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Sometime back in the mid-1990s, Dr. Luis Tomatis initiated a daily ritual of hosting tea at 4 p.m. in his downtown office. For the 20 years since then, Tomatis has welcomed colleagues, friends, college and hospital presidents, and students, many of them medical students, for conversation, tea and cookies.

Self-described “huge comic books fan and toy collector” Jeff Moore launched the venture of his dreams in Rockford.

As the holiday festivities begin, The Hero Foundation wants to remind the community not every family is lucky enough to afford Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas presents let alone pay for everyday necessities. Families coping with cancer are not only concerned with the emotional aspects of the disease, but they must deal with the financial side effects of cancer as well.

Kelly Kermode still has the small pinch pot she made in kindergarten. It’s a reminder of where she started and where she’s going when it comes to life and her pottery skills.

There’s an old phrase, “Home is where the heart is.” To many, family members mean a full heart. To some, great friends often become as close as family. For the Grand Rapids Women’s City Club, members found both family and a sense of home at the historic 1860s Heritage Hills home, the Sweet House, which the club had occupied since 1927. This past April, due to financial reasons, the club said goodbye to its long-term home and entered into uncharted territory.

Why Alice Jasper is on a mission to lead people of color into the outdoors.

The old adage, “write what you know” served Eric Scott Johnson and Eric Machiela well. The pair recently completed Camp Manna, a coming of age film that takes place at an Evangelical Christian summer camp.

Nakajabu Sims’ probation officer told him that he was the poster child to see if 70x7 Life Recovery really works. Turns out, the nonprofit does its job well.

Tom Werkman shares his love of fishing with other anglers.

Survival and passion paved a path for Triumph Music Academy. After teaching music lessons to pay for college, James Hughes, owner and director of Triumph Music Academy, realized his music lessons were unique.

A visual history of Grand Rapids is now available at the Grand Rapids Public Library in postcard form.

It’s been one year since Katie Palumkura and her husband, Abarsh Palumkura, opened the Happy Cat Cafe and they couldn’t be more proud of their business.

Join editors Dani Vilella and Ashley Nickels as they explore grassroots activism in Grand Rapids, “a modern rust belt city.”

Social justice and passion have always been a part of Janay Brower’s work. Before starting Public Thread, she worked for the city of Grand Rapids and the Grand Rapids Area Coalition to End Homelessness, doing systems change and public policy work. But despite the work she was doing, Brower wanted to find a way to foster deeper systemic change.

Don Myers had amassed a comic book collection of 30,000 issues when his college-age kids began encouraging him to do something more with his hobby, specifically, to open a comic book store.

The need for a safe, accepting environment for teenage girls in the foster care system is often overlooked. Negative perceptions of teenage girls as being promiscuous or bringing unwanted drama to families are just a few of the perceived problems, which make it difficult to find a home.

Anne Marie Carson has an obvious soft spot in her heart for animals in need. “I’m kind of drawn to the pathetic creatures,” she said.

Nothing beats the experience of travel, but two Michigan teachers have come up with a way to help children in Michigan visit the state’s impressive natural resources and well-known landmarks without having to pack a suitcase.

A new fitness studio, Zeal Aerial Fitness, was welcomed into town on Nov. 9. Founded by Christina VanDam, the studio said it is the first all-inclusive aerial fitness facility to come to Grand Rapids.

Transforming lives and restoring hope in the Heartside community, Dégagé Ministries is a Christ-centered, non-profit organization that offers valuable programming and services to homeless and disadvantaged individuals in Grand Rapids. To commemorate its impact on the community, the ministry is hosting this year’s “Celebrate Dégagé.”