Jan. 18, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Paulette Moncure used to wear a brace on her knee due to arthritis. Sherry Wagner has COPD and now breathes better. Both women credit, in part, staying active and moving as regular participants in Grand Rapids Community College’s Older Learner Fitness classes. The programs are offered through GRCC Workforce Training and directed and taught by Lannie Collard, a GRCC instructor of Physical Fitness and Program Manager for the Older Learner Center. “When I first started, I had to wear a knee brace to exercise and then Lannie gave me some leg exercises to do. After about 4-5 months, I don’t need to wear the brace anymore. It has increased my mobility,” Moncure said. “Lannie is a great instructor and gives all of us individual attention. If you want her to help you with certain aches and pains she will. Lannie is a genuine, caring person - she inspires us all. Her excitement and passion spills into all of us. I have met new people and we have become a family. We all care about each other.” Both women have recruited others to attend. “I’m always telling others about the program,” said Wagner, who originally found the program online and reached out to Collard. “I tell my friends, ‘Retirement is what you make of it.’ I chose to keep moving!” In addition to the Strength and Stretch class, Collard also leads an Arthritis Foundation Aquatics program, and three other fitness classes specifically for older learners.  Moncure participates in all of the classes she can, “I come to all the classes, water aerobics, and the stretch and flex, yoga -even when I’m out of town if it’s available on Zoom.” Wagner doesn’t like to miss a class either, “I don’t want to disappoint Lannie so that motivates me to show up.” Some classes are offered at the Tassell MTEC while others take place at the Gerald R. Ford Fieldhouse on the downtown campus. Neither women are intimidated by the parking downtown. According to Moncure, “The parking is not bad. Once you do it, it’s easy!” Grants through the Kent County Senior Mileage and Older Americans Act assist in the costs of the programs and offer scholarships to individuals who may not be able to afford the cost. Moncure said the cost should not be an excuse not to get moving. “I like this program because I know some people who really can’t afford the fees but you can just give what you can afford. For people who are on a fixed income, it can be difficult to fit into a budget right away.” Wagner added, “I started out with a scholarship because I just couldn’t afford it. Now I pay weekly and I feel good about it because that money can help another person come.” For more information visit grcc.edu/olc or call (616) 234-3800.  

Jan. 17, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- On the court and in the classroom, Grand Rapids Community College sophomore basketball player Marlene Bussler has had good people to guide her. “ Coach (David) Glazier was a big reason for my decision when I decided on GRCC,” she said. “I really enjoyed his energy, and I knew they were a competitive program.” After coming to GRCC and playing for Glazier, she said what drew her in during the recruiting process has stayed true. “Coach is passionate,” she said. “And I’d say he knows his players very well. He pushes us because he knows what we’re capable of.” She has found that same energy in her on-campus classes. “I’ve really enjoyed my professors,” she said. “It’s been a lot of work, but I’ve learned a lot too. I really enjoyed my chemistry professor, Jesse Crandall. I was very intimidated by the class at first, but his teaching style was awesome, and he was always open to questions.”  Good mentorship goes back already to her early playing days, Bussler added. “I first started playing when I was really little,” she recalled. “My dad was my coach for a while growing up, and he was a girls varsity coach for almost 30 years (at Lakeview High School), so I trusted what he said always, and he made me the player I am today.” At Harper Creek High School, Bussler was part of back-to-back district championship teams and was an all-conference and all-city honoree who could both hit the three and dish out eye-opening assists. Still, she wasn’t quite sure what the future might hold, either academically or athletically, until Glazier and GRCC came calling. “I knew I wanted to continue playing basketball, so I felt like GRCC was my best option,” she said. What she expected has come to fruition, she added. “I’ve really liked my experience at GRCC,” she said smiling. “My teammates and professors have been awesome, and the past year-and-a-half has pushed me to be a better player.” Glazier has also been pleased by the way things have turned out. “The first time I saw Mar play, the way she just continued to work and give effort, it was easy to see her skill set would lead to on-the-court success,” he said. “And now I see her as an extension of myself in her role as a player because we can have conversations mid-game to correct team-wide issues or to stay consistent with the things we are doing well. And as a person she is one of the most dependable young women I have had the honor of coaching and knowing.” A 5’6” point and shooting guard, Bussler averaged 10.5 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game and 3.2 assists per game last year while 35 minutes per tilt. She was also second team all-conference and a player of the week honoree. This season has been more of the same with 12.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 3.3 apg averages through GRCC’s first eight games. She’s also on track to graduate in May 2023 with an Allied Health degree and after GRCC she hopes to continue playing basketball and study occupational therapy.  “GRCC has been everything I had hoped it would be,” she said. This story was reported by Phil de Haan.

Jan. 16, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Rachel Baas wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to do after graduating from Byron Center High School in 2016. “I was planning on going to college originally for some sort of art degree,” she recalled recently. “But I didn’t know exactly what I might want to do with that degree.” Enter GRCC’s Secchia Institute for Culinary Education , specifically the Baking and Pastry Arts track. “It was the perfect fit,” Baas said. “Really baking and pastry have allowed me to have a solid career that I think lets me be just as artistic as traditional art.” Start at GRCC and go anywhere. Every former student has a story to tell about how GRCC gave them the education and opportunity to be successful. After attending GRCC from 2016 to 2019, and earning an associate degree in Culinary Arts, Baas went on to complete the joint program in Hospitality Management with Ferris State University. She now works parttime for Gun Lake Casino and owns her own business, called Equinox Pastries and Pops . And after five-plus years in the hospitality industry, she said she still loves the pace and variety of her work. “At Gun Lake, we have quite a bit of freedom and flexibility because of our pastry chef, so that’s great,” she said. “And we make desserts for all five restaurants that are part of the casino, so there’s a lot of variety there. But then I also have my own business. That not only lets me get really creative, but it’s also what I someday want to do on a fulltime basis.” Baas credits GRCC professor Audrey Heckwolf for not only helping her grow from a baking and pastry perspective but also for instilling in her a confidence that she could one day own her own business. “I took retail baking with her,” Baas said. “That course is a lot more than just creating baked good for a store. There is a lot of research and development that is part of it, thinking about mass production, being business minded. The course, and Chef Audrey, helped me get that motivation to someday be a business owner. I can’t thank her, and many of my other professors, enough.” One of those professors, Laura Woolsey , has a doctorate in Astronomy and Astrophysics from Harvard and indirectly helped Baas name her business. “It’s a funny story actually,” Baas said with a smile. “I was in Woolsey’s astronomy class trying to figure out how to connect the word equinox to baked goods since I liked the sound of Equinox Pastries. My professor was walking around the room, talking about how the seasons worked, with a plastic ball model of the earth with a metal axis down the middle, and it clicked. It was a circle, with a stick in it, and I could make that: cake pops. So, I doodled the logo with the "O" in Equinox as a cake pop and the rest was history.” Now, with Equinox Pastries and Pops, Rachel creates custom desserts for people's celebrations, teaches cookie and cake pop decorating classes and also owns a vintage camper that she renovated to become a fun mobile dessert bar for markets and events. “I absolutely love creating people's dessert visions into delicious realities while also being able to use my business and work as a creative outlet,” she said with a big smile. She prepares her products out of licensed kitchen in Eastown in Grand Rapids, renting space by the hour as needed. And while she likes the arrangement, she said her GRCC education taught her never to settle, so she has her sights set higher. “Last year I did a farmer’s market every week,” she said. “And one of my goals in 2023 is to get into more retail settings. If I’m able to do that, then the next step would be to have my own kitchen. It would be a big, big step, but I want to dream big.” This story was reported by Phil de Haan.

Jan. 14, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Sally Merrill led the Grand Rapids Community College women's basketball team to a convincing conference-opening win over Bay College on Saturday. In the second game of the doubleheader, GRCC's men's basketball team dropped its game 88-75. It is the team’s third-straight loss after starting the season with 11 consecutive wins. The women's team led wire-to-wire, and by as many as 39 points, cruising to an 81-47 win and the team’s second victory in a row, improving to 7-4 overall. Merrill scored a game-high 21 points and added 18 rebounds, which was the second most of her career. Four other Raiders finished in double figures, including sophomore shooting guard Alyssa Katerberg, who had a career-high 13 points. GRCC had five season-highs performances as a team, including points, field goal attempts, field goals made, rebounds and steals. Emersyn Koepke had a career-high seven steals to go with her nine points and team-high four assists.  The men's team jumped out to an 11-point lead, but Bay College came back to take a 43-39 half time lead and they never looked back, eventually taking the game 88-75. Brockton Kohler lead the team with 18 points and eight rebounds. The Raiders finished with a season-low in field goal percentage and converted a season-high 20 turnovers.  

Jan. 13, 2023 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Families can learn about the water they drink and potential careers through hands-on activities during two “Water Pool-ooza” events. The program, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is designed for fourth- through 12th-graders and their families, said Hillary Caren, a chemist with Grand Rapids’ water system. Grand Rapids Community College, which runs a training program for jobs related to municipal water, public works, clean energy and river restoration projects, is a partner. “Water Pool-ooza will provide students with hands-on activities, taught by water professionals, community partners and nonprofits, that are designed to expose them to a variety of water-related issues and careers,” she said. The two Water Pool-ooza events are free: Feb. 25, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the city’s Lake Michigan Filtration Plant, 17350 Lake Michigan Drive. Participants can follow the journey drinking water takes to reach their faucet. Water professionals will guide them through the treatment process with interactive activities to learn more about drinking water and about careers in the water industry. March 11, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at GRCC’s Tassell M-TEC, 622 Godfrey Ave. SW. Participants can learn more about water sustainability, conservation and careers through activities led by nonprofit and community partners. City staff will lead demonstrations, and water professionals will share their roles within the water industry. Caren said speakers at the two events will come from the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, the Kent County Drain Commission, the cities of Grand Rapids and Wyoming, and private industry. “Water Pool-ooza will educate school students about the importance and beauty of the water around us and how it impacts our daily lives,” she said. “They will learn about diverse topics related to our water resources and begin to understand their role as water stewards and champions.”

Jan. 13, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – West Michigan’s commemoration of the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. will include reflections on the past, a hard look at our current challenges and a look to the future through scholarships. Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr., an author and Princeton University educator, will provide the keynote address as part of the 37th annual community commemoration, a partnership between Davenport University, Grand Rapids Community College, and Grand Valley State University, with support from local sponsors. The 2023 keynote is planned for 6 p.m. Jan. 16 at Fountain Street Church, 24 Fountain Street NE in Grand Rapids. The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 5 p.m. Registration is available here .  The event will also introduce area high school students receiving “Inherit the Dream” scholarships and include short welcomes from college presidents and community leaders. The event will be among the first official duties for incoming GRCC President Charles Lepper, who officially starts on Monday. Lepper is planning to speak about Dr. King’s legacy with GVSU President Philomena V. Mantella and Davenport University President Richard J. Pappas. The event will also introduce area high school scholarship recipients, musical selections from the West Michigan District AME Zion Choir, and blessings from the Rev. Nikki Smith, associate minister of Hilliard Chapel AME Zion Church and an associate professor in GRCC’s Criminal Justice Department. Glaude, the keynote speaker, is an author, political commentator, public intellectual and passionate educator who examines the complex dynamics of the American experience. Combining a scholar’s knowledge of history, a political commentator’s take on the latest events, and an activist’s passion for social justice, Glaude challenges all of us to examine our collective American conscience, "not to posit the greatness of America, but to establish the ground upon which to imagine the country anew." His writings, including “Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul,” “In a Shade of Blue: Pragmatism and the Politics of Black America,” and his most recent, the New York Times bestseller, “Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for our Own.” Glaude is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton. He is also on the Morehouse College board of trustees. He frequently appears in the media, as a columnist for TIME Magazine and as contributor on “Meet the Press” and on MSNBC programs. Glaude also hosts Princeton’s AAS podcast, a conversation around the field of African American Studies and the Black experience in the 21st century. He also is a former president of the American Academy of Religion. Community sponsors for the event include: Corewell Health, Bethany Christian Services, Consumers Energy, Foster Swift, Warner Norcross and Judd, and the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel.

Jan. 12, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Teri Herdon, a Grand Rapids Community College  dental Instructor, has seen first hand how dental care can change lives.  She vividly recalls one patient she encountered while volunteering at a Mission of Mercy event, which provided dental care for patients in need in Grand Rapids.  After completing treatment, the patient began crying and hugging Herdon. The patient had never been able to afford dental care, and by getting the help she needed, could now be put on a kidney transplant list. “We both began crying with joy. She thanked me for saving her life, and I’ll never forget the impact she had on me. We still keep in touch and she’s doing well,” Herdon said.  Herdon enrolled in GRCC’s Dental Hygiene program in 1990. She worked in private practice for a while and came back to GRCC to teach in 2003. She still maintains a busy schedule of teaching, working in private practices, administering board exams, and volunteering.  “I love working with the students. We work hard and build strong relationships. I get to take what I have learned in the world and bring it into a hands-on classroom,” Herdon said.   The program involves hands-on learning in the GRCC Dental Clinic. The Dental Clinic is open to the public and offers preventative services to the public such as cleanings, x-rays, and more for affordable rates.  Herdon says the dental faculty have created a collaborative environment. The program has a strong reputation for knowledgeable staff, state-of-the-art technology, and hardworking students. “I’ve been to many other colleges to administer exams,” Herdon said. “I am always proud to come home to GRCC. Our dental program has a strong reputation, it makes me proud to work here”.  The dental hygiene program has a competitive waitlist, more information can be found here .  The Dental Clinic is currently accepting new patients, more information can be found here .   

Jan. 11, 2023, LANSING, Mich. – Head coach David Glazier of the Grand Rapids Community College women's basketball team earned his 100th career win after his team's convincing, 27-point victory over Lansing Community College on Wednesday. In the later game, GRCC's men's basketball team couldn't overcome a 22-point first half deficit and fell to the Stars 93-81, only the team’s second loss of the season. The women’s team held Lansing to just 26 percent from the field, 50 percent from the free throw line and just 40 total points, while scoring 67 of their own on a season-high 42.1 percent from the field. "Proud of these kids tonight in a complete team bounce back after a disappointing outing this past Saturday," Glazier said. "Tonight was a showcase of what this team really is when we play team basketball." Allison Kellogg scored a career-high 16 points on 6-of-8 from the floor while adding seven rebounds. Grace Lodes finished with her seventh double-double of the season with 16 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.  Marlene Bussler filled the stat sheet with 14 points, six assists, six rebounds, a block and a steal. Glazier, in his seventh season as head coach of the Raiders, is now 100-77.  His team is coming off a 20-win season that included a runner-up performance in the NJCAA regional tournament.  Two years ago, he led the team to its first trip to the NJCAA national tournament. "Humbled by the milestone because it isn't possible without the sacrifices, hours of hard work, and dedication that so many players have given to the program," Glazier said. The men’s team, after winning its first 11 games, has now lost two in a row. Rico Wade led a total of 10 Raiders that scored, with 14 points on 6-of-9 from the floor. Brockton Kohler, who recently signed to play with Cleary University, was 4-of-8 from three point range and finished with 13 points. Danyel Bibbs chipped in with 13 points and a team-high five assists and Chris Coleman nearly had a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. Both teams will be back in action on Jan. 14 as they play host to Bay College at home in their conference openers. The women's game will tip-off first at 1 p.m. with the men to follow.