Soup & Service for MLK Jr Day With The United Way In Muskegon

Monday January 15th marks the 31st year we stop to observe Martin Luther King Jr Day.  It's kind of hard to believe that a national holiday was only established within most of our lifetime's, but like anything with age comes a little more reverence, and meaning seems to grow over the years and the message Dr. King carried of unity...well, it resonates now more than ever.




King was the chief spokesman for the non violent civil rights movement which protested discrimination in both state and federal laws.  His speeches inspired.  His presence was one of unity and inclusion and it came at a time when we as a country kind of "us and them".   We were divided not only by mindset, but by laws.  It was work, perseverance, patience and belief that got Dr. King the respect of so many and makes the message resonate today.  The element of service resonates today as well and as so many true leaders, who lead by example the service needs to carry on. 

United Way of The Lakeshore Online

Locally, when you think of community service, there is one giant stand out, The United Way of the Lakeshore.  The United Way is taking the opportunity not only to observe the holiday, but to utilize it to do what they do best, serve.  They are hosting an open house style lunch on Monday the 15th.  You'll find all kinds of delicious soups, for both dine in and carry out and they are asking for your donation of non perishable food items for our local food pantries or school supplies for kids who would otherwise go without in return for your lunch.  While you are there at their offices on Clay Street in Muskegon, you'll also be able to learn about some of the other service work that's coming in 2018 from the United Way.  You'll also get to learn about volunteer opportunities that are looking for a pair of hands to help.  Learn about the work going on to bolster early childhood education and how it sets the tone for education over a lifetime.

I had a chance to visit the United Way and talk about the event. Stephanie Stewart and La Tonya Beene of the United Way.  Yes, it's a simple lunch but it's going to be filled with purpose, information and unity.  Take a listen.

For a holiday that's not as old as most of us, it's good to see that the echo of the message Dr. King carried is resonating and getting louder.  The importance of the message is as applicable today, if not more so than when they were spoken and the opportunity for us to unify for a cause to help our own, and get a pretty good lunch for it...well, it can't be passed up.  It's not just a day off.  It's a chance to stop and ask yourself if you're doing what you can for equality.  Stop in to the United Way of the Lakeshore Monday.  

Muskegon's MARS Rovers 4004 - Robotics Competitors From Area Schools

In Muskegon, sometimes we have to consolidate to get things done and through the consolidation, we also find collaboration and a chance to experience things from more than just one point of view.  It kind of comes back to the mindset of if there's a will, there's a way and the MARS Rovers have found that way to get kids into robotics even though their schools may not offer the program.




The Program is FRC of First Robotics Competition which began in 1989 to get students excited about the opportunity to get hands on experience with science and technology, engineering and math, while building self confidence as well as life skills that they can take with them into pretty much any line of work.  Believe it or not, it starts as early as K-3rd grade with Lego's and today, we visit a group of high school age competitors who are about to find out what they have to build and make work in 6 weeks.  At stake?  $16 million dollars in scholarships for students and teams who wish to pursue their dreams in technology.  This is serious stuff, but it's approached as a hands on, interactive and fun way to learn more, collaborate with peers and mentors as well as be a highly functional creative outlet for young people.

MARS Rovers Website

The work space is in Pribusin Inc, a spot you'd probably never even notice just driving by close to Our Lady of Grace Church.  Pribusin makes quality process controls and instrumentation...stuff you'll probably never see if it's working right.  The students come from Reeths Puffer, North Muskegon, Oak Ridge, Orchard View and some are even home schooled.  I was there for a team meeting before it all began and the rules were laid out plain and simple.  School first, robotics team second, and you know...I personally think that's a pretty good approach.  Inside, the first thing you see is is the CAD area, then there's the machine shop, the hall of fame from past projects, the fabrication area and way in the back the area where they will build the arena that their robot will compete in.  They have 6 weeks to build the bot, the arena to practice in and get it to the competition.

I had a chance to site down with Jack Page who's a mentor, "Mike 1" who also goes by Mike Gerstweiler who owns Pribusin Inc and is also a mentor, "Mike 2" or Michael Reynolds who's a communications engineer at Comcast, Logan Page who's a student competitor and we talked about what this program does for everyone involved.  Take a listen and learn a little more.

Amazing story and amazing kids.  What really gets me though, people pulling together to take what they know and give kids the practical knowledge they need to go to the next level.  Hands on technology and the use of their tools and treasure to fill a gap where it needed to be filled.  Taking the passion they have for what they do and bringing in the next generation of inventors, leaders and innovators to learn and grow.  Where some budgets had to be cut, a group saw the need and picked up the ball and ran with it.  That's community.  We'll keep up with the MARS Rovers and see how they do as the competition unfolds this year.  We wish the team and the mentors the very best.  If you'd like to know more or maybe help the team out, click on the team photo above.  If you'd like to follow along with the work up to the moment, you can find the MARS Rovers 4004 Facebook page linked in the photo below!  Thanks to the team and mentors for having us out today!

Positively Muskegon - What's in a Sign?

You know, it's been on my mind for a while, and before the rush hits today, I thought I'd point a little something out about one of the most visible signs in all of our community and I thought too that it might be time for a little more credit for this particular sign as more often than not, it's purpose is not one of self serving...but it lends itself to helping others get the word out about what's going on around town.




Positively Muskegon has even been the subject of this sign.  Of course, this was long before the recent upgrade of the sign that sits along one of the most traveled areas of town.  Shoreline Drive is where you'll find the sign for The Mart Dock.  The Mart Dock is home to The Sand Products Corporation.  They supply sand and gravel products.  They also have ample storage space available in their buildings, utilize their property for gatherings and memorials.  Their property is home to the LST 393 Museum and you'll find the Port City Princess tied up waiting to hit the waves again when things warm up.  But on the sign....you don't often see "get your sand here".

A Surprise for Positively Muskegon Once Upon a Time

No, Mart Dock uses their sign to promote all things Muskegon.  From what's happening at the Frauenthal Center to The Lakes Mall.  When Party in the Park is happening to the fairs and festivals around town.  If there is a blood drive, a food truck, a special occasion or a reason to reflect, quite often you'll see it on the marquee out in front of the Mart Dock.  Milestones are celebrated, retirements are honored, people are thanked and goodwill is spread all by a sign that got an upgrade in recent months!

The old fashioned hanging letter sign gave way to a bright new digital sign.  Not that the classic hanging letter sign was bad or anything, but with the evolution of all things Muskegon, the owners of the Mart Dock must have figured it was time for a new splash.  So where there was once a classic looking sign, we now have yet another bold and beautiful way to say "Watch Us Go".  Watch all of us go...near and far in an ever growing, and ever evolving Muskegon Michigan.

Mart Docks New Digital Sign All Lit Up

It's been a while since we were surprised by the shout out by the Mart Dock sign for the work we do here at Positively Muskegon and we figured that since there was the flashy new gadget out front, there wouldn't be a better time to return the favor by saying thank you...you are noticed too.  Thanks for using your assets to spread the word about what makes Muskegon, Muskegon...and for keeping our commuters in the loop on what's going on around town.

Britta Cleveland Visits The First Congregational Church of Christ in Muskegon to Talk About Their Community Breakfast

I am constantly amazed by the people and organizations I find in my home town of Muskegon.  Recently a dear friend told me of her church located in the "Heart" of Downtown Muskegon....First Congregational Church United Church of Christ. 







For the past 15 years they have kindly invited the entire community to join them for an absolutely FREE Saturday morning breakfast!   Every Saturday morning... Rain or shine (on holidays too)...for the past 15 years!  No strings attached.... All are welcome for a FREE nourishing meal...and even more....for a real, true sense of family and community.

Located at 1201 Jefferson Street at Third Street in a beautiful, stately red-brick church's fellowship hall, community volunteers come together early every Saturday morning to prepare a mouth-watering breakfast for all....usually well-over 400 people.    I myself volunteer on a regular basis and find that it is one of my most enjoyable times of my entire week.   It is truly like attending a family reunion every Saturday.   A delicious nourishing meal, laughter, fellowship and a great way to make new friends while staying in touch with old friends.

I had a chance to sit down and talk with Elizabeth Major, the Administrative Director at the church, and we talked about the origins of the breakfast, how it's grown and what it means to the people who help put it on, and those who come to be a part of it.  Take a listen.

As you can imagine, hosting a FREE breakfast of this size requires a lot of work and supplies...if you are interested in volunteering or donating goods and services please contact the First Congregational Church office by calling 231-726-3254...... To find out more about the church and all of its wonderful programs click on the photo below for more information about the church.

Positively Muskegon and The Muskegon Channel Welcomes Britta Cleveland

It's an exciting day for us here at Positively Muskegon and the Muskegon Channel!!  Positively Muskegon came along in October of 2015 and The Muskegon Channel in March of 2017.

The idea behind both is that Muskegon is a pretty great place.  We don't claim perfection, but, you know...we're a lot better than we're portrayed in a lot of the news.




I will say, that I have noticed a shift in the amount of negative news that others report, it's been a step in the right direction but there are those too who continue to only point out the things in Muskegon that are bad and they never even try to offer a solution.  I'll say too that in a world where "cash is king" is the motto, we've never used either of the sites to get someone to pay to have their story shared.  We've been blessed with a handful of awesome sponsors, they have helped keep the lights on and given us some room to grow.  It all started with a GoPro camera and a free blog program.

Today, there are a bunch of HD cameras, a mobile live studio, daily news features, weekly programming and collectively between the 2 pages 662,735 page views.  We're spreading the news!
All that being said, it's been a group effort.  It's the people of these pages that make them happen.  We have regular folks who've never really done any reporting here working.  They all bring their passion and love for different things.  They write about what matters to them, they talk about who and what is part of their life and I am able to help guide them on the "vibe" of how we want to tell our story.  Well, in as much as helping an upstart staff is a great thing to help craft a vision, when a seasoned pro becomes available, and that seasoned pro happens to be one of your all time best friends, you jump at the chance.

Andy O with Wife Cindy Briggs and Britta

I am beyond proud today to tell you that Britta Cleveland is joining the fold!  After an amazing career in over 25 years of broadcasting, Britta took a little time off to decompress and all it took was a phone call and she jumped at the chance to be part of what we're doing.  Britta is all Muskegon.  A graduate of Puffer and mom of 2 beautiful girls, Britta has spent her entire career finding ways to help people in Muskegon spread the word about what they are doing.  Her radio audience was one of the most dedicated there was and to think that she's willing to bring her talents and passion to our platforms....simply amazing.

I sat down with Britta to catch up a little bit at her house, all dressed up for Christmas, take a listen to what she's been up to and what she hopes to bring to our sites.

 We're excited.  We're thankful and above all...we're honored to know that Britta is home!  She's right back where she belongs in Muskegon and ready to share the stories of our hometown like only she can.  If only there was a way we could do "The Way Back Lunch" on a website huh?  Please, take a minute and welcome Britta.  The motto of The Muskegon Channel is "We've Got a New Story to Tell" and we've just added one amazing story teller.

Dear Santa - Muskegon Teens Help Answer The Timeless Letters - Maybe This Story is Best For Grown Up's

For years, there has been a "Letters to Santa" drop off box in Roosevelt Park.  Local youngsters put their Christmas list down and send it off in the hopes that St. Nick will hear their plea and bring them what they wish for at Christmas.  For the longest time, all the letters were answered by one woman. Ann Wisnewski. 
Today, it takes a group to to handle it and you'll get a chance to meet them here.




Now, let me say that we prefaced this story saying it's for grown up's because there's a magic about the whole subject of Santa.  We certainly don't want to spoil that for young-in's, but we wanted you to see too, that other young people are stepping up to preserve a tradition and some of that innocence in a world of ever increasing cynicism, accusations and polarization.  As much as us grown up's all know Santa, maybe it's time to remember what Santa really stands for.

Santa is the belief that there is good in the world.  Santa is the embodiment of what we hope and dream about.  We stay on the straight and narrow and we hope Santa notices.  Santa brings the unattainable.  If we long for hard to find toys in our youth or things that just can't be afforded any other day of the year...somehow that Christmas Miracle happens and Santa did it.  As grown up's we hope Santa brings things like a day of peace, a little time with friends and family, maybe a break from bills.  We hope for good tidings and joy and we strive to protect our little ones and we allow them to believe because once innocence is lost...it's gone for good.  We go the extra mile for the kids too because we desperately hope that even though they may never see Santa coming down the chimney, we want them to know that the good in the world he represents is there, albeit illusive most of the time.   Santa is safe to confide in, you can tell him a secret, you can ask for an indulgence or you can go to bat for your parents or siblings.  You can ask for a sack of toys, a pony, a puppy or maybe that your grandma up in heaven has a Merry Christmas.  It's really a shame that Santa only comes once a year.

Well, with all that in mind, Ms. Helmer at Mona Shores High School has a leadership class made up of students who strive to get into it.  They are young people who are determined to make a difference in their school and community for now, and who knows...maybe some day the world.  In the weeks leading up to Christmas, these young people volunteer their time to hand write all the letters and get them back to the kids who dropped them off.  I'd like you to meet Connor, Leanna, Erin and Chloe and hear their story about what they read in the letters to Santa and what they learn by answering....well, "help" answer.

I'd like to take a moment to congratulate these young people and thank them for their time and effort to jump in and take the initiative to keep that thought that there is good in the world.  You know...there really is good in the world...it's in all of us.  It's up to every one of us to remember that it doesn't take a miracle...it just takes a caring hand.  It takes a moment of compassion.  Follow the example of these distinguished young helpers of Santa....be the miracle like they are!  This is what makes Muskegon so special.  This is why I love this community and all the people in it!

Giving Back Christmas Returns to the VFW on Apple Sunday December 17th

2015 was a year of firsts!!  We launched the Positively Muskegon blog in October of that year and Andrea Rosema was kicking off an event at the Apple Avenue VFW Hall for local kids to come and have a little holiday fun decorating cookies, making cards for veterans, first responders and more.  A visit with Santa, maybe get a present wrapped and a chance to just have some holiday fun and games with friends and neighbors.



As Andrea and her crew got things going, they invited me out to share their story and in as much as I had a pretty good idea of what the long term purpose of Positively Muskegon would be, I still had yet to focus it.  I knew what I wanted to get done, but would I be invited in to peoples homes and business to help share their story?  Would there be an audience for what we were doing?  I mean, it's easy to grab headlines when someone gets shot, or a store gets robbed....but would people actually respond if some guy went all over Muskegon and found local people who put their pride and passion into making sure that kids had fond memories of the holidays?  Keep in mind too, back then...I only had a Go Pro camera and a tiny little tripod to work with.  I didn't even have the money for that, I had to get it 6 months same as cash at Best Buy.  Well, it's going to be 3 years for Andrea and her group and it's 330,000 page views for us....so I guess you can say the true inspiration to all of this goes to Andrea and a group of moms from Wolf Lake.

Handmade Raffle Entry Box for Kids

Well, here we are again talking about this years Giving Back Christmas.  We're back in the hallowed grounds of the "She Shed" out behind Andrea's house.  I am going to swipe the event description from their Facebook page - "Dedicated to the children of our community. We offer a Christmas card booth for kids to fill out Christmas cards for our veterans, fire fighters and police. We also choose a family or child to send cards to. We have an ornament/craft booth for children to make a gift for a loved one, we have a booth for the kids to wrap the gift they made, they can make it look super cute. We have a booth for Kids Food Basket, kids gets to decorate paper sacks for children in need. We have Christmas games they can play to earn prizes, we have a Christmas story area, for kiddos to sit and listen to some of the very best Christmas tales. We have a Christmas cookie decorating area, kids can design their own cookie and share or eat :) .....and we have SANTA!!We offer food and drinks and their are raffles for the kids and for adults. We have a bake sale and local crafters can sell items This event is free, donations of postage stamps are very appreciated."

This years party will be at the VFW at 6285 Apple Avenue on Sunday December 17th from 2p-6p.

Take a listen to our chat about this years even and some of the people that help put this on!

We've run the numbers up on readers, we've also made some technology advances on how we record the people who make this channel happen.  Heck, we even got to the point where we were so busy that we had to add another whole website to accommodate the amount of stories that were coming in.  But I want to tell you something from the bottom of my heart.  Nothing we do is more important than finding people like Andrea and her friends who make a difference in their neighborhood.  Muskegon is FILLED with stories like her's where people see a need... and they fill it.  The leg work, the donation requests, the time treasure and talent that goes into making the lives of their fellow community members better....THAT IS EXACTLY what makes Muskegon the community it is.  That is exactly why we started this page and that is exactly why we'll continue to work to share the stories of those who choose to make a better world for those around the.   For more information on the Giving Back Christmas Event.... click on the image below to visit their Facebook page.