Time. Is Flying. You too?! The kids are counting down their last days of school (less than a month to go!) and I’m diligently working on the puzzle that is our summer calendar. Between sports, summer holidays, and other events, we’ve got plenty to look forward to this summer.
It’s event season here in Grand Rapids and between DJs and Mercantile, we’ve been busy representing our companies at a variety of local fundraisers. Each time we attend one of these events we learn something new about the good work that’s being done in our community, and we’re very happy to play a small part in those efforts.
One of our favorite events every year is the Vitality Gala sponsoring University of Michigan Health West. It’s a black tie affair and such a fun party. Both Mercantile and DJs sponsored tables this year - which I love - and we had a great time dancing the night away with co-workers and friends downtown at DeVos Place.
A new event for me, and for Mercantile Bank this year, was the Stepping Out With The Stars Gala supporting Turning Point Macomb. One of our newest team members in the Detroit market, the incredible Tam, competed in the event as a dancer and rocked it!
Another one for Mercantile included the Theatre Transforms event supporting the Grand Rapids Civic. The planning committee did an incredible job coordinating tours through the Civic’s facility, including stops in the dance studio, prop room, costume design, and more. I loved their programming which included musical performances and presentations from volunteers, staff, and board members who shared testimonials about their Civic experiences. It was intimate and unique. It also made me very excited for Natalie because later this summer she’ll be attending a week long camp there - this was a fun sneak peak into what she’ll be experiencing this June.
The Arise Luncheon benefitting the YWCA of West Central Michigan was an emotional one. The keynote speaker was Rachael Denhollander, a survivor of sexual assault who assisted in bringing MSU’s Larry Nasser to justice in court. Her speech was uncomfortable, yet extremely informational. It’s not a fun topic to think about, but this is why these events are so important. Hearing her words is important.
The 20th Annual Derby Party took place this past weekend at Kent Country Club and we had a great time raising funds for the Down Syndrome Association of West Michigan with neighbors and friends. It’s the most exciting two minutes in sports and this years neck and nose finish did not disappoint! And who doesn’t love a great excuse to wear fancy hats with feathers?! But fancy hats aside, what I love most is the way this organization elevates and celebrates our friends with Downs Syndrome. Our neighbor Andrew (pictured with us below) is part of this community and we’re pretty proud to be his friend.
At this point, you’re probably thinking… do you ever spend time with your kids?! Don’t worry. Plenty! ‘Field trips’ was another theme for the month of April. I was happy to attend a trip with each of our kids this Spring, including a day long road trip with Natalie to our states capitol building in Lansing… on her birthday! I’d never been inside our capitol building before and let me tell you, it’s beautiful. Our tour guide shared all sorts of knowledge about the infrastructure and the history behind the building. We sat in on a senate meeting where the class was officially announced and the whole room clapped for them. It was an awesome field trip and a great way to spend the day with our birthday girl. Even better than the tour of the capitol building was the girl chatter between Natalie and her two besties Jojo and Molly during the car ride there; I totally know who they’ve all got crushes on!
The GRCS first graders took their annual trip to Blandford Nature Center as well this Spring and I was glad to join that visit with Thomas. He and his classmates learned all about what it was like to live ‘back in the olden days'. They toured an old one room school house, a tiny living cabin that originally housed a family of thirteen people, a garden, and a blacksmith shop. Thomas hilariously volunteered for everything and was selected to be the farmer during a demonstration and also wore the dunce cap in the school house.
The kids also joined me for Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day. This was the second year in a row I’ve taken the kids with me to the office, with last years visit to Steelcase. I think it’s pretty great that they were able to experience both environments. I find value in them knowing where I’m at all day while they’re at school and begin to understand some of the work that I’m doing. And I’m sure they found value in the sprinkled donuts Mercantile provided for breakfast as well as the super cool tour of the bank vault - something not even I’ve done before. They spent time interviewing a few members on my team, got a full tour of the Merc headquarters, met our President and CEO, and we got to eat lunch together in the cafe which is always the best part of the day.
Golf season is officially here with the beginning of our men’s and women’s weekly leagues at Watermark. And family golf is already off to a roaring start with 3 rounds in so far with the kids. Watermark recently renovated the entire clubhouse and it’s fantastic. We are very much looking forward to spending more time on the patio later this summer.
Another amazing event the kids got to experience in April was the solar eclipse. While Grand Rapids wasn’t in the path of totality, the kids of GRCS elementary had a blast checking out the partial eclipse through their special glasses on the field at school with their friends.
Broadway Grand Rapids hosted the show To Kill A Mockingbird and we were blown away! We had worried expectations going in, mostly because it’s not a musical, which isn’t normal and honestly not something we’re usually interested in. But the cast was incredible and the story was even better than what we remembered from the book we read back in grade school. And, we laughed… a lot! Despite the heavy topics covered in the story, the writers allowed for moments of brevity between the heavier diaologe. This has us excited for the 2024-2025 season which includes a fantastic lineup. If you’re even remotely considering becoming season ticket holders, do it now! You will not regret it.
I hope the energy of summer has also arrived at your doorstep including all the bike rides to Jersey Junction, the impromptu and very cute lemonade stands, and the sunburn that comes along with sitting sidelines. Cheers to summer being back in Michigan, ya’ll!
