A team of 65 Lakers volunteered to clean the grounds at the Michigan
Veteran Homes at Grand Rapids in late October.
A team of 65 Grand Valley students, alumni, faculty and staff spent
October 25 sprucing up the Michigan Veteran Homes at Grand Rapids.
Service projects included cleaning grave markers in the cemetery,
raking leaves, decorating for a haunted house and planting flower
bulbs across the campus.
Neal Buckwalter, associate professor of public administration, helped
organize this event with the Michigan Veteran Homes and Michigan Cares for
Tourism, the nonprofit organization founded by Patty Janes,
professor of hospitality and tourism management.
Buckwalter said the aim for involving the Laker community was to help
build an identity for the newly formed School of Community Leadership.
“We are proud of the work we did with the Michigan Veteran Homes at
Grand Rapids,” Buckwalter said. “It felt good to give some small
service back to those who have given so much in service to so many.”
Without a budget, David Eick sent a request to the "Station Eleven" author's team and was delighted when Emily St. John Mandel enthusiastically replied.
Featured
May 19, 2026 (Volume 49, Number 17)
Article by
Sofia Ellis
In a Bridge Michigan article, Mantella wrote that stewardship requires honoring the foundation built by predecessors while having the courage to adapt for what comes next.