Welcome to the U of M Club of Grand Rapids website!  We hope that you find the information on our events and services helpful.  Please feel free to join us for one of our numerous social or community service oriented events.  You may be surprised at the diversity of our club members and their involvement in the community. 

This past year has been an eventful one for the Grand Rapids club, as we have made a conscious effort to expand our programs to better fit the needs and wants of our membership.  We have continued many of our most popular events, including game watch parties and charter trips, community service day (with Feed America in 2012), and the annual student send-off picnic.  Thanks to the hard work and dedication of many of our board members (and active non-board members) we have also started what we hope will be new Grand Rapids alumni club traditions.  Newly instituted events include a meet and greet with the UM Women’s Volleyball team, Martini Tasting, Grand Rapids Opera outing, and the Kent County Parks Annual Spring Clean.  Athletic or cultural, social or philanthropic, it is our goal to offer events that appeal to the entire cross section of our membership and we always welcome ideas or suggestions for future events.

The club has also continued its strong commitment to academic achievement, with the award of 16 additional scholarships for the upcoming 2012-2013 academic year to some outstanding West Michigan students.  Counting these incoming freshmen, we anticipate having 62 students on campus in the fall who will be receiving scholarships from our program, with an annual outlay of approximately $220,000.  For many of these students, this scholarship was the difference maker which allowed them to attend the University of Michigan, and without it we may have lost these outstanding individuals to other institutions.  Our club’s endowment and the scholarships that we provide are only possible because of your generous participation in our programs.  We sincerely thank each and every one of you for your participation and your contributions, both past and future.

If you would like to join us for events throughout the year, please visit our website (www.umclubs.com/grandrapids) and check your email for our communications.  If you would like to get involved, please feel free to contact us at grandrapidsclub@umich.edu or 616.459.BLUE.  Go Blue!

Sincerely,

Ethan Anderson

President