Not Just Fun & Games

Our Mission to Connect Our Community

Over the last several years, researchers, funders, and nonprofit organizations like TrueNorth have increased their focus on the issues of social isolation and loneliness. Recognizing the vital need for human connection, our Community Connections programs are an effort to combat these issues in Newaygo County.

What is Social Isolation?
There is objective & subjective social isolation. Objective social isolation is living in an area with very low population density. Subjective social isolation is feeling lonely, not supported, and missing meaningful relationships regardless of where you live. The frequency of social isolation is significantly higher in rural, elderly, and low-income populations, though it can affect anyone, anywhere, as we all saw during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are well-documented, dangerous effects of painful loneliness and lack of meaningful connection to others. Social isolation significantly increases a person’s risk of premature death from all causes, a risk that may rival those of smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity. Social isolation is associated with about a 50% increased risk of dementia. Loneliness is associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide. At TrueNorth, we are committed to reducing social isolation and improving lives in Newaygo County.

It’s Back!

Bowlapalooza Makes Triumphant Return

Bowlapalooza is back! You can make a lasting, positive difference in the lives of Newaygo
County youth simply by participating in Bowlapalooza. Join us on April 20th or 21st at
Fremont Lanes for this fun and active fundraiser for TrueMentors, TrueNorth’s mentoring
program. This event, which is the single largest fundraising event for TrueMentors, supports the
pairing of positive adult role models with youth in Newaygo County. One small act can have a
huge impact!

Join us for two free games of bowling (with shoe rental included) and a cool, new Bowlapalooza
2023 T-shirt, so you can show everyone how you are supporting area youth, when you raise $40
in donations to support the cause! Everyone who raises at least $75 will also get an will also
get an insulated tumbler. The top fundraisers for each session will be acknowledged as such and
crowned “King” or “Queen” of the Bowling Alley, and the top overall fundraiser will win the grand
prize of a $500 Meijer gift card. Grand prize will be awarded to the adult individual (age 21 and
older) with the most donations collected and turned in at the time of bowl.

We are offering a variety of times over these two days for your convenience: April 20, 5:30 – 7:30
p.m.; or April 21, 5 – 7 p.m. or 7:30 – 9:30 p.m., all at Fremont Lanes, 5885 S. Warner Avenue in Fremont.
Visit truenorthservices.org/event/bowl for more information or to register and access the on-line
fundraising options, or contact Melanie Baden at (231) 924-0641, ext. 174 or
mentoring@truenorthservices.org. Read more in the Spring Navigator right here!

All Together!

New Community Connections Program

Our Community Connections programs aim to build and expand social circles and create meaningful shared learning, cultural, and physical or active experiences to improve lives and reduce social isolation in Newaygo County. Recognizing the vital need for human connection, Community Connections is designed for people of all ages to build bridges, explore new activities and places, and be empowered to showcase all they have to offer.

We are launching a new program called All Together! to reduce social isolation and promote service in the community. Nodding to the long history of local knitters making and donating hats, mittens, and scarves to our Children’s Christmas Programs, we kicked things off with Knitting All Together, a knitting & crocheting circle for good on Thursday, February 16. We provided lots of yarn, space to gather, and staff to provide support. Twenty people attended and a good time was had by all!

The knitting & corcheting circle will be meeting every Tuesday from 12 – 3 pm and every Thursday from 9 am – 12 pm. Drop in to TrueNorth (6308 S. Warner, Fremont) and join the fun group! Who knows where we’ll go next: Baking All Together? Raking All Together? Fixing All Together? Let us know what interests you, or ideas you have! Read more in the Spring Navigator right here!

Meet the Mayor

Project FOCUS students meet and greet

On January 23, 2023, students from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School’s Project FOCUS Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) met with the Mayor of Muskegon Heights, Walter Watts, and his council in “Chambers.” The students were given a tour of Muskegon Heights City Hall and were also given a chance to sit in council seats and ask questions. This was a wonderful learning experience which included visiting the police and fire department offices. The students were overjoyed and are looking forward to their next event: Meal with the Mayor.

“Hands-on is the best learning experience. If I can’t create and provide these types of learning experiences for our youth, then I have failed.” – ShawnTina Wyrick, Project FOCUS Site Coordinator

“This was a great trip, it was like seeing my future right in front of me.” – Owen G., YAC President, who wants to be a future judge!

Art-In at Camp Newaygo

Local art students attend workshop

Since 1975, we have been giving local high school art students the opportunity to learn a new or unique artform from a guest artist at a day-long workshop held at Camp Newaygo. Several years later, we added a second day for middle school students. The Art-In is one of several programs facilitated by our A.R.T.S. (Artist Reaching & Teaching Students) committee, which is made up of middle and high school art educators in Newaygo County. 

“It gives kids the opportunity to do a whole day of art. They can be motivated by other students, and they get to do something we can’t normally do in the classroom due to time or cost constraints.” – Kris Vredeveld, Fremont Christian Middle School Art Teacher

This year, students from Fremont, Grant, White Cloud, and Newaygo gathered on February 8th and 9th to learn from artist Dawn Campbell how to create their own version of “Humble Houses,” made from cardboard and recycled materials. Campbell owned and operated a clothing boutique in downtown Newaygo for 14 years before retiring, and now enjoys teaching to groups, like the art students.

“This has given me a chance to do something new, and I get to hang out with all these cool people and have fun!”  Taylee S., Grant High School student.

 

Experience Mentoring

During National Mentoring Month

Mentorship is a cornerstone of community and a relationship toward brighter futures. Launched in 2002, National Mentoring Month was created to amplify, encourage, and strengthen mentorship for young people. A month-long celebration, the goals of National Mentoring Month are to:

  • Raise awareness of mentoring in its various forms
  • Recruit individuals to mentor, especially in programs that have waiting lists of young people
  • Promote the rapid growth of mentoring by recruiting organizations to engage their constituents in mentoring

We are hosting our Experience Mentoring event on Saturday, January 21 from 10 am – 12 pm at the main Service Center in Fremont. Anyone, youth and their families, or adults interested in volunteering, is welcome to attend. Join us for light refreshments, a facilitator-led canvas-painting project, and the experience of being a mentor or mentee. Anyone interested in becoming a mentor to a Newaygo County child, or to RSVP for the Experience Mentoring event, should contact Danielle Siegel, Youth Programs Director, at dsiegel@truenorthservices.org or (231) 924-0641, ext. 109.

Rural Homelessness

In the Blizzard of 2022

What if you had to face a blizzard while you and your family were living in an unheated camper, or worse, a tent down a long two-track on state land? For the homeless in Newaygo and surrounding counties, this scenario became terrifyingly real last month. As our housing staff worked frantically, temporarily housing the most vulnerable, Lisa Reinecke, our Housing Data, Grant Compliance and Training Manager said this, a day before the blizzard hit;

“We have emergency motel money we can utilize in all four counties (Lake, Mason, Newaygo and Oceana), but the biggest obstacle with this money is all the work it entails for grant compliance (about a 1-2-hour process with each person) and the amount we can get reimbursed per night ($85 per night). We only have two motels in Newaygo County that will work with us, one of which is almost at capacity, with only one room left. If we had unrestricted money, we could utilize other hotels in the area.” 

To help prevent this situation from happening again, we have set up a dedicated donation funding stream for Homeless Prevention Services. By simply visiting here and making a secure, online donation, we will have a reserve of unrestricted funds our Homeless Prevention staff can use as needed.

30 Days Around the World

With our Engage! Program

For the month of November students in our Engage! Out-of-School Time Program at Hesperia Middle School journeyed across the globe to learn about different countries and cultures. Activities ranged from Bollywood dancing, making sushi, and Turkish art, among many others, and also included guest speakers! Youth sampled food from other countries, practiced different art styles of various cultures, and played games to learn about landmarks around the world.

Students were able to keep track of their travels in their personalized passports, writing what they learned and adding their stamp. In total we covered 19 countries: Mexico, Honduras, Venezuela, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Mali, Ireland, United Kingdom (England and Scotland), Turkey, Germany, and Burkina Faso. Ask your student about their favorite country and activity!

Thrive Fund Builds

$500,000 Goal in Sight

Wrapping up our 50th year of service to our community, we are thankful for all you do for those we serve! We continue to be inspired by the collective impact our supporters make for those we serve.

Earlier this year, we embarked on an ambitious goal of building a strategic reserve fund that provides long-term stability and safety to ensure TrueNorth can continue to fulfill its mission for years to come. To date we have raised roughly $400,000 of our initial $500,000 goal for The Thrive Fund. We are confident, with your help, we can raise an additional $100,000 by the end of the year.

The past few years have shown just how important a reserve fund is. The Thrive Fund will help TrueNorth be prepared should drastic increases in demand for essential services occur, like food and housing. The Fund will also guard against unexpected replacement or repair of equipment and facilities. It will also ensure vital services continue after a sudden loss of funding.

By making a gift today, you will ensure our youth thrive, help build vibrant communities, create paths to self-sufficiency and meet the essential needs of our most vulnerable neighbors. Together, we can continue to inspire hope and create a better world. For more information, please visit our website or contact Mark Kraus at (231) 355-9484 or mkraus@truenorthservices.org.

Lasting Donation

The Toth’s 12 Years of Donations to CCP

Tom and Donna Toth have been generous donors to our Children’s Christmas Programs (CCP) for the past 12 years, although it might not be in what most people consider the traditional way. The Toth’s have been harvesting trees from their property, processing the lumber, allowing for it to dry for over a year, and then smoothing, cutting and notching the timbers into amazing, multi piece, building log toy sets.

Residing on 62 acres, the Toth’s inspiration for building these sets came after they built their own home through the same lumbering process, complete with custom kitchen cabinets. This is no surprise after seeing their amazing log kits. In addition to donating these kits during CCP, the Toth’s also provide building log toy sets to family members and friends, and often take along sets when traveling to give away to kids across North America. What a fun way to spread the love and joy of building!