The Connections Between LGROW and Making Waves at GVSU

Hello, my name is Ari Henson. I am a junior at Grand Valley State University, and I am an intern here at LGROW. I am lucky enough to work in a special position, where I work as an intern for LGROW and for a GVSU organization called the Making Waves Initiative. I was fortunate enough to be offered this amazing opportunity by Peter Wampler, a leader of MWI, and Wendy Ogilvie, the director of environmental programs at LGROW. This position is quite exciting, as it is the first of its kind for LGROW and MWI. I have the privilege of setting the precedent for this position and for those who may follow after me.

For those of you who do not know about the Making Waves Initiative, it is an on-campus organization dedicated to bringing people together using the connectedness of water. The goal of Making Waves is to observe the ways in which water touches all of our lives. Water is particularly important to those of us living in Michigan, especially on this side of the state, and so MWI has pledged to protect this life-giving resource. As a real-world manifestation of this goal, Making Waves holds events throughout the year, such as kayaking trips or confluence conversations, to help educate our local communities about the importance of water. Additionally, they also have a number of resource pages on their website for GVSU students. On these pages, students can find classes that teach about water, links to advocacy groups and water-centric extracurriculars, suggestions for water-relevant reading and media, projects by students about water, and so much more. 

Evidently, LGROW and MWI have very similar goals, which is why this position was created. I am here to build connections between the two groups, and increase the combined efforts to better the health of the entire Grand Rapids watershed area. For example, MWI was a host and sponsor for a number of LGROW’s spring forum events. I served at those events as a representative of both groups. I have also been working on some very special connection projects for future events, where both groups will be working together. The Grand River Water Trail Development plan is one of those projects I am working on. I am excited to push forth the goal of MWI and LGROW on GVSU’s campus, and bring awareness to the student body. Without working for these two groups, I may have never learned about how important water is to the health of all of us, and even the earth as a whole. 

If you are interested in learning more about the Making Waves Initiative and the importance of water, click this link to visit their website; https://www.gvsu.edu/makingwaves/