottawa County have not been to the dentist in the past year.  Poor oral health can lead to or worsen other health conditions.  Miles of Smiles has strong collaborative partnerships with schools and other community organizations that allow the program to reach the most vulnerable members of our community who are unlikely to access dental care elsewhere.  The mobile unit is key to bringing these dental services to people right where they are rather than having them come to one specific location.  Purchasing the new unit will ensure the program can continue to provide this critical service to hundreds of children and adults impacting their health now and in the future.   

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  Human Services

  Beacon of Hope – Emotional Health Group for Adults on Probation

  • Amount Awarded: $20,000 over 3 years
  • Purpose: To provide emotional health and support to adults on probation to give them the hope they need to see themselves as contributing to their communities in a positive manner. 
  • Why this matters: Many individuals on probation have experienced trauma and have underlying mental health issues which, left unaddressed, often contribute to re-incarceration.  This program will provide returning citizens with the opportunity to better understand their mental health challenges, receive appropriate care from Beacon of Hope counselors and develop new coping mechanisms and strategies as they work to rebuild their lives.  

  Community SPOKE on behalf of Thrive Ottawa County

  • Amount Awarded: $5,000
  • Purpose: Thrive Ottawa County is a collaboration of 25-30 organizations representing various nonprofit, government, and private sector partners that have come together to move forward a shared vision of reducing the number ACEs in our community while simultaneously supporting the use of trauma sensitive approaches to better serve and support those who have experienced ACEs.  This effort will train 25 “Community Champions” who will be deployed into the community to provide trainings to various organizations and groups that represent targeted audiences and to help educate the broader community regarding ACEs and the various tools to build healthy coping skills through a public awareness campaign.  
  • Why this matters: Adverse Childhood Experiences(ACEs) such as the presence of substance abuse, an incarcerated parent, or domestic violence in the home or experiencing varying levels of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse have a lifelong impact on physical and mental health.  The long-term negative impact of ACEs become greatest when four or more are present and local data indicates that 14% (or roughly 40,000) of all Ottawa County adults have experienced four or more ACEs as a child. This effort will work to better educate the community about this reality and better equip organizations and individuals with knowledge of community resources and referral options.  

  Winning at Home – Holland Counseling Center

  • Amount Awarded: $75,000 over 3 years
  • Purpose: To help renovate an existing building in downtown Holland on 16th Street and to help provide low cost counseling to individuals and families struggling with mental and relational health challenges who otherwise have barriers, such as transportation and finances, to receiving care.  
  • Why this matters: Data from the Ottawa County Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) and Youth Assessment Survey (YAS) reflects the reality that many adults, children and families in our community are struggling with trauma, adverse childhood experiences, mental health, and building healthy relationships amid the challenges and stresses of day to day life.  The counseling services and educational programs provided at the new 16th Street location will offer community members access to the support and tools they need to navigate these challenges and find positive paths for the future.   

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  Seniors

  Porter Hills Foundation – Recreational Therapy at LifeCircles PACE Holland

  • Amount Awarded: $13,334
  • Purpose: To enhance the lives of participants through Recreational Therapy Services and adaptive technologies, such as It's Never2Late.
  • Why this matters: The PACE model offers an alternative to nursing home care for older adults who wish to remain in their homes but need significant medical, social and daily living supports in addition to what their caregivers can provide at home.  LifeCircles PACE Holland currently serves 118 individuals and 70% of these participants have cognitive impairments or dementia.  It’sNever2Late will offer greater engagement with technology for individuals of all ability levels using a picture-based, touch-screen interface.  Users can simply “touch” their way to find therapeutic, educational, and personalized content that is appropriate to their own level of ability and access new tools like email and web-cams to keep in touch with family and friends providing empowerment and improved quality of life for participants.  

  Resthaven – Research and Planning for The Warm Friend Facility Renovations

  • Amount Awarded: $12,000
  • Purpose: To support conducting a consumer research study and a master planning process that will help prioritize the necessary physical plant needs of The Warm Friend senior living facility.
  • Why this matters: Deciding the best way to move forward with stewarding the Warm Friend facility is a pivotal decision for Resthaven, the residents who live there currently, future residents and the immediate surrounding area in downtown Holland. These decisions will have long term implications for Resthaven and this landmark historic building in the heart of the downtown Holland.  

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  Youth

  Critter Barn – Barn to Farm Campaign

  • Amount Awarded: $20,000
  • Purpose: To support the construction of Critter Barn's new educational farm center where residents and visitors of all ages and abilities will be able to participate in hands-on, interactive  learning experiences and witness everyday farm life.  
  • Why this matters: The new farm will provide a larger, safer, more accessible facility for children and adults to engage directly with animals and plants and to better understand the important role agriculture and farming have in growing the food we eat.   

  Greater Ottawa County United Way / Lakeshore Housing Alliance – Voices of Youth Count

  • Amount Awarded: $4,000
  • Purpose: To conduct a thorough count of youth experiencing homelessness with the goal of creating a comprehensive strategy to address the needs of youth in housing crisis.
  • Why this matters: While there are several existing local data sources on youth homelessness, the Voices of Youth Count will work to generate a more comprehensive picture of how youth in our county are experiencing homelessness to inform future strategies to best address this need. 

  Holland Community Hospital – School Mental Health Program

  • Amount Awarded: $70,000 over 3 years
  • Purpose: To provide a School Mental Health Care Manager to support student mental health by coordinating and managing care between the school, family, and health care provider and/or hospital.
  • Why this matters: The impact of every life lost to suicide is profound and ripples out through family, friends, classmates, and community.  Like many communities across the country, the Holland/Zeeland area has seen an increase in youth suicides and suicide attempts and that this issue is impacting younger and younger students.  The School Mental Health Program will place a trained medical professional in the school building to help students and families navigate this incredibly difficult issue and ensure key information flows smoothly between students’ medical providers, family members, and school supports.  These potentially life-saving connections to treatment and management/coordination of follow up care and school services are critical to prevent repeated crises for vulnerable students.  

  Kids’ Food Basket – Ottawa/Allegan Program Expansion

  • Amount Awarded: $20,000
  • Purpose: To move to a larger facility housing KFB's warehouse, office, and volunteer space in one location allowing KFB to serve more daily nourishing meals to children in Holland and neighboring Allegan County rural school districts.
  • Why this matters: Childhood hunger has negative impacts on physical growth and brain development and is a barrier to children engaging fully in learning in the classroom.  With three Holland and West Ottawa schools on the wait list for the Sack Supper program and an increase in need at several currently participating schools, the new facility will ensure Kids’ Food Basket has the capacity to keep up with the growing demand for services in our community and provide the nutrition children need to reach their full potential.  

  Midtown Counseling Services – On-site School Counseling Program

  • Amount Awarded: $75,000 over 3 years
  • Purpose: To provide trauma-focused counseling directly to Holland Middle School students on school grounds during school hours.
  • Why this matters: Childhood trauma and adverse childhood experiences involving abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction have a profound impact on students who experience them.  In the short term, they are often a serious barrier to a child being able to fully participate in school and to build healthy relationships with peers and adults.  In the long term, adults who have had these experiences are more likely to suffer from poor physical and mental health and more likely to struggle with issues ranging from addiction to homelessness to suicide.  Providing counseling to students who have had adverse childhood experiences is a critical opportunity to offer the support and tools that can help them overcome the odds and find hope for a better future.  Providing counseling on site at school removes the barriers of cost and transportation that often prevent students from accessing these kinds of services.  

  Refugee Education Center – Holland/Zeeland Expansion

  • Amount Awarded: $28,000 over 3 years
  • Purpose: To serve refugee students in Holland/Zeeland area schools by providing individualized graduation plans and educational support to prepare them for successful transition from high school.
  • Why this matters: Students who move to our community as refugees face many challenges in learning to navigate a new education system and community supports for youth.  Providing pro-active guidance to these students that addresses their unique individual needs will benefit them, their families and their schools as they are more easily able to align their previous schooling with their education here and map out the next steps for continued learning.  

  Spectrum Health Foundation Zeeland Community Hospital – Blue Envelope Suicide Prevention Program 

  • Amount Awarded: $65,000 over 3 years
  • Purpose: To support the creation and implementation of the school-based Blue Envelope Suicide Prevention Program in Ottawa County.
  • Why this matters: The impact of every life lost to suicide is profound and ripples out through family, friends, classmates, and community.  Like many communities across the country, the Holland/Zeeland area has seen an increase in youth suicides and suicide attempts and that this issue is impacting younger and younger students.  The Blue Envelope Program has the potential to save lives by equipping every adult in the school setting from teachers to custodians to coaches to recognize and take initial steps to respond to a student who reveals suicidal thoughts or behaviors.  It also provides training and protocols for the initial responder to loop in secondary responders such as principals, social workers, and counselors who can provide additional support, resources and referrals for help.

• Celebrating the completion of our Today. Tomorrow. Forever. Campaign for our Community's Endowment

  Grateful hearts and A LOT to celebrate

  Last Thursday was an unprecedented evening in our 65-year history on three fronts:

  Largest Campaign Completed

  Two years ago, at our 2015 fall celebration event, we launched Today. Tomorrow. Forever. A Campaign for our Community's Endowment, with a three-year completion goal. We were thrilled to announce its completion one year early at this year's fall celebration. The campaign was a success well beyond our expectations and has generated $5 million in "today" gifts and a pipeline of $30 million via 100 "tomorrow" future estate gifts for our Community's Endowment. Our collective efforts promise to more than TRIPLE the size of our Community's Endowment over time!

  Why this campaign? We can't predict the future, but we can prepare for it. When we pool our resources together, we can do amazing things. We truly believe that these gifts are a gift back to the entire community and an investment in Holland/Zeeland's future. These gifts will provide significant, community-wide benefit for generations to come, and we are delighted that so many were a part of this effort. With this campaign, we hoped to broaden our base of support. We're excited to share that we have estate gift commitments from every decade age group from 20's to 80's, and we had almost 350 "Today" gifts that ranged from $20 to $150,000. Holland/Zeeland has proven that all ages and income levels care about planning for our future!

  Interested in how the campaign worked? Check out this brief video our friends at Boileau Communications created with us that overviews the campaign.

  Our community's generosity has ensured our Community's Endowment grows both now and in the future, and it will always be here to address needs and opportunities as they arise. Thank you to all who made this possible. Holland/Zeeland will be grateful for generations to come.

  Largest Grant Announced: $500,000 Affordable Housing Grant

  Because of our community's generosity and the growth of our Community's Endowment, we're able to respond to an issue that the Foundation Board sees as both a critical need for local families and an opportunity for creative, innovative solutions. At the fall celebration, we announced that we are making a $500,000 commitment to spur a significant, community-wide effort to address our affordable housing shortage. We hope to rally the entire community to prioritize decreasing the number of people spending more than 35% of their income on housing, as that is one of the biggest contributors to financial instability, which leads to so many other challenges.

  Largest Fall Celebration

  650 supporters joined us on Thursday at our fall celebration - the largest event in our history. We were thrilled to have so many of our closest partners in the room to share in the excitement! Stay tuned for the event photos from deVries photography, which we'll share via email and on our facebook page when they're available.

  We are so excited to continue to partner with our generous community to make a difference today, tomorrow, and forever. Thanks to all who made this event possible and to all who attended. It was truly a bright night for us!

  Missed the event?

  Check out the event recap featured in the Holland Sentinel News  or watch/listen to Mike's live-recorded event remarks.

  If you want to learn more about CFHZ, don't hesitate to contact Mike at your convenience at mgoorhouse@cfhz.org or 616-396-6590.

• 2020: The Year of Impact

  

  The highlight of 2020 for Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area was our 'Community Impact' work. The magnitude and creativity of how we deployed Community Endowment resources was significantly greater than any other year in recent history. The flexibility of the Community's Endowment allowed us to respond swiftly and meaningfully to unique new needs, while the breadth of the Community's Endowment allowed us to continue strengthening our community today, tomorrow, and forever.

  

  

• Mark Harder - our new 2017-18 Board Chair

  

  Mark Harder Elected Chair of Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees

  The Board of Trustees of the Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area elected a new slate of officers during its 2017 annual meeting.

  Elected as Board Chair is Mark K. Harder, a partner with the law firm of Warner Norcross & Judd LLP. Harder chairs the firm’s Private Client and Family Office Practice and concentrates his practice in estate planning and administration for high-net-worth individuals and in the representation of family-owned businesses and their owners.

  Harder succeeds Scott Spoelhof, who held the position of chair in 2016. Mark served as chair-elect to Spoelhof for the past year. Harder joined the Board in 2014 and has most recently served on the Foundation’s executive, governance, development, and audit committees.

  “The Community Foundation plays an integral role in maintaining and improving the quality of life in our community as it helps steward resources to impact others,” Harder said. “I am deeply honored to be part of that effort and look forward to working with the leadership team and my fellow Board members to help create lasting positive change.”

  Harder has been recognized as a Michigan Super Lawyer since 2006 and has been listed among The Best Lawyers in America since 2005. He was named  Lawyer of the Year for Trusts and Estates in the Grand Rapids area in 2010 and again in 2017 and a Leading Lawyer in Michigan from 2014 to the present. He was also recognized for for his work in private wealth law by Chambers High Net Worth Guide in 2016.

  Mark is a Fellow of the American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel and is a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, State Bar of Wisconsin, Ottawa County Bar Association, Michigan State Bar Foundation and American Bar Foundation. He is also a member of Attorneys for Family Held Enterprises.

  Mark serves on the Institute of Continuing Legal Education Probate and Estate Planning Advisory Board. From 2003 until 2010, Mark led State Bar of Michigan efforts to write the Michigan Trust Code, as well as other legislation regulating how trusts are handled. In 2015, he authored a commentary for Michigan’s Uniform Principal and Income Act. He has also co-authored the Estates and Protected Individuals Code with Reporters’ Commentary from 2010 to 2017 for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education.

  A graduate of Leadership Holland, Mark has been active in a variety of community organizations, including the Center for Women in Transition, Macatawa Cycling Club, Holland Area Chamber of Commerce, Hospice of Holland and the Grand Rapids-based Family Business Alliance.

  Harder holds a bachelor of business administration with high distinction from the University of Iowa and his doctor of jurisprudence with highest distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law.