On October 22, 2007, Peter Wege realized every man’s dream. He became the Chief of the Grand Rapids Fire Department, complete with his name on the shiny white helmet! This honorary title made local history as it is the first time the GRFD has ever given such an award. But, … More GRAND RAPIDS’ FIRST HONORARY FIRE CHIEF: PETER M. WEGE »
In the early 1990s, four women, mothers and grandmothers, realized Grand Rapids, Michigan, needed a place for children to play in creative and hands-on ways. Georgia Woodrick Gietzen, Alyce Greeson, Carla Morris, and Aleicia Woodrick decided to do something about it. In 1993, they opened two successful exhibits for children … More THE GRAND RAPIDS CHILDREN’S MUSEUM: Ten Years Later »
Elizabeth Edwards met with members of The Wege Foundation, Ellen Satterlee, Executive Director on the left and Terri McCarthy, VP of Programs on the right, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on September 22, 2007. This private, non-media event was held at a most appropriate site: Gilda’s House Grand Rapids, a cancer-support … More ELIZABETH EDWARDS VISITS GILDA’S CLUB »
The September 14, 2007, Grand Rapids Press announced the opening of the Grand Rapids Ballet Company’s new 300-seat Peter Martin Wege Theatre, named for Peter Wege’s father and Steelcase founder. The $6.3 million new theater more than doubled the Grand Rapids Ballet Company’s space bringing it to 40,000 square feet. … More GRAND RAPIDS PRESS HEADLINE: “BALLET COMPANY’S NEW THEATRE TAKES A BOW” »
Wege Foundation Actively Fostering LEED-Certified Projects (Grand Rapids Business Journal’s front-page headline August 20, 2007) With a color photograph of the new Grand Rapids Art Museum covering most of the front page, the Business Journal article by Pete Daly begins: GRAND RAPIDS – There is a wave of green construction … More NEW GRAM MAKES WAVES IN GREEN CONSTRUCTION: »
ECONOMICOLOGY Enters a Global Curriculum at City High In the 1990s, Peter Wege coined the word “economicology” to define the balance the world must find between “economics” and “ecology.” His 1998 book ECONOMICOLOGY: The Eleventh Commandment documents Peter’s philosophy that a prosperous economy requires a healthy environment. Now the premier … More THE FIRST PILLAR – EDUCATION »
HEALING OUR WATERS What began as Peter M. Wege’s vision to save the Great Lakes by inviting 70 environmentalists to a Grand Rapids conference in May 2004 turned into and unprecedented federal commitment within five years. Also supported by the Beldon, Frey, and Mott Foundations, the original meeting Wege convened … More THE SECOND PILLAR: THE ENVIRONMENT »
The Wege Foundation’s signature gift in the Arts & Culture area of interest is the new Grand Rapids Art Museum. Even before the ribbon was cut in October 2007, GRAM was making national news as the first “green” art museum in the world. The New York Times headlined its article: … More THE THIRD PILLAR: ARTS & CULTURE »
Saint Mary’s Health Care In the 1950s, Peter M. Wege gave his first gift to Saint Mary’s by printing the hospital’s bulletin. Wege was 36 when he was elected Chairman of Saint Mary’s Board of Trustees in 1958. The Trustee next closest in age was 62. Over the next half … More THE FOURTH PILLAR: HEALTH CARE »
