Reimagined facility will offer enhanced programming, services to Arenac County residents
The former elementary school building in Standish received a boost in its journey to be reimagined as a comprehensive community center thanks to a $1.1 million grant from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.
The Sunrise Community Resource Center will support residents of Arenac and surrounding counties with services that include:
- Before- or after-school educational activities.
- Licensed full-time childcare.
- Access to career and workforce training.
- Indoor and outdoor spaces accessible to the public for recreational and athletic activities.
- Programming for seniors.
- Meeting spaces for neighborhood and community organizations.
- Space for social and health services.
The state awarded $64 million in community center grant funds for 100 Michigan municipalities and organizations to expand programming or work on capital projects. The program builds on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s ‘Make it in Michigan’ strategy to win projects, invest in people and revitalize places.
The former elementary school — owned by the Standish-Sterling Community School District — has been used since 2018 by the Arenac Community Center, an independent nonprofit organization. District Superintendent Darren Kroczaleski said the new center will build on the work of several dedicated members of the Standish community during the past five years.
“We’re incredibly grateful to those who laid the foundation for what will become a robust community hub meeting an array of area needs,” Kroczaleski said. “Had Shara Klenk and a dedicated group of supporters not stepped up in 2017 to begin the community center concept here, this building likely would have been torn down.”
The grant application — and going forward the reimagined center and expanded services — are possible in large part through a partnership with the Michigan Health Improvement Alliance, an organization that opens doors for local communities to address systemic health and well-being issues through resources, experience and expertise.
“The Michigan Health Improvement Alliance has helped facilitate large-scale, transformational projects for 15 years across central and eastern Michigan,” Kroczaleski said. “They are exactly who we need in the background, assisting our efforts to acquire and implement the grant and provide a new era of exciting services to our communities.”
Michigan Health Improvement Alliance will serve as the fiscal agent and fiscal sponsor for any subsequent grant applications and fundraising activities for Sunrise, and it will work with the school district, along with community organizations and businesses to evolve the Sunrise Community Resource Center into a sustainable organization, governed by an independent board, appointed by the school district superintendent.
“This is such a great example of what can be accomplished when a community works together to think creatively about what they need and want for their future,” said Heidi Tracy, CEO of the Michigan Health Improvement Alliance. “The Sunrise Community Resource Center will remove barriers that keep rural families from living their best and healthiest lives and help make Arenac County a vibrant place where businesses want to expand and relocate.
“Our goal is to ensure that the center is community-owned and will have the financial and human resources necessary to achieve its goals and provide an attractive, safe and lively space for residents and organizations.”
Bringing communities together
According to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, grants were awarded to 69 nonprofit agencies, 22 local government agencies and nine schools/universities across the state. The Sunrise grant was among the 10 largest in the state.
Tracy said the Sunrise Community Resource Center grant is one of 11 awarded in the central and eastern region of the state that the Michigan Health Improvement Alliance covers; they totaled nearly $7.5 million.
“We’re thankful to the state and our elected officials for making funding available to communities that continue to struggle post-pandemic,” Tracy said. “These grants will make a significant difference in Arenac County and throughout central and eastern Michigan. This is good news as our organization works to advocate for further funding to our region.”
George Aultman, vice president of strategic development at Standish-based Vantage Plastics and a Michigan Health Improvement Alliance board member, said he’s optimistic about the benefits this center will bring to the community.
“Being very familiar with Standish and the communities around it, I know this initiative will be very beneficial to the people of this area,” he said.
The grants support the governor’s goal of lifting 100,000 families out of working poverty during the next five years. They follow the recommendations of the Michigan Poverty Task Force to address disparities that diminish the ability of individuals and families to afford life necessities such as housing, childcare, food, health care and transportation.
The grants were part of the American Rescue Plan Act and were appropriated by the State Legislature.
Media contact: Heather Smith, [email protected]