In 2009 Calvin College faculty members Gail Heffner and Dave Warners launched Plaster Creek Stewards after learning that Plaster Creek (named for the plaster mill set up in 1840 to use the creek’s gypsum) is the most contaminated creek in West Michigan. Plaster Creek Stewards is a collaboration of Calvin … More Green Team Teens Dig In to Heal Their Watersheds »
West Michigan Center for Arts & Technology, an afterschool program for urban high school stdents, opened in 2005 downtown after three Steelcase leaders flew to Pittsburgh to learn about a similar non-profit there. Spearheaded by Jim Welch, the trip convinced Jim Hackett and Peter M. Wege that what Bill Strickland … More WMCAT Rhymes with ‘WINcat’—For Good Reasons »
In 2011 Grand Rapids Community faced a serious problem. While 15% of all students graduated after two years, only 5% of African- American males did. Determined to do something about this inequity, GRCC Counselor Dr. Andre Fields and administrator Eric Williams started a program called Alpha Beta Omega as part … More GRCC Steps In To Right an Academic Unfairness »
Every year an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 children in Kent County are sexually abused. Only 1 in 15 of those cases is ever disclosed. The Children’s Assessment Center was created in 1993 as a safe, caring, place where sexually abused children come—800 of them last year—for investigation, therapy, and healing … More The Children’s Assessment Center Beams Light on a Dark, Destructive Secret »
At Wyoming’s San Juan Diego Academy every morning begins the same for the mostly Latino students. The Catholic school’s Principal Dr. Manuel Brenes gathers the 210 K-8 th grade students in the cafeteria for a happy greeting, a short prayer, and the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of … More Si Se Puede »
Global Student Design Competition Focused on the Circular Economy Names Winners of $30,000 in Prizes Winning teams announced in Wege Prize 2017; 2018 competition launched Collaborative team from Brown University, University of Michigan wins $15,000 top prize with solution to transform organic waste into animal feed and agricultural fertilizer; plans real-world prototype … More Wege Prize Winners Announced 2017 »
*Pictured above from the left, Laura Wege, Blandford Nature Center President Jason Meyer, Blandford Development Director Corey Turner, Wege Foundation staff member Katy Furtado, Patrick Goodwillie, Diana Wege, Wege Foundation staff member Jody Price at the Nature Center’s new visitors center named for Blandford’s founder Mary Jane Dockeray. In … More Wege Family Tours Blandford Nature Center »
Finalist teams named in international design competition focused on the circular economy; five innovative ideas will face off for $30,000 in total cash prizes Wege Prize 2017 finalists will present complete solutions on May 19, 2017; Internationally-recognized judges to evaluate and award $30k in prizes at Kendall College of … More Wege Prize competition organizers are thrilled to announce the finalist teams for Wege Prize 2017! »
Pictured above: Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss congratulates Dr. Taylor after the University of Michigan professor delivered The Wege Lecture at Aquinas. Artist and Wege Foundation Trustee Chris Carter introduced Dorceta E. Taylor Ph.D., Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources & … More Need for Inclusion in Environmental Non-profits »
