This might be a little lazy, but I copied and pasted this from my Steelcase blog. I didn't want you to be confused by all the capital letters at the beginning of the sentences! Anyway, read on: )
Yesterday I took a day off from the nourishment bar to volunteer with the Grand Rapids Student Advancement Foundation. Since I'm from the east-side of the state, I wasn't aware of this wonderful organization until about a month ago. Jill Wilterdink, a wonderful lady that I also wasn't aware of until about a month ago, told me about them and suggested I get in contact with them. Well, I emailed to see if they needed any volunteers for their annual fundraiser, and it turns out they were eager to put me to work!
GRSAF raises money to help Grand Rapids Public Schools students play sports, learn instruments, take field trips, have school supplies, and so much more. Their goal is that one day, there will be no barriers for students to reach their full potential. MindShare brought together over 600 people who believe in and support that goal. The event was wonderful! There was a silent auction of GRPS student art, and wow, these kids are super talented! After that, an all-ages, multiple school student choir performed and received a standing ovation from the crowd. There was also a live auction hosted by Judge Sara Smolenski, who was hilarious. She told a story of her college basketball days, when she accidentally showed the audience her underpants whilst attempting to remove just her sweats before entering the game. She did a great job of encouraging attendees to empty their wallets for the cause, which was in the area of physical wellness. The energy at the event was so great, and we are very lucky to have an organization in Grand Rapids that cares so much about this cause, especially when funding in continuously cut to sports, art, and music!
Here is a link to an article about the event: MindShare draws 700, raises $150,000 in sponsorships to support Grand Rapids students | MLive.com and below are a couple photos - credit to the event photographer (I don't know his name)!
Have any of you ever been to MindShare? What other organizations do you support in Grand Rapids (or beyond)?
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