Dear friends,

As spring fully blooms, I am reminded of the promise of young people as I see them plan for prom, summer jobs, and graduation. So many hopes and dreams are on the precipice of reality. And thus, the Community Foundation plays an important role by investing in young lives. We have opened over 2,400 Kickstart to Career savings accounts and, last year, we awarded scholarships to more than 350 students and funded more than $1.8 million in education-related grants.

I am troubled when I hear the derogatory term “snowflake” to describe youth as lazy, protected, and entitled. What I see here in Newaygo County are hardworking kids—children that need our loving guidance and just enough freedom to develop their own minds and sense of self. Our young citizens will be the leaders of the future and the workforce to keep our economy growing. They will guide family values. I hope they will also be able to break the cycle of contempt for our fellow people and find real solutions to long-term problems.

If you need an example of the tenacity, creativity, and leadership of young people, take a look at our Youth Advisory Committee. They engage in grantmaking, leadership, volunteerism, and building friendships across school boundaries, socioeconomic status, and geography. The world today is a complicated place with criticism often overriding compassion, but I am heartened to see these students’ commitment to making the world around them better.

We’re proud to partner with you to help young people through opportunities like Kickstart to Career, scholarships, and more. Kids are doing so much more than we realize in sometimes very challenging circumstances. Hope shines eternal!

Fremont Area Community Foundation is expanding a partnership with Northern Initiatives to provide loans and technical assistance for small businesses in Newaygo, Lake, Mecosta, and Osceola counties. The expansion allows the Community Foundation to support local businesses in the areas served by their three affiliate foundations as well as in Newaygo County.

Loans are available to entrepreneurs and businesses looking to start or grow their business in the four-county region. Loan recipients also have access to a variety of trainings, tools, coaching, and other supports. They can work one-on-one with a coach as well as access Northern Initiative’s online business resource portal, Initiate.

“Local small businesses are the backbone of the economy in our region,” said Shelly Kasprzycki, Community Foundation president and CEO. “We have been proud to partner with Northern Initiatives in Newaygo County over the last several years and are excited to support this expansion of their services here and in Lake, Mecosta, and Osceola counties.”

“We help entrepreneurs who have been overlooked or denied by other financial institutions and give them the support they need to start and grow their businesses,” said Elissa Sangalli, president of Northern Initiatives. “Those businesses go on to support families, neighborhoods, and communities.”

The Community Foundation has partnered with Northern Initiatives—a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI)—since 2016 to create a regional revolving loan fund to serve businesses who may not quality for traditional funding. In 2021, Northern Initiatives facilitated more than $475,000 in loans to Newaygo County businesses.

Interested businesses can apply directly through Northern Initiatives. Learn more at northerninitiatives.org.