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ABOUT US // OUR LOCATIONS
West Michigan Capital Campaign
A New Home for Healing
in West Michigan
After eight years in our current West Michigan space, we’re excited to announce we’re moving the healing power of play to a new facility in Grand Rapids.
When we opened the doors to our physical space in 2015, we knew our current location likely wouldn’t be our last. As we have grown and logistical challenges have presented themselves, it is now essential for us to create an additional space that better allows us to provide the health outcomes we strive for.
A Million Minutes More
The families and kids who visit our Center have already found more than one million minutes of play in our squeaky-clean space – and we’re ready to provide a million more. Through strategic planning and design visioning processes, we determined a new space is the only way for us to meet the growing demands for our programs and continue providing the best service to our members.
As a “YES” zone, we strive to always find ways to let kids just be kids. Though we have been good stewards of our current building, making use of every space and resource we have, its size has limited us in the number of yeses we can say. We’re committed to breaking down the barriers of isolation by breaking ground on a new and larger space with more room for everything— especially yeses. A larger facility will allow us to tailor areas to better meet the needs of our members, while improving efficiency and flow.
Finding Fun in New Spaces
After an intentional search for an ideal location, and with financial support from the state of Michigan, we purchased a building from Calvin University in the Spring of 2022. Our new home is located on the East Beltline – nestled alongside Calvin’s nature preserve at the North end of campus.
The building requires renovation to become the high-quality and hospital grade facility our members have come to rely on. Work is expected to get underway this fall, with a grand opening for our members planned for Q4 of 2024.
Half Gym
Will provide a flexible space for fitness/group classes, sports activities and a variety of other programs while ensuring members can play more freely.
Entry and Intake Area
The addition of this will provide adequate space for health screenings for multiple families at a time and ample room to store belongings.
State-of-the-Art Mechanical Room
Similar to one in our current space, that will house a premium HVAC unit along with other equipment needed to ensure the integrity of our super-clean model.
Dedicated Art and Snack Room
For our Little Tots University, which will have appropriately sized tables and chairs so all can easily participate.
Expanded Exploratory Play Room
Will feature an expanded area to support our growing Little Tots University Preschool
Dedicated Space for Our Teens and Young Adults
To provide room for group activities and games.
Community Cafe
Available for teens, young adults, parents and staff. An ideal area for catching up or relaxing, the space will also be set-up to allow for culinary programs.
Parent Lounge
An area of respite and reprieve. Parents are able to take a break from the stress of daily life.
Progress Update
A Campaign for Good. Clean. Fun.
After an extensive quiet capital campaign, we are now entering the public phase with additional support opportunities available, including leadership gifts and general community support.
Breakdown of Cost
Campaign Costs $100k
Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment $300k
Programs & Operations $500K
Building & Land $2M
Construction & Design 5.6M
Campaign Timeline
The project will take approximately 12 months to complete before the doors officially open.
FAQs
Is this location in addition to your current facility, or is it replacing it?
The new building will replace our current Fulton Street location.
Why aren’t you renovating your current space?
Our current location is leased through Saint Thomas Parish, and the property’s layout does not allow for expansion.
Additionally, it would be impossible to renovate our current space while maintaining our current standards for sanitization and cleanliness, meaning the Center would need to close completely for several months. It is important for us to maintain consistent, quality service to our members throughout this transition.
Why are you making the move right now?
This project is part of our strategic vision for the Center and our members. Expansion will allow us to serve more qualifying families, gather more data on health outcomes and provide better services for our rapidly growing community.
How will this impact annual Center operating costs?
We understand a larger space will increase our operating costs and anticipate an annual increase of about 10%. This new building will also increase our overall operational and building efficiency by providing additional space to run more programs concurrently and updated features such a new roof, new windows and state-of-the-art mechanical systems.
Why did you choose the Beltline location?
There are several reasons we felt the Beltline location would be a good fit for the Center’s next home. Our new location is easily accessible from many major Grand Rapids-area roads and expressways, has a size that will better suit the Center’s needs and has ample parking for members, volunteers, staff and visitors.
Its proximity to Calvin University also provides exciting opportunities to deepen our relationship with volunteers and interns and create fun experiences for our members at the nearby Nature Preserve.
What are your most critical needs in a new space?
Our new space will address some of our most critical needs to better serve our members, including:
- More spaces for programs so we can limit waitlists and allow more members to take part in more programs
- Greater accessibility for wheelchairs, strollers and our young members
- Designated spaces for our teen and young adult members
- A large gym space to allow us to better facilitate sports programs and reduce risk of injury.
- A parent space that is separated from general program areas to allow time for connection and respite.
- Adequate onsite parking
- Additional office and storage spaces
What will happen to the Center’s current building?
Our building is leased from Saint Thomas Parish, who will determine next steps for the space.
How many members do you serve?
Currently, the center serves more than 800 members – and based on estimates from local health care partners, we know there are many more people in our area who qualify for our services.
What is your relationship with the State of Michigan?
We are currently conducting a study in partnership with Priority Health and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to measure the long-term health outcomes that result from Center participation.
In addition to supporting the study, the state gave Center a one-time grant in 2021 towards a capital project in West Michigan. These are the funds that were used to purchase the new building.