On this episode, WYCE Station Manager Phil Tower speaks with David Bult, executive director of Next Step of West Michigan, and Darion Boyd, Carpentry-Community Builder with Next Step of West Michigan.

Next Step of West Michigan is a faith-based, social enterprise non-profit that provides job skills training, as well as employment opportunities in construction, manufacturing, and municipal clean-up.

The organization works to stabilize and empower its teammates to create high-quality products and services for its customers.​

They serve people who have barriers to employment—broken relationships, lack of resources, insecure housing, previous incarceration, or addiction—but are determined to build a better future.

Next Step of West Michigan does this work in the 49507 neighborhood and greater Grand Rapids communities. Their goal is to cultivate a sustainable place in our city where people can heal and grow through work and relationships, where all can thrive.​

Online: Next Step of West Michigan

On this week's episode, host , John Rumery fromWYCE speaks with Lindsay Ellis, a member of the Grand Rapids Women's Chorus.

The Grand Rapids Women’s Chorus is dedicated to singing music that celebrates and honors the diversity of women’s lives. Drawing on music from many cultures, the Chorus strives to educate and inspire its community to promote justice, peace, and equality.

The chorus is a diverse, volunteer group of women who are devoted to musical excellence and using the power of music to delight, to uplift, and to advance the cause of social justice.

The Grand Rapids Women’s Chorus presents two major concerts annually in addition to appearances in a variety of community events and venues.

Learn More: The Grand Rapids Women’s Chorus

On this episode, WYCE's Janet Zahn speaks with Nicole Rapacki, the Recycling Coordinator for the Grand Rapids Department of Public Works.

Nicole and Janet spoke about the efforts by the city of Grand Rapids to consider becoming the sole trash hauler for residential properties, according to city officials.

The Grand Rapids Department of Public Works leadership has conducted two separate studies that have each recommended that the city become the single hauler for residential services.

Currently, the city handles about 90% of residential trash collection, with private companies serving the remainder.

ONLINE: City of Grand Rapids Department of Public Works

On this week's episode, host John Rumery welcomes Lydia Kauffman, a Project Manager at Carnevale and COO at The Tech-Collaborative

The Tech Collaborative empowers non-profits with innovative tech solutions, enabling them to maximize their impact.

They are committed to nurturing the next generation of tech by providing opportunities for non-traditional talent to thrive in the industry.

The Tech Collaborative exists to bridge the gap between technology and social good while fostering diverse and inclusive career pathways.

Online: The Tech Collaborative

On this week's program, Station manager, Phil Tower welcomes Whitney Valentine, Director of Education + Exhibitions, with the Saugatuck Center for The Arts, and New York Times best-selling author in speaker Brad Montague.

Brad Montague is the keynote speaker for the Curiosity In Action Conference on April 26 at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts.

We Hope You Fail Better, is currently on exhibit through May 16 at SC4A.

It’s an exhibit where playful and thoughtful pieces are brought together by New York Times bestselling duo, Brad and Kristi Montague, for their debut exhibition, We Hope You Fail Better., just in time for the release of their new book “Fail-A-Bration.”

Brad is the creator of the hit web series Kid President, and Kid Congress, and author of Becoming Better Grownups, and the New York Times best sellers Kid President's Guide to Being Awesome and The Circles All Around Us. As an illustrator, his work is regularly featured in Joanna Gaines's The Magnolia Journal.

You're invited to join others at the Curiousity In Action: A Conference In Doing, for a full day of unique and immersive experiences highlighting the intersection of wellness and creativity.

Conference participants will use curiosity to discover how creation is a form of self-care and how art-making is inherently therapeutic and spend the day with us making, thinking, connecting, creating, and just… being. We invite you to the first biannual Curiosity in Action: a conference for doing.

What’s a “Conference for Doing?” Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like: taking the conference framework and making it actionable.

Part of the aim in building a “conference for doing” is to offer all participants the opportunity to “try on” the ideas that are being shared by our presenters, so the day will follow an adult learning model that incorporates three elements: information, practice, and reflection. Each session will include all three pieces and they will repeat in this pattern:

• INFORMATION – Encouraging, thoughtful, and creative ideas will be shared by dynamic presenters during the large group sessions
• PRACTICE – Immediately following each presentation, attendees will be invited to engage a personal practice that allows them to work with the content offered in the presentation. Prompts will be provided and attendees may engage them in any way that is most helpful to them – maybe you take a quick walk outdoors and think about the prompt, maybe you’d prefer to find a quiet place to be still, or maybe you borrow a friend for a brief chat.
• REFLECTION – All conference attendees will be divided into Reflection Groups that will gather after the brief “practice” time to continue their learning in community. Each reflection group will be facilitated by trained hosts who guide conversations and activities to help the group dig deeper into the “information” offered by the presenter(s).

CURIOSITY IN ACTION- A CONFERENCE IN DOING

Overview, April 26, 2025, 9:00 am - 5:00 p @ Saugatuck Center for the Arts

Cost | $125. INFO + REGISTRATION: https://sc4a.org/

SC4A Mission-the SC4A is an arts center with a difference. They aim high and wide with a core mission of transforming lives by creating community, connecting people and spreading joy. They focus on three areas: entertainment, education and engagement.

Online: SC4A

On this week's episode, we welcome John VanderHaagen - Director of Communications, with Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

John provided us with a timely update on some important and newsworthy happenings at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

As the curtain falls on another long West Michigan winter, it's that time of year again when the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory comes alive with the return of Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming!

The annual Butterflies are Blooming exhibit continues through April 30, 2025.

John reminded us that the butterfly exhibit is the largest temporary tropical butterfly exhibition in the United States.

Meijer Gardens is also offering three after-hours events for our community members with disabilities.

John told us that the gardens will be offering complimentary after-hours access for visitors with autism or other sensory processing needs, visitors who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH), and visitors who are blind or have low vision.

We also previewed the dates for the upcoming Fifth Third Bank summer concert series, as well as the free Tuesday night concerts as a part of the Tuesday Evening Music Club.

Finally, John reminded us of the opening of a new exhibit, BUSTED: Contemporary Sculpture Busts.

BUSTED opened in early April and runs through September 20, 2025.

It showcases the ancient sculpture genre as radically transformed by 21st-century artists. Throughout history, sculpted busts have served to commemorate and preserve the likeness of distinguished individuals, and to celebrate divinity or nobility.

Online: Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

In this episode, WYCE Station manager, Phil Tower speaks with Nik Thomasma, the Executive Director of The Michigan Music Alliance.

The Michigan Music Alliance is presenting the Music Econ Summit at the Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation in partnership with Monk Recordings LLC., Push the City Cipher and Triumph Music Academy.

The Music Econ Summit was founded in 2024 by Monk Mattheus, founder of Monk Recordings LLC., and is happening again this year, April 11-13 at The Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation.

The Music Econ Summit brings together music industry experts and professionals for 3 days of educational workshops, panel discussions, networking and showcase opportunities all focused on sustainable income strategies and upward economic mobility for the Michigan music community.

Scholarships are available.

Registration and details are at The Michigan Music Alliance.