Sept. 22, 2023 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Nominations are now open for the 41st annual GIANT Awards, which recognize exceptional African American leaders for their contributions to the history, quality of life, and culture of West Michigan communities. Dr. Patricia Pulliam and the late Cedric Ward created the event in 1983 to preserve history and inspire future generations. Grand Rapids Community College hosts the annual ceremony. The upcoming event will be at 6 p.m. on Feb. 3, 2024, at DeVos Place Ballroom, 303 Monroe Ave. “This event shows the beauty and significance of where we live and who we serve,” said Tempy Mann, chairperson of the 41st GIANT Awards. “This is the time to celebrate the African American community; to say look at us, look at what we’ve done, and look at how we’ve contributed to this city and our community.” Thirteen giants of the community will be honored at the upcoming event, Mann said. Nominations may be submitted until 5 p.m. on October 31 at grcc.edu/GIANT . The selection committee encourages those who have previously nominated people who have not been selected for an award to please submit again as there is a new application. Proceeds will support the Milo M. Brown Memorial Scholarship and the Junior GIANT Scholarship. The Junior GIANT Cedric Ward Leadership Scholarship and the Junior GIANT Dr. Patricia Pulliam Leadership Scholarship was established in 2017. The Milo M. Brown Memorial Scholarship was established in 1987.

Sept. 21, 2023 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — There’s a story of love and hope behind those ArtPrize kidney beans. Nine years ago, when Grand Rapids Community College student Natalie Frias was rushed to the hospital, both her kidneys — irreparably damaged by childhood strep throat — were failing. In fact, they’d shrunk to the size of dried kidney beans. “I needed a kidney transplant, but none of my family or friends were a match,” Frias said. “I’d just met my now-husband, Mike, on Match.com a month earlier. Mike stayed by my side and even got tested to see if he was a donor match … and we matched again.” On March 21, 2016, the pair underwent a successful transplant surgery at Trinity Health Grand Rapids Hospital and married just three months later. Today the couple lives in Hudsonville with their two young children. Natalie Frias is happily enrolled in GRCC’s Occupational Therapy Assistant program. And her kidney is holding its own. Their amazing tale of matching has been featured on the “Today” show, in People magazine and on the local news. She even wrote a book about her journey called “Fighting Failure.” But that’s not the end of her story. “I consider myself a kidney warrior,” Frias said, now 41. “Even though 1 in 7 American adults has kidney disease, 90% of them don’t realize they have it.” Frias has made it her life’s mission to spread awareness of the dangers of kidney disease and the importance of becoming an organ donor. She shares her message using social media, public appearances, her book — and now through art. Frias created her very first piece of art — a sculpture with painted kidney beans as its foundation — and entered it in this year’s ArtPrize. Her entry is called “Silent Absence” and can be viewed through Oct. 1 at the JW Marriott in downtown Grand Rapids. The piece includes hundreds of kidney beans painted green, draping vine-like down an empty wooden chair and pooling on the floor. “The kidney beans represent kidney disease, and the chair represents a place at the table with your loved ones,” she said. “It’s meant to demonstrate how kidney disease slowly takes over, taking you away from your loved ones and your normal daily life.” Frias worked on the piece late at night this winter after putting her kids to bed and finishing her homework. It became a kind of therapy for her. As a busy mom, wife and student, Frias hasn’t had a lot of extra time to chat with ArtPrize visitors viewing her work. But when she’s there, the experience has been magical. “When I’m able to tell people my story to better understand the sculpture, the look that comes over their faces is really amazing. They suddenly understand why I’m so focused on kidney disease awareness and we just instantly connect,” she said. Matt Mekkes, director of GRCC’s Occupational Therapy Assistant program, said he appreciates how Frias is utilizing ArtPrize as a platform to educate others. “This skill of advocacy is one we strive to develop in all our students as they move from student to practitioner,” Mekkes said. In the end, Frias said, the piece is meant to tell a story. “If you look very closely, you’ll see a flower blossoming near the top,” she said. “That flower represents hope … hope for a cure.” This story was reported by Beth McKenna

Sept. 19, 2023 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – As she looks ahead to graduating from GRCC next year, Karen Savage, 43, said she’s excited about starting a new life and, in her words, “moving forward instead of settling.” Kenneth Culajay, 45, is equally eager to see what the future holds for him after his anticipated winter 2024 graduation from GRCC. Both students came to the college having not pursued higher education after their high school graduations. And both are working toward their degrees while also juggling numerous other responsibilities, including parenting. They thus have a first-hand appreciation for National Student Parent Month, but they are even more appreciative of the many ways in which GRCC supports their goals and aspirations. “Without the GRCC team, I would not be a year from graduating,” Savage said. “Megan (Downey) with the Occupational Support Program has been an ear to listen, a cheerleader when I didn’t think it could happen and a magician to help with the numbers.” Culajay agreed. “GRCC makes it so easy to work and study at the same,” he said. “I was fortunate enough to be hired by the orientation team here at the school. They work with my school schedule and no weekends, so I have enough time to help my daughter and still have time to go over my schoolwork.” Downey said it’s been a privilege to walk beside Savage and Culajay and the many other GRCC students who also balance their studies and parenting. “Parenting students coming to GRCC want to create a better life for their family and they want the possibility of turning a GRCC degree into a career with a higher wage,” she said. “At GRCC when we support parenting students, we support their commitment to their family.” That support takes many forms, including assistance searching for on or off campus childcare; connecting students to on-campus funding sources, including financial aid; and coaching students through the new balancing act of being a parent, student, worker and more. “Most of our students are navigating school along with family commitments, tight finances, work schedules and complex lives,” Downey said. Culajay, who grew up in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood, has a 25-year-old and a 13-year-old daughter. “It can be difficult at times trying to manage the time it takes to do my schoolwork and also helping my 13-year-old with her homework,” he said. “But I feel that I am setting a good example for both my daughters that it is never too late to pursue your dreams.” Those dreams include finishing his degree at GRCC, going on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and then either opening a resale shop after he graduates or seeking a management position with one of the big pharmacy chains (his first job after high school was at a pharmacy in Manhattan). Savage is in the GRCC Radiologic Technology program, a field she said she chose after she rolled her ankle and had to have surgery to repair torn ligaments. “I had to have x-rays and one of the technicians just really had an impact on me,” she recalled. “She seemed to love her job and be happy in her choice.” Savage is a mother to a 16-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter and said juggling many responsibilities can sometimes get difficult but that the journey is also incredibly rewarding. “I am more appreciative of what it takes to reach a goal and the grit it takes to keep pushing when it is hard,” she said. She added with a smile: “Schedules can get tricky. My son is in football, band and wrestling, and my daughter is in the choir and band.” Like Culajay, Savage said she wants her children to “know what it is like to push for your dreams.” She’s also trying to set an example for them in the classroom. “In high school my grades were barely passing,” she said. “Now I am making the grades that I wish I did in high school thanks to GRCC.” Culajay feels the same way. “They have so many ways here to help students succeed,” he said. “I have used them all, and it is awesome. Down the road, I would like to work helping people in some way, shape or form, like the staff here at GRCC helps students reach their academic goals. They make a difference in people’s lives. I know they made a difference in mine.” This story was reported by Phil de Haan.