 Newaygo County 4-H is pleased to announce it is the recipient of three grants from the Gerber Foundation for youth programming. Annual grants are awarded through a competitive application and review process and are geared toward projects serving youth from 0 – 18 years of age. Grant funds awarded to Newaygo County 4-H will provide Fab Lab STEM education, 4-H Day Camps for youth at Legends Ranch and Discover 4-H! SPIN Clubs focusing on in school and after school programming with local elementary schools. In partnership with Muskegon Community College, the 4-H Fab Lab SPIN Club will take place in downtown Muskegon. Youth will have the opportunity to connect with high technology equipment and STEM related “gadgets” while working with knowledgeable Fab Lab staff and volunteers. The 4-H Fab Lab SPIN Club is open to youth, ages 5 – 19 and will begin in March. Newaygo and Lake County youth will have the opportunity to attend multiple 4-H Day Camps at Legends Ranch in Bitely starting in July. Outdoor education, environmental activities, hiking, archery, fishing, and crafts will be just some of the activities offered. Camps will be open to 4-H youth, ages 9 – 13. Older teens, ages 14 – 19, are encouraged to serve as chaperones for the camps alongside Legends Ranch staff and 4-H volunteers. In partnership with TrueNorth Community Services, the Discover 4-H! SPIN Club will be working with students enrolled in the Engage! Out-of-School Time programs offered at Patricia St. Clair Elementary School in Hesperia and the REACH Out-of-School Time programs offered at White Cloud Elementary School, as well as with students at Big Jackson Public School. The Discover 4-H! SPIN Club will center on food and nutrition, STEAM activities, and environmental education beginning in January. Since 1902, 4-H has been reaching out to young people across America to develop leadership, citizenship, and life skills as they work in partnership with adult mentors. In 4-H, we are committed to helping young people, ages 5 – 19 years of age, develop skills that will help them succeed and reach their full potential. The Gerber Foundation supports a variety of youth programming within a 4-county area that includes Lake, Muskegon, Newaygo, and Oceana Counties. The Foundation has a long history of community support, including support to youth programs (for youth aged 0-18 years), education, and health and human services. To learn more about Newaygo County 4-H, contact Laurie Platte Breza, 4-H Program Coordinator at [email protected]. 
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 The Gerber Foundation is accepting scholarship applications The Gerber Foundation sponsors three competitive scholarships for students graduating from a high school in Newaygo County, including home-schooled students residing in Newaygo County, who are pursuing postsecondary education at colleges, universities, as well as trade and vocational educational training. Newaygo County high school seniors may apply for one of the below listed scholarships:
In addition, high school students graduating from Holton, Muskegon, Ravenna, Hart, Pentwater, Shelby, and Walkerville high schools may apply for the Merit Scholarship. Students must complete their application online. Each application requires a student personal statement, a letter of recommendation, and high school counselor GPA submission. Scholarship application instructions and the link to apply can be found online at the Foundation’s website at www.gerberfoundation.org. Click on the Scholarships LEARN MORE button. Applications are due Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at 4:00pm. Individual winners will be announced at each high school graduation awards ceremony. For questions, contact the Gerber Foundation at 231.924.3175 or by email at [email protected].   Daisy award winner Ladonna Watson, RN, is flanked by nursing leadership at Corewell Health Gerber Hospital; l to r: Angela Frye and Nicholas Strait. Compassionate care earns Watson a DAISY Award at Gerber Hospital
FREMONT, Mich., Nov. 14, 2022 – Ladonna Watson, RN, an inpatient charge nurse at Corewell Health™ Gerber Hospital (formerly Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial Hospital), was selected as the hospital’s latest recipient of The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. Watson was not aware she had been nominated and selected until her name was called during the ceremony held inside the hospital. “I was definitely surprised,” said Watson, upon learning of her selection. “Receiving this award is an honor, but I can’t take all the credit, as my team around me helped ensure I could provide the best care possible for this patient.” Watson was nominated earlier this year by a former patient’s family member. “She has so much love and care for her patients and family members,” the nomination read. “She’s so knowledgeable with every question we’ve had. She even took the time to print off information about my mother’s conditions. It truly is a blessing to have a great nurse and someone who, when I leave my mom, I know she is in good care, with someone who cares about her!” Angela Frye, director of nursing at Corewell Health Gerber Hospital, said Ladonna is very deserving of the recognition. “Ladonna is known for her kindness and compassion for others,” said Frye. “She always makes extra time for her patients and their families and provides empathetic care to all her patients.” During the ceremony, Gerber Hospital chief nursing officer Nicholas Strait commended Watson on receiving the DAISY Award. “This award is in deep appreciation for all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people,” said Strait. Strait also commented, “One of the special qualities about Ladonna is that she works really hard to ensure her patients are as educated as possible about their conditions and helps their family members understand how to best help care for their loved one.” As a young girl, Watson knew she wanted to be a nurse. She earned her nursing degree from Grand Rapids Community College and came to Gerber Hospital in 2006. She shared that one of the most rewarding aspects of being a nurse is the feeling you get when you know you’ve taken good care of someone, and they get to go home. “That’s the best feeling in the world.” Care and compassion are at the core of the Watson household. Ladonna’s husband and former Gerber Hospital registered nurse, Charlie, received the DAISY Award in March 2022. The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, California, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Barnes died at the age of 33 in 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. The care Barnes and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. Nurses are nominated for the DAISY Award by patients, families and colleagues, and they are chosen by a committee of nurses at Corewell Health Gerber Hospital. Awards are given multiple times a year, with each honoree given a certificate and a sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch.” Online nominations can be completed at www.spectrumhealth.org/gerber by clicking on the DAISY Award section at the bottom of the page. At Gerber Hospital, nomination forms and boxes are also at all nurse stations, in lobbies and in the medical offices.  “I still have that feeling the first time we met every time I see you.”-Jayson Edgay So, where did you two meet? Years ago I co-facilitated a couples therapy group and as a bit of introduction this was the question that generally got asked. Is it important? Who knows. But generally it makes a good story. We all know those who met in school with some who stayed together until marriage and some who kind of knew each other but ended up together years later. Couples I have known over the years have met in bars, grocery stores and workplaces, at parties and book stores, while attending concerts and ballgames. There are set ups from friends, online services designed to match folks up and and speed dating has apparently made a comeback in some circles. The couples listed below have recently decided to sign on for the delightful duration known as marriage. Each has a story of how they met. Call it Chapter One Some kind of way that meeting led to showing up at the clerk's office. And the opportunity to add many more chapters to the story of their relationship. Tianna Snyder, Fremont & Eric Stowell, Fremont Timothy Allan Otteran, White Cloud & Dawn Marie Otteren, White Cloud Esteban Rodriguez, Hesperia & Mayra Aleman, Hesperia Guy Chadwick Gregory, Fremont & Tiffany Niole Little, Fremont Traci Miller, Howard City & Robert Rednour, Grandville Sydney Ensing, Fremont & Logan Mullett, Fremont Autumn Zimmer, Grant & Kollin Knight, Grant “Love, like Fortune, favours the bold.”- E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly  Corewell Health Gerber Hospital to offer workplace wellness assistance to area employers
FREMONT, Mich., Nov. 1, 2022 – Corewell Health™ Gerber Hospital, formerly Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial, seeks to partner with Newaygo County employers interested in establishing a workplace wellness program for employees. Gerber Hospital community health specialist Stephanie Kooistra shared this was a need identified in the community health needs assessment completed in 2022. She has seen first-hand the negative impact that preventable, chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes have on individuals, families and the workplace. “We are looking to partner with local businesses to offer services such as blood pressure screenings, tobacco cessation classes, health coaching, weight management and other health and wellness education,” said Kooistra. “By promoting healthy living and providing health education at local worksites, employers can help their employees make healthy, positive choices that will benefit not only the employee but their families and workplaces.” These services provided by Gerber Hospital’s Community Health team are free for employers, with all screenings and classes to be held on-site at the workplace, making it easy and convenient for employees to participate. This initiative will implement The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Workplace Health Model, a coordinated four-step approach to building workplace health promotion programs. The four steps include an initial assessment, planning the program, implementing the program and determining impact through evaluation. “This model uses a coordinated approach that focuses on policies, systems and environmental change to build a healthier workplace,” said Kooistra. “Through this, workplaces can adopt policies that promote and encourage health for their employees.” Health educators from Corewell Health Gerber Hospital will support the businesses and workplaces as each selects the evidence-based strategies they want to implement. “It’s very employer-driven,” added Kooistra. Collaborators in this initiative also include District Health Department #10, LiveWell Newaygo County, the Newaygo County Community Collaborative, Michigan Works! West Central and the Newaygo County Economic Development Partnership, a partner of The Right Place, Inc., a regional economic development collaborative. “As employers from every sector struggle to attract and retain employees, this new strategy can help set companies apart,” said Julie Burrell, economic development director, Newaygo County | The Right Place. “Through these free classes, screening and education, employers can positively contribute to the culture of their organization, prioritizing healthier worksites and healthier employees.” Interested employers can learn more by completing an online survey at https://bit.ly/3TFXyhD, emailing [email protected] or calling 231.924.3073. |
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