#10 White River Light Station - Ok, today was another twofer. The kids and I loaded into the car and headed off to join others from GVSU Alumni Association to help with cleanup of the beach around the White River Light Station in Whitehall. After all, what kind of birthday celebration would this be without a trip to the beach?????? Ok, so this may not have been the ideal time to hit the beach, but we did have a good day together. It was cold, it was damp, but what a difference we made today. Along with the others who joined us, we removed a tire, some lawn chairs that were buried under the sand, and bags of trash. Imagine how beautiful this beach will be when summer arrives. I want to thank GVSU Alumni Association for this Community Outreach Week. I am so happy to be a part of such an amazing group of people who are being the difference around the world. GO LAKERS!!!!!!!! P.S. If you are interested in volunteering or seeing the beach we cleaned up....contact them at http://www.whiteriverlightstation.org/

#9 Kids Food Basket - Ok so today was a twofer ......I was able to volunteer with Kids Food Basket in Grand Rapids and GVSU Alumni at the same time. This week is Community Outreach Week at GVSU. Alumni and current students along with their family and friends are volunteering all over the US and beyond to "be the difference" in their communities. Kids Food Basket is just one of the many places that will be blessed this week. I have recently posted about my time at Manna Meals in Allendale. I was stunned by the amount of kids that are being blessed each week. Imagine my surprise when I got to Kids Food Basket. This place is amazing. As you can see in the picture they have served over 300,0000 meals since July, 2012. That is just 8 months people. WOW! Our job today was so simple. We were to package crackers into individual servings to be sent home in future meals to the kids in Grand Rapids who may not otherwise have a meal. Such a lovely thing to be a part of!!!!!! Include in the pictures are a list of some of the schools where these meals are delivered along with the number of meals needed at each, you can see a sample menu (this is subject to change based on what foods are donated and available each night) and most importantly the sack track. Imagine all the full tummies tonight! They are always looking for volunteers. If you live in Grand Rapids and you have an extra hour or more, PLEASE get out there and give them some of your time. You can get more information at http://www.kidsfoodbasket.org/volunteer/volunteer

#8 Blandford Nature Center - Sugarbush Festival So yes, this just may end up being my SWEETEST birthday yet! Today my adventure took me to Blandford Nature Center. I parked where the volunteers were instructed to park. From there I took a hike through the woods (Yes people it is Michigan in March) and ended up in the sugar shack. The sugar shack is generally used to show guests how maple syrup is made. Today, we took over the back room and made Maple Cotton Candy to be sold as part of this annual festival. Can you stay STICKY????? Yes, that is me covered head to toe in maple cotton candy. I met some pretty amazing people and learned so much about this center. Even bumped into some people from my day job :) The mission of Blandford Nature Center is to "educate, engage and empower our community to become stewards of the natural world that sustains us." The nature center encompasses 143 acres of land and wildlife. The Sugarbush Festival is one of four festivals held annually to raise awareness and funding to continue their mission. If you would like to consider volunteering your time in the great outdoors, contact them at www.BlandfordNatureCenter.org