Dam to Dam Returns, Better Than Ever

After two warm years without any safe ice, or any ice at all, Mother Nature finally cooperated and Dam to Dam came back this year bigger and better than ever.

Held over the DNR’s free fishing weekend every year in February, Dam to Dam is an annual ice fishing tournament held between Croton and Hardy Dams. It is also a major fundraiser supporting TrueMentors. 

This year, Alliance Beverage and Coors Light were the primary sponsor for the event, helping to ensure as much of the money raised as possible will go directly to help recruit, train and match adult mentors with local children.

On Saturday, February 15, Dam to Dam attendees took to the ice and a great time was had by everyone. There were shanties scattered all over the ice, a bonfire to help stay warm, music and prizes. And some children were even out having their first ice fishing experience with their parents. 

The individuals with the biggest fish are as follows:
Adult Division
Pike – Noah Dushane; 19 lbs., 44”
Bluegill – (tie) Todd Pratt & Kevin Kuhn; 5/8 lb., 9”
Perch – Colton Lund; 1 ½ lb., 13 7/8”
Crappie – Luke Galloway; 1 3/8 lb., 13 ¾”
Walleye – Sam Southwick; 2 ½ lbs., 19 3/8”

Kid Division
Pike – Bentley Offer, Age 10; 3 ½ lbs., 25 ¾”|
Bluegill – Mathew Guajardo, Age 16; 9/16 lb., 8 ¾”
Perch – Damion Mayle, Age 15; 1 1/8 lb., 12 ½”
Crappie – Braxton Bennitt, Age 4; ½ lb., 8 7/8”

Totals are still being tallied, but initial reports indicate $9,731 was raised for our much needed mentoring programs. 

Program Expansion Offers New Ways to Connect

TrueNorth’s Community Connections Program continues to expand and grow. So far this year, several new initiatives were launched aimed at helping participants feel connected, allowing them to explore new interests and experience a sense of belonging—proving that it’s never too late to build meaningful connections and enrich one’s life.

New initiatives include Monday Movies, Puzzle All Together and Tech Help, as well as sporadic one time Community Friends outings and events. 

Monday Movies: Occurs the last Monday of each month from 4:00-6:00 pm and includes a movie showing with popcorn, drinks and a variety of snacks.

Puzzle All Together: Takes place the first and third Wednesday of each month from 3:00-5:00 pm and allows individuals to work on puzzles together. Participants can bring their own puzzles, or work on ones provided by TrueNorth.

Tech Help: Provides smartphone, tablet or other handheld device assistance for individuals 55+ on Tuesdays from 11:30 am – 2:30 pm and Thursdays from 9:00 am-12:00 pm.

Community Friends: Event activities and dates vary; upcoming events include: Global Mural Project which will allow 30+ art lovers to paint a canvas tile that will be part of a national art collaboration. This event is offered March 6th from 5:30-7:30 pm or March 10th from 3:00-5:00 pm; Gelli Prints an art class held at NCCA-Artsplace where participants will create frameable prints using multiple techniques, which will be held on April 14th from 1:00-3:00 pm.

All of these initiatives, provided for individuals 55+, are in addition to their regularly scheduled programming including Baking All Together, Coffee Connections, Community Friends, Dining All Together, Fitness with Friends, Joker’s Wild and Knitting All Together.

No matter the activity, Community Connections aims to bring people together in a welcoming and supportive environment while encouraging individuals to step out of their comfort zone and embrace a new challenge. Community Connections is possible thanks to funding from the Fremont Area Community Foundation. 

Day of Giving Strengthens Our Community

“Had I stayed in the car much longer, I probably would not be here,” says Janet, a TrueNorth participant, about her poor health while she was experiencing homelessness. “Because I’ve got a home now, I’m more stable. I can get to doctor’s appointments.” Receiving support from TrueNorth helped Janet find the safe housing she needed to improve her health and overall well-being. 

Help people just like Janet when you make a caring gift on our annual TrueNorth Day of Giving held on Tuesday, February 25. Our goal is to raise $10,000 to ensure our neighbors thrive.

You can make all the difference in our communities.

Through your generosity, you will personally offer a hand up to our neighbors in need. Caring supporters like you are essential to furthering our mission of inspiring hope and creating a better world.

In 2024 alone, over 10,000 individuals like Janet received support from our housing, energy and family initiatives, ultimately furthering them on their paths to self-sufficiency. “There’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” Janet says when reflecting on her housing journey and how her life has changed for the better now that she has a safe place to call home.

You will help our neighbors know there is a brighter future ahead when you make a gift this TrueNorth Day of Giving. Give today and make your commitment to strengthening our community.

Renee Renews Purpose at Community Connections

For Renee, connecting with those around her through Knitting All Together has helped improve her overall well-being and happiness. Being widowed at a young age and suffering from depression, having this opportunity to form relationships and give back to the community has had a positive impact on her life.

TrueNorth’s All Together programs, like Knitting All Together, bring community members together around common interests and volunteerism. Having these opportunities to connect and help those in need has reinvigorated Renee’s life.

Coming to Knitting All Together for the first time was scary for Renee because she did not know what to expect. However, Renee quickly felt welcomed and started forming friendships with others in the group.

One of the best parts of Knitting All Together for Renee has been feeling a sense of purpose and belonging. Renee says, “This group gives me something constructive to do, to look forward to and to be accountable for. In the past, I may have had all good intentions of attending some community event, but when the time came, I’d stay home. Nobody was there to care if I came or not. I didn’t have to be accountable.”

The relationships Renee has formed have helped her feel more connected to the community. Hearing about the lives of others while working on projects to donate to local causes has given Renee opportunities to make an impact with the connections she has formed and the work she has done.

When reflecting on the value All Together has added to her life and the community overall, Renee says, “The value I see on our end is the fact that it gives us a place to go–those of us who need that socialization, who need that sense of purpose and belonging. And I think that helps us as much as the person that’s receiving whatever it is that we’ve made.”

Mentoring Takes Many Forms

Mentoring comes in every shape and size! Since January is National Mentor Month, it’s only natural we share about some of our mentoring matches. Learn about a few of our “one-on-one” matches currently mentoring with TrueMentors.

Laura and Riley are currently our longest matched pair, having been together over five years. When they first began, Laura and her husband Justin didn’t have any children, so spending time with 12-year-old Riley was easy. 

“She’s just become part of our family, and has gotten to see how we do things and how we interact as a family,” she said, adding she was “surprised how easy and fun it was!” Even now, as a mother of a 5-year-old and a baby, she still finds it easy.

Cathy is retired, and decided to become a mentor “later in life” after noticing lots of fun and interesting things going on in the community. She has nieces and nephews who are about the same age as her mentee, Cora, but live far away: “I thought; I’m sure there’s somebody around here who would attend those things with me,” she said. She also said she was surprised at how much fun it’s been. 

Cathy continued, “When we go to the beach, we go and jump in the waves and when I go to the beach by myself, I sit there and read a book. When I go with my husband, we walk, but when I go with Cora, we go and play on the dunes.” 

When married couple Rachel and Greg asked if they could mentor together, we told them, while atypical for our “one-on-one” matches, it has been done before. They were set up with a precocious 6-year-old boy named Gannon, and now have a year of mentoring under their collective belts.

“I’ve learned as much as I’ve taught,” said Greg. “Getting a child’s perspective on things in life is really fun to see.”

If we’ve learned anything, since offering mentoring programs over the last 53 years, it is that mentoring is not one-size-fits-all. Due to this, TrueMentors offers site-based, community-based, adventure-based, and both group and one-on-one mentoring opportunities to best meet the needs of the youth involved. These mentoring opportunities are also able to align with the availability, interests and passions of our adult mentors. To learn more or get involved contact us as (231) 924-0641 or mentoring@truenorthservices.org.

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Students Reflect on MLK Jr. Day

The “Dream in Art” initiative invited youth to reflect on Dr. King’s vision of equality, justice and unity by designing impactful posters inspired by his message. Students were encouraged to creatively represent what Dr. King’s dream means to them and how we can work together to create a better, more inclusive world.

“He inspired a lot of people with his speeches,” said Bentley, an 8th grader at Baldwin Jr. High. “I drew a picture of Dr. King, as best I could, and I’m going to put a bunch of his quotes all around it…”

Kairi, a sixth grader, built a miniature podium out of popsicle sticks and a small Dr. King paper doll to stand behind it, as a 3-D component to her poster, while Onia, another sixth grader, painted a portrait of Dr. King, which she planned to add to her poster.

Students in our Out-of-School Time Programs at Baldwin Jr. High, Hart Middle School, Hesperia Elementary and Middle Schools, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academy in Muskegon Heights and at White Cloud Elementary and Jr. High all participated in this activity.  

Blake Dockery, a Program Assistant at Baldwin Jr. High said it is important to teach about Dr. King “So his message is not forgotten.”

“We showed the students Dr. King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech in preparation for this,” said Cecelia Hamilton, Site Coordinator at Baldwin Jr. High. “We asked the students what they had learned about Dr. King and quite a few of them knew quite a bit!”

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Join caring volunteers like Diane

“I like talking to people, and I know how lonely sometimes I get,” says Diane, a TrueNorth volunteer, about why she decided to volunteer for Call & Connect. “If they don’t have somebody to talk to then I said, ‘I might as well be trying to make a smile on their face, especially if they don’t get out.’”

Call & Connect is a new volunteer opportunity that pairs volunteers with older adults in Newaygo County who would benefit from extra social interaction. This initiative aims to spread kindness and encouragement through a simple phone call, helping everyone feel a part of our community.

Diane is one of the first volunteers for Call & Connect. She also participates in Community Connections and understands the importance of socialization and relationships. Diane says, “If they know somebody else is out there that cares, maybe it will help them feel better.”

Although Diane is just starting to volunteer for Call & Connect, she is looking forward to continuing conversations and building relationships. These conversations not only impact those who are called but will also impact the caller as they engage with each other.

“I want to try to be an encouragement to other people,” says Diane. “It’s a good thing to do to help brighten somebody else’s day.” Join caring people like Diane when you volunteer for Call & Connect. For more information or to get involved with Call & Connect, please contact Charlie Forbes, TrueNorth’s Volunteer Hub Coordinator, at (231) 924-0641, ext. 112 or cforbes@truenorthservices.org.

 

 

Cora Flourishes through Cathy’s Encouragement

“I think it’s a really important program, not just for the kids, but also for the adults, because I think it helps kids and adults stay in touch,” says mentor Cathy about the importance of TrueMentors she’s seen through her mentorship with her mentee, Cora. “I think it’s just an extra level of fun – and it’s nice to have somebody to talk to who’s a third party, but cares about you.”

For Cora, knowing that she can rely on Cathy has allowed her to open up and trust her. “Crazy fun,” is how Cora describes their relationship. Cora and Cathy are an active match. From going to the beach, seeing sand dunes and being in nature to baking and doing a variety of crafts, they enjoy getting out and being creative.

Cathy especially enjoys these activities with Cora as she sees the world through her eyes. She says, “When we’ve gone to the beach, we go and we jump in the waves and when I go to the beach by myself, I sit there and read a book…It’s just a lot more fun to have Cora to do it with.”

Sharing these experiences with Cora has been extremely rewarding for Cathy. She sees Cora’s imagination at work whenever they are together and encourages her to explore new things. All of Cathy’s support has created a safe space for Cora to learn and grow.

“Sometimes like I don’t have anyone to do things with…she’s nice and likes to do crafts,” says Cora about why she enjoys her mentorship with Cathy. Not only do Cora and Cathy share similar interests, but most importantly, they also have cultivated a strong relationship–ultimately helping Cora flourish.

Register for Bowlapalooza today to continue this impact!

Neveah Builds Friendships at Parks in Focus

Neveah wasn’t originally planning on going on the week-long Parks in Focus summer immersion trip. However, once she was there, she had fun learning new things and made new friends in a safe environment.

“I needed to basically get out more and just spend more time with, I guess myself,” says Neveah about why she wanted to be a part of Parks in Focus. “My favorite part was probably just meeting everyone and kind of making friends.”

While being away from home with kids she hadn’t met before was a little intimidating at first, Neveah quickly made friends and flourished. Being able to be in the moment as she went on hikes, swam and learned how to take pictures allowed Neveah to open up more.

Neveah’s favorite activity from the summer immersion trip was seeing all of the waterfalls. She even learned new photography techniques as she and the other kids had fun taking macro (up close) photos of raindrops after it rained one day. Most importantly, Neveah grew closer with the rest of the group as they learned and had new experiences together.

“I think I got to, I guess, learn how to interact with more people that I haven’t met before and just make friends a lot easier…I had a lot of fun,” reflects Neveah on what she learned from the trip. Building these friendships helped Neveah grow as she became more confident with her new support system.

Register for Bowlapalooza today to continue this impact!

through emPower’s Water Assistance

Jacquelyn, a single mother who is also raising five grandchildren, was concerned when her water bill skyrocketed. She later learned this was due to leaking pipes and a water line that wasn’t installed properly. Thankfully, TrueNorth was able to help Jacquelyn through emPower’s water assistance program.

“I called and got a response right away… it wasn’t even two days, about getting help with my water bill.”  
Unbeknownst to her, the water line that fed to her refrigerator had been leaking for quite some time and she was paying for water she wasn’t using. The leak also ended up damaging the floor behind the refrigerator and stove, as well as in her bathroom, adjacent to the kitchen.  

“Within a couple of weeks, they (the emPower staff) hooked me right up, and had my leak taken care of and my water bill paid… and they’re wonderful! They don’t degrade you at all for needing help. Nowadays there’s more people that can use help than ever before. Lower income families are in a lot of trouble right now.”

emPower’s water assistance program is available to income-eligible households in Lake, Mason and Newaygo Counties who have metered water service. In addition to Jacquelyn, 34 households have been assisted through this program since spring of 2024.