Community Fruit

Jim Schepers – The Other Way

As is often the case, it takes a while for fruit to develop.  Often we look for fruit of our neighborhood Americorps listening, connecting, and convening in the increased willingness of neighborhood residents and other stakeholder to work together for their own good.  Occasionally though, the fruit of this work is the discovery of other community leaders who will not only show up and lend a hand, but will step up and organize others in the neighborhood also.   The picture below is of our Fresh Fruit – Matt.

This happy experience has been a recent development of our Americorps Member working on the west side of Grand Rapids.  He is supported by a coalition of three partners: The Other Way Ministries, Servants Community Church, and West Town Jubilee Housing.  Karl Williams, our Americorps Member, whose first hand story is provided below has proved to be both a wealth of neighborhood network connections and a non-stop advocate for neighborhood investment in making Westown a better neighborhood for all.  Every community should have a Karl.

Jim Schepers
Church and Community Development Coach
The Other Way Ministries

AMERICORPS’ FIRST COMMUNITY LEADER IS MR. MATT BATTEN. MATT HAS LIVED ON THE WEST SIDE OF GRAND RAPIDS SINCE 2009. HE ALSO WORKS AT THE FULTON PARTY STORE WHERE HE IS A VALUED EMPLOYEE. MATT WAS MY FIRST VOLUNTEER FOR THE VERY FIRST AMERICORPS PROJECT: THE WEST SIDE RAKE PROJECT, IN NOVEMBER OF 2010. THIS PROJECT WAS A RESULT OF SURVEYS BEING HANDED OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND RETURNED TO REFLECT WHAT THE COMMUNITY WANTED, A CLEANER NEIGHBORHOOD. MATT ASSISTED IN RAKING SOME ELDERLY AND DISABLED MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY’S YARDS WHILE CONNECTING WITH NEIGHBORS AND FAMILIES, WHO SHARED SOME OF THE SAME GOALS IN WORKING TOGETHER. MATT HAS ALSO VOLUNTEERED FOR THE WEST SIDE MOVING PROJECT, WHERE HE HELPED A GROUP OF THREE VOLUNTEERS, HELP A WOMEN, WHO WAS EIGHT MONTHS PREGNANT TO MOVE HER FAMILY’S BELONGINGS INTO STORAGE UNTIL HER NEW HOME WAS READY TO MOVE IN.

GRAND RAPIDS AMERICORPS, WILL WELCOME THE COMMUNITY’S FIRST COMMUNITY PROJECT LEADER. MATT BATTEN. THIS WILL BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR MATT TO FACILITATE IN CONNECTING RESIDENTS IN A DIVERSE ATMOSPHERE. THIS {ABCD} APPROACH IN BRINGING POSITIVE COLLABORATION AND SUPPORT TO THE WEST SIDE SHOWCASES THE ASSETS WAITING TO BE TAPPED INTO, AND SHOULD HAVE A GREAT OUTCOME.

KARL T. WILLIAMS  AMERICORPS