WYCE's Community Closeup (*conversations concerning issues of importance in West Michigan)

On this week's program, host Phil Tower welcomes Missy Summers, Executive Director, Festival of the Arts, Grand Rapids.

Mark your calendars! The Festival of the Arts is back, and it's happening from June 7th to 9th in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, MI. Don't miss out on this exciting event that brings together art, music, and food in one vibrant celebration!

This year's Festival is a melting pot of activities, offering something for everyone: live music performances to art exhibitions, from culinary delights to creative workshops!

Festival of the Arts 2024 will showcase Western Michigan artists, live performers, food vendors, sponsors, and Festival goers will see their favorite traditional activities as well as new surprises.  There will also be four live performance stages with all types of music and comedy, over 20 cultural food booths, visual art exhibits and activities, and 50+ artisan craftsmen at Artisan Village.  

Missy told us it takes literally hundreds of volunteers to make festival happen and volunteers are welcome and needed all the way up to the start of festival. Information on volunteering is on the Festival Website.

Don't miss West Michigan’s unofficial start of summer...Festival of the Arts Grand Rapids!

More Online: Festival of the Arts

On this week's episode, host Allison Donahue speaks with Amy Acton, CEO of The Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors and Buses By The Beach President, Beth Smith about the upcoming bus benefit May 24-27 (Memorial Day Weekend)
Bus Benefit is presented by Buses by the Beach at Smiling Acres in Trufant, MI. It is a fundraiser for the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors.

Members of Buses By The Beach are a group of VW van lovers. Their events draw VW bus owners and their families from the United States and Canada. Since 2002, Buses By The Beach has combined a love of Volkswagen-style camping with raising money for the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors.  The Phoenix Society is the world’s largest burn support organization based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

Phoenix Society serves burn survivors, loved ones, burn care professionals, researchers, and anyone else committed to empowering the burn community and building a safer world.  Phoenix Society is now the leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people affected by a burn injury.

Online: Buses By The Beach

Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors

On this week's program, host Allison Donahue welcomes Dana Romero-Vogg, development coordinator for donor communications with YWCA West Central Michigan.

The YWCA West Central Michigan exists to inspire hope and healing.

Where racism and sexism give rise to domestic and sexual violence, staff at the YWCA West Central Michigan transform lives with expert services for victims, education to end those things that fuel abuse, and advocating for public policy that translates the YWCA's mission into law.

Respecting the fullness of each person’s identity and the multiple facets that make up the whole of one’s experience, the YWCA’s staff work together to seamlessly connect those who come to us to the range of services they need.

All YWCA services are available in person. Some are available by phone and video as well.

The YWCA 24-Hour, Confidential Helpline is 616-454-9922. (454-YWCA)

Online: YWCA West Central Michigan

On this week's episode, host Allison Donahue speaks with Sasha Wolff, the founder and Executive Director of "Still I Run."

Still I Run is a community of runners and mental health warriors determined to take control of our physical and mental health while also breaking the stigma surrounding people who live with a mental illness.

Still I Run is the country’s only non-profit running community that works to promote the benefits of running for mental health while also defeating the stigma, raising awareness around the topic, and help others get started running for their mental health.

Sasha also shared that Still I Run operates solely on proceeds from merch sales and donations. All programs and outreach are donor supported.

Online-Still I Run

On this week's program, host Alison Donahue welcomes Thomas Gottschalk, food truck owner-operator and CEO of Collar Brass Solutions, and Lauren D’Angelo, also a food truck owner and operator as well as secretary of the Grand Rapids Food Truck Association.

The Grand Rapids Food Truck Association is dedicated to the promotion and education of food truck culture in and around Grand Rapids and the West Michigan region.

Online: The Grand Rapids Food Truck Association

On this wee's episode, host Allison Donahue speaks with  Cole Williams, Executive Director of The Delta Project, and Joel Van Kuiken, cofounder of the Delta Project.

The Delta Project began in 2017 with a desire to use simple human storytelling to help people see their circumstances from a different perspective.

The Delta Project is committed to amplifying the stories of students caught in the cycle of incarceration.

On May 11th, The Delta Project sponsors a night of rhythmic gratitude at Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids with legendary reggae artist Mykal Rose on May 11th. Mykal Rose will perform. hits from Black Uhuru, energized by special guests Loftside Stories and Isobel.  The gratitude concert is more than a concert.

The event was organized as a vibrant tribute to community and charity, supporting The Delta Project. Doors open at 6:00 pm, with tickets available for $35 in advance or $40 at the door.

Online: The Delta Project

On this week's episode, host Allison Donahue welcomes WYCE Station Manager Phil Tower for a conversation on why community radio is unique and the importance of listener donations during WYCE's spring on-air fund drive.

As the region's only volunteer-run, listener-supported community radio station, fundraising is a critically important part of keeping the station on the air to support its mission of enhancing and enriching the local music scene and supporting underserved and overlooked nonprofit organizations in the West Michigan area.

Online: WYCE Radio

On this week's episode, host Allison Donahue welcomes Austin McWilliams, Choir Director at Fountain Street Church in Grand Rapids. Austin also serves as the Director of Choral Activities at Aquinas College and is the conductor of an upcoming performance at Fountain Street Church: The Bernstein Mass: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers. The Bernstein Mass is being presented by the Fountain St. Church Oratorio Choir on April 27, 2024.

Online: The Bernstein Mass: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers.

On this week's episode, host Allison Donahue speaks with Monk Mattheus, culture and training coordinator with The Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation and organizer with the 1st annual Music Econ Summit takes place on Saturday, April 27, 2024 at the Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation to support entrepreneurship and wealth generation for hard-working music creatives.

The Music Econ Summit brings together music industry experts, copyright lawyers, successful independent artists, entrepreneurs, and other professionals for a day of education, discussion, and networking focused on sustainable income strategies and upward economic mobility.

The Music Econ Summit is all about guiding Michigan's local independent musicians and producers into a sustainable career or side hustle that provides economic freedom and autonomy. The summit is organized to help aspiring musicians and creatives gain valuable knowledge to move their careers forward.

The Music Econ Summit is organized and hosted by the Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation, Push the City Cypher, the Michigan Music Alliance, and Triumph Music Academy.

Music Econ Summit

Sponsorship Opportunities:

[email protected]

On this week's episode, host Phil Tower welcomes Mariah Malone, events coordinator with John Ball Zoo.

The Grand Rapids Lantern Festival returns to John Ball Zoo on April 10 and is expected to be another record-setting event for the zoo.

John Ball Zoo is the first and only place in Michigan where you can see these incredible works of art. The lantern festival features handcrafted Asian lantern displays that will illuminate the Zoo and tell the intersecting story of wildlife and Asian culture.

Mariah also spoke with us about Party for the Planet on April 20th, an event that celebrates Earth Day at John Ball Zoo. The event welcomes community partners to engage with guests and encourage them to learn how to take positive action to help save native habitats for wildlife. 

Online: John Ball Zoo