The Covid-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented situation socially and economically – and that means many Michigan residents may be out of work or facing financial crisis. There are resources available for those that need food, financial assistance, unemployment resources and help paying their utility bills, just to name a few.

A good place to start is by contacting Michigan’s 2-1-1 system, where you’ll be connected to a list of resources across Michigan for help with food, diapers, rental assistance, energy bills and bus fare, to name a few. 

Here’s how to connect:

·         Call 2-1-1

·         Text your zip code to 898211

·         Visit the link: https://www.mi211.org/

Additionally, those interested in donating supplies, donating to a food bank or donating blood during the pandemic can call 2-1-1 as well.

Assistance

If you need assistance with health care coverage, cash assistance, food assistance, childcare costs or emergency housing, utility payments or burial situations, the state of Michigan has a streamlined application system through MI Bridges.

How to apply:

·         Online at newmibridges.michigan.gov

·         Using a paper application, which can be found online or at a local MDHHS office. Call your local MDHHS office and they will mail the application to you.

·         At a local MDHHS office, which can be found here

·         At a community partner, which can be found here

For healthcare coverage only, you can apply over the phone by calling 1-855-276-4627

The state of Michigan has expanded the food assistance benefits for Michigan families, and waived the federal work requirements for about 27,000 individuals. Find out more information here.

Food

The state’s 2-1-1 system is a great resource to get connected with local food drives and giveaways.

The state also has a map of where families can find free lunches for children while school is closed due to the pandemic.

·         View the Michigan Department of Education’s food service site locator

Additionally, these news sites offer a wide-ranging roundup of where free food is available across Michigan.

·         How to find free lunch for Michigan kids with schools shut down

·         Michigan families can get food, cash, internet during coronavirus crisis

Rent and Housing

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has temporarily suspended all evictions in Michigan until April 17.

For assistance with emergency housing, get connected with the state’s MI Bridges program.

Additionally, the state offers interest-free forgivable loans to help with mortgage, property taxes and/or condominium association fees in cases of involuntary qualifying hardship – like job loss or a medical event. Learn more about the Step Forward Michigan program by:

·         Visiting their website

·         Call 866-946-7432

Utilities

Gov. Whitmer has issued an executive order that requires water service to be reconnected to residences that have had their water shut off.

Additionally, check with your utility providers to see if they have any policies in place to suspend collections or to postpone bills in cases of financial hardship due to COVID-19.

·         DTE Energy and Consumers Energy are not disconnecting service and extending flexible payment plans for low-income customers, seniors and those impacted by illness or job losses related to the pandemic.

·         SEMCO has suspended customer disconnections and has waived late fees for anyone unable to pay their monthly natural gas bill. Call SEMCO if you are concerned about paying your bill at 1-800-624-2019.

·         AT&T is offering free internet access for new customers for two months. Low-income households can continue to subscribe for $10/month. Service will not be terminated due to inability to pay.

·         Comcast and Charter Communications are offering free internet to low-income families. Internet and cable service will not be suspended.

Other resources in Grand Rapids

Electric Cheetah, Kids eat free with an adult meal purchase of $14 or more. 1015 Wealthy St. SE.

Grand Rapids Community Foundation & Hispanic Center of Western Michigan, Nonprofit organizations can have their community information and resources translated for free into 85 languages. Contact Holly Rea at email hidden; JavaScript is required or 616- 828-9679 for translation and interpretation requests.

Kent County Community Action Food Distribution will add an additional food distribution day March 26 from 1 p.m.- 6 p.m. at Kent County Community Action, 121 Franklin St. SE. To volunteer click here

Kids’ Food Basket, Looking for volunteers. Text KFB to 56651 to donate. 1300 Plymouth Ave NE.

1. CRAFTING BETTER COMMUNITIES – (Formerly SEWING CIRCLES)

Tuesdays from 2pm to 7pm. [Call IGE for schedule.] Face masks (we have available) and social distancing required.  All are welcome.

At IGE office: 1118 Wealthy SE, Grand Rapids Parking behind building (paid until 5pm), near 4, 5 & 6 bus lines  

1. Sunday, October 11, 2020- IGE Board Meeting 2pm-4pm

2. Last week in October and for most of November IGE will focuson the Mexican holiday Day of Dead. IGE will once again display an altar in the window and do something special for Corrine Carey on one of the bulletin boards. More to come later.

3. Pending Film and discussion on Wangari Mathai. Wangari Maathai was Nobel Peace Prize Recipient, founder of the Green Belt Movement, Promoter of community and empowerment of Women in Kenya. Katie Villarie will host this event either in early September . This will be held in the IGE office so sign up is necessary and must wear a mask. More information will follow soon…

MORE TO COME. KEEP CHECKING COMING EVENTS. . .

 

N.B. The Corrine Carey Memorial has been postponed. The Carey family has decided to wait until next year (2021) to celebrate her memory because of Covid-19 pandemic.

CAREY, CORINNE “At 93, I now look back on a life fulfilled,” Corinne Carey wrote shortly before her peaceful passing on May 19, 2020. “I was fortunate to be loved by George Carey, my husband of 62 years, and our four wonderful sons and their families,” she said. “When you go through this journey of life, you meet so many people that you truly love and cherish, beautiful people,” she wrote. Her life was full of people she met along the way, but she placed the greatest importance on her family, on being a mother to Pat, Mitch, Steve, and Keith, a grandmother to Mike, Megan, Brandon, and Lyn, and a great grandmother to Amelia, Maddy, and Atlas, a sister to JoAnn (nephews and nieces Merry, David Leslie, Randy, and Nancy) and to brother, Joel Douglas (nephews Warren and Bill). Born Corinne Frances Steury on November 22, 1926 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, she was the loving daughter of Joel Steury, a former member of the Mennonite community from Bern, Indiana and Rosemary Harris of Vestaberg, Michigan. Corinne led a long, healthy, active, and purposeful life that was guided by her belief in the good of people from all walks of life, the value of education, the importance of finding peaceful solutions to complex problems, and the need to preserve our earth for future generations. Corinne spent a lifetime turning her beliefs into actions. She was a woman ahead of her time, a mentor, a gifted and innovative teacher, a tireless social activist, and a person who had a passion for music, languages, travel, and, of course, family. Beyond her role as the matriarch of the Carey family, Corinne was a member of Fountain Street Church since 1948 and sang in the choir there for most of the 72 years she was a member. She found a second home at Fountain Street, drawn to the messages of hope and peace espoused by the church. For years, she set up a table after church services where she distributed literature about the importance of a nuclear free world and protecting our environment, and talked to everyone about what they could do to promote an environmentally safe Michigan. Long before anyone heard about reducing carbon footprints, Corinne was taking steps to reduce hers and encouraging others to do so. She practiced what she preached. – every single day. On Monday afternoons, for many years, she rallied with a local peace group on the corner of Division and Fulton in downtown Grand Rapids, advocating for issues of peace, global justice, and a nuclear-free world. Corinne returned to college in her early forties and, in 1967, became a member of the first graduating class at Grand Valley State University where she received a teaching degree. She taught fourth, fifth, and sixth grades at Coit School for the next 15 years. Corinne wanted students from Coit’s economically depressed neighborhood to have pride in their community and in themselves. Toward that end, she organized and trained her students to lead kids in the lower grades on historical tours of the Coit neighborhood. They learned about the historic buildings and cobblestone streets around their school, as well as the origins of the neighborhood and its place in the history of Grand Rapids. For years after they graduated, students returned to her to say how important she had been in their lives. When the school board proposed razing the building in the 1990s, it was Corinne who joined the fight to save it, eventually winning the battle. Coit School, now 140 years old, continues as a public school today. Once retired from teaching, Corinne single handedly produced a series called Speaking Out on Grand Rapids Television and ran it for 20 years. She also grew increasingly interested in the environmental threat of nuclear power plants and joined the Don’t Waste Michigan movement. In her late 60s, she walked 450 miles with the Michigan Peace March to protest against nuclear power plants and to fight for peace and justice around the world. For 35 years, she was an active member of the Institute for Global Education (IGE), an organization devoted to peaceful conflict resolution, human rights, and multicultural and religious awareness. Upon hearing of Corinne’s passing, IGE released a statement saying that “…we have lost a jewel…Her enthusiasm and generous nature were a gift to everyone who was ever near her.” At 91, Corinne joined the Michigan League of Conservation Voters as a volunteer where she spent her volunteer days calling Michiganders, encouraging them to vote for representatives who would stop rollbacks of critical environmental protections and work toward making Michigan a model and leader in conservation. She also tutored at Coit School for years after her retirement. She taught for a summer in Nepal and ended up sponsoring one of her students, Ram Bdr Khadka, for the following 12 years. She encouraged his studies and mentored him from a child to a young man. Ram is now completing college and teaching elementary school kids, as well as getting involved in his community – his path, in part, guided by Corinne. In letters he wrote to her over the years, he affectionately referred to her as “Grandma.” Amid all of her political and environmental activities, Corinne always put her family first and found time to be a grandmother, doing things like baking and decorating gingerbread houses, knitting nose warmers, crocheting, playing the piano, and always imparting knowledge to her grandkids, exposing them to new experiences to broaden their horizons. She was a teacher in every sense of the word – both in and out of the classroom. Whether she was teaching or volunteering or marching, or sharing time with her family, Corinne’s life was life in motion – always devoted to actions that would make the world a better place and our future brighter. When she summed up her motivations for a life of selfless activism, she said only: “It’s the least I can do for my boys and my family’s future.” If Corinne could leave us with just one word, a word to remember her by, a word that we’ve all heard her say many times, it would be what she said with every goodbye: “Onward!” Corinne is preceded in death by her parents, Joel and Rosemary Steury, her husband, George Carey, siblings JoAnn and Doug, and nephew Warren Steury. She leaves behind her four sons, Pat Carey (Sue), Mitch Carey (Nancy), Steve Carey (Jan), and Keith Carey, grandchildren Mike Carey (Amy), Megan Dupuy (Bert), Brandon Carey, and Lyn Rose Carter (Paul), and great grandchildren Amelia Dupuy, Maddy Dupuy, and Atlas Carter. She also leaves behind many beloved nieces and nephews and their children. Donations may be made in Corinne’s name to Fountain Street Church (24 Fountain St NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503) and/or to the Institute for Global Education (1118 Wealthy St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506) A memorial for Corinne will be held at Fountain Street Church on August 8, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. (Due to the current pandemic crisis, this date may change. Please check the following website for updates closer to the date of the service: (www.memorialalternatives.com).

Online: MY2020CENSUS.GOV
Phone: 1-844-330-2020 Mail: in postage paid envelope
It is important so Grand Rapids receives maximum government funding
(roads, schools, hospitals)

There are NO citizenship questions!!!

1. Institute for Global Education is seeking volunteer opportunities. If you are interested in Peace & Justice issues, and passionate about people and developing more community. The Board of IGE is seeking individuals with good computer skills, add names to our database, send notices to people in data base about upcoming events, and send other information when needed. Board would like new volunteer to work in office at least one day a week, and be able to work independently, or other with other volunteer(s) from time to time.
2. Institute for Global Education is seeking volunteer to work with another volunteer to display and organize our fair trade items that we sale in office that IGE sales. These fair trade items represent Peace & Justice. This volunteer will work with the Treasurer and treasurer assistant to keep track of sales, keep a log, order new supply when need. This job can be done a once or twice month basis.
If Interested please email your information to email hidden; JavaScript is required or call the office 616-454-1642

GRAAMA 87 Monroe Center, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Hours Opened: Tues-Sat 12-5pm 616-540- 2943

EXHIBITS
June- September Local Quilts from “ Changing America; The Underground Railroad and March on Washington”  &
“ City of Hope”: Resurrection City and 1968 Poor People Campaign Nergo League Baseball 

POP-EVENTS June-September Rotating exhibits honoring local activist including Carl Smith, Cleo Cross, the Northeast 4, Robert F. Williams, Emory Douglas, Phyllis Scott, the Bergmans and Sonya Hughs.
Speakers June- September Local Activist, such as Dr. Emmett Bolden and Dr. Eugene Alston . They will recount their personal accounts in the many activist moments within Grand Rapids.

The Institute for Global Education stands for peace and justice here in Grand Rapids. Please make a donation to keep the Institute for Global Education moving forward.

Every penny goes towards stopping attacks on women, immigrants, unions, African Americans and other oppressed peoples. IGE marched at the airport against Muslim ban. IGE hosts the International Day of Peace where over 150 people participated. IGE supported our union bus drivers of ATU in the struggle to preserve pensions, keep health care benefits, and win a good contract here at the Rapid. IGE rallies and protests against putting children in cages, and taking babies from their parents at the border to ship them to Bethany Christian Services here in Grand Rapids. IGE supported the Young Lords 50 Years Conference in Chicago. IGE has participated in Day of the Dead, Mandela Day, and many other efforts. Together we can build strong movements.

Institute for Global Education supports Young Lords 50 Years Commemoration

More than 1000 people gathered at DePaul University in Chicago to hear Jose “Cha Cha” Jimenez, founder of the Young Lords and Oscar Lopez River, freed political prisoner who spent 34 years in U.S. prison for supporting Puerto Rican independence. The Institute for Global Education funded seven members travel and participation in the Young Lords 50 year events. There was also a conference at DePaul University and a lively march through the Lincoln Park neighborhood with signs, “Free Puerto Rico!” and “Remember the victims of Hurricane Maria and Trump!”