Rapid Growth Media

21/07/2025

🌾 Logan Anderson of Sparta: Growing the Future of Farming 🌱

Congrats to Logan Anderson, a Sparta grad and future MSU agribusiness student, on earning a $1,000 scholarship from West Michigan Works! Logan is carrying on his family’s legacy at AB Orchards and says, “It’s just as crucial to understand economics and marketing as it is to grow things.”

This new scholarship supports the next generation of ag leaders in West Michigan. 👏🍎

Three West Michigan students earn scholarships aimed at strengthening farming with innovative approaches and fresh talent.

17/07/2025

🏊‍♀️🏹 The Hartford Nationals bring adaptive sports, champions—and big impact—to West Michigan
📍 Grand Rapids | July 11–17

For 17-year-old Grace Offman of North Muskegon, swimming at The Hartford Nationals is more than a competition—it’s a statement of belonging.

“This is something I can do for myself in a community that understands my struggles,” says Offman, who lives with hereditary spastic paraplegia. “I’m thankful something like The Hartford Nationals exists to help everyone feel welcome.”

As The Hartford Nationals wrap up today, Grand Rapids celebrates hosting the nation’s largest adaptive sports championship for the first time. This week, 423 athletes from 36 states and D.C. competed in swimming, track, boccia, powerlifting, paratriathlon, and more—marking the highest athlete participation in the event’s history.

🏅 Paralympians like Matt Scott, Susannah Scaroni, and Tatyana McFadden are inspiring the next generation through clinics and mentorship.
🎁Highlights include a surprise adaptive equipment giveaway and a $2,500 award for rising star Violet Hall.
💰 The event is expected to generate $2M in visitor spending—and serve as a lasting model for accessible, inclusive community events.

🧠 “When we remove barriers and support athletes through access and opportunity, everyone wins.” —Glenn Merry, Move United

📸 Dive into the full story: https://tinyurl.com/29u8ejd5
🔗 Learn more: www.thehartfordnationals.org

Grand Rapids hosts nation’s top adaptive athletes, promoting inclusion, local pride, and over $2 million in visitor spending.

16/07/2025

🏳️‍🌈 Voices of Youth: The uphill battle of small-town Pride 🏳️‍⚧️

In Hastings, MI (pop. 7,512), a small but mighty group of LGBTQIA+ advocates is changing the narrative — one Pride at a time.

From online hate to overwhelming community love, this story dives into what it takes to bring visibility, safety, and celebration to q***r youth in rural America. ✊

Dale Krueger IV, a young LGBTQ+ advocate and Hastings Pride organizer, shares the hard-fought journey of organizing the town’s first two Pride events — and why it matters for the next generation. 🌈

📖 Read now: https://tinyurl.com/jwrjszyn
📸 Sponsored by Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health
✍️ Mentored by Caroline Bissonette

Hastings, Mich., held its second annual Pride Festival, uniting LGBTQIA+ residents and allies in a powerful show of rural visibility despite local backlash. The event drew hundreds and marked growing support for q***r youth in the small, traditionall

15/07/2025

🎙️ Cults, courage, and astral projection? Just another day in the creative mind of Grand Rapids author Christopher Tallon.

A former teacher, Navy vet, and father of four, Tallon draws from real-life experiences and deep research to craft thrilling stories with heart. His latest novel, Sleepwalker Angel, follows an EMT who teams up with her dead grandma and the Grim Reaper to rescue her cousin from a cult—with a little help from astral projection.

🌀 We caught up with Tallon to talk about the real-life inspirations behind his book, his Michigan roots, and how he balances writing with raising four kids.

📖 Read the full Q&A here ➡️ https://shorturl.at/x9XNS
📚 Learn more: www.christophertallon.com
🎧 Follow and check out A Podcast for Creative People

Christopher Tallon’s latest novel follows a brave EMT on a supernatural mission, blending real-life experiences with suspense and imagination.

14/07/2025

🏗️ Developer Day = Smart growth in action.

Doug Poland left The Right Place’s Developer Day with a roadmap to transform a salvage yard and a former prison into job-creating industrial sites.

With 200+ attendees and real-time access to tools, data, and decision-makers, Developer Day helps turn big ideas into real projects.

📊 See how it’s shaping West Michigan’s future:
🔗 https://tinyurl.com/2vxakk2k

The Right Place’s Developer Day and annual report combine data and dialogue to help municipalities and developers pursue strategic growth.

13/07/2025

🌞📚 Summer Wonder is Here! 📚🌞
Kent District Library’s Summer Wonder is sparking curiosity and connection across Kent County with a fun, flexible 30-day challenge for all ages—running now through August 8!

✅ Read anything—books, comics, audiobooks
✅ Try writing & hands-on STEAM activities
✅ Join library events & earn prizes (even trees get planted!)

Families love how it fits their summer rhythm—whether it’s outdoor adventures, journaling, or discovering new reads.

🎁 Finish the challenge to earn prizes + gift card drawings!
🌳 Go beyond and help plant a tree in Kent County!

📍 Sign up at your library or online: http://bit.ly/44G4kuz
📖 Read the full story: rapidgrowthmedia.com

Kent District Library’s Summer Wonder program blends books, creativity, and curiosity into a fun, flexible routine that keeps kids learning all summer.

13/07/2025

🏡 What if your kitchen looked great and worked for everyone?

KCAD students teamed up with Disability Advocates of Kent County to rethink kitchen design—from the perspective of people who use wheelchairs and mobility aids.

💡 After trying to cook from a wheelchair, student James Fischer said it best: “Design isn’t just about how things look—it’s how we live.”

The result? A hands-on exhibit that shows the difference between basic ADA compliance and truly inclusive design.

🔧 It’s not just a class project—it’s a call to build better.

Design students at KCAD partner with Disability Advocates of Kent County to create hands-on, accessible kitchen displays that challenge industry standards and expectations.

11/07/2025

🌿🦋🐟 Flora’s Illustrated Guide to Managing Invasive Species
Most of us know invasive species are bad—but what can we actually do?

In our latest Voices of Youth feature, young artist and environmental storyteller Flora Duckworth-Guerra breaks it down with vibrant illustrations and easy-to-follow actions. From removing butterfly bush to protecting Michigan’s lakes from sea lampreys—and even what to do with that giant koi you can’t keep—Flora shows how we all can help.

🎨 Featuring original illustrations by Flora, a student at Grand Rapids Public Schools
💬 Part of our Voices of Youth series, in partnership with Kent ISD & Steelcase Foundation.

06/07/2025

🏠 A Place to Call Home — Thanks to Dwelling Place 🏠
After her divorce, Keisha thought homeownership was out of reach — until Dwelling Place’s Community Land Trust changed everything. Now she and her three kids have a home to call their own.

This isn’t just Keisha’s story — it’s a glimpse into a growing movement to make homeownership possible for working families across West Michigan. From Grand Rapids to South Haven, Dwelling Place is building homes that stay affordable for generations.

Dwelling Place’s Community Land Trust program creates lasting affordable homeownership opportunities across West Michigan for working families and single-income households.

05/07/2025

Flora Duckworth-Guerra, a Grand Rapids student and budding illustrator, is showing us how art and action go hand in hand when it comes to protecting the planet. Her beautifully drawn, research-backed Illustrated Guide to Managing Invasive Species highlights threats like the butterfly bush, sea lamprey, and giant koi — and gives us simple ways to help.

From sketchbook to solution, Flora's work blends storytelling and science to inspire change. 💚

This story is part of Voices of Youth, a Rapid Growth series created by and for young people in Kent County — with support from the Steelcase Foundation and Kent ISD.

As part of Rapid Growth’s Voices of Youth series, Flora Duckworth-Guerra created a two-part visual guide exploring six invasive species and how to combat them. Part one spotlights the butterfly bush, sea lamprey, and giant koi.

04/07/2025

🗿 Face-to-face with humanity—like you’ve never seen it before.

Tommy Allen's latest feature for Rapid Growth Media dives into BUSTED, the groundbreaking new exhibit at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

Curated by Suzanne Ramljak, BUSTED is anything but traditional. These busts aren’t of kings and saints—they’re of us. Friends, mentors, artists, even Kermit the Frog. It’s a celebration of identity, memory, and the many faces that shape our shared human experience.

From rose-gold brass to salvaged wood and holograms, 16 artists reimagine an ancient art form for today’s world. And in a first for Meijer Gardens, the show is designed to be seen eye-to-eye—even by the youngest visitors.

🧠 Insightful. 💥 Provocative. ❤️ Human.

👉 Read the full story here: bit.ly/44yeaie

An intimate, thought-provoking sculpture show explores identity, visibility, and human connection through contemporary busts that reflect who we are today. BUSTED with Suzsanne Ramljak interviewed by Tommy Allen of Grand Rapids

03/07/2025

West Michigan Whitecaps are teaming up with The Delta Project for Black Sox Appreciation Night on Wednesday, July 9, at LMCU Ballpark!

In our Published Together series, Delta Project Co-founder Joel Van Kuiken reflects on a special night that honors the legacy of the Grand Rapids Black Sox. The event celebrates trailblazers like Minnie Forbes and Ted Rasberry. It also supports a new generation of youth of color through The Delta Project’s mentorship and empowerment programs.

🎟️ A portion of ticket sales + proceeds from the jersey auction and 50/50 raffle will go directly to support The Delta Project’s mission to break the cycle of incarceration through programs like Boys to Men-tors and the Young Fathers Initiative.

You can purchase tickets here: https://www.gofevo.com/event/Deltaproject2

Black Sox Night at LMCU Ballpark celebrates Black baseball history and supports youth of color through Delta Project partnership.