September is here, which means we are officially in Taste & Tour month! These events are shaping up to be a blast, and we can’t wait to spend four days enjoying delicious food and drink, beautiful décor and great company. We knew we wanted to celebrate our 50^th anniversary with the entire community and we are grateful and humbled by the responses we’ve gotten for these events so far.

This week we are again going to highlight four outstanding local nonprofits we will be raising money for at the Taste & Tour events. Instead of charging for tickets, we are hoping guests will consider a donation to these worthy organizations that we will be matching dollar for dollar.

Wedgwood

For nearly 60 years, Wedgwood has been one of the state’s leading organizations providing a wide range of social services to help hurting children, youth and families. Along with St. John’s Home, Mick McGraw has partnered with Wedgwood in conducting two annual camps for underprivileged youth at his working ranch in Montana. These two-week camps help develop self-reliance and confidence skills in attendees, who also complete community service projects during the trip. One recent attendee shared, “After that hike, I thought I could do anything in the world, man!”

Ele’s Place

In four locations across Michigan, including Grand Rapids, Ele’s Place is dedicated to providing critically needed support for grieving children and their families. They offer peer support groups, school programs, clinical consultation and community education to guide the healing process. When left unresolved, children who suffer a loss in their life often struggle later in life with behavioral, academic and substance issues. Ele’s Place programs help address issues early to prevent these later complications.

Love in Action

Love in Action provides 27 individual services across the Tri-Cities Community on the lakeshore, each of them built on the premise of loving thy neighbor. Their services are wide-reaching, and include food assistance, medical services, financial coaching, life skills education, home maintenance, emergency shelters, and much more. They utilize programs and volunteers that help set people up for long-term, self-sufficient success in life.

Family Promise of Grand Rapids

Families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless have found help from Family Promise for the past 20 years. With the help of a strong community network and volunteer base, they have helped 1,500 families build a strong foundation for the future by helping provide emergency services, permanent housing, case management, mentorship and more. This helps improve the lives of future generations too- over 3,000 children have been given the power of a stable home thanks to Family Promise.

It is clear to see how, along with the 12 other organizations we have chosen, your donations at the Taste & Tour events can make a huge impact in our community. We have set a goal to raise a combined $80,000 for these organizations, and we hope you will help us reach that goal. Learn more about the other groups we have highlighted thus far here and here. If you haven’t yet, be sure to RSVP for the Taste & Tour events through our website and join the Facebook event for updates. Reach out to us by email or on Facebook if you have any questions- we hope you are getting as excited for these events as we are!