Holly Alway, Injury Prevention Coordinator at Mercy Health and one of our core city neighbors, has served on the Community enCompass board the last 3 years. We are so grateful for Holly’s service and will miss her professional presence, questions that make us pause, and her bend towards action.
Before she made her exit, Holly gave us one last gift —a reflection from her time on Community enCompass’ Board:
I like Muskegon so much I moved here twice! Originally, I moved here to be closer to Grand Valley State University while I was attending. I moved away for a job for several years, but returned when I started working at Mercy Health. I've always thought Muskegon has incredible resources for its residents - from the lakes and parks to the agencies working to improve the quality of life for Muskegon residents.
When I moved back to Muskegon, the downtown mall had just been torn down. Although it looked desolate downtown, I sensed that Muskegon was poised for revitalization, and decided to buy a home there. With help from organizations like Community enCompass, the revitalization took root and a balance struck between preserving history and writing a new and vibrant chapter.
Barb Klingenmaier, a fellow Community enCompass board member, was one of the first community leaders I met when I started working at Mercy Health. I've always looked up to Barb as a leader and passionate advocate for community development and improvement. As a long-time board member, Barb regularly spoke about the efforts of Community enCompass to transform core-city neighborhoods. The organization’s work aligned with my personal experience of living in a diverse Muskegon neighborhood and understanding the positive impacts it has on all residents.
In all the places I've lived, downtown Muskegon has been the friendliest and most connected. I wanted to make a difference in the community by helping ensure other people had the same opportunity to live in great downtown neighborhoods that I did. So I was thrilled with the opportunity to advocate for the neighbors I'd come to know as a Community enCompass board member.
Community enCompass is unique in its ability to find, strengthen, and develop connections among neighbors and neighborhoods. We recognize strengths and build on them. We provide opportunities for growth. Sometimes the growth is literal, like our community farms and gardens, and sometimes it's more abstract like watching the YEP's grow through college tours and mural projects. Community enCompass embraces the challenge and excitement of growth and that is a great model for our neighbors.
Some of my favorite memories are the house-blessings. We celebrate the accomplishments of the new homeowner, and work of employees and volunteers who helped prepare the home for occupancy. For many, home ownership was a far-off dream and to see the dream realized during the house blessing is a powerful moment.
The YEP Grad party is another happy memory. It was amazing to see how quickly the community came together to celebrate the YEP's success in these unusual times.
