Amplify GR

Have you heard? HUB 07 will house the new Boston Square Early Childhood Center with early childhood education provider, the Refugee Education Center (REC)! This state-of-the-art facility will serve up to 80 children with a focus on the children of Boston Square - regardless of background. The AGR team has worked closely with REC to ensure that neighbor-voiced priorities are fulfilled, focusing on providing high-quality early childhood education for Boston Square children. For decades, neighbors have asked for more high-quality education options. REC's commitment builds upon neighbors' and community stakeholders' Boston Square Together plan. They will provide well-established early childhood education rooted in a diverse and culturally rich curriculum focused on each child's long-term success. The official announcement was shared publicly and celebrated with the project partners, IFF, the Refugee Education Center, and Amplify GR. Hillary Scholten also joined as she helped guide federal funds toward the project. How can you be involved? Join the Refugee Education Center on October 24 at the Boston Square Neighborhood Association offices [1551 Kalamazoo Ave. SE] for the first community engagement session. Ask your questions, learn more, and prepare for its opening in September 2025. Submit your questions/feedback, learn more, and stay tuned for updates on the website: www.bsq-ecc.org #BostonSquareTogether #Thisiscommunity #EducationForAll #CommunityEngagement #earlychildhoodeducation

Get your tickets for September 15! Join us for the 3rd Annual Amp the Good: A Community Meal. This fun community-building event honors and uplifts neighbors who pour into Southeast Grand Rapids through Amp the Good grants. The program includes a family-style meal, delicious treats from local entrepreneurs, live entertainment, and more! Neighbor tickets are available for just $25. Learn more and get your tickets here: https://lnkd.in/gPQ5fmAW

Part of AGR's collaborative work in Southeast Grand Rapids is to connect, create, and amplify employers who have businesses in the #BostonSquare/Madison Square areas, including their employees. We've achieved this together with community partners over the last several years through a program called Innovation Strong. This program, led by a cohort of community partners, is a testament to the power of collaboration in supporting local employers and their employees. Each community partner brings unique expertise, and the Innovation Strong program, in turn, offers a holistic approach to the employer and employee experience, making everyone feel seen, heard and supported. One of the community partners, People First Economy, offers the Good for Michigan program to cohorts like ours to carve out space to grow and develop the next steps. We recently participated in Good for Michigan and worked through it at Women's Resource Center, another Innovation Strong community partner. Employers participating in the Innovation Strong program have shared that they have seen a "positive shift in employee culture" and that the program "helped affirm that current employee supports are working and the company is on track." Thanks to this amazing cohort that cares deeply for this work! Learn more about how AGR collaboratives to widen pathways for neighbors through jobs, entrepreneurship and local business at amplifygr .org.

Did you know that Amplify GR is part of a national movement called Purpose Built Communities? There are organizations across the U.S. focused on strengthening neighborhoods and making sure that every neighborhood is worthy of its neighbors. This work is done in four ways: cradle-to-career education, mixed-income housing, economic opportunity and community wellness. And most importantly, its done together with neighbors - the experts of every neighborhood! This week, network partners like AGR are in Birmingham, AL, for the national conference, where they are learning best practices from each other and leaders like Bakari Sellers. Learn more about Purpose Built Communities: https://lnkd.in/e88Hxd3K

Thanks for your partnership, Rockford Construction! Check out the overview of AGR on page 6 and a community site tour of HUB 07 through Oakdale Neighbors on page 18!

"HUB 07 is a culmination of dozens of these community-led discussions, resulting in a space meticulously planned to provide services and amenities for the neighborhood’s residents. These services and amenities are a result of priorities voiced by neighbors since Amplify GR opened its doors eight years ago." Thanks to Rockford Construction and Civil + Structural Engineer Media for sharing about the HUB 07 story! #bostonsquaretogether #thisiscommunity #grmi #grandrapidsmi

Congrats to Bing Goei, who was recently appointed to fill out the term of Third Ward Commissioner! As an Amplify GR board member, we've seen his commitment to community and passion for supporting neighbors for years—thank you for your service on so many levels, Bing! “As a commissioner for the Third Ward, I appreciate the fact that the city has made intentional efforts to bring resources to us,” Goei said in his application. “But much more must be done to overcome the lack of investments experienced by residents in previous years. I am confident that we will be able to do so and to do so with a sense of urgency.” #YES Check out the article in Crain's Grand Rapids Business. #grandrapidsmi #grmi #communityadvocate

Amplify GR was on Capitol Hill recently, advocating for economic opportunity, mixed-income housing, birth-to-career education and community wellness. Thank you, Purpose Built Communities, for this incredible opportunity! #CommunityAdvocacy #PurposeBuiltOnTheHill

We are excited to announce that AGR was awarded a $1M grant for HUB 07 in #BostonSquare from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) to make this community space or "living room for the community" a reality! A vision by neighbors, for neighbors - HUB 07 will offer: - High-quality state-of-the-art design - Health and wellness clinic by Corewell Health - Early childhood education - Multi-purpose room (rentable by neighbors) - Community café - Shared workspace - A second floor full of organizations to provide wrap-around services to increase access to resources and education that will improve the quality of life in the neighborhood Learn more about HUB 07 and #bostonsquaretogether - the collective community design process led by partner organizations and neighbors who are passionate about equitable outcomes through community growth. https://lnkd.in/eys32VJJ #thisiscommunity #grandrapidsmi #grmi

Quotes to remember from yesterday's ATHENA Leadership Forum: 💬 "We are all the CEO of our own lives. Hire, fire, and promote accordingly" 💬 "The Magic cannot leave when it is YOU" 💬 "Don't shrink yourself to a size that others can stand." 💬 “Little girls can not BE what they can not SEE" Latesha Lipscomb, JD of Amplify GR gave a powerful message to 200+ women in the room. What a day great day to be an ATHENA! 💫