50 years of robust arts programs

Tools for School distributes 700+ backpacks

Donate produce to our Food Pantry

At the beginning of the growing season, we asked local farmers and gardeners to consider planting an extra row of produce with the express intent of donating the harvest to a Food Pantry like the one here at TrueNorth. We even gave out 600 seed packets to local growers to help start their gardens. Harvest time is upon us and we are reminding everyone to bring their extra produce in to TrueNorth.

Already this season, generous farmers and gardeners have donated 760 lbs of fresh produce including strawberries, beans, corn, lettuce, apples, zucchini, and cucumbers. By season’s end, we hope to have distributed 1,500 lbs of fresh, healthy produce to local residents in need, helping to improve the health and wellbeing of our community, and strengthening our community food system.

Our Hunger Prevention staff are available to receive donations Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm, but we ask you to call ahead and schedule larger deliveries of donations, so we can be sure to have enough people on hand to help unload. If you have questions about our Plant a Row for Hunger campaign, or any of our Hunger Prevention efforts, contact Mike Voyt at (231) 924-0641 ext. 119.

Referrals make a HUGE impact

Sometimes, we’re not able to offer direct help to participants due to a myriad of reasons – they may not qualify for a program; a program may not be available in their county; funding for a particular program or service may be used up until the next grant cycle; the list goes on. We do however have staff who are incredibly well versed in what other services are available and have the ability to share their knowledge with the families they are working with.

One of our Family Support Specialists, Cheri recently began working with A.J., a single mother of two. During the initial goal-setting meeting at the beginning of the Family-Self Sufficiency Program, A.J. was speaking about wanting to find a job that would bring her a sense of belonging and pride. Cheri asked her what her dream job would be, and without hesitation, A.J. responded; “Being a dental assistant.” Cheri then referred A.J. to Michigan Works to find out if they have a dental assistant program she could attend through Ross Medical Center. A.J. went to MI Works the next business day, found out the program was available, she qualified for a full scholarship, was immediately signed up for classes, and is now attending a certification program to become a dental assistant. A.J. said the thought of actually achieving her dream was “a nice idea… but I’ll never get there.”

A.J. says without Cheri’s guidance; she wouldn’t have had any idea where to turn for help. She graduates in September and she’s very excited at the prospect of “a better future, for sure. I won’t have to struggle, hoping they’ll call me back for a job, or work seasonal jobs anymore.” She already has a place to do her externship – a dental office right across the street from her apartment building!

New service provider and program coordinator

Leslie took over as our new LifeLink Coordinator in November of 2021, and has already made a large and positive impact on this almost 40-year old program. One of Leslie’s first tasks was securing a new service provider for this much-needed program.

In addition to securing newer, state-of the-art equipment, she revamped the structure of the program as well. In comparing our service to others Leslie said; “I was looking in a magazine yesterday and there was a fee mentioned, which was comparable to ours, but then there was a hundred dollar startup, and subscription fee.” Conversely, our LifeLink service has no installation or startup fees, and there are no long-term contracts. Subscribers can use it for a long as they wish and may cancel at any time without penalty.

Like our old systems, help is only the push of a button away. While typically thought of for the aged, or medically at risk, LifeLink is really for anyone who might need an extra level of security of confidence to be home alone. As Leslie points out, “If you’re recovering from a surgery of some kind… we’ve had some people who need it just for a few months.” Once the button is pushed a call immediately goes out to an operator, and within moments, their voice is heard on the tabletop receiver unit asking if you are all right. If they don’t hear anything or if you say you need help, they will automatically call the first of four contacts you provide, including 911 if you wish.

Learn more by watching this video.

Camp Newaygo renames building in Jane’s honor

At their recent Alumni Reunion Weekend, the staff and Advisory Board of Camp Newaygo honored long-time Camp Newaygo CEO, Jane Vitek, by renaming the Health and Leadership Lodge (HALL) The Jane Vitek Health and Leadership Lodge. Jane took over as Camp Newaygo’s Executive Director in 2002, after a 25-year career with Fremont Public Schools, and later moved into the role of Camp CEO.

In her tenure at Camp Newaygo, Vitek oversaw and spearheaded major improvements including – the expansion and winterization of the year-round Program Director’s on-campus home in 2004; the renovation and winterization of Lang Lodge, and expansion of year-round community programming in 2009; the purchase of additional lakefront property for Day Camp use and a Director’s residence at Cassidy Point in 2015; the expansion and winterization of the Peggie Stone Center for the Arts in 2016; the addition of the brand new Health and Leadership Lodge, which now bears her name, allowing for expanded nursing care and independent recovery rooms in 2018; construction of Outdoor Adventure Pods for summer campers and adventure-based rental groups in 2022; and the establishment of financial reserve and endowment funds, also in 2022. She has also overseen the largest growth in Camp Newaygo’s use, both as a Girls’ Overnight Camp, and Co-Ed Day Camp, and as a community asset, in its 96-year history.

As Jalisa Danhof, current Camp Newaygo Director said; “The Camp Advisory Board felt, given Jane’s many years of service and significant impact, and the lead role she took in raising the funds and leading the charge for the new HALL construction, naming the building in her honor was very appropriate.” All of us at TrueNorth wholeheartedly agree!

Self-select pantry offers support

We have operated a local food pantry since the organization’s inception in 1972. The goal of Hunger Prevention Programs is to ensure that all people in our community have consistent, dependable access to enough food for active, healthy living. Due to space constraints at the former office space, we were able to offer two pre-packed grocery bags of food staples distributed out of a small closet. One of the things we were most excited about in moving to our current facility was the ability to operate a walk through, self-select food pantry.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were forced to close our building down to almost all visitors, while at the same time saw huge increases in need for food resources. To accommodate, safely, we had to revert to pre-packing and utilizing a drive up system.

Starting in the fall of 2021, as soon as it was safe to do so, we reopened our self-select, walk through pantry. This arrangement gives our participants the autonomy to select food that works best for their family and household. You simply cannot overstate the importance of personal choice in promoting self-efficacy when a family is able to shop and choose items specifically for their family. We continue to see an increased hunger need locally, and are looking at a 13%-15% increase in 2022 when compared to 2020 and 2021 numbers for our Hunger Prevention Programs.

Our self-select food pantry is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Community of Efforts recognition event returns

You, our supporters, are what allows us to fulfill our mission on a daily basis. It is our countless volunteers and donors that allow us to provide ongoing programs and services to our community members.

Last month we were able to honor our supporters at our annual Community of Efforts event. Set on Camp Newaygo’s picturesque Ridge Patio, overlooking Pickerel Lake, attendees enjoyed live music by Max Morrison, a delicious dinner by Ridge Specialties, TrueNorth Bingo, as well as speaking engagements from Bev Cassidy, our CEO, and Mark Kraus, our Development Director and Community Liaison. This year we focused on the ability to gather together again, with the plan to bring back our annual awards ceremony in 2023.

You can view some photo highlights of the event here.

John’s post high school plan solidified

John was in 1st or 2nd grade when he started attending our Out-of-School Time Program in Hesperia. By the time he was in middle school, his family had moved to White Cloud and John was going through what he calls a ‘rougher period.’ It was shortly after that, he met Mandi Krbez, our REACH Site Manager for White Cloud Junior High.  He continued with our Out- of- School Time Program and as he put it; “Ms. K put me on straight and helped me a lot.”

Mandi says right away, she could tell John seemed lost, but she noticed his aptitude and interest in both baking and childcare. She set about finding ways to get him involved, offering him leadership roles in activities with the younger students. She thought the Culinary Program at the Career Tech Center would be ideal for John, but his grades were not where they needed to be. With Mandi’s encouragement and help, by the end of his sophomore year, they had improved enough for him to attend that program during his junior and senior years of high school. “As soon as he went in, he flourished – he loved it!” said Mandi.

During one of their activities, the students got to use liquid nitrogen to make soda pop, and this proved to be the catalyst for John’s higher education plans. He has applied and been accepted to a two-year Brewing, Crafting and Service program at Grand Rapids Community College. Although we do not offer Out-of-School Time Programming for High School students, John stayed active as a volunteer, making him possibly the first student to be involved his entire scholastic career.

“If I didn’t have it (Project FOCUS, REACH & Engage!), I probably would have been much worse…”  

To learn more – take a look at this short video.

County wide Art Scholarship Contest and Expo is back!

Last year would have been the 48th annual Art Scholarship Contest and Expo; a chance for local 7th – 12th graders from all over Newaygo County to showcase their artwork in our countywide adjudicated scholarship contest. We are excited for the return!

This year 338 students from 11 Newaygo County middle, junior, and senior high schools entered either individual pieces of artwork or portfolios in the 2022 TrueNorth Art Scholarship Contest/Exhibit, with honors recognition handed out in the Awards Presentation on May 2nd. About 300 people saw the exhibit, on display from May 1st to 4th at the TrueNorth Service Center in Fremont.
The top 16 student artists with portfolios received a $100 Scholarship Award, which can be used to purchase art supplies, attend art classes, or go towards tuition for a fine arts camp or class experience. In addition, ribbons were awarded for five Director’s Choice honorees, 20 Senior Honors, 29 Outstanding Recognition for High School, and 20 Outstanding Recognition for Middle School. The top Director’s Choice honoree has the option to sell their piece to TrueNorth for permanent display in the agency’s art collection.

The 2022 TrueNorth Scholarship Contest/Exhibit honorees included:
Scholarship Awards — Fremont Christian Middle School: Eli Bemet and Natalee Tyink; Fremont Middle School: Ruby Isenhart and Katelynn Pastotnik; Hesperia Middle School: Lesly Coronado; Newaygo Middle School: Brayden Carlson; White Cloud Middle School: Charlotte Karnes; Fremont High School: Kendall Barnhart, Kaiya Flores and Chloe Paulsen; Grant High School: Danica Gee, Hope Olson and Cyanne Schuitema; Hesperia High School: Jenna Brown; Newaygo High School: Annabelle Furnace; and White Cloud High School: Haley Deaton.
Director’s Choice — Eli Bement, Fremont Christian Middle School; Carlee Emelander, Newaygo High School; Avery Geisen, Grant High School; Ruby Isenhart, Fremont Middle School; and Amelia Witte, Fremont High School.
Senior Recognition — Fremont High School: Alexandra Andree, Zoe Corley, Maya Curtice, Blake Hanshue, Ngoc Ngyen, Amandine Perret and Sara Siarek; Grant High School: Kyle Brege, Veronica Coronado, Randi Force, Avery Geisen, Sydney Higgins, Chris Sotelo, Cristal Vargas-Castillo, and Raven Wirts; Hesperia High School: Jessica Cupps, and Katie Lotz; Newaygo High School: Daisy Belanger and Savanna VanderMeulen; and White Cloud High School: Courtney LaClair.
High School Outstanding Recognition — Fremont High School: Zoe Corley, Jake Dykman, Kenzie Hable, Elvira Maier, Edith Miel, Rileigh Patton, and Amanda Rowe; Grant High School: Ceredwyn Bonczyk, Skylar Carlisle, Samantha Clouser, Nolana Davis, Jayci Hance, Irene Labrador, Yadira Lara, Caydence Smith and Megan Wolverton; Hesperia High School: Sam Bieri, Aubree Druso, Emerald Everding, Kelly Huston, Ellie Lotz and Triniti Tanner; Newaygo High School: Claudia Louzao Gonzalez, McCaiden Reinstra, and Taylor Scytko; and White Cloud High School: Aleyiah Desnoyers, Jayla Perrin, Alexandria Rodriguez and Benjamin Vining.
Middle School Outstanding Recognition — Fremont Christian Middle School: Beau Brookhouse, Cohl DeKryger, Tyler Dunning, Noah Hansen, Breckin Kooistra, Ava Krohn, Emma Nelson, Anna Norris and Megan Storms; Fremont Middle School: Rylee Myers, and Kendra Postema; Grant Middle School: Case Cronk, and Alyssa Simon; Hesperia Middle School: Natalie Garvey, Randy Hovey and Jolie Kraus; and Newaygo Middle School: Elliot Davis, Jarely Hernandez-Alvarez, Tristan Jordan and Mavis Mull.

A video featuring a random selection of student artwork from the TrueNorth Art Scholarship Contest/Exhibit is posted on TrueNorth’s YouTube page here.