The purpose of Reading Buddies is to not only help the students at Nelson School build confidence in reading but also to provide opportunities for volunteers to share their time and attention towards helping the children of our future succeed. More than 30 volunteers give an hour or more a week, dedicating themselves to reading with an average of 60 students weekly.

19 sleepy teens are climbing into vans in the parking lot.  It’s dark, cold (and probably snowing), but there is an edge of excitement because they’ve worked hard to be here.  It’s the start of the 6th annual YEP College Tour, and within minutes 19 high school youth will be on the road to Kentucky, visiting 5 colleges over 3 days. Two YEPs reflect on their experiences.

 “When we look at a house like this we see history, we see story, we see family, we see value and hope. We see good bones.”  A house like this makes no sense to any real estate investor.  It’s not a house you can flip for profit. The current real estate values in Muskegon's core city neighborhoods don’t make a house like this profitable in any way. It took close to $60,000 in materials and necessary contracted work to bring this house back to life, and that's not accounting for the countless hours of volunteer work that have been put in.

15% of Muskegon County residents have a certified disability, 25% higher than the national average. 41% of Muskegon county residents live at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty level,  22%* higher than national average. These numbers alone are sobering, so this month we are taking the opportunity to educate ourselves about the links between poverty and health, health and poverty.

AmeriCorps Week is a celebration of all things AmeriCorps – the people and programs who have committed to "Get Things Done" in thousands of locations across the country. We are taking this opportunity to highlight the AmeriCorps who help keep our programs running and to say a big THANK YOU for the work that they do.

Check out what we, our neighbors and partners were able to do in 2017.

The cost of healthcare can cripple a family.  Even when wise health decisions are made, exercise is frequent and diet is healthy, the “unforeseen” can blow a hole into anyone's reality. 

We have shared some of our favorite ideas below in the hopes that you will be inspired and encouraged to get involved and live into the reality that we OWN (create, shape, mold) our community and neighborhoods of Muskegon

Redlining is the historical practice of denying services to residents of certain areas based on the racial or ethnic composition of those areas. Redlining in Muskegon resulted in some neighborhoods being underdeveloped, buildings being abandoned, businesses failing, increasing social problems and the removal of any incentives to invest.