KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Despite Labor Day weekend violence, community leaders say a positive trend is emerging thanks to ongoing efforts to engage and support local youth.
Iryonna Hogan-Davis, CEO of the Grand Rapids nonprofit Meaning in Colors, said her organization served more than 800 youth this year in collaboration with numerous partner groups.
Meaning in Colors focuses on uplifting young people through education, housing support and community engagement. Over the summer, the organization partnered with groups including the Grace Program, Marvelous Kidz and the city of Grand Rapids' GROW 1000 program to assist families and youth in need.
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“It’s not just us. It takes a village. That model, it really does take a village,” Hogan-Davis said.
Even with targeted programs and collaborations, Hogan-Davis said the effects of crime still ripple through the community.
“The one thing that we can’t control is everyone, right. And so it’s devastating. It’s really tough, because we know the momentum that it does, how it decreases for our kids, for our community. Every time something like that happens, it’s going to be someone that we know,” she said.
She said their work will continue through the school year, but warned that more support is needed to keep students from “falling through the cracks.”
“It takes more, right. It takes the businesses, it takes the institutions, right. Support these missions. We are really trying to make the difference for our youth to be better, right? We want to make sure that they are thriving,” Hogan-Davis said.
